dll? udf?

[corey822]

ok hi i see people talking bout dll udf and other suff like that and they include them into there scripts but could someone help me understand this more

wat is dll and udf

and ini files

and what can be included into your script and for wat purpose for example

#include <something.au3 or .udf .dll>

someone clarify please

cheers C.W

Edited December 27, 2007 by corey822

[weaponx]

Oh dear god.

UDF - (User Defined Functions):

This is just an *.au3 script containing custom functions which build on top of AutoIt functions

DLL - (Dynamic Link Library):

You do not include a dll, but call it. See here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Library_%28co...Dynamic_linking

INI:

This is a file where key / value pairs can be stored and grouped into sections. See here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/INI_file

This will look in the includes directory below your AutoIt installation:

#include<script.au3>

This will look in the folder where your script resides:

#include "script.au3"

[3dude]

I was going to make a topic but he made it first!

Thanks for the info @weaponx! I didn't understand this stuff too!

[martin]

ok hi i see people talking bout dll udf and other suff like that and they include them into there scripts but could someone help me understand this more

wat is dll and udf

and what can be included into your script and for wat purpose for example

#include <something.au3 or .udf .dll>

someone clarify please

cheers C.W

DLL stands for Dynamic Link Library. It's an executable type of compiled program which has one or more useful function in it. Originally developed so that if a function is often needed by lots of different programs then instead of each program having to include the code for the function each program can just call the dll. So it saves memory.

To call a dll you have to know the functions and the parameters required and what it will return. So it's very much like a UDF in that way. A UDF is a User Defined Funcion, actually UDF's usually have lots of functions just like DLL's often have lots. But when you use a UDF you are including the code in your script so you don't have to write it yourself, it doesn't save any memory and no other programs can use it (from your running script I mean).

If you want to use a listview for example, then it is quite complicated working out how to use it, but if you add #include <GuiLIstView.au3> at the top of your script then this is equivalent to copying all the lines from GuiLIstView.au3 and pasting them where you had the #include line. Then you can use any of the functins without having to write them yourself.

So includes are just adding code to your script.

You cannot 'add' a dll to your script. You have to call it, say with DllOpen, which starts it running as a separate processing in memory, and then you send it the details of the function you want with the parameters using DllCall. The return from DllCall contains the output of the function if it worked.

One of the advantages of a dll is that almost any program can use it no matter what language. I wrote a print dll because I thought it would be useful for people writing AutoIt scripts, but one of the first people to try it used it with php.

An include file is specific to a particular language.

Does that make sense?

EDIT : I write too slowly, weaponex beat me to it a long time ago.

Edited December 27, 2007 by martin

[corey822]

DLL stands for Dynamic Link Library. It's an executable type of compiled program which has one or more useful function in it. Originally developed so that if a function is often needed by lots of different programs then instead of each program having to include the code for the function each program can just call the dll. So it saves memory.

To call a dll you have to know the functions and the parameters required and what it will return. So it's very much like a UDF in that way. A UDF is a User Defined Funcion, actually UDF's usually have lots of functions just like DLL's often have lots. But when you use a UDF you are including the code in your script so you don't have to write it yourself, it doesn't save any memory and no other programs can use it (from your running script I mean).

If you want to use a listview for example, then it is quite complicated working out how to use it, but if you add #include <GuiLIstView.au3> at the top of your script then this is equivalent to copying all the lines from GuiLIstView.au3 and pasting them where you had the #include line. Then you can use any of the functins without having to write them yourself.

So includes are just adding code to your script.

You cannot 'add' a dll to your script. You have to call it, say with DllOpen, which starts it running as a separate processing in memory, and then you send it the details of the function you want with the parameters using DllCall. The return from DllCall contains the output of the function if it worked.

One of the advantages of a dll is that almost any program can use it no matter what language. I wrote a print dll because I thought it would be useful for people writing AutoIt scripts, but one of the first people to try it used it with php.

An include file is specific to a particular language.

Does that make sense?

EDIT : I write too slowly, weaponex beat me to it a long time ago.

yes opened my mind more but is there any example's laying around that i can have a look at to understand mroe clearly as u learn with ur eyes not ur mind

cheers C.W

[weaponx]

Example include usage:

Script to include ---> genericudf.au3:

Func scramble($S)
    Local $out = ""
    $Array = StringSplit($S, "")
    For $X = 1 to $Array[0]
        $Temp = $Array[$X]
        $Random = Random ( $X, $Array[0], 1)
        $Array[$X] = $Array[$Random]
        $Array[$Random] = $Temp
        $out &= $Array[$X]
    Next
    Return $out
EndFuncoÝ÷ Ùj+)à±Êâ¦Þ¶nl¬r¸©µ«·ý¶®¶­sb6æ6ÇVFRgV÷C¶vVæW&7VFbæS2gV÷C° ¢b33cµ7G&ærÒgV÷Cµ4T5$UG77v÷&BgV÷C°¤×6t&÷ÂgV÷C²gV÷C²Ç67&Ö&ÆRb33cµ7G&ær

This example will take the given string and scramble the letters around using the included function.

[SpookMeister]

Look in the "C:\Program Files\AutoIt3\Include" folder. There are a whole bunch of .au3 files that are available to be included into your scripts. If you open one of them up... lets pick "IE.au3" you will see that there is a whole boat load of functions in there. By just adding the line #include <IE.au3> you get access to all of those functions without having to make them yourself.

[corey822]

By just adding the line #include <IE.au3> you get access to all of those functions without having to make them yourself.

oh ok that put is into understanding thnx everyone

cheers C.W mayb this should be a sticky?

[weaponx]

Sticky it in the garbage. All of this is WELL documented in the help file included with AutoIt.