Dynamic linking is a mechanism that links applications to libraries at run time.

The libraries remain in their own files and are not copied into the executable files of the applications. DLLs link to an application when the application is run, rather than when it is created. DLLs may contain links to other DLLs. Many times, DLLs are placed in files with different extensions such as .EXE, .DRV or .DLL.

Advantages of DLL
Uses fewer resources The advantage of DLL files is that, because they don't get loaded into random access memory (RAM) together with the main program, space is saved in RAM. When and if a DLL file is needed, then it is loaded and run. For example, as long as a user of Microsoft Word is editing a document, the printer DLL file does not need to be loaded into RAM. If the user decides to print the document, then the Word application causes the printer DLL file to be loaded and run. Promotes modular architecture A DLL helps promote developing modular programs. This helps you develop large programs that require multiple language versions or a program that requires modular architecture. An example of a modular program is an accounting program that has many modules that can be dynamically loaded at run time. Eases deployment and installation When a function within a DLL needs an update or a fix, the deployment and installation of the DLL does not require the program to be relinked with the DLL. Additionally, if multiple programs use the same DLL, the multiple programs will all benefit from the update or the fix. This issue may more frequently occur when you use a third-party DLL that is regularly updated or fixed. Applications and DLLs can link to other DLLs automatically if the DLL linkage is specified in the IMPORTS section of the module definition file as part of the compile or you can explicitly load them using the Windows LoadLibrary function.

Examples of Important DLL files

COMDLG32.DLL - Controls the dialog boxes GDI32.DLL - Contains numerous functions for drawing graphics, displaying text, and managing fonts KERNEL32.DLL - Contains hundreds of functions for the management of memory and various processes USER32.DLL - Contains numerous user interface functions. Involved in the creation of program windows and their interactions with each other

First we will discuss the issues and the requirements that you should consider when you develop your own DLLs.

Types of DLLs
When you load a DLL in an application, two methods of linking let you call the exported DLL functions. The two methods of linking are load-time dynamic linking and run-time dynamic linking. Load-time dynamic linking In load-time dynamic linking, an application makes explicit calls to exported DLL functions like local functions. To use load-time dynamic linking, provide a header (.h) file and an import library (.lib) file when you compile and link the application. When you do this, the linker will provide the system with the information that is required to load the DLL and resolve the exported DLL function locations at load time. Run-time dynamic linking In run-time dynamic linking, an application calls either the LoadLibrary function or the LoadLibraryEx function to load the DLL at run time. After the DLL is successfully loaded, you use the GetProcAddress function to obtain the address of the exported DLL function that you want to call. When you use run-time dynamic linking, you do not need an import library file. The following list describes the application criteria for when to use load-time dynamic linking and when to use run-time dynamic linking: Startup performance If the initial startup performance of the application is important, you should use run-time dynamic linking. Ease of use In load-time dynamic linking, the exported DLL functions are like local functions. This makes it easy for you to call these functions. Application logic In run-time dynamic linking, an application can branch to load different modules as required. This is important when you develop multiple-language versions.

The DLL entry point

When you create a DLL, you can optionally specify an entry point function. The entry point function is called when processes or threads attach themselves to the DLL or detached themselves from the DLL. You can use the entry point function to initialize data structures or to destroy data structures as required by the DLL. Additionally, if the application is multithreaded, you can use thread local storage (TLS) to allocate memory that is private to each thread in the

entry point function. The following code is an example of the DLL entry point function.
BOOL APIENTRY DllMain( HANDLE hModule, // Handle to DLL module DWORD ul_reason_for_call, LPVOID lpReserved ) // Reserved { switch ( ul_reason_for_call ) { case DLL_PROCESS_ATTACHED: // A process is loading the DLL. break; case DLL_THREAD_ATTACHED: // A process is creating a new thread. break; case DLL_THREAD_DETACH: // A thread exits normally. break; case DLL_PROCESS_DETACH: // A process unloads the DLL. break; } return TRUE; }

