tie a dll to my exe

[Brian_Allison]

I have a program that was compiled in IFC. I am using a new licensing software program that creates a dll that needs to be integrated into my code. How do I integrate the dll into my code, so that it know it has to have that dll in order to run?

[mecej4]

Unless you manage the loading and unloading of DLLs in your program, the standard approach is to use the export library that is built along with the DLL. Link your application with the export library, and the dependency on the DLL will be embedded in your EXE.

[Brian_Allison]

THe dll is provided to me after I go onto a website and create the licensing scheme that I want. I do not have a .lib file. THey say that I need to integrate the dll into my program.

[bmchenry]

i think what they mean for you to do isto add the dll to the resouce section of your solution/project.
Then when you compile/link (hopefully) anycalls to the dll will be resolved.

[Steven_L_Intel1]

No, that won't work. You can't link against a DLL directly.

What is needed here is to use the Windows API routines LoadLibrary and GetProcAddr to load the DLL, look up the routines, and then call the routines through pointers. There is an example of this in the sample DLL\DynamicLoad. You will need to know if the routines being called expect the STDCALL calling mechanism.

[Brian_Allison]

Like this, cause it does not work.

relap5$(NM).exe : lib\envrl$(NM).lib lib\graphics.lib \

lib\matpro$(NM).lib lib\relap$(NM).lib relap\relap5.$O \

lib\scdap$(NM).lib tpfh2o$(NM) tpfd2o$(NM) lib\filechk.dll

relap5$(NM).exe : lib\envrl$(NM).lib lib\graphics.lib \ lib\matpro$(NM).lib lib\relap$(NM).lib relap\relap5.$O \ lib\scdap$(NM).lib tpfh2o$(NM) tpfd2o$(NM) lib\filechk.dll

$(f90) -nologo $(FFLAGS) $(FPSTOP) $(FL) -libs:qwin \

relap\relap5.$O lib\relap$(NM).lib lib\scdap$(NM).lib \

lib\matpro$(NM).lib lib\relap5l.lib \

lib\envrl$(NM).lib lib\graphics.lib \

lib\libifcoremt.lib lib\libifport.lib lib\libifcoremt.lib \

lib\libifport.lib lib\libmmt.lib lib\kernel32.lib \

lib\ifqwin.lib gdi32.lib lib\user32.lib lib\libirc.lib \

comdlg32.lib ifqw_mdi.lib lib\libcmt.lib lib\imagehlp.lib \

lib\opengl32.lib lib\glu32.lib lib\f90gl.lib lib\f90glu.lib \

lib\f90glut.lib lib\glut32.lib \

-link -out:bin\relap5.exe -heap:1000000000 -stack:14000000 \

-incremental:no -nodefaultlib

[Steven_L_Intel1]

No - that doesn't work. See my reply just before yours.

[Paul_Curtis]

Sample showing how to associate a DLL into F90:

[bash]LOGICAL FUNCTION MAPIBind() result (bOK)
    USE kernel32, only: LoadLibrary, GetProcAddress     ! was dfwin

    hMapiLib = LoadLibrary("mapi32.dll"C)
    IF (hMapiLib /= 0) THEN
        bOK = .true.
        lpMAPIInitialize= GetProcAddress(hMapiLib,"MAPIInitialize"C)
        bOK = bOK .AND. (lpMAPIInitialize /= 0)
        lpMAPIUninitialize= GetProcAddress(hMapiLib,"MAPIUninitialize"C)
        bOK = bOK .AND. (lpMAPIUninitialize /= 0)
        lpMAPILogon    = GetProcAddress(hMapiLib,"MAPILogon"C)
        bOK = bOK .AND. (lpMAPILogon /= 0)
        !... and many more
    END IF

END FUNCTION MAPIBind


SUBROUTINE MAPIUnBind()
    USE kernel32, only: FreeLibrary     ! was dfwin
    INTEGER :: rval
    IF (hMapiLib /= 0) rval = FreeLibrary(hMapiLib)
END SUBROUTINE MAPIUnBind
[/bash]

hMapiLib is INTEGER(HANDLE) and module-local.

[Brian_Allison]

Does it help if I got the .lib file associated with the dll?

[Brian_Allison]

I am not really a fortran programmer. I just handle the licensing and protection of the software. Our main programmer is out of town and I cannot reach him.

Our previous licensing software was easier, but limited to windows. Our new licensing software that we are trying out works on Windows, Mac, and Linux. The coding that you provided means nothing to me. Is there someway with the .lib and the .dll file that we can make this work.

[Steven_L_Intel1]

If you have the lib, yes. You can try this.... Attached to this post is a ZIP file containing MAKILIB.EXE. Extract this to a folder containing the DLL. Open a command prompt window and set default (CD) to that folder. Type:

makilib yourdll.dll

This will create a .lib that can be linked with your program. You will still need to know how to call the routines - I assume the vendor documents that.

[Brian_Allison]

I got the list of the calls.

