I've written a small utility that will convert import libraries in Microsoft COFF format to the OMF format used by the Digital Mars linker. This should make it much easier to keep import libraries updated with whatever the latest from Microsoft is.

ftp://ftp.digitalmars.com/coffimplib.zip

Consider it a beta. Let me know about any problems with it.

"Walter Bright" <newshound@digitalmars.com> wrote in message news:dpaolp$1oek$1@digitaldaemon.com...
> I've written a small utility that will convert import libraries in Microsoft COFF format to the OMF format used by the Digital Mars linker. This should make it much easier to keep import libraries updated with whatever the latest from Microsoft is.
>
> ftp://ftp.digitalmars.com/coffimplib.zip
>
> Consider it a beta. Let me know about any problems with it.

Thanks for this excellent tool. It converted all my Platform SDK libs, except for uuid.lib, complaining "uuid.lib is not an import library". Perhaps uuid.lib is a static library?

"John C" <johnch_atms@hotmail.com> wrote in message news:dpb0oj$21fo$1@digitaldaemon.com...
> "Walter Bright" <newshound@digitalmars.com> wrote in message news:dpaolp$1oek$1@digitaldaemon.com...
>> I've written a small utility that will convert import libraries in Microsoft COFF format to the OMF format used by the Digital Mars linker. This should make it much easier to keep import libraries updated with whatever the latest from Microsoft is.
>>
>> ftp://ftp.digitalmars.com/coffimplib.zip
>>
>> Consider it a beta. Let me know about any problems with it.
>
> Thanks for this excellent tool. It converted all my Platform SDK libs, except for uuid.lib, complaining "uuid.lib is not an import library". Perhaps uuid.lib is a static library?

Yes, as there is no uuid.dll. coffimplib only recognizes import symbols in the library, it's not a general coff object file format converter.

In article <dpb0oj$21fo$1@digitaldaemon.com>, John C says...
>
>"Walter Bright" <newshound@digitalmars.com> wrote in message news:dpaolp$1oek$1@digitaldaemon.com...
>> I've written a small utility that will convert import libraries in Microsoft COFF format to the OMF format used by the Digital Mars linker. This should make it much easier to keep import libraries updated with whatever the latest from Microsoft is.
>>
>> ftp://ftp.digitalmars.com/coffimplib.zip
>>
>> Consider it a beta. Let me know about any problems with it.
>
>Thanks for this excellent tool. It converted all my Platform SDK libs, except for uuid.lib, complaining "uuid.lib is not an import library". Perhaps uuid.lib is a static library?

You might be able to use this to create a uuid.lib: http://svn.dsource.org/projects/bindings/trunk/uuid_obj.d

(binary: http://svn.dsource.org/projects/bindings/trunk/lib/uuid.lib)

If you find something that I've left something out (I doubt the file is complete due to the way Microsoft is always making things more complicated), you can either let me know and I'll try to fix it or edit it in the SVN repository yourself.

jcc7

In article <dpaolp$1oek$1@digitaldaemon.com>, Walter Bright says...
>
>I've written a small utility that will convert import libraries in Microsoft COFF format to the OMF format used by the Digital Mars linker. This should make it much easier to keep import libraries updated with whatever the latest from Microsoft is.
>
>ftp://ftp.digitalmars.com/coffimplib.zip
>
>Consider it a beta. Let me know about any problems with it.
>
>

If it's this easy to convert the format of the files why not add support for coff files to the linker directly and remove the need to generate the omf format files at all?  This would be one less possible source of error during development.

"Kevin" <Kevin_member@pathlink.com> wrote in message news:dpdr8t$3pe$1@digitaldaemon.com...
> In article <dpaolp$1oek$1@digitaldaemon.com>, Walter Bright says...
>>
>>I've written a small utility that will convert import libraries in
>>Microsoft
>>COFF format to the OMF format used by the Digital Mars linker. This should
>>make it much easier to keep import libraries updated with whatever the
>>latest from Microsoft is.
>>
>>ftp://ftp.digitalmars.com/coffimplib.zip
>>
>>Consider it a beta. Let me know about any problems with it.
>
> If it's this easy to convert the format of the files why not add support
> for
> coff files to the linker directly and remove the need to generate the omf
> format
> files at all?  This would be one less possible source of error during
> development.

