How do you compile C# code using mono embedded in C++? - c#

How do you compile .cs files using C++
I have searched all through Mono's documentation and can't find a way to just compile C# code from the embedded mono runtime in C++. I know how to open a C# .exe assembly file using the embedded mono functions from C++, but I can't seem to find a way to just compile a .cs file to the .exe from C++.
I have also managed to compile the .cs files by calling the mcs.bat file from the CreateProcessA() function that Windows provides, however this does not give me a way to log errors or even check if it succeeded in compilation etc. (It also feels like a hack and not the official solution). The main reason I need to do this is so that I can recompile C# scripts on the fly by detecting when the source code has changed and another subset of conditions.
Does anyone know of a way to properly compile C# files using the embedded Mono runtime? And where to find the documentation for this? Currently I've been using the documentation here: http://docs.go-mono.com/?link=xhtml%3adeploy%2fmono-api-assembly.html which provides enough information for the most part.
Linking Mono in a DLL
Also, if you're familiar with embedding mono, do you know how to use it in a dll? I've managed to successfully link and compile it within a console application, but when I try to compile it as a part of a dynamic library, I get unresolved external symbol errors (specifically functions with the prefix __imp*).
Lastly, I'm using mono to embed C# as a scripting language for my game engine, however I don't know if there is a better (smaller) solution that I can use. If you know of any better solution feel free to leave a recommendation.

The mono runtime is a "Runtime", only for running the code,
but if you have installed the csc command then you can use this:
#include <cstdlib>
int main(){
system("csc yourfile.cs")
return 0;
}

Related

how to explicitly link a cpp/cli file to a c# library .dll?

I have a c++/CLI library that is in turn calling a c# library. That is fine, it is linking implicitly and all is good with the world. But for various reasons the libraries are not getting quite the prefect treatment by our automated build process, and the libraries are not finding each other unless we move the libraries to locations that we would rather not have them in, and would rather not fold into our build process.
It is suggested to me that we/I could write a post-build event that uses XCOPY. but lets say we don't want to do that.
Another suggestion is to explicitly load the dll. Windows says that to link explicitly "Applications must make a function call to explicitly load the DLL at run time." The problem is that Microsoft's example is not enough for my small mind to understand how to proceed with this idea. Worse, the only example I could find is out of date. Perhaps I am not using the right search terms but I am having difficulty finding more about it with google.
How do we explicitly Link a c++/Cli Library to a C# .dll?
----edit
OK, How do we explicitly Link a C++/CLI code, which exports a library using __declspec(), to a C# .dll.
There is no such thing as a "C++/CLI library", only assemblies are supported. There is no explicit or implicit linking, binding always happens at runtime. Assemblies are found at runtime by the CLR, the rules it uses to locate them are described in detail in the MSDN library.
Copying all dependencies into the same directory as the EXE is the sane way to go about it while you are developing the code. Well supported by build system, the C# and C++ rules are however different. C++ projects build to the solution's Debug directory, C# projects build to the EXE project's bin\Debug directory. So yes, altering a C++ project's Output Directory setting or copying files with a post build event is usually required to get everything together.

How to compile c#/c++ files from Java Application

I am just looking into compilers and I was wondering is it possible to compile both c# and c++ files from a Java Application (e.g. to compile java from a java application you can use the JavaCompiler API). I have looked online for this but all i can find is ways to compile java files from c# and c++ and not the other way around.
If so, what API's can you use for this?
If you know the system commands for compiling and executing .cpp files(don't know much about c#) you might want to check out this. It details how to execute system commands from a Java program. Pass the system commands for compiling the required file in Runtime.getRuntime().exec().
Consider learning how to call ant from Java code and using something like this ant enhancement.
Disclaimer: I don't know anything about this product, but found it by searching for "can ant build c++?"
For C# in Windows: compiler (csc.exe) is part of .Net install on Windows and can be found at well known location (like %windir%\Microsoft.NET\Framework\v3.5 for .Net 3.5). The same place also contains MSBuild.exe that can build project files (*.csproj).
Your code may need to provide locations for referenced libraries if using Csc.exe to compile individual files.