When the entry point function returns a FALSE value, the application will not start if you are using load-time dynamic linking. If you are using run-time dynamic linking, only the individual DLL will not load. The entry point function should only perform simple initialization tasks and should not call any other DLL loading or termination functions. For example, in the entry point function, you should not directly or indirectly call the LoadLibrary function or the LoadLibraryEx function. Additionally, you should not call the FreeLibrary function when the process is terminating. WARNING: In multithreaded applications, make sure that access to the DLL global data is synchronized (thread safe) to avoid possible data corruption. To do this, use TLS to provide unique data for each thread.

Exporting DLL functions

To export DLL functions, you can either add a function keyword to the exported DLL functions or create a module definition (.def) file that lists the exported DLL functions. To use a function keyword, you must declare each function that you want to export with the following keyword:
__declspec(dllexport)

To use exported DLL functions in the application, you must declare each function that you want to import with the following keyword:
__declspec(dllimport)

Typically, you would use one header file that has a define statement and an

ifdef statement to separate the export statement and the import statement. You can also use a module definition file to declare exported DLL functions. When you use a module definition file, you do not have to add the function keyword to the exported DLL functions. In the module definition file, you declare the LIBRARY statement and the EXPORTS statement for the DLL. The following code is an example of a definition file.
// SampleDLL.def // LIBRARY "sampleDLL" EXPORTS HelloWorld

Write Sample DLL

In Microsoft Visual C++ 6.0, you can create a DLL by selecting either the Win32 Dynamic-Link Library project type or the MFC AppWizard (dll) project type. The following code is an example of a DLL that was created in Visual C++ by using the Win32 Dynamic-Link Library project type.
// SampleDLL.cpp // #include "stdafx.h" #define EXPORTING_DLL #include "sampleDLL.h" BOOL APIENTRY DllMain( HANDLE hModule, DWORD ul_reason_for_call, LPVOID lpReserved ) { return TRUE; } void HelloWorld() { MessageBox( NULL, TEXT("Hello World"), TEXT("In a DLL"), MB_OK); }

// File: SampleDLL.h // #ifndef INDLL_H #define INDLL_H #ifdef EXPORTING_DLL extern __declspec(dllexport) void HelloWorld() ; #else extern __declspec(dllimport) void HelloWorld() ; #endif

#endif

Calling Sample DLL in your Program

The following code is an example of a Win32 Application project that calls the exported DLL function in the SampleDLL DLL.
// SampleApp.cpp // #include "stdafx.h" #include "sampleDLL.h" int APIENTRY WinMain(HINSTANCE HINSTANCE LPSTR int { HelloWorld(); return 0; } hInstance, hPrevInstance, lpCmdLine, nCmdShow)

NOTE: In load-time dynamic linking, you must link the SampleDLL.lib import library that is created when you build the SampleDLL project. In run-time dynamic linking, you use code that is similar to the following code to call the SampleDLL.dll exported DLL function.
... typedef VOID (*DLLPROC) (LPTSTR); ... HINSTANCE hinstDLL; DLLPROC HelloWorld; BOOL fFreeDLL; hinstDLL = LoadLibrary("sampleDLL.dll"); if (hinstDLL != NULL) { HelloWorld = (DLLPROC) GetProcAddress(hinstDLL, "HelloWorld"); if (HelloWorld != NULL) (HelloWorld); fFreeDLL = FreeLibrary(hinstDLL); } ...

