exporting class methods to library results in .lib and .exp

I'm trying to export some class methods to dll and lib files, but instead of creating a dll it's creating a .exp file, is it supposed to be doing this? I haven't seen class methods being exported before so I wasn't entirely sure what to do, but in my header file i've got:
__declspec(dllexport) return type Name(parameters);
and then in the implementation file i've got:
__declspec(dllexport) return type Name(parameters) {
//implementation
};

Have I exported correctly? I don't know what I'm doing...

EDIT: Well I made an app to test the library and it doens't work, gives me an error saying the application couldn't initialize successfully

Hmmmm, I don't know what I did wrong!

It should be creating a DLL and a .lib and a .exp

EDIT: If you want loadtime linking then just link to the lib, put the DLL in the same directory, and make sure the headers are changed to dllimport instead of dllexport, usually just done with a macro (when using loadtime linking in msvc++ you are supposed to be able to completely eliminate the dllimports and dllexports when loadtime linking to the DLL by letting the .lib resolve everything, but if you work with classes it doesn't work properly so you need to explicitly use dllimport).

Quote:

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It should be creating a DLL and a .lib and a .exp

EDIT: If you want loadtime linking then just link to the lib, put the DLL in the same directory, and make sure the headers are changed to dllimport instead of dllexport, usually just done with a macro (when using loadtime linking in msvc++ you are supposed to be able to completely eliminate the dllimports and dllexports when loadtime linking to the DLL by letting the .lib resolve everything, but if you work with classes it doesn't work properly so you need to explicitly use dllimport).

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I understand how it's supposed to work and how it's supposed to be used, I just don't understand why it's not creating the dll. I'm making a new project that just has the implementation, no other main.cpp or other files, this may take a while ill tell you when i get it working

a .lib and a .exp should not be created if a dll isn't created. are you absolutely positive that there isn't one?

nope, no dll

EDIT:
Is it okay to still have a main while creating the dll? Or should I just have header and implementation files that export the dlls, and no other files?

Quote:

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Originally posted by Shadow12345
Is it okay to still have a main while creating the dll? Or should I just have header and implementation files that export the dlls, and no other files?

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You can have "main" but it won't be called when the dll is loaded. It will just be like a normal function called "main."

DllMain is what is called at the start.

You use __declspec(dllexport) on the declaration of whatever you wish to export from the dll project. Post the code, I have a feeling that you're not using __declspec properly.

Model.h

Code:

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class Model {
//structures

__declspec(dllexport)        Model();       
__declspec(dllexport)        ~Model();
__declspec(dllexport)  AUX_RGBImageRec        *LoadBMP(char*);
__declspec(dllexport)        GLuint        LoadGLTextures(char*);
__declspec(dllexport)        bool LoadModel(char *);
__declspec(dllexport)        bool LoadTextures();        //LOAD THE TEXTURES, THE MATERIAL IS WHAT ACTUALLY GETS THE FILE NAME
__declspec(dllexport)        void Draw();


};

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model.cpp

Code:

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#include "Main.h"
#include "MS3D.h"
#include "Model.h"

typedef unsigned char byte;
typedef unsigned short word;

__declspec(dllexport) Model::Model(){


}

__declspec(dllexport) Model::~Model() {

}
__declspec(dllexport) AUX_RGBImageRec * Model::LoadBMP(char *FileName) {
}

__declspec(dllexport) GLuint        Model::LoadGLTextures(char *FileName) {
       
}

__declspec(dllexport) bool Model::LoadModel(char *fileName) {

}


__declspec(dllexport) void Model::Draw() {


}
       
__declspec(dllexport) bool Model::LoadTextures() {


}

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Just do

Model.h

Code:

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class __declspec(dllexport) Model {
//structures

    Model();       
    ~Model();
    AUX_RGBImageRec *LoadBMP(char*);
    GLuint LoadGLTextures(char*);
    bool LoadModel(char *);
    bool LoadTextures();        //LOAD THE TEXTURES, THE MATERIAL IS WHAT ACTUALLY GETS THE FILE NAME
    void Draw();
};

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model.cpp

Code:

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#include "Main.h"
#include "MS3D.h"
#include "Model.h"

typedef unsigned char byte;
typedef unsigned short word;

Model::Model(){
}

Model::~Model() {
}

AUX_RGBImageRec * Model::LoadBMP(char *FileName) {
}

GLuint Model::LoadGLTextures(char *FileName) {
       
}

bool Model::LoadModel(char *fileName) {
}

void Model::Draw() {
}

bool Model::LoadTextures() {
}

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if that works, I'm going offline and jumping out my window

EDIT: What the heck, still no dll, I get this warning and I don't know what it means, I changed it so it's exactly like the way you told me. It still exports the .lib and .exp files.

Quote:

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warning C4091: '__declspec(dllexport ) ' : ignored on left of 'class Model' when no variable is declared

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I dunno what that means
Hmm my brain is too small

It should

...well, minus that stupid smiley it put in there, ha

EDIT: oh, and the __declspec(dllexport) goes between "class" and the class name. Messed that up in the original post.

See previous edit, you missed it.

Okay well I correct that error from your original post, and I'm just french because I am still not getting a dll. I have it showing all hidden files, so it can't be hiding it from me can it? Also it doesn't say that a dll was created, it says this when I build the project:

Quote:

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originally posted by my ******* piece of **** compiler
Creating library Debug/lesson1.lib and object Debug/lesson1.exp

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NO DLL, AHH

check your settings to see where it puts the DLL when it builds it. It might just be putting it in another directory for some reason.

how do I check that? I'm not seeing it. I'm under visual studio 6

project->settings->link->output filename

Okay well it finally made a dll. Umm...don't hurt me...I never started a .dll project, before I was just adding the dll export stuff to an existing application, but it wasn't a dll project :(

I suck, I'm going to jump out of my window anyways