.dll Question how do i get started on making DLL's?

[The Shadow]

i would love to start making my own add-ons but really do not know where to start.

i know some about vinka's SC3 and am already working on some meshes but i would like to be able to make some more advanced craft

 

[RisingFury]

Click the tutorials button on the top of the page.

 

[Artlav]

i would love to start making my own add-ons but really do not know where to start.

i know some about vinka's SC3 and am already working on some meshes but i would like to be able to make some more advanced craft

First, make sure you understand the concept of algorithm, the way computers work and basic programming terminology.

Then, you will need a compiler for making Orbiter DLL's. If you have Visual C 6 or better already, it will do, if not, here are explicit instructions on where and how to get one:
http://www.orbiterwiki.org/wiki/Free_Compiler_Setup#Get_the_Compiler

After that, if you know how to use C++, look around OrbiterSDK/samples.
If you don't or it didn't help, look for DLL making tutorials around the forum, or on the Orbit Hanger site.

For example, a nice tutorial is here:
[ame="http://www.orbithangar.com/searchid.php?ID=2210"]ShipDLLWriter[/ame]

 

[The Shadow]

i went ahead and downloaded the Visual C++ 2008 Express edition. will this work?

 

[tblaxland]

i went ahead and downloaded the Visual C++ 2008 Express edition. will this work?

Yes, once properly configured in line with the OrbiterWiki tutorial Artlav linked you to. Test your config by trying to compile the ShuttlePB - it is known source code and forum members are more likely to be able to debug your config if you are testing with it.

 

[The Shadow]

i believe i'm getting there. i'll have to play around with it some more to see if i can make a simple dll

---------- Post added at 09:05 PM ---------- Previous post was at 08:50 AM ----------

i tried to complile the sample shuttle PB code as directed and got this error. i'm not sure if it worked

"1>------ Build started: Project: ShuttlePB, Configuration: Debug Win32 ------
1>Compiling...
1>ShuttlePB.cpp
1>c:\orbiter\orbitersdk\samples\shuttlepb\shuttlepb.cpp(43) : error C2065: 'i' : undeclared identifier
1>c:\orbiter\orbitersdk\samples\shuttlepb\shuttlepb.cpp(43) : error C2065: 'i' : undeclared identifier
1>c:\orbiter\orbitersdk\samples\shuttlepb\shuttlepb.cpp(43) : error C2065: 'i' : undeclared identifier
1>Build log was saved at "file://c:\Orbiter\Orbitersdk\samples\ShuttlePB\Debug\BuildLog.htm"
1>ShuttlePB - 3 error(s), 0 warning(s)
========== Build: 0 succeeded, 1 failed, 0 up-to-date, 0 skipped =========="

also alot of other files came up in the shuttle PB sample folder and none of them are DLL's

 

[tblaxland]

i tried to complile the sample shuttle PB code as directed and got this error. i'm not sure if it worked

"0 succeeded, 1 failed" is generally a pretty good indicator that it did not work See this section in the tutorial Artlav linked you to.

 

[The Shadow]

i did as the instructions said and got this error

"1>LINK : fatal error LNK1104: cannot open file 'kernel32.lib,user32.lib,' "

 

[tblaxland]

i did as the instructions said and got this error

"1>LINK : fatal error LNK1104: cannot open file 'kernel32.lib,user32.lib,' "

Then you did not do these sections properly:
http://www.orbiterwiki.org/wiki/Free_Compiler_Setup#Library_path
http://www.orbiterwiki.org/wiki/Free_Compiler_Setup#Adding_and_Removing_libraries

 

[The Shadow]

ouch, i'm dumb.

i forgot to change the configuration to "release", i had it on "active(debug)"

i'll bet that had something to do with it

 

[tblaxland]

ouch, i'm dumb.

i forgot to change the configuration to "release", i had it on "active(debug)"

i'll bet that had something to do with it

No it didn't, you'll still need kernel32.lib, user32.lib & gdi32.lib. You can compile in debug mode (see this section of the same tutorial) but you will need to ignore some further libraries depending on your configuration (see here for the relevant info).

 

[The Shadow]

but all i really need to do is find those three files right now, correct?

 

[tblaxland]

but all i really need to do is find those three files right now, correct?

Yes, which you do by getting the Platform SDK, adding the include path and the library path and adding the libraries (all those links are from the same document we have been talking about for the last four posts - please read it all).

 

[The Shadow]

i found out that i had gotten the SQL stuff the instructions said not to get. so i removed that.

but i cannot find the Graphical IDE, where could i find that?

 

[tblaxland]

but i cannot find the Graphical IDE, where could i find that?

The Graphical IDE is included in the Visual C++ download by default - it looks like this:

Do you have that (ignore the SLOC Report and SlickEdit parts - they are addons)? IDE stands for Integrated Development Environment - it is where you write, build and debug your code instead of doing it in a text editor like in the bad old days...

 

[Biscuit]

...
instead of doing it in a text editor like in the bad old days...

hey, Hey, HEY ... that's just crazy talk.

I still do most of my non-dotNet editing in VI ... VI is king!

(if VIM had Intellisense like the VS IDE, I'd really do ALL of my editing in there.)

:rofl:

 

[tblaxland]

(if VIM had Intellisense like the VS IDE, I'd really do ALL of my editing in there.)

The bad thing with Intellisense is that you start to rely on it - which is fine until it breaks. Fortunately, rebuilding it is as simple as deleting the file.

 

[The Shadow]

no, i do not see that.

 

[tblaxland]

You got VC++ 2008 SP1, right? As far as I can tell there is no way to install it without the IDE. Do you have an entry in your Windows Start menu for Visual C++? What do you get when you click that? Post a screenie if you like.

 

[The Shadow]

i do have VC++ '08 express edition

and when i open it from the start menu it shows a "start page" with lot's of news about VC++ and other things as well as a few other windows like a projects page and solution explorer

and i currently do not know how to make screenshots.

---------- Post added at 11:43 AM ---------- Previous post was at 08:55 AM ----------

"C:\Program Files\Microsoft Visual Studio 9.0\Common7\IDE"

is that what i'm looking for? the VCExpress.exe is in this folder