Calling a DLL in CVI: Explicit Linking vs. Implicit Linking (Dynamic vs. Static)

The following Example demonstrates how to call a Dynamic Link Library (DLL) from LabWindows/CVI.

There are two methods of calling a function in a DLL:

• Implicit Linking
• Explicit Linking

For more information on calling DLLs from CVI using implicit and explicit linking, please refer to the following article:
DeveloperZone Tutorial: Calling DLLs in CVI: Explicit Linking vs. Implicit Linking (Dynamic vs. Static)

Attachments

The attachment contains two separate LabWindows/CVI Projects:

• • SimpleDLL: The code for the DLL.
    The DLL exports one function. This function simply takes an integer and a string, displays them and returns 1.
  • CallingADLLFromCVI: The main application.
    The GUI allows the user to pick a number and a string to send to the DLL function, and has two buttons, one to call the DLL statically, and another to call the DLL dynamically.

Additional References

For a more in-depth reference on when to use Implicit vs Explicit Linking, please refer to the following article:
MSDN: Determining Which Linking Method to Use 

To learn more about where Windows searches for DLLs and what order it searches in, please refer to the following article:
KnowledgeBase 4U4EC9PE: Where Does Windows Search for DLLs?

For more information on calling DLLs from CVI using implicit and explicit linking, please refer to the following article:
DeveloperZone Tutorial: Calling DLLs in CVI: Explicit Linking vs. Implicit Linking (Dynamic vs. Static)

Requirements

Filename: calling_dll_from_cvi.zip

Software Requirements

Application Software: LabWindows/CVI Full Development System 9.0
Language(s): C

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