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Is it possible to use a C++ .lib file from within a C# program?
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A library in C is a collection of header files, exposed for use by other programs. The library therefore consists of an interface expressed in a . h file (named the "header") and an implementation expressed in a . c file. This .
C Libraries compiled for Windows can be called from C# using Platform Invoke. From MSDN, the syntax of making a C function call is as follows: [DllImport("Kernel32. dll", SetLastError=true)] static extern Boolean Beep(UInt32 frequency, UInt32 duration);
To load the LIB file, select File → Load Library..., navigate to the location of your LIB file, select the file, and click Open.
There are plenty of ways. Read about "interop" in MSDN..
One way is to expose the lib as a DLL, and then use pinvoke to call these functions from a C# project. That limits you to a C-style interface, though.
If your interface is more complex (e.g. object oriented) you can create a C++/CLI layer that will expose the lib's class structure to your C# program. This means you'll have to create a managed C++ (or C++/CLI as it's now called) project; then design an interface in managed code that will be implemented by calls to native C++ (i.e. your lib).
Another way of doing this is by wrapping your lib with a COM interface. But COM's a pain, so I wouldn't...
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answered Oct 05 '22 06:10
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