Basic questions about libraries

[Jean-Christophe]

For newbees like me, here are some links.

Headers distributed with FreeBASIC for use with external libraries :
http://www.freebasic.net/wiki/wikka.php?wakka=ExtLibTOC


A- LIBRARY USAGE WITH FB PORTING FILES

http://www.freebasic.net/forum/viewtopic.php?t=9009 (a full example)

Create FB headers (.bi file) manually or automaticaly with SWIG :
http://www.freebasic.net/forum/viewtopic.php?t=313 (converting C header to .bi)
http://www.freebasic.net/wiki/wikka.php ... acingWithC (tutorial with C .o lib)
http://www.freebasic.net/forum/viewtopic.php?t=7053 (Cdecl declaration)
http://www.swig.org/

Create FB import lib (.dll.a file) from a dynamic lib (using pexports and dlltool) :
http://www.freebasic.net/forum/viewtopic.php?t=4470 (full process : .def then .dll.a)
http://www.freebasic.net/forum/viewtopic.php?t=7330 (full process : .def then .dll.a)
http://www.freebasic.net/forum/viewtopic.php?t=12466 (to automate .def and .dll.a)
http://www.freebasic.net/forum/viewtopic.php?t=6103 (example of a .BAT script from .def)
http://www.freebasic.net/forum/viewtopic.php?t=3749 (pexport with GCC standard libs)
http://www.freebasic.net/forum/viewtopic.php?t=5767 (absolute names on exported func)
http://www.freebasic.net/forum/viewtopic.php?t=14036 (using MS import .LIB)

C++ library port :
http://www.freebasic.net/forum/viewtopic.php?t=7792


B- DYNAMIC LIBRARY USAGE

http://www.freebasic.net/forum/viewtopi ... ight=dylib (general DYLIB usage)

Dynamic lib usage in FB (windows .dll and linux .so) from DYLIB functions :
http://www.freebasic.net/forum/viewtopic.php?t=5458 (.def files only GCC DLL files)
http://www.freebasic.net/forum/viewtopic.php?t=3749 (#inclib for dll with .def definition)
http://www.freebasic.net/forum/viewtopic.php?t=3338 (use DYLIB to avoid .dll.a import lib)

Win32 DLL Installation :
http://www.freebasic.net/forum/viewtopic.php?t=13751 (where go inc and libs)
http://www.freebasic.net/forum/viewtopic.php?t=14225 (where go inc and libs)

List of functions in a dynamic lib :
http://www.freebasic.net/forum/viewtopic.php?t=14003 (create .def from .dll)
http://www.freebasic.net/forum/viewtopic.php?t=8682 (use PEview)


C- LIBRARY CREATION

Create a static or dynamic lib from FB code, and use it with external languages :
http://www.freebasic.net/wiki/wikka.php ... cLibraries
http://www.freebasic.net/wiki/wikka.php ... dLibraries
http://www.freebasic.net/forum/viewtopic.php?t=10132 (a small example)
http://www.freebasic.net/forum/viewtopic.php?t=5359 (FB can generate .dll and .so)
http://www.freebasic.net/forum/viewtopic.php?t=5399 (problems with export symbols @)
http://www.freebasic.net/forum/viewtopic.php?t=5767 (export symbols @ pb fixed with LD)
http://www.freebasic.net/forum/viewtopic.php?t=10422 (STDCALL and CDECL)
http://www.freebasic.net/forum/viewtopic.php?t=9932 (STDCALL and CDECL)
http://www.freebasic.net/forum/viewtopic.php?t=14330 (FB lib used Visual Studio)


To submit new .bi to FB community :
http://www.freebasic.net/forum/viewtopic.php?t=14082
http://www.freebasic.net/arch/ (projet archive)
http://freefile.kristopherw.us/ (file hosting)

Free basic manual pages :
http://www.freebasic.net/wiki/wikka.php?wakka=FBWiki

[cha0s]

Thanks mucho for this, friend!

Do you mind if we make this sticky? (So it will appear on top of the Libraries forum)

[Jean-Christophe]

Hi,

As I am still a newbee, links and topics require to be checked... not sure to have understood the reason of .a and .def compared to .bi (.a and .def on the lib side, .bi on the FB side, link between both parts by LD at linking time ?).

Some other questions :

- are .bi even mandatory with DYLIN usage ?
- are there scripts (bash, .BAT, ...) that could automate processes in all cases (Windows and Linux), may be by using UnxUtils ? :
http://unxutils.sourceforge.net/
- is that possible from dlltool to get the function symbols that could yield to the .bi include file (then no need to use SWIG) ?
- is dlltool behaviour similar over Linux (.so files instead of .dll) ? :
http://pwet.fr/man/linux/commandes/dlltool

[counting_pine]

We should probably have a quick example of .bi usage as compared to dylib* usage...
The methods are distinct. You don't need a .bi file for dylib* functions, but you will need to create variables of the appropriate function type.

[forkinpm]

Hallo!
The work I am doing manipulating text files (actually segmenting sentences) into their phrases or segments, says I need to find a way to create markers in the sentences for the segmentation and then placing the segments into cells of tables.
I have decided to use a bar | as the marker between parts of sentences.
It make the file look like a csv file (sort of).
Which libraries do I need to use?
and
Are there any programs in the archives or possibly available from members, doing what I wish to do?
I'd like to hear from anyone whos has traversed this route and can give me any good advice?
Thanks and kind regards, forkinpm.

[datwill310]

Jeaon-Christophe,

You're a life-saver.

I just want you to know that.