30 Linking to DLLs on Windows

Some Windows linking tools, such as MinGW-w64, accept a ".dll" for linking to generate an executable that refers to the ".dll". Other tools, such as Microsoft Visual Studio, need a ".lib" stub library to describe the ".dll" that will be used. The Racket distribution does not include ".lib" stub libraries, but various tools exist to generate one from a ".dll".

To create a "x.lib" using Microsoft Visual Studio tools (to link with "x.dll"):

• Create a file "x.def" using the same base name x as in "x.dll".

• In "x.def", make the first line EXPORTS, and then write the name of each function that you need to reference from "x.dll" on its own line in "x.def".

• Generate "x.lib" with this command:

    lib /def:x.def /out:x.lib /machine:mach

  Use a suitable platform description in place of mach, such as x64 for 64-bit Windows on x86_64.