Re: other compilers (was CALL_EXTERNAL with Windows DLL)

[Brad Gom <b_gom(at)hotmail.com>]

Nando wrote:

> I need to create DLM in windows 98 using the cygnus-gcc compilers.
>

Any windows95 and later compatible compiler will, in theory, allow you
to make a DLL file that can be used by IDL's CALL_EXTERNAL procedure.
You need to look in the 'External Development Guide' of the IDL help (or
the 'Advanced Development Guide' of the IDL 5.0 help) for what
constitutes an IDL-useable DLL.

As for the C programming, creating a DLL is not that complicated, and
there should be documentation for doing this with whatever compiler you
use- for example, see
http://www.geocities.com/Tokyo/Towers/6162/win32/index.html
for information about the GCC compiler.

Finally, a general-purpose Win32 programming text will have usefull
information about how to write DLLs.  Charles Petzold's book
'Programming Windows 95' is the definitive source for most basic windows
programming techniques.

good luck


Brad Gom