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Home <http://www.ni.com/> > Products and Services

<http://www.ni.com/products> > White Papers
<http://www.ni.com/white-papers/> > FAQ: Using Dynamic Link Libraries
with NI LabWindows/CVI
FAQ: Using Dynamic Link Libraries with NI LabWindows/CVI
Publish Date: Mai 19, 2014 | 16 Ratings | *3,69* out of 5 | PDF
<http://www.ni.com/white-paper/3341/en/pdf>
Overview
This document answers frequently asked questions about creating and
using DLLs in LabWindows/CVI.
Table of Contents
1. How Do I Create DLLs with LabWindows/CVI? <#toc1>

2. How Do I Prepare My C Code for Use in a LabWindows/CVI DLL? <#toc2>

3. What Are the Minimum Requirements of a LabWindows/CVI DLL? <#toc3>
4. Are There Special Considerations for Creating LabWindows/CVI DLLs
for Use with Other Development Environments? <#toc4>
5. How Can I Call Third-Party DLLs from LabWindows/CVI? <#toc5>
6. What Is the Difference between Static Linking to a DLL and Dynamic
DLL Linking? <#toc6>
7. How Can I Create and/or Use Import Libraries in LabWindows/CVI? <#toc7>
8. How Can I Use the Windows SDK from LabWindows/CVI? <#toc8>
9. How Can I Use DLLs Created in Visual C++ with LabWindows/CVI? <#toc9>
10. Additional Windows DLL Resources <#toc10>
1. How Do I Create DLLs with LabWindows/CVI?
You can use LabWindows/CVI to create 32-bit DLLs. When you use
LabWindows/CVI to create a DLL, LabWindows/CVI also creates an import
library that you can include in projects that use the DLL. This is
referred to as /statically linking/ the DLL.
You must create a separate project for each DLL you want to generate.
Complete the following steps to create a DLL using LabWindows/CVI:
1. Select *Build >> Target Type >> Dynamic Link Library* to specify the
target settings for the DLL project.
2. Use the *Build >> Configuration* submenu to specify whether to build
a release or debuggable version of the DLL.
3. Once you have the source code for the DLL ready (see the /How Do I
Prepare My C Code for Use in a LabWindows/CVI DLL?/ section of this
FAQ for information), select *Build >> Create Dynamic Link library*
to build the DLL.
If you are creating a LabWindows/CVI DLL for use with LabVIEW Real Time,
you must specify that in the Target Settings dialog box. Select *Build
>> Target Settings* and then select *Real-time only* in the *Run-time
support* control.
For more information about the menu options discussed in this section,
refer to the /Creating DLLs in LabWindows/CVI/ topic in the
/LabWindows/CVI Help/.
Back to Top <#top>
2. How Do I Prepare My C Code for Use in a LabWindows/CVI DLL?
When you create a DLL, you must address the following issues, which can
affect your source code and header file. Refer to the /Preparing Source
Code for Use in a DLL/ topic in the /LabWindows/CVI Help/ for more
information about how to address these issues.
*Using the appropriate calling convention to declare the functions you
want to export*
If you intend for only C or C++ programs to use your DLL, you can use
the __cdecl convention to declare the functions to export. However, if
you want your DLL to be called from environments such as Microsoft
Visual Basic, you must declare the functions to export with the
__stdcall calling convention.

The following example demonstrates the use of __cdecl with a function:

