Issue with "Plugin.vcxproj"

[Gisle Vanem]

I downloaded the latest SDK (from https://jpsoft.com/downloads/sdk/sdk.zip)
trying to use the built x64\Release\Plugin.dll for anything. It does not work since
all public functions are exported with C++names!

Here is the output from dumpbin -exports x64\Release\Plugin.dll:

1 0 00001060 ?GetPluginInfo@@YAPEAUPLUGININFO@@XZ
2 1 000010D0 ?InitializePlugin@@YAHXZ
3 2 000010D0 ?ShutdownPlugin@@YAHH@Z
4 3 0000112C ?UNKNOWN_CMD@@YAHPEA_W@Z
5 4 000010F0 ?_hello@@YAHPEA_W@Z
6 5 000010D4 ?f_reverse@@YAHPEA_W@Z
7 6 00001144 ?key@@YAHPEAUKEYINFO@@@Z
8 7 00001114 ?remark@@YAHPEA_W@Z

The provided Plugin.def is not used by Plugin.vcxproj as far I can see.

So I created a simple GNU-makefile (targeting cl or clang-cl) instead. Attached.

But IMHO using both a .def-file and __declspec(dllexport) is like wearing both a belt
and braces.

 

[vefatica]

Is the DEF file named here, in the project's properties?

I only use __declspec(dllexport) for a KEYHANDLER (if I have one). For "normal" plugins I use the likes of this. This in is 4UTILS.H, included by everything else.

typedef INT (WINAPI _PLUGIN)(LPWSTR);

__declspec(dllexport) INT WINAPI KEYHANDLER(LPKEYINFO lpKeyInfo);

_PLUGIN    f_AVG        ;
_PLUGIN f_BERNOULLI    ;
_PLUGIN f_BINOMIAL    ;

And in the function's definition ... (for example)

INT f_BERNOULLI(LPWSTR psz) // return 1 with probability p, 0 with probability (1-p)
{
   ...
}

If the compiler complains about type conversions, use WCHAR* instead of LPWSTR.

 

[Gisle Vanem]

Is the DEF file named here, in the project's properties?

Yes. Although I hate Visual-Studio (and do not use it), it's named in Plugin.vcxproj as:
<ModuleDefinitionFile>plugin.def</ModuleDefinitionFile>

But it's not used during the msbuild.exe -nologo -p:Configuration=Release -p:Platform="x64" Plugin.vcxproj step:
Link:
f:\gv\VC_2022\VC\Tools\MSVC\14.43.34618\bin\Hostx64\x64\link.exe /ERRORREPORT:QUEUE /OUT:"x64\Release\PlugIn.dll" /VERSION:"33"
/INCREMENTAL:NO /NOLOGO TakeCmd.lib kernel32.lib user32.lib gdi32.lib winspool.lib comdlg32.lib advapi32.lib shell32.lib ole32.lib oleaut32.lib uuid.lib odbc32.lib
odbccp32.lib /MANIFEST /MANIFESTUAC:"level='asInvoker' uiAccess='false'" /manifest:embed /PDB:"x64\Release\Plugin.pdb" /SUBSYSTEM:WINDOWS /OPT:REF
/OPT:ICF /LTCG:incremental /LTCGOUT:"x64\Release\Plugin.iobj" /TLBID:1 /DYNAMICBASE /IMPLIB:"x64\Release\Plugin.lib" /MACHINE:X64 /DLL
x64\Release\PlugIn.obj
Creating library x64\Release\Plugin.lib and object x64\Release\Plugin.exp
Generating code
Previous IPDB not found, fall back to full compilation.
All 12 functions were compiled because no usable IPDB/IOBJ from previous compilation was found.
Finished generating code
Plugin.vcxproj -> F:\gv\4NT\tcc\SDK\x64\Release\Plugin.dll

Why not?

Besides, the SDK seems to ass-u-me everything is compiled as C++. No #ifdef __cplusplus in
TakeCmd.h. It should perhaps cause an #error ... if cl -TC was used.

 

[vefatica]

I always use the IDE. But I used your msbuild command line with my project name and I got undecorated exports.

msbuild.exe -nologo -p:Configuration=Release -p:Platform="x64" 4utils.vcxproj

c:\users\vefatica\desktop\4utils\x64\release> dumpbin /exports 4utils64.dll
Microsoft (R) COFF/PE Dumper Version 14.41.34123.0
Copyright (C) Microsoft Corporation.  All rights reserved.


Dump of file 4utils64.dll

File Type: DLL

  Section contains the following exports for 4utils64.dll

    00000000 characteristics
    FFFFFFFF time date stamp
        0.00 version
           1 ordinal base
         126 number of functions
         126 number of names

    ordinal hint RVA      name

          1    0 00006278 CD
          2    1 00002558 CLOCK
          3    2 00002768 CMDTIMER

 

[vefatica]

I looked at the plugin.vcproj file for the most recent SDK I have. In the x64/release linker section it had this.

      <ModuleDefinitionFile>
      </ModuleDefinitionFile>

It doesn't seem to specify a DEF file. It is specified for the debug build.

 

[Gisle Vanem]

It doesn't seem to specify a DEF file. It is specified for the debug build.

That would explain it.

 

[rconn]

I downloaded the latest SDK (from https://jpsoft.com/downloads/sdk/sdk.zip)
trying to use the built x64\Release\Plugin.dll for anything. It does not work since
all public functions are exported with C++names!

Not surprising since Take Command & Plugin.dll are written in C++.

The .DEF file isn't used anymore because everything is exported with DLLExports.

 

[vefatica]

The .DEF file isn't used anymore because everything is exported with DLLExports.

But the names are decorated and TCC can't load the DLL.

TCC: (Sys) The specified procedure could not be found.
 "InitializePlugin"

 

[Joe Caverly]

No need for TakeCmd.def when I use PureBasic.

PureBasic Code example from a plugin source...

ImportC "takecmd.lib"
  Command_(*lpszString, nReserved) As "Command"
  Evaluate_(*lpszString) As "Evaluate"
  SetEVariable_(*lpszString) As "SetEVariable"
EndImport

This compiles and works with the PellesC backend compiler,
and the FASM backend compiler.

Joe