Question

I wanted to learn how to use a .lib file in my C application.

So, I followed these steps:

1. Created a empty project in VC++,

2. Added a .c file,

3. Added few c functions,

4. Created a .h file for the same,

5. Changed the projects type to .lib

6. Built the project.

No problem till here.

Now,

7. I copied the .h and the .lib file to desktop,

8. created another VC++ empty project of type .exe,

9. In poject prop.->config. prop.->c/c++->additional include directories,I added the path to desktop,

10. In poject prop.->config. prop.->linker->additional library dependencies,I added the path to desktop,

11. building the project gives LNK2019 (unresolved external symbol _...) and fatal error LNK1120 (unresolved external symbols).

What am I doing wrong? Also what would be the steps to use a .dll instead of .lib?

Configuration: Windows 7, VS2008.

Answer 1

You also have to add the library by name to the list of Additional Dependencies in Linker->Input options for your Project.

Do you really want this linked in from the desktop, by the way? Typically some project-relative path or environment variable would be the way to do this – you do not want to link from desktop on a build server, for example.

Switching to a DLL will not help because you still need to use the export library (.LIB) file for your DLL to satisfy the link-time dependencies.