What is a .exp file and .lib file, and how can I use them in my C# project?

Question

I wanted to download the lame library for use in my C# project to convert audio. I found the files to use here (libmp3lame)

When I downloaded the archive, I found the .dll I was looking for but along with them, there were 2 others files:

• libmp3lame.dll
• libmp3lame.exp
• libmp3lame.lib

My question:

1. 1 What are these files used for? And how can I make use of them in my project apart from the .dll file
2. What benefit do these files give me that the .dll library cant?

Edit: I have a feeling that these files are not for use in C#. More for C++. But either way, what are those files? And what are they used for?

Answer 1

Both lib files and exp files are used with native code development (e.g. C++/VB6/Win32) and are not used at all in the .NET world.

lib files contain a collection of reusable code or data or both that can be statically linked and reused with your existing code. They are similar to DLL files, except the big difference being DLL files are linked dynamically and LIB files are linked statically, when you compile your program.

exp files are export files. There are kind of like metadata files that tell your compiler which functions in a DLL have been exported, and therefore can be reused in your statically linked program. .NET program do not require this because each .NET DLL has a special section called the CLR Metadata section. .NET programs can use reflection to pull this metadata information and see which methods are available.