I have a set of classes that I’ve written in C++ for a code base that will run in Linux commandline. They primarily use the STL and no fancy features of the language. They’ve been tested, and work.
I need to write a GUI app for the .NET framework that does things using logic I’ve written in those classes, but run on Windows. A critical requirement for the Windows app is that it behave exactly like the Linux app would. Hence, I’d like to share the code between the two code bases.
So, I’d like to import them (or so) into a new code base, and keep changes in sync between the two. Ideally, I’d like to write my .NET stuff in VB.NET, as I’m more familiar with that, but I’m willing to change to C# or C++ for .NET development.
My question is, how can I use those C++ classes (with minimal changes) in a .NET project? Is this even possible? Can I create a library or so in .NET?
NB: my .NET experience is limited, so I apologize if this is a newbie question.
Yes, you can – you can use C++ code (as long as it doesn’t depend on Linux-specific functionality) in a .NET application. C++/CLI is a superset of C++, offering access to the .NET managed classes and other features. Take your existing code, build it as a DLL (managed if you can, unmanaged if not), then create the GUI parts that call into it.