Thread: linking to my own DLL

Oddly, I've always linked to other peoples DLLs and never my own. Now, I want to link to my own DLL, and I don't know why I can't.

I created the DLL with code::blocks and I'm linking to the .a file code::blocks outputs. I also have a header with all the functions the DLL has. The functions are showing up in the auto complete, but when I try to compile, any function in the DLL gives an error saying that it was not declared.

What do I need to do to get this working?

Code::blocks probably gets the prototypes from the header, so that is trivial information. Are your exports done properly? Is it a run-time error, or a linker error?

I get: "ld.exe cannot find -l"nameoflib.

what is the name of your .a file?

libYsound.a

You need to be doing -lYsound. I am not sure how you specifically tell Code::blocks what which library to link in. But on whatever menu just tell it Ysound, not some exact file name.

It says the same thing. "ld.exe cannot find -lYsound." Do I have to have a lib file? All the other DLLs need to link to .libs, but Code::blocks doesn't give .lib files with the DLLs it compiles.

It could be a .lib. Or it could be a .a. They are funcitonally the same thing. Check your library include paths. What compiler are you running? gcc?

It is linking to the file that I want and including the header that I want. I'm using GCC.

Am I doing something wrong in the DLL?

Code:

// dll cpp file
#define DLLEXPORT extern "C" __declspec(dllexport)
DLLEXPORT int foo(){ return 1; }

Code:

// header
int foo();

Ah ok. You need to move that #define to your header and put the DLLEXPORT in the prototype.

Hm, I figured I probably did something wrong. However, it still cannot find -lYsound. I think I need a lib file.

ok... then rename your .a file to .lib. If that will make you happy Just don't forget to change your header to

Code:

#ifdef DLL_BUILD
#  define DLLEXPORT extern "C" __declspec(dllexport)
#else
#  define DLLEXPORT extern "C" __declspec(dllimport)
#endif

DLLEXPORT int foo();

I'm still getting the same error. I get this any time I try to link to a dll I compiled with code::blocks to another project I'm compiling in code::blocks. Do I need to link to anything else other than that lib file?

Ok lets be PERFECTLY straight on this.

When you build the DLL you need to put -DDLL_BUILD=1 in your command line. When you are building your project that uses the DLL, you do not put that.

You probably need to recompile your DLL.

Well, it is working now, but I don't know why. I originally moved the files from where code::blocks had compiled them to the directory of the DLL I am currently working on. When I linked to the file there it couldn't find it. I moved them back to where code::blocks compiled it and linked to it from there and it worked. 0.o

Thank you.