DLL's

[strate]

What is a dll?

How do I look at one that is already created?

Why are they needed?

When should they be used?

I have no clue about these I wanna use them but I don't know anything about them.

Help understanding these would be great, thanks in advance.

[SpookMeister]

http://searchwin2000.techtarget.com/sDefin...i213902,00.html

[strate]

http://searchwin2000.techtarget.com/sDefin...i213902,00.html

Thank you for the response. I never even knew what dll stood for, lol.

[strate]

Since my last post I've been trying to understand how they are created. I'm having a hard time with this.

I understand how they work and why you would wanna use them. Now I wanna create some but I'm still puzzled as to how its done.

[MrSpacely]

Since my last post I've been trying to understand how they are created. I'm having a hard time with this.

I understand how they work and why you would wanna use them. Now I wanna create some but I'm still puzzled as to how its done.

Autoit cannot make them I think.

They are written in several languages like vb C++ C#.net

When compiling a dll file the compiler needs to be called with some extra parameters.

And also the script needs to be written in a special way so that the dll function wich need to be used will also work.

Actually a dll is just a program wich can be loaded and function from it can be called from external programs. But you need C++(or other code) knowledge and a good IDE to make them (actually you could make it with a standalone compiler and notepad but you need lots of knowledge how to start the compiler)

Often you even need to write a dll in a special way for a program called plugins.

Like a winamp vis plugin dll won't work really well in autoit.

[strate]

Autoit cannot make them I think.

They are written in several languages like vb C++ C#.net

When compiling a dll file the compiler needs to be called with some extra parameters.

And also the script needs to be written in a special way so that the dll function wich need to be used will also work.

Actually a dll is just a program wich can be loaded and function from it can be called from external programs. But you need C++(or other code) knowledge and a good IDE to make them (actually you could make it with a standalone compiler and notepad but you need lots of knowledge how to start the compiler)

Often you even need to write a dll in a special way for a program called plugins.

Like a winamp vis plugin dll won't work really well in autoit.

How do you find out information associated to DLL like what the system ones are used for? Is that something that could be found anywhere?

[KXM]

If it's a system DLL, MSDN sould have information regarding any OPEN/PUBLIC/EXPOSED API calls it supports, how to access them, and how the respond/reply.

If it's a non-system DLL ( like one provided with an installed program ) the you must find the documtation for it as provided by the author.

HOWEVER, if there is no documation, then there is no way to find out how to use it. For instance, Norton AV my come with many (many, many) DLLs to provide functionallty within the program, but those are for only the program (and Windows it's self) to use. There is no documation, and hence no way to call the dynamic functions those DLLs contain.

This holds true to the Windows DLLs. Some may be accessed using MSDN docs, and cleaver porting to AutoIT. However MOST are for Windows it's self to use.