RE: Dll's Basic Question

Also, a DLL can be a COM server rather than a Win32 API type of DLL.  In
that case, a COM browser will list its name (if it is registered), and
you can browse its objects, properties, methods, and events.  Finally, a
DLL can be a .NET assembly, and certain .NET utilities can let you
similarly browse the objects it defines.

Jamal
On Wed, 27 Aug 2008, Ken Perry
wrote:

> Date: Wed, 27 Aug 2008 23:20:20 -0700
> From: Ken Perry <whistler@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
> Reply-To: programmingblind@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
> To: programmingblind@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
> Subject: RE: Dll's Basic Question
>
>
> Jim asked,
> "Hi,
> If you see a dll on your system, how do you discover what it is capable of
> doing?"
>
> You can list function names for a specific DLL, such as user32.dll, by
> running a variety of command-line tools. For example, you can use dumpbin
> /exports user32.dll or link /dump /exports user32.dll to obtain function
> names.
> Jim asked,
> " Here's a related question. If you are using VisualBasic or some
> environment and you tell the environment to include a library.
>  are you connecting your project to a dll?"
> In most cases yes your using a dll but it depends if the library is a dll or
> a static link library as you will find in a lot of c and c++ projects.  If
> your using Visual basic most of the time it's a dll that your linking unless
> you do some magic to make sure your not.
>
>
> Jim ask,
> "Related to that, if you are using PHP, and you uncomment one of the
> extension lines in php.ini, assuming that doing that makes it connect to a
> dll, what actually is happening behind the scenes? If you answer, can you
> please phrase the answer in plain language?"
>
> Well first off I have not studied the plane language and I could not find a
> compiler for it so I will have to try my best to fake it.  Assuming that it
> does include a dll what it does is link that dll in to the binary and allow
> the scripts access to the exported functions.  I guess the plane language
> description of what is going on is if you had a building of rooms with files
> in all the rooms and a central group of file clerks.  Lets say there are 100
> rooms of file cabinets.  When php starts up it has access to the default 25
> rooms and that is all your file clerks have keys to.  So when you tell them
> to search for a file they run through all the 25 rooms and if they don't
> find the file your looking for they come back pretty quick and tell you.
> Then when you uncomment that dll in the init file you give those clerks a
> key to another room.  Now they can run through that room and check for your
> file.  If the file your looking for is in the new room you can now access
> it.  Note we didn't build another room that room is there already.  In
> contrast if you linked a static library in you would have to hire a
> contractor to knock out a wall and connect a new room to the building.  The
> nice part is though you can have them build it really close to the clerks
> office and thus make it faster to search than a dll not much faster but it
> can be faster but it would definitely take up more space.
>
> That description really does not explain it because every program can access
> the dll just as fast as each other where as in my description of a building
> you would have to use different universal dimensions to pull off how
> different programs access the same dll.
>
> Now if I have not confused you to much I think I answered your questions.
>
> Ken
>
>
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