int __cdecl MyCDeclFunction(const char *);
The following example demonstrates the use of __stdcall with a function:
int __stdcall MystdCallFunction(const char *);
If you do not specify a calling convention, LabWindows/CVI uses the
*Default calling convention* specified under *Options >> Build Options*.
For more information, refer to the /Calling Convention for Exported
Functions/ topic in the /LabWindows/CVI Help./ Nevertheless, National
Instruments recommends that you always explicitly specify a calling
convention when you create DLLs to be used in third-party situations.
This ensures that clients that use your DLL automatically use the
correct calling convention when they include the DLL header file in
their project.
*Specifying which DLL functions and variables you want to export*
When a program uses a DLL, it can access only the functions or variables
that the DLL exports. The DLL can export only globally declared
functions and variables. The DLL cannot export functions and variables
you declare as static.
Refer to the /Exporting DLL Functions and Variables/ topic in the
/LabWindows/CVI Help/ for more information.
*Marking imported symbols in the DLL header file you distribute*
If your DLL might be used in a C or C++ environment, you must distribute
a header file with your DLL. The clients that use your DLL will require
a header file to get information about the functions that your DLL
exports and the parameters and calling conventions for those functions.
You can distribute the same header file you use for developing the DLL,
if you appropriately mark the symbols for export. For more information,
refer to the /Marking Imported Symbols in an Include File Distributed
with a DLL/ topic in the /LabWindows/CVI Help./
The Microsoft Developers Network (MSDN) provides additional information
about the calling conventions described here.
See Also:
MSDN: __stdcall calling convention
<http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/default.asp?url=/library/en-us/vccore98/h
tml/_core___stdcall.asp?frame=true>
MSDN: __cdecl calling convention
<http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/default.asp?url=/library/en-us/vccore98/h
tml/_core___cdecl.asp?frame=true>
Back to Top <#top>
3. What Are the Minimum Requirements of a LabWindows/CVI DLL?
To use a LabWindows/CVI DLL, you must have the LabWindows/CVI Run-Time
Engine installed on the system. You also must make accessible any other
files the DLL requires. For more information about the LabWindows/CVI
Run-Time Engine, refer to the /LabWindows/CVI Run-Time Engine/ topic in
the /LabWindows/CVI Help/.

Back to Top <#top>

4. Are There Special Considerations for Creating LabWindows/CVI
DLLs for Use with Other Development Environments?
You can use DLLs you create with LabWindows/CVI from any development
language that supports the use of C-style DLLs. This includes
development environments such as LabVIEW, TestStand, Visual C++, and
Visual Basic 6.0. Each development environment has different ways of
calling the DLL and has different limitations. For example, Visual Basic
6.0 can only call DLLs that have their calling convention defined as
__stdcall. For information about using a LabWindows/CVI C DLL in one of
these environments, refer to the documentation for the development
environment. The /Recommendations for Creating a DLL/ topic in the
/LabWindows/CVI Help/ provides a list of recommendations you can follow
to ensure your LabWindows/CVI DLL works with most development environments.
It is easier to use a DLL in some development environments, such as
Visual Basic 6.0 and TestStand, if you include a type library with your
DLL. The type library provides more detailed information about the
programming interface used to access the DLL. To embed a type library in
the DLL, you must have a function panel (*.fp) file for the DLL. (In
LabWindows/CVI 7.0 and later, you can select *Options >> Generate
Function Tree* to generate a function panel file from a header file.)
Once you create a function panel file, you can specify that this
function panel be used to embed a type library in the DLL. Select *Build
>> Target Settings* to open the Target Settings dialog box, click the
*Type Library* button, enable the *Add type library resource to DLL*
option, and specify the function panel file you created in the *Function
panel file* control.
Back to Top <#top>
5. How Can I Call Third-Party DLLs from LabWindows/CVI?
LabWindows/CVI executables and DLLs can load 32-bit DLLs. To call a DLL
from LabWindows/CVI, you must have the DLL header .h file and the import
library .lib file. If you do not have the DLL import library, you can
create one using the tools LabWindows/CVI provides. For more
information, refer to the /What Is the Difference between Static Linking
to a DLL and Dynamic DLL Linking?/ section of this FAQ.
Because LabWindows/CVI is an ANSI C compiler, it can call only functions
that have been exported as C-style functions. For more information,
refer to the /How Can I Use DLLs Created in Visual C++ with
LabWindows/CVI?/ section of this FAQ.
Back to Top <#top>
6. What Is the Difference between Static Linking to a DLL and
Dynamic DLL Linking?
LabWindows/CVI allows linking to DLLs using the 32-bit DLL import

