Creating a .dll help

Blitz3D Forums/Blitz3D Programming/Creating a .dll help

QuickSilva(Posted 2008) [#1]
I have no idea as to how .dll`s are created but would it be possible in theory to take some functions made in B3D and convert them into a .dll?

The reason that I ask is that I have a huge include file that takes ages to compile each time I test my game and I would like to know if I could turn it into a .dll (which I assume is precompiled?) to speed things up a little.

Any help would be great.

Jason.


Rroff(Posted 2008) [#2]
A dll needs an entrypoint so to turn a precompiled blitz3d executable into a dll would need some funky wrapper I'd assume...

Normally dlls are written in C++.

Wonder why it takes so long to compile - I have a project with loads of include files and quite a bit of code and it only takes about 5 seconds to compile on an PC with a fast Core 2 Duo (E6600) CPU.


Kryzon(Posted 2008) [#3]
Makes no sense when you compare the small speed improvement over the complicated DLL creation and testing process.
It would be easier to write your game engine based on data files, compile the engine to an .exe and then change the data files based on your tryouts. That way you wouldn't have to compile it anymore since the engine would get it's data from your files (files like configurations, object creation, positioning, etc).
But it is still too much hard work - I'd stay with the 15 seconds or whatever that you might be having to compile it and save myself the trouble.

In the end it's not that much compared to what you'd endure if you tried to make the DLL or the universal data-based engine I mentioned.


D4NM4N(Posted 2008) [#4]
I have compiled programs with multiple files colectively containing several thousand lines of code between 5 and 10 seconds too, and thats over a network!.
Sounds like there is something wrong if it takes longer than that, or you are using a very slow network drive, singlespeed usb device or something.


QuickSilva(Posted 2008) [#5]
Thanks for the help everyone.

Jason.