lib.exe, Visual Studio, generating .lib files from dll's and def files

Question

I am new to windows and visual studio. I have to compile a code written in c++. It uses different libraries. I found the dll files for those libraries. I can compile the source without any problem but there are link problems. I do not know how to link dll files. I understood that I need .lib files for that. But some of the libraries required do not have any lib files provided. There are only dll files and dif files. How can I generate the required lib files by using Visual studio 2010 ultimate? I cannot find a program called lib.exe. Thank You.

Answer 1

You are indeed going to need lib.exe to turn the .def file into a .lib file that the linker needs. It is stored in the vc\bin directory of the visual studio directory, C:\Program Files\Microsoft Visual Studio 10.0\VC\bin\lib.exe by default. The easiest way is to use the "Visual Studio Command Prompt", you'll find it in the Start menu, Microsoft Visual Studio 2010, Visual Studio Tools.

Next, run lib.exe with the /def:foo.def option to generate the .lib. Follow the vendor's instructions, if provided. And don't hesitate to contact them for support.