libraries that you generate when you create 32-bit DLLs. You can link an
import library to your application in several ways, the most common of
which is to add the DLL import library .lib to the LabWindows/CVI
project that uses the DLL. If you add the DLL import library to the
project, the project is statically linked or /linked implicitly/ to the
DLL. This means that the application the project generates automatically
loads the linked DLL when the executable/DLL is loaded. Windows must be
able to locate the linked DLL when it loads the executable/DLL, or it
generates an error and shuts down the application.
In some cases, you might not have an import library or you might want to
load the DLL at run time because you want to use it conditionally, based
on some logic in your program. You also might want to first make sure
that the DLL exists before the program loads it so that the application
does not shut down if the DLL is missing. In these cases, you can
dynamically load the DLL or /link explicitly/ to it by using the Windows
SDK LoadLibrary and GetProcAddress functions. Refer to National
Instruments KB 2EIBT1Y1 - How Can I Access DLL Functions in a
LabWindows/CVI Program without Including the Import Library in the
Project, which is linked in the /See Also/ section, for more information
about how to use these functions in LabWindows/CVI.
*Hint*: If LoadLibrary is unable to find the DLL, it displays an error
dialog box. Use the Windows SDK SetErrorMode function to prevent
LoadLibrary from displaying the error dialog box.
See Also:
MSDN: Implicitly Linking to DLL
<http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/default.asp?url=/library/en-us/vccore98/h
tml/_core_link_implicitly.asp?frame=true>
MSDN: Explicitly linking to DLL
<http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/default.asp?url=/library/en-us/vccore98/h
tml/_core_link_explicitly.asp?frame=true>
National Instruments KB 2EIBT1Y1
<http://digital.ni.com/public.nsf/websearch/8AE57BDA995ACCB486256AEA0062B3C6
?OpenDocument>
MSDN Platform SDK: SetErrorMode
<http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/default.asp?url=/library/en-us/debug/base
/seterrormode.asp>
Back to Top <#top>
7. How Can I Create and/or Use Import Libraries in LabWindows/CVI?
When you use LabWindows/CVI to create DLL export functions or variables,
LabWindows/CVI automatically generates an import library .lib for you.
Depending on your compatibility mode, the import library is compatible
with either Microsoft Visual C++ or Borland. These compilers use
different import library formats, so you must generate different import
libraries for them. You can generate import libraries for both compilers
simultaneously by changing the default import library choices in the
Target Settings dialog box. Refer to the /Compiler/Linker Issues/ topic
in the /LabWindows/CVI Help/ for more information about using
LabWindows/CVI with the supported external compilers.
LabWindows/CVI also can generate import libraries for third-party
C-style DLLs, provided you have the header .h file for the DLL. For more
information, refer to the /Generating an Import Library/ topic in the

