CODEWITHSUNDEEP
c++dynamic-linkingstatic-linkingname-decoration
zyndor
zyndor

Reputation: 1468

eliminating the inter-compiler incompatibility issue with C++ dynamic libraries

..., a follow up to this.

From the answers I've been given to my referenced question I've learned that:

Having a closer look at SDL in the light of what's been said, I've realized, that its linking has two layers: in my SDL project, I link statically against libSDL.a, which will, in turn, link dynamically against SDL.dll, thereby elminating the need for different .dll versions for different compilers.

The question is whether this is really the case and a viable solution to the problem, or am I missing something (and what)?

Upvotes: 2

Views: 277

Answers (1)

James Hopkin
James Hopkin

Reputation: 13973

I think your approach is right. I'd put it this way:

  • For a dll to be usable by different compilers, it must contain only C functions (they can be compiled using a C++ compiler using extern C)
  • As usual with dlls, a static import library can be used so that functions in the dll can be called directly, rather than needing to be loaded by name
  • Instead of a regular import library, you could have a wrapper library that wraps the dll's C functions in C++ classes and functions

Upvotes: 3

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