Because the linker is very difficult to modify (it's entirely in assembler).

Walter Bright wrote:
> "Kevin" <Kevin_member@pathlink.com> wrote in message news:dpdr8t$3pe$1@digitaldaemon.com...
> 
>>In article <dpaolp$1oek$1@digitaldaemon.com>, Walter Bright says...
>>
>>>I've written a small utility that will convert import libraries in Microsoft
>>>COFF format to the OMF format used by the Digital Mars linker. This should
>>>make it much easier to keep import libraries updated with whatever the
>>>latest from Microsoft is.
>>>
>>>ftp://ftp.digitalmars.com/coffimplib.zip
>>>
>>>Consider it a beta. Let me know about any problems with it.
>>
>>If it's this easy to convert the format of the files why not add support for
>>coff files to the linker directly and remove the need to generate the omf format
>>files at all?  This would be one less possible source of error during
>>development.
> 
> 
> Because the linker is very difficult to modify (it's entirely in assembler). 
> 
> 

How about a wrapper script that does that work? (Finds *.dll in the command line, calls coffumplib, ...)

On Tue, 03 Jan 2006 14:35:27 -0500, BCS <BCS_member@pathlink.com> wrote:

>>> If it's this easy to convert the format of the files why not add support for
>>> coff files to the linker directly and remove the need to generate the omf format
>>> files at all?  This would be one less possible source of error during
>>> development.
>>   Because the linker is very difficult to modify (it's entirely in assembler).
>
> How about a wrapper script that does that work? (Finds *.dll in the command line, calls coffumplib, ...)

I've been thinking about this one for awhile. How about a "dlink" that does D pre-linker magic. The current C/C++ linker seems to be too low level for some of D's features, so this intermediate linker could bridge the gap. Perhaps even emitting .dobj files containing extra info and the embedded .obj file.

Chris Miller wrote:

> On Tue, 03 Jan 2006 14:35:27 -0500, BCS <BCS_member@pathlink.com> wrote:
> 
>>>> If it's this easy to convert the format of the files why not add
>>>> support for
>>>> coff files to the linker directly and remove the need to generate the
>>>> omf format
>>>> files at all?  This would be one less possible source of error during
>>>> development.
>>>   Because the linker is very difficult to modify (it's entirely in
>>> assembler).
>>
>> How about a wrapper script that does that work? (Finds *.dll in the command line, calls coffumplib, ...)
> 
> I've been thinking about this one for awhile. How about a "dlink" that does D pre-linker magic. The current C/C++ linker seems to be too low level for some of D's features, so this intermediate linker could bridge the gap. Perhaps even emitting .dobj files containing extra info and the embedded .obj file.

Hmm, I might misunderstand what you're suggesting here, but could it be something like DDL?

http://trac.dsource.org/projects/ddl/

Lars Ivar Igesund

On Tue, 03 Jan 2006 15:03:11 -0500, Lars Ivar Igesund <larsivar@igesund.net> wrote:

> Chris Miller wrote:
>
>> On Tue, 03 Jan 2006 14:35:27 -0500, BCS <BCS_member@pathlink.com> wrote:
>>
>>>>> If it's this easy to convert the format of the files why not add
>>>>> support for
>>>>> coff files to the linker directly and remove the need to generate the
>>>>> omf format
>>>>> files at all?  This would be one less possible source of error during
>>>>> development.
>>>>   Because the linker is very difficult to modify (it's entirely in
>>>> assembler).
>>>
>>> How about a wrapper script that does that work? (Finds *.dll in the
>>> command line, calls coffumplib, ...)
>>
>> I've been thinking about this one for awhile. How about a "dlink" that
>> does D pre-linker magic. The current C/C++ linker seems to be too low
>> level for some of D's features, so this intermediate linker could bridge
>> the gap. Perhaps even emitting .dobj files containing extra info and the
>> embedded .obj file.
>
> Hmm, I might misunderstand what you're suggesting here, but could it be
> something like DDL?
>
> http://trac.dsource.org/projects/ddl/
>
> Lars Ivar Igesund

Don't think so, what I'm talking about is static linking. A layer between dmd and link.
DDL is pretty cool, though.