Hi, all. I'm trying to write some efficient code for a macro in vba using a language
that I enjoy. I don't need any fancy operating system interaction, I just want to
write
int foo(int arg){
   return arg; //actual computation a bit more involved.
}

Compile it to dll and call it with vba.

I looked at the dll documentation and I'm baffled by the time I get to the first line: __gshared HINSTANCE g_hInst; and then it starts talking about dll_process_attach. I don't want to attach processes, I want to compute an integer.

Is there a simple way to make dlls, or is it going to be ugly to even write the
"Hello World" of dlls?
Cheers,
Charles

> I looked at the dll documentation and I'm baffled by the time I get to the first
> line: __gshared HINSTANCE g_hInst; and then it starts talking about
> dll_process_attach. I don't want to attach processes, I want to compute an integer.

The Dllmain is needed so the D runtime is properly initialized.
Just copy the code http://www.d-programming-language.org/dll.html into a dllmain.d and put your actual code in other modules.
You don't need to do the EXPORTS shit in the .def file though, just use the export keyword.

Example:
https://bitbucket.org/trass3r/matd/src/tip/examples/mmfile/

We should make a mixin template DllMain that has a generic main.

import std.dll;

void myDllProc() { }

mixin DllMain!myDllProc;


I did this with my cgi.d and like it alot - the templated main saves a lot of boilerplate.

Am 18.08.2011, 21:17 Uhr, schrieb Adam D. Ruppe <destructionator@gmail.com>:
> We should make a mixin template DllMain that has a generic main.

We should also have a -shared switch that transparently includes all of the boilerplate crap:
particularly the .def file, maybe even a default DllMain if none exists.

On 08/18/2011 01:32 PM, Trass3r wrote:
> Am 18.08.2011, 21:17 Uhr, schrieb Adam D. Ruppe
> <destructionator@gmail.com>:
>> We should make a mixin template DllMain that has a generic main.
>
> We should also have a -shared switch that transparently includes all of
> the boilerplate crap:
> particularly the .def file, maybe even a default DllMain if none exists.

This would be my vote. -shared will:
1) check if there is a DllMain defined at the end, and if not, sticks a generic one in there
2) check if there are any exported functions (via .def or export()), if not, export them all

That way, the OP's original simple 1 function d file compiles to a dll.

Same goes for the Linux side. Default constructor and destructors that initialize and destroy the D runtime if there aren't any defined at the end of the compilation.

-Kai Meyer

Am 18.08.2011, 21:42 Uhr, schrieb Kai Meyer <kai@unixlords.com>:
> 2) check if there are any exported functions (via .def or export()), if not, export them all

That's insane. Larger projects have tons of functions and may only need to export a few.
The language includes the export keyword to export functions and people should use it.
dmd just needs to generate a .def file to make Optstink create a dll.

"as for the linux side"
I though dmd was unable to generate shared libs on linux?

It would be cool to have a mixin "shared" that when compiled on windows generates a windows dll and if compiler on linux generates a linux shared lib :)

2011/8/18 Trass3r <un@known.com>

> Am 18.08.2011, 21:42 Uhr, schrieb Kai Meyer <kai@unixlords.com>:
>
>  2) check if there are any exported functions (via .def or export()), if
>> not, export them all
>>
>
> That's insane. Larger projects have tons of functions and may only need to
> export a few.
> The language includes the export keyword to export functions and people
> should use it.
> dmd just needs to generate a .def file to make Optstink create a dll.
>

Am 19.08.2011, 04:29 Uhr, schrieb maarten van damme <maartenvd1994@gmail.com>:

> "as for the linux side"
> I though dmd was unable to generate shared libs on linux?

But GDC and LDC are.