/LabWindows/CVI Help/.
To use an import library from LabWindows/CVI, add the library to the
project. Select *Edit >> Add Files to Project >> Library (*.lib)* to
manually add the appropriate import library to the LabWindows/CVI
project. Adding the import library ensures that the DLL for which the
import library was generated is loaded into memory when the application
is launched. If you want to load the DLL only when it is needed, you can
use LoadExternalModule to load the import library and hence load the DLL
and execute the code in the DLL. This ensures that the DLL is not loaded
automatically when the application is launched and gives you finer
control over DLL loading. For more information, refer to the
LabWindows/CVI function help for LoadExternalModule.
When you use LoadExternalModule, you must distribute the import library
along with the DLL for your application to work correctly. If you want
to distribute only the DLL with your application and retain the ability
to load the DLL explicitly, refer to the /What Is the Difference between
Static Linking to a DLL and Dynamic DLL Linking?/ section of this FAQ.
If you do not use LoadLibrary or LoadExternalModule and you do not add
the import library to the project, you will get linker errors similar to
the following error when building your application:
*Undefined symbol 'DLLFunctionName@0' referenced in "file.c".*
In this case, DLLFunctionName is the name of the function that you try
to call in your application but is actually implemented in a DLL.
For more information about the ways you can use an import library with
LabWindows/CVI, refer to the /Rules for Using DLL Files/ topic in the
/LabWindows/CVI Help/.
Back to Top <#top>
8. How Can I Use the Windows SDK from LabWindows/CVI?
You can use the Windows SDK functions in LabWindows/CVI. From the
LabWindows/CVI Full Development System installation options, you can
select to install the full Windows SDK. This option installs all the
header files and libraries you need to call the Windows SDK functions.
If you do not install the full Windows SDK or you have the
LabWindows/CVI Base Package, you can use only a small subset of the
Windows SDK functions.
To use a particular Windows SDK function, refer to the Microsoft
Developers Network (MSDN) for the required import library .lib and
required header .h file that must be included in the source. By default,
LabWindows/CVI automatically loads some commonly used Windows SDK import
libraries so you do not have to manually add them to the project. Refer
to the /Automatic Loading of SDK Import Libraries/ topic in the
/LabWindows/CVI Help/ for a list of these import libraries. If you use a
function that is not included in any of these auto-loaded import
libraries, select *Edit >> Add Files to Project >> Library (*.lib)* to
manually add the appropriate import library to the LabWindows/CVI project.
See Also:
MSDN Home <http://msdn.microsoft.com/default.aspx>

Back to Top <#top>

9. How Can I Use DLLs Created in Visual C++ with LabWindows/CVI?
If you are creating a DLL using Visual C++ for use with LabWindows/CVI,
you must mark the exported functions with extern "C" to specify that
these functions will be used with a C compiler. If you do not mark an
exported function with extern "C", LabWindows/CVI will not be able to
call that function because C++ compilers mangle function names when they
are exported from a DLL. The following code is an example of how the
function might be declared in Visual C++ to specify C linkage and to
specify that this function is to be exported.
extern "C" char __declspec(dllexport) GetChar( void )
For more information about extern "C", refer to the documentation for
Visual C++.
*Hint*: If you believe that you are not exporting the correct function
names from a DLL, you can use a free tool called Dependency Walker to
view the function names that are exported. You can use this tool to view
the exported function names and any dependencies your DLL might have.
See the link in the /See Also/ section to download this tool. The sign
of a mangled function name is that it includes characters such as '@'
and '?' in the name. For example, the function FPi_i@@YAHPAH@Z is a
mangled version of the function FPi_i(int *a).
See Also:
MSDN: Linkage to Non-C++ Functions
<http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/default.asp?url=/library/en-us/vclang98/h
tml/_pluslang_linkage_to_non.2d.c.2b2b_.functions.asp?frame=true>
Dependency Walker <http://www.dependencywalker.com/>
Back to Top <#top>
10. Additional Windows DLL Resources
The Microsoft Developers Network (MSDN) provides information about DLLs
on Windows systems. Refer to the following link to learn more about DLLs.
See Also:
MSDN: About Dynamic-Link Libraries
<http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/default.asp?url=/library/en-us/dllproc/ba
se/about_dynamic_link_libraries.asp?frame=true>
*Related Links:*
Exporting Variables and Functions from a DLL in LabWindows/CVI
<http://zone.ni.com/devzone/cda/epd/p/id/2770>
How Can I Access DLL Functions in a LabWindows/CVI Program without
Including the Import Library in the Project?
<http://digital.ni.com/public.nsf/websearch/8AE57BDA995ACCB486256AEA0062B3C6?Ope
nDocument>
Creating a CVI DLL that Contains a UIR File and Using the DLL in Visual
C++ <http://zone.ni.com/devzone/cda/epd/p/id/1354>

Next Steps
*_See the Latest LabWindows/CVI Pricing Information_*
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*_Evaluate LabWindows/CVI_*
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*_LabWindows/CVI Home Page_* <http://www.ni.com/lwcvi/>
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