When you compile and link the SampleDLL application, the Windows operating system searches for the SampleDLL DLL in the following locations in this order: 1. The application folder 2. The current folder 3. The Windows system folder NOTE: The GetSystemDirectory function returns the path of the Windows system folder. 4. The Windows folder NOTE: The GetWindowsDirectory function returns the path of the

Windows folder. In order for a DLL to be used, it has to be registered by having appropriate references entered in the Registry. It sometimes happens that a Registry reference gets corrupted and the functions of the DLL cannot be used anymore. The DLL can be re-registered by opening Start-Run and entering the command
regsvr32 somefile.dll

This command assumes that somefile.dll is in a directory or folder that is in the PATH. Otherwise, the full path for the DLL must be used. A DLL file can also be unregistered by using the switch "/u" as shown below.
regsvr32 /u somefile.dll

This can be used to toggle a service on and off. Several tools are available to help you troubleshoot DLL problems. The following tools are some of these tools. Dependency Walker The Dependency Walker tool ( depends.exe ) can recursively scan for all dependent DLLs that are used by a program. When you open a program in Dependency Walker, Dependency Walker performs the following checks: Dependency Walker checks for missing DLLs. Dependency Walker checks for program files or DLLs that are not valid. Dependency Walker checks that import functions and export functions match. Dependency Walker checks for circular dependency errors. Dependency Walker checks for modules that are not valid because the modules are for a different operating system. By using Dependency Walker, you can document all the DLLs that a program uses. This may help prevent and correct DLL problems that may occur in the future. Dependency Walker is located in the following directory when you install Microsoft Visual Studio 6.0:
drive\Program Files\Microsoft Visual Studio\Common\Tools

DLL Universal Problem Solver The DLL Universal Problem Solver (DUPS) tool is used to audit, compare, document, and display DLL information. The following list describes the utilities that make up the DUPS tool: Dlister.exe This utility enumerates all the DLLs on the computer and logs the information to a text file or to a database file. Dcomp.exe This utility compares the DLLs that are listed in two text files and produces a third text file that contains the differences. Dtxt2DB.exe This utility loads the text files that are created by using the Dlister.exe utility and the Dcomp.exe utility into the dllHell database.

 DlgDtxt2DB.exe This utility provides a graphical user interface (GUI) version of the Dtxt2DB.exe utility. Keep in mind the following tips when writing your DLL: Make sure you use the proper calling convention (C or stdcall). Know the correct order of the arguments passed to the function. NEVER resize arrays or concatenate strings using the arguments passed directly to a function. Remember, the parameters you pass are LabVIEW data. Changing array or string sizes may result in a crash by overwriting other data stored in LabVIEW memory. You MAY resize arrays or concatenate strings if you pass a LabVIEW Array Handle or LabVIEW String Handle and are using the Visual C++ compiler or Symantec compiler to compile your DLL. When passing strings to a function, remember to select the correct type of string to pass . C or Pascal or LabVIEW string Handle. Remember, Pascal strings are limited to 255 characters in length. Remember, C strings are NULL terminated. If your DLL function returns numeric data in a binary string format (for example, via GPIB or the serial port), it may return NULL values as part of the data string. In such cases, passing arrays of short (8-bit) integers is most reliable. If you are working with arrays or strings of data, ALWAYS pass a buffer or array that is large enough to hold any results placed in the buffer by the function unless you are passing them as LabVIEW handles, in which case you can resize them using CIN functions under Visual C++ or Symantec compiler. Remember to list DLL functions in the EXPORTS section of the module definition file if you are using _stdcall. Remember to list DLL functions that other applications call in the module definition file EXPORTS section or to include the _declspec (dllexport) keyword in the function declaration. If you use a C++ compiler, remember to export functions with the extern .C.{} statement in your header file in order to prevent name mangling. If you are writing your own DLL, you should not recompile a DLL while the DLL is loaded into memory by another application (for example, your VI). Before recompiling a DLL, make sure that all applications making use of the DLL are unloaded from memory. This ensures that the DLL itself is not loaded into memory. You may fail to rebuild correctly if you forget this and your compiler does not warn you. Test your DLLs with another program to ensure that the function (and the DLL) behave correctly. Testing it with the debugger of your compiler or a simple C program in which you can call a function in a DLL will help you identify whether possible difficulties are inherent to the DLL or LabVIEW related.