Linking Mixed Mode and Managed Assemblies

[=?Utf-8?B?aWduaGVucnk=?=]

I have a managed C++ project and two C# projects. All are class library
projects. The C++ project links with native C++ static libraries and
references to one C# project. The projects structure goes something like this.

Proj2_MCPP --(references)--Proj1_CSharp
Proj3_CSharp --(references)--Proj2_MCPP and Proj1_CSharp

My objective is to link the DLLs produced by the 3 projects into a single DLL.

I tried the following scenario.
1. csc Proj1_CSharp into a netmodule
2. cl Proj2_MCPP with /LN and /clr:oldSyntax switch to produce .obj files
3. csc Proj3_CSharp with /AddModule option and use .netmodule and .obj files
as input
4. Link 1, 2 and 3 into a dll.

and I also tried this.
1. csc Proj1_CSharp into a netmodule
2. Build Proj2_MCPP from VS.NET 2005 (based on
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/309805) to produce .netmodule and obj .files.
3. csc Proj3_CSharp with /AddModule option and use .netmodule and .obj files
as input
4. Link 1, 2 and 3 into a dll.

I never managed to reach step 4. I just stuck with error messages resulted
from step 3.

Am I doing the right thing? Or it is just not possible?

Thanks - Henry

[=?Utf-8?B?UGV0ZXIgUml0Y2hpZSBbQyMgTVZQXQ==?=]

Class library projects are DLLs. You can't directly link DLLs together into
a new DLL.

You could try a utility called ILMerge [1]; but I haven't tried it with
mixed-mode DLLs.

[1] http://research.microsoft.com/~mbarnett/ILMerge.aspx

--
Browse http://connect.microsoft.com/VisualStudio/feedback/ and vote.
http://www.peterRitchie.com/blog/
Microsoft MVP, Visual Developer - Visual C#
"ignhenry" wrote:

I have a managed C++ project and two C# projects. All are class library
projects. The C++ project links with native C++ static libraries and
references to one C# project. The projects structure goes something like this.

Proj2_MCPP --(references)--Proj1_CSharp
Proj3_CSharp --(references)--Proj2_MCPP and Proj1_CSharp

My objective is to link the DLLs produced by the 3 projects into a single DLL.

I tried the following scenario.
1. csc Proj1_CSharp into a netmodule
2. cl Proj2_MCPP with /LN and /clr:oldSyntax switch to produce .obj files
3. csc Proj3_CSharp with /AddModule option and use .netmodule and .obj files
as input
4. Link 1, 2 and 3 into a dll.

and I also tried this.
1. csc Proj1_CSharp into a netmodule
2. Build Proj2_MCPP from VS.NET 2005 (based on
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/309805) to produce .netmodule and obj .files.
3. csc Proj3_CSharp with /AddModule option and use .netmodule and .obj files
as input
4. Link 1, 2 and 3 into a dll.

I never managed to reach step 4. I just stuck with error messages resulted
from step 3.

Am I doing the right thing? Or it is just not possible?

Thanks - Henry

[=?Utf-8?B?aWduaGVucnk=?=]

Thanks, Peter. I read somewhere that ILMerge, and Al.exe, only work for pure
managed assemblies, but don't support mixed mode DLLs containing both managed
and unmanaged code. I dropped them from my list.

Right now I am looking at using CSharp compiler and VC++ linker. I've seen
in internet newsgroups some people got it working successfully. My CSharp
compiler is complaining that some classes are defined multiple times.
Obviously, I am still missing something - probably simple.

-- Henry

"Peter Ritchie [C# MVP]" wrote:

Class library projects are DLLs. You can't directly link DLLs together into
a new DLL.

You could try a utility called ILMerge [1]; but I haven't tried it with
mixed-mode DLLs.

[1] http://research.microsoft.com/~mbarnett/ILMerge.aspx

--
Browse http://connect.microsoft.com/VisualStudio/feedback/ and vote.
http://www.peterRitchie.com/blog/
Microsoft MVP, Visual Developer - Visual C#
"ignhenry" wrote:

I have a managed C++ project and two C# projects. All are class library
projects. The C++ project links with native C++ static libraries and
references to one C# project. The projects structure goes something like this.

Proj2_MCPP --(references)--Proj1_CSharp
Proj3_CSharp --(references)--Proj2_MCPP and Proj1_CSharp

My objective is to link the DLLs produced by the 3 projects into a single DLL.

I tried the following scenario.
1. csc Proj1_CSharp into a netmodule
2. cl Proj2_MCPP with /LN and /clr:oldSyntax switch to produce .obj files
3. csc Proj3_CSharp with /AddModule option and use .netmodule and .obj files
as input
4. Link 1, 2 and 3 into a dll.

and I also tried this.
1. csc Proj1_CSharp into a netmodule
2. Build Proj2_MCPP from VS.NET 2005 (based on
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/309805) to produce .netmodule and obj .files.
3. csc Proj3_CSharp with /AddModule option and use .netmodule and .obj files
as input
4. Link 1, 2 and 3 into a dll.

I never managed to reach step 4. I just stuck with error messages resulted
from step 3.

Am I doing the right thing? Or it is just not possible?

Thanks - Henry

[=?Utf-8?B?UGV0ZXIgUml0Y2hpZSBbQyMgTVZQXQ==?=]

Visual Studio doesn't support them, but compiling to netmodules could then be
linked together as an assembly using Assembly Linker (al.exe).

I'm not sure how to get c++ compiler to generate netmodules...

