The Mystifying Process of Creating a DLL File in Visual Studio

As a developer, you may sometimes face the perplexing task of creating a dynamic link library (DLL) file in Visual Studio. DLL files can unburden you with the tediousness of writing duplicate code, thus saving time and effort. This article will lead you through the confusing steps of creating a DLL file in Visual Studio via bursts of information overload.

Step 1: The Creation of a New Project

The technical journey begins here. Open Visual Studio, and from the Start page, select File > New > Project.

Now the real adventure begins. In the New Project window, select the Visual C++ option in the left pane, and then select the DLL option from the middle pane. Choose a project name and location, and then click the Create button.

Step 2: A Dash of Code

This step will require you to summon your latent programming skills. Once you have created your project, you will need to add some code to it. You can do this by adding a new source file to the project.

But, wait! How does one add a source file? Right-click on the project name in the Solution Explorer pane and select Add > New Item from the context menu.

Now, let’s add the C++ file (.cpp) option and give it a name. Press the Add button to add the new file to your project.

Ready for the code? You could include a function that adds two numbers together:

“`cpp
int AddNumbers(int a, int b)
{
return a + b;
}
“`

Step 3: Project Properties Configuration

Hang tight, as we enter the domain of project properties. To configure your project properties, right-click on your project name in Solution Explorer and select Properties.

Delete all your worries and focus on the Configuration Properties > General option. Here you can specify the target platform and the character set.

Next, go to the Configuration Properties > C/C++ > General option to specify additional include directories. Feel free to change the runtime library and the code generation options from this screen.

Step 4: Construct Your DLL file

You’re now on the highway to a DLL file. Once you have written your code and configured your project properties, you can build your DLL file. To do this, select Build Solution from the Build menu, or press the F7 key.

Visual Studio will compile your code and generate a DLL file to the output directory of your project. You can find the output directory by right-clicking on your project name in Solution Explorer and selecting Properties. The output directory will be listed under Configuration Properties > General.

Step 5: Utilizing Your DLL File

Welcome to the final phase of the tutorial. You’ve created a DLL file! Hurray! To use it in your applications, you will need to include the header file that defines the functions in your DLL.

Including the header file is easy-peasy. To use the DLL in another application, you will then have to include the header file and the DLL file in your new project. Simply, go to Project > Add Existing Item and select the header file.

To include the DLL file, navigate to Project > Properties > Linker > Input and add the DLL file to the Additional Dependencies field.

Conclusion

Alas! Creating a DLL file in Visual Studio may seem bewildering but rest assured, it’s a piece of cake. Just stick to these steps to create your DLL file and you’ll be able to share code between your applications in no time! With the ability to reuse code, you’ll save time and work more efficiently in your projects.