[boost] Re: Boost.Test as DLL

From: Johan Nilsson (johan.nilsson_at_[hidden])
Date: 2005-02-25 02:47:17

"Gennadiy Rozental" <gennadiy.rozental_at_[hidden]> wrote in message 
news:cvknno$qip$1_at_sea.gmane.org...
>> > 2. main() function again
>> >
>> > On unix(s) there is a possibility to put main info dlls (If I am wrong
>> > please correct me). Should we use different semantic for Windows and
>> > Unix(s)
>> > or use the one I implement for windows?
>>
>> I don't know about the specifics, but I'd definitely prefer the same
>> semantics (at least from the "end" user's point of view).
>
> That would mean changing a semantic from the one I currently support on
> Unix(s). Though it would be what I prefer to do either.

Also?

>
>> >
>> > 3. init_unit_test_suite
>> >
>> > I need to call external function from inside of DLLs. How it should be
>> > declared? Cause I am getting unresolved symbols error
>>
>> Linking the DLL isn't different from linking an EXE in this case. You
> can't
>> link the DLL without having the function definition available at link
> time.
>
> So you are saying there is no way to have external reference in DLL?

I'm saying that, to the best of my knowledge, there is no such way. All 
referenced must be resolved at link-time, either defined in the DLL itself 
or in other DLLs via imports.

>
>> You could solve this using callbacks, but as a DLL can't define main
> anyway,
>> what are you actually trying to do? Would it be an alternative to have
>> Boost.Test as a DLL, minus the definition of main, which could be 
>> provided
>> by e.g. an object (or a static library, but IIRC there's a problem with
>> having main's defined in static libraries on certain 
>> compilers/platforms -
>> the linker doesn't recognize there's a main at all)?
>
> AFAIK main in static libs works everythere.

I definitely had a problem on DEC C++ 6.5-<something> on OpenVMS Alpha. 
Linking would appear to work normally, but the application always bombed on 
startup until I moved main into my application. It might have been possible 
to resolve using some special compiler and/or linker settings, but I was 
under pressure to get things working.

// Johan