Linking Mixed Mode and Managed Assemblies

**=?Utf-8?B?UGV0ZXIgUml0Y2hpZSBbQyMgTVZQXQ==?=** · Jun 27 '08, 07:46 PM

RE: Linking Mixed Mode and Managed Assemblies

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=?=** · Jun 27 '08, 07:47 PM

RE: Linking Mixed Mode and Managed Assemblies

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==?=** · Jun 27 '08, 07:47 PM

RE: Linking Mixed Mode and Managed Assemblies

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==?=** · Jun 27 '08, 07:47 PM

RE: Linking Mixed Mode and Managed Assemblies

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.netmodu le cstest.netmodul e

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]** · Jun 27 '08, 07:47 PM

RE: Linking Mixed Mode and Managed Assemblies

Hi Henry,

I have added a reply to you in microsoft.publi c.dotnet.langua ges.vc
newsgroup, please feel free to check it there, thanks.

Best regards,
Jeffrey Tan
Microsoft Online Community Support
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This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no rights.

Linking Mixed Mode and Managed Assemblies

Linking Mixed Mode and Managed Assemblies

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