FUNCTION CALLS

Function Call	Parameters	Description
Main Function Calls
CheckLicense	long *RandomNumber	Multipurpose license status evaluation
AuditLicense	long *RandomNumber	Gets license status without X, Y and Z valuesNOTE:Do not use this in place ofCheckLicense.
ValidateDLL	long *CustomerNumber, long *ProductNumber, long *ParmValue	Validate custom dll for Customer ID, Product ID and X, Y and Z authentication constants.
InstallLicense	char *szUnlockCode	Updates the table with new program status
InternetActivate	char *szLicenseCode, char *szpProxyPort, long PortNumber	Activates license using the server
ReturnLicense	char *szLicenseCode, char *szpProxyPort, long PortNumber	Removes license and returns this to the server
RemoveLicense	char *szpRemovalCode	Removes license from computer and returns proof of removal code.
ExportLicense	char *szLicenseCode, char *szpReturnCode	Removes license from computer and returns a deactivation certificate that can be used to manully return the license to the server
Uses, Module, Expiry Date function calls
ViewUses	long *UsesNum	Returns the number of uses left in the specified counter.
SubtractUses	long *Uses, long *UsesNum	Subtracts passed number from uses number.
CheckFlags	long *ModuleNumber	Returns the contents of the flag table entry
ViewExpirationDate	long *Month, long *Day, long *Year	Returns the expiration date
GetGeneralPurpose	long *Value	Gets the General Purpose Value; this is described in the manual as theCustomer Data field
PutGeneralPurpose	long *Value, long *RandomNumber, long *Checksum	Stores the General Purpose Value; this is described in the manual as theCustomer Data field
StartDemo	wchar_t *szMessage, wchar_t * szCaption	Demo Minutes Start with demo end message
EndDemo	None	Stop using up demo minutes.
UpdateTime	None	Updates to the hard drive the number of minutes left in the evaluation period.
ViewTime	None	Returns the number of minutes left, as an integer.
StartDemoAdvanced	char *szProcessPath	Same as StartDemo, except runs whatever application is pointed to by the path name passed as a parameter.
ID function calls
GetComputerID	char *szpComputerID	Returns unique 20-character ID for computer
DisplayInstallationID	char *szCodeInfo	Returns 12- or 32-character transaction ID
Miscellaneous function calls
DisplayVersion	None	Displays Nalpeiron copyright notice and version number
ReturnVersion	None	Returns the version number as a 3 digit number i.e. 5.0.4 returns 504
EnterAuthenticationInformation	const char *szpProxyUsername, const char *szpProxyPassword	Enables basic http proxy authentication for functions that contact the server(version 5.9.3 or later)
GetActivationMethod	None	Returns the method that was used to activate the product(version 5.9.3 or later)
WaitForFinish	None	Suspends the thread until all threads spawned by the DLL have terminated(version 5.9.3 or later)
ReturnServiceVersion	None	It returns a 3 digit number representing the service version. For example, service version 6.5.8 is returned as 658.Only available for Windows x86/x64 filechk DLLs with a version number of 6.5.8+.
License Transfer to Media function calls
InitializeMedia	char *szDriveLetter	Used by move license
RemoveToMedia	char *szDriveLetter	Used by move license
InstallFromMedia	char *szDriveLetter	Used by move license
Service function calls
StartTheService	None	Starts the service(version 6)
StopTheService	None	Stops the service(version 6)

[Steven_L_Intel1]

Because of the mixed-case names, you'll need to either use !DEC$ ATTRIBUTES ALIAS, or preferably, interfaces with BIND(C) to declare these. The C interoperability features will help.

This is how you'd start out:

[fortran]module LicenseCheckMod
use, intrinsic :: iso_c_binding
implicit none

interface
function CheckLicense (RandomNumber) BIND(C,NAME="CheckLicense")
import
integer(C_LONG) :: CheckLicense
integer(C_LONG) :: RandomNumber
end function CheckLicense

...
end interface[/fortran]

You would have to pay attention to those functions that accept arguments by value, such as PortNumber in ReturnLicense, and add the VALUE attribute. Character string arguments should be declared as CHARACTER, DIMENSION(*).

[Brian_A_]

I using a 64bit version of the licensing dll now and when I use the makilib file this is the message that I get:

d:\iss_relap\rs35\rs35dg64.intl\lib>MAKILIB filechck.dll

Processing: d:\iss_relap\rs35\rs35dg64.intl\lib\filechck.dll

?No .rdata section in filechck.dll?

d:\iss_relap\rs35\rs35dg64.intl\lib>

[Steven_L_Intel1]

It is likely that makilib does not know how to handle a 64-bit DLL. Using dynamic loading would be my recommendation.

[Brian_A_]

How do I use dynamic loading?

I am trying to create a def file and then a lib file using the lib.exe tool.

[Steven_L_Intel1]

You use the Windows API routines LoadLibrary and GetProcAddress. This gives you the address of a routine in the DLL and you can use either the integer pointer extension or convert it from a C_FUNPTR to a Fortran procedure pointer and call it. See the DLL\DynamicLoad sample for an example of this.

The way I would handle it is, at the beginning of the program, call LoadLibrary on the DLL and then use a series of GetProcAddress calls to fill in procedure pointers in a module. Then the rest of the program can call through the procedure pointers.

[Brian_A_]

Where do I find theDLL\DynamicLoad sample?

[Steven_L_Intel1]

You will find a Samples folder in the compiler's top-level folder. For example:

C:\Program Files (x86)\Intel\Composer XE 2011 SP1\Samples

In the en_US\Fortran subfolder of this you will find DLL.zip. Unzip this to your desktop or another writable folder and you'll find DynamicLoad in there.