--
Browse http://connect.microsoft.com/VisualStudio/feedback/ and vote.
http://www.peterRitchie.com/blog/
Microsoft MVP, Visual Developer - Visual C#
"ignhenry" wrote:

Thanks, Peter. I read somewhere that ILMerge, and Al.exe, only work for pure
managed assemblies, but don't support mixed mode DLLs containing both managed
and unmanaged code. I dropped them from my list.

Right now I am looking at using CSharp compiler and VC++ linker. I've seen
in internet newsgroups some people got it working successfully. My CSharp
compiler is complaining that some classes are defined multiple times.
Obviously, I am still missing something - probably simple.

-- Henry

"Peter Ritchie [C# MVP]" wrote:

Class library projects are DLLs. You can't directly link DLLs together into
a new DLL.

You could try a utility called ILMerge [1]; but I haven't tried it with
mixed-mode DLLs.

[1] http://research.microsoft.com/~mbarnett/ILMerge.aspx

--
Browse http://connect.microsoft.com/VisualStudio/feedback/ and vote.
http://www.peterRitchie.com/blog/
Microsoft MVP, Visual Developer - Visual C#
"ignhenry" wrote:

I have a managed C++ project and two C# projects. All are class library
projects. The C++ project links with native C++ static libraries and
references to one C# project. The projects structure goes something like this.
>
Proj2_MCPP --(references)--Proj1_CSharp
Proj3_CSharp --(references)--Proj2_MCPP and Proj1_CSharp
>
My objective is to link the DLLs produced by the 3 projects into a single DLL.
>
I tried the following scenario.
1. csc Proj1_CSharp into a netmodule
2. cl Proj2_MCPP with /LN and /clr:oldSyntax switch to produce .obj files
3. csc Proj3_CSharp with /AddModule option and use .netmodule and .obj files
as input
4. Link 1, 2 and 3 into a dll.
>
and I also tried this.
1. csc Proj1_CSharp into a netmodule
2. Build Proj2_MCPP from VS.NET 2005 (based on
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/309805) to produce .netmodule and obj .files.
3. csc Proj3_CSharp with /AddModule option and use .netmodule and .obj files
as input
4. Link 1, 2 and 3 into a dll.
>
I never managed to reach step 4. I just stuck with error messages resulted
from step 3.
>
Am I doing the right thing? Or it is just not possible?
>
Thanks - Henry

[=?Utf-8?B?UGV0ZXIgUml0Y2hpZSBbQyMgTVZQXQ==?=]

Here's what I've been able to do:

csc /target:module cstest.cs
cl /clr:pure /FUSystem.dll /LN cpptest.cpp
al /platform:x86 /t:lib /out:test.dll cpptest.netmodule cstest.netmodule

This generates a dll (test.dll) that contains the two netmodules. When I
added to another C# project as a reference I was able to add managed types
from both netmodules.

--
Browse http://connect.microsoft.com/VisualStudio/feedback/ and vote.
http://www.peterRitchie.com/blog/
Microsoft MVP, Visual Developer - Visual C#
"ignhenry" wrote:

Thanks, Peter. I read somewhere that ILMerge, and Al.exe, only work for pure
managed assemblies, but don't support mixed mode DLLs containing both managed
and unmanaged code. I dropped them from my list.

Right now I am looking at using CSharp compiler and VC++ linker. I've seen
in internet newsgroups some people got it working successfully. My CSharp
compiler is complaining that some classes are defined multiple times.
Obviously, I am still missing something - probably simple.

-- Henry

"Peter Ritchie [C# MVP]" wrote:

Class library projects are DLLs. You can't directly link DLLs together into
a new DLL.

You could try a utility called ILMerge [1]; but I haven't tried it with
mixed-mode DLLs.

[1] http://research.microsoft.com/~mbarnett/ILMerge.aspx

--
Browse http://connect.microsoft.com/VisualStudio/feedback/ and vote.
http://www.peterRitchie.com/blog/
Microsoft MVP, Visual Developer - Visual C#
"ignhenry" wrote:

I have a managed C++ project and two C# projects. All are class library
projects. The C++ project links with native C++ static libraries and
references to one C# project. The projects structure goes something like this.
>
Proj2_MCPP --(references)--Proj1_CSharp
Proj3_CSharp --(references)--Proj2_MCPP and Proj1_CSharp
>
My objective is to link the DLLs produced by the 3 projects into a single DLL.
>
I tried the following scenario.
1. csc Proj1_CSharp into a netmodule
2. cl Proj2_MCPP with /LN and /clr:oldSyntax switch to produce .obj files
3. csc Proj3_CSharp with /AddModule option and use .netmodule and .obj files
as input
4. Link 1, 2 and 3 into a dll.
>
and I also tried this.
1. csc Proj1_CSharp into a netmodule
2. Build Proj2_MCPP from VS.NET 2005 (based on
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/309805) to produce .netmodule and obj .files.
3. csc Proj3_CSharp with /AddModule option and use .netmodule and .obj files
as input
4. Link 1, 2 and 3 into a dll.
>
I never managed to reach step 4. I just stuck with error messages resulted
from step 3.
>
Am I doing the right thing? Or it is just not possible?
>
Thanks - Henry

[Jeffrey Tan[MSFT]]

Hi Henry,

I have added a reply to you in microsoft.public.dotnet.languages.vc
newsgroup, please feel free to check it there, thanks.

Best regards,
Jeffrey Tan
Microsoft Online Community Support
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