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c#monoxamarin.iosmonodevelopxamarin.android
user1027169
user1027169

Reputation: 2887

Using C DLL in MonoTouch and MonoDroid

I am new to using .NET, but I am interested in using MonoTouch/Droid to write mobile applications that could share some core code.

I have many C style API libraries I wish to use, for example libxml2. How do I call these native library methods in Mono? Can I use the same binaries compiled from Windows if I am developing in Windows? Can I use the Windows binaries if I am developing in OS X?

Upvotes: 4

Views: 971

Answers (1)

poupou
poupou

Reputation: 43553

How do I call these native library methods in Mono?

You use p/invoke (platform invoke) to call native C code from any .NET language. You need to write those declarations (of find someone who did it before you) to use the native libraries. Like @Marcelo commented there are often very good, much easier to use .NET alternatives to most C libraries.

This will work on MonoTouch too. However you'll need provide a static library (.a on OSX, like a .lib on Windows) since Apple iOS does not allow linking with user-provided dynamic libraries (.dylib on OSX/iOS and .dll on Windows).

Can I use the same binaries compiled from Windows if I am developing in Windows?

Windows produced binaries should run fine with Mono on Windows. You can use Microsoft .NET on Windows too.

Can I use the Windows binaries if I am developing in OS X?

If the binaries are .NET compiled code then yes - as long as your p/invoke declrations are portable (e.g. 32 vs 64 bits types).

If the binaries are native code then no. Remember that Mono is not a Windows emulator. It runs CIL code, inside .EXE or .DLL, but it won't run native Windows code or provide access to Windows native API (outside Windows).

Upvotes: 7

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