Writing assembly code for the .Net platform

I'm a seasoned C# developer who wants, for fun, to write a bit of assembly code. I was wondering if it was easiest simply to write in byte code and somehow use the C# compiler, linker whatever. I'm a bit unsure on how to go about this.
Or maybe there is a decent assembly language out there with a step debugger and other nice things shipped in an environment that I should pick up instead?
I mainly want to write code to do calculations and output to the console window.
You can write IL code and compile it with ILASM
You can write it in MSIL and assemble it via the MSIL assembler (ilasm.exe).
As for a debugger, I've previously used DILE (DotNet IL Editor) to step through IL code, it's a bit out-dated though.
Seems that DILE is still being updated, check out the weekly builds.
you can use assembly language of .net environment which is called CIL
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Common_Intermediate_Language
You can't use the C# compiler to write assembly code. However, you can you Visual Studio "CLR" projects which will compile native C/C++ with inline assembly blocks, which you can write a managed wrapper around so you can invoke via C#. See CLI/C++ Tutorials for more information.
You can also look at masm32 which you can use to write native x86 assembly libraries, then use p/invoke to execute them via C#.
Have fun!
This may be helpful to others
As for editing MSIL, we can dump assembly file to IL file by the ILDASM utility and recompile it to assembly file by the ILASM utility,
The two utilities are included in the .NET SDK.
C:\Program Files\Microsoft Visual Studio 8\VC>ildasm .
Open your assembly e.g. my.dll
After opening the file, select File->Dump. Ensure all checkboxes are selected and then click OK.
You will be prompted to save it as an IL file. I recommend creating a new directory to save as my.IL
Open my.IL by your favourite editing tool (I use Visual Studio .NET 2005/2003).
Edit your my.IL and then save it.
C:\Program Files\Microsoft Visual Studio 8\VC>ilasm /DLL X:\Folder\my.IL

What is IDR_TYPELIB1?

I can't find any good resources online about what this is. It's required in one of the steps for deploying a .NET assembly for use by COM, but there is no detail what it is or what it means.
As an example, here is something from the book I'm reading on Interop:
Next you need to create a resource script MyExampleAssembly.res with the following statement:
(This gets run at the VS command prompt in the directory where you just exported your .NET component using the Type Library Exporter Utility)
IDR_TYPELIB1 typelib "MyExampleAssembly.tlb"
What is IDR_TYPELIB1?
Also, it's not working for me. I have tried running this and it doesn't compile. I get a message "'IDR_TYPELIB1' is not recognized as an internal or external command".
It is a macro that's normally auto-generated when you use the unmanaged resource editor. Just use a constant, 1 is fine. You are also using the wrong tool to compile the resource script by the sound of it, you must run rc.exe. It translates your .rc file to a .res file that the C# compiler can use.
Embedding the type library is optional btw, it is not something that COM Automation requires. It is not a very good idea to do this in a managed project since the .tlb is generated after building the project. Instead of before, as happens in a native COM project. You create it with regasm.exe, /tlb option or the tlbexp.exe utility. Your client can do this too.

How to: compile generated C++ source files?

so I'm writing a VS2008 C# Add-In to automate AspectC++ weaving in C++ projects. I'm generating the C++ source files (now woven with aspects), but I can't figure out how to compile them as part of the pre-build step. Is there a convenient way to specify new source within the IDTExtensibility2, EnvDTE90, or VslangProj90 namespaces? I've tried using the VCProject and VCProjectEngine interfaces as well as marking the files for inclusion programmatically via the 'ExcludedFromBuild = false' flag. No luck.
I noticed that the commercial AspectC++ Add-In bypasses cl.exe by putting a wrapper around it and the ac++.exe aspect compiler. So they must call their own cl.exe which then calls ac++.exe before preparing the generated source files for the real compiler. That seems like a hack to me, is there not a better way? I'm really stumped on this one, any help would be appreciated.
Why not just include the generated file into the project that you then build?

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