"explicit" linking of dll in vb.net

[benmartin101]

in c++, you do explicit linking by using loadlibrary and getprocaddress(). Can the same be done in vb.net? could I call dll functions the same way? other than using the code:

public declare function dllfunction lib "mydll.dll" () as integer

if so, how?

[penagate]

For standard DLLs - you can still use LoadLibrary().

Also, it is generally prefered to use the <DllImport> attribute rather than the Declare syntax. Declare is preserved for backwards compatibility while <DllImport> provides all the newer features of Platform Invoke in .NET.

Unfortunately it is not possible (AFAIK) to use the pointer returned by GetProcaddress() to actually call the function. What you can do, is create a "halfway" DLL in C++ that actually calls the function for you.

Or, you could use Reflection.Emit - as demonstrated (in the comments) here.

[benmartin101]

what is this halfway you speak of?