Building a dll [Solved]

[JohnOne]

I know this is a developers forum, but i think this belongs here.

I've tried making a simple math dll in visual studio 2010 following the walkthrough here

It built successfully, but the call from autoit returns @error = 3 "function" not found in the DLL file

mathdll.h

namespace MathFuncs
{
    class MyMathFuncs
    {
    public:
        // Returns a + b
        static __declspec(dllexport) double Add(double a, double <img src='http://www.autoitscript.com/forum/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/cool.png' class='bbc_emoticon' alt='B)' />;

        // Returns a - b
        static __declspec(dllexport) double Subtract(double a, double <img src='http://www.autoitscript.com/forum/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/cool.png' class='bbc_emoticon' alt='B)' />;

        // Returns a * b
        static __declspec(dllexport) double Multiply(double a, double <img src='http://www.autoitscript.com/forum/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/cool.png' class='bbc_emoticon' alt='B)' />;

        // Returns a / b
        // Throws DivideByZeroException if b is 0
        static __declspec(dllexport) double Divide(double a, double <img src='http://www.autoitscript.com/forum/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/cool.png' class='bbc_emoticon' alt='B)' />;
    };
}

mathdll.cpp

#include "MathDll.h"

#include <stdexcept>

using namespace std;

namespace MathFuncs
{
    double MyMathFuncs::Add(double a, double <img src='http://www.autoitscript.com/forum/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/cool.png' class='bbc_emoticon' alt='B)' />
    {
        return a + b;
    }

    double MyMathFuncs::Subtract(double a, double <img src='http://www.autoitscript.com/forum/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/cool.png' class='bbc_emoticon' alt='B)' />
    {
        return a - b;
    }

    double MyMathFuncs::Multiply(double a, double <img src='http://www.autoitscript.com/forum/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/cool.png' class='bbc_emoticon' alt='B)' />
    {
        return a * b;
    }

    double MyMathFuncs::Divide(double a, double <img src='http://www.autoitscript.com/forum/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/cool.png' class='bbc_emoticon' alt='B)' />
    {
        if (b == 0)
        {
            throw new invalid_argument("b cannot be zero!");
        }

        return a / b;
    }
}

#include <Array.au3>
$dll = DllOpen("mathdll.dll")
ConsoleWrite(@error & @LF)
If $dll = -1 Then
    MsgBox(0, "", "")
    Exit
EndIf
$call = DllCall($dll, "double", "Multiply", "double", 2, "double", 4); tried Add, Subtract, Divide. And "double:cdecl" as return type.
ConsoleWrite(@error & @LF)
DllClose($dll)
ConsoleWrite(@error & @LF)
_ArrayDisplay($call)

My question is, are there any settings I need to employ in the C++ project properties that are needed for a dll to work with autoit, or am I making a schoolboy error?

The console output is...

0

3

0

Appreciate anyones time. Edited September 26, 2010 by JohnOne

[Mat]

Does this help?

http://www.autoitscript.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=113441

I don't know about vc++, but I know that c# dlls are a different format to normal ones, and so can't be used from AutoIt. I'd try it with plain c++ (e.g. make a win32 program in the wizard)

[JohnOne]

Yes Mat, it led me to a solution similar to the one in that thread.

Thanks for pointing it out.

[Mat]

Yes Mat, it led me to a solution similar to the one in that thread.

Thanks for pointing it out.

No probs

Whats it for exactly?

[JohnOne]

Nothing swanky mate, just filling my lazy sunday afternoon, with something educational rather than surfung the usual crap on the internet.

I know learning how to make a dll will come in handy for me in the future.

[Richard Robertson]

I can see the title says solved but I feel I need to add something. If you have functions defined on classes, they can't be called without a reference to the class. It's much better for dll libraries to have file level functions.

[JohnOne]

I dont know what file level functions are, but I mostly followed this tut in the end.

[Mat]

I dont know what file level functions are, but I mostly followed this tut in the end.

File level is not in a namespace or class. For example, all AutoIt functions are at file level, whereas c#'s methods are all in classes which are in namespaces.

[JohnOne]

I see, then I think what I have are file level.

It is this format

BOOL APIENTRY DllMain( HMODULE hModule,
                       DWORD  ul_reason_for_call,
                       LPVOID lpReserved
                     )
{
    switch (ul_reason_for_call)
    {
    case DLL_PROCESS_ATTACH:
    case DLL_THREAD_ATTACH:
    case DLL_THREAD_DETACH:
    case DLL_PROCESS_DETACH:
        break;
    }
    return TRUE;
}

With some prototypes and then the functions themselves.

[Richard Robertson]

DllMain is at file level, yes.

[JohnOne]

I have a little question, about DllMain if anyone can answer it for me.

Regarding the code above, in DllMain the switch "switch (ul_reason_for_call)".

Does an Autoit3 DllOpen/DllCall involve any of the given cases ?

Edited October 3, 2010 by JohnOne

[Mat]

Yes, I presume AutoIt uses the LoadLibrary function so that when you open a dll, it calls with DLL_PROCESS_ATTACH, and with DllClose it will use DLL_PROCESS_DETACH

You can test that easily enough.

[jaberwacky]

According to (http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Windows_Programming/Dynamic_Link_Libraries)

DLL_PROCESS_ATTACH -- a new program has just linked to the library for the first time.

DLL_PROCESS_DETACH -- a program has unlinked the library.

DLL_THREAD_ATTACH -- a thread from a program has linked to the library.

DLL_THREAD_DETACH -- a thread from a program has just unlinked the library.

" ...if you aren't interested in any of the reasons, you can remove the entire switch statement from your program and return TRUE."

Edited October 3, 2010 by jaberwocky6669

[JohnOne]

Thanks gentlemen.

That being true, what I am intersted in is a way to employ "LPVOID lpReserved" from a DllOpen in Autoit, like passing it an argument??

I have a feeling I'm not going to get the answer I want, but I looked much sillier before this so I wont be braeking my record.

[ProgAndy]

You cannot pass an extra parameter to DLLMain.

Waht is the param you want to pass?

[JohnOne]

I'm after a function in the dll to be executed, but only once upon it being opened, and using a parameter passed.

The paramater type is not important to me, It can be any type available in Autoit.

EDIT: except bool.

For instance concider this psuedo

I use DllCall($dll, "int", "func")

$Dll is opened, and another internal function is performed, then "func" and the dll is closed.

I use DllOpen($dll,"int",12345)

DllCall($dll, "int", "func2")

DllCall($dll, "int", "func3")

DllClose($dll)

$Dll is opened, and another internal function is performed, then "func"

then "func2" them "func3"

and the dll is closed.

Edited October 3, 2010 by JohnOne

[Mat]

Yes... But why?

Have a startup function would be your best bet, like GDI+

[jaberwacky]

Wouldn't this work?

BOOL APIENTRY DllMain(MODULE hModule, DWORD ul_reason_for_call, LPVOID lpReserved)
{
    switch (ul_reason_for_call)
    {
        case DLL_PROCESS_ATTACH:
        // function();
        break;

        case DLL_THREAD_ATTACH:
        break;

        case DLL_THREAD_DETACH:
        break;

        case DLL_PROCESS_DETACH:
        break;
    }
    
    return TRUE;
}

Edited October 3, 2010 by jaberwocky6669

[JohnOne]

I dont think so as the function() has not been declared at that point.

[Richard Robertson]

It's not difficult to add a function prototype.

Edited October 3, 2010 by Richard Robertson