INclude dll files in exe

[jborg]

Is there any way to compile dll files into an executable.

you can use Bit-Arts Fusion
I hear it costs a-lot though.

[Yonatan]

If it's not an ActiveX DLL, then you can include it in a resource file. Make your program check if it exists as a regular file. If it doesn't, your program will give the resource file a ring and tell it to create the file.

If it's an ActiveX DLL then this way obviously doesn't work (ActiveX DLLs must exist when the program loads, so the program can't get them to exist).
However if it's an ActiveX DLL, then you can create two applications.
One is your program, and the other will contain the DLL in it and will unpack it.
The unpacking program does not require the DLL so it will work.
The user will have to use the unpacking program, or the actual program won't work.

Checking what type of DLL it is:
ActiveX DLL: A DLL which is referenced in Project menu -> References.
Non-ActiveX DLL: A DLL which is referenced in a Declare statement in the code.

Post if you need instructions for how to do this.

what if he needs to include Msvbvm60.dll or another ver. vb dll?
how is the res file gonna work then?

Here is an example made in VB on how to make an Active Self-Extractor.

Active Self-Extract

The author says that it works. And if you look at his feedback, for some people, it worked great.

[Yonatan]

Ummm... In that case... Create an unpacking program in Visual C++!

Or use Bit-Arts Fusion which of course costs a lot.

You could also try joining files together using this code:

Public Function JoinFiles(Source1 As String, Source2 As String, _
   Dest As String) As Boolean
   
   On Error GoTo errorhandler
   Dim Buffer() As Byte
    
   

   Open Source1 For Binary Access Read As #1
   Open Source2 For Binary Access Read As #2
   Open Dest For Binary Access Write As #3
   
   ReDim Buffer(1 To LOF(1))
   Get #1, , Buffer
   Put #3, , Buffer
   
   ReDim Buffer(1 To LOF(2))
   Get #2, , Buffer
   Put #3, , Buffer
   
   Close #1, #2, #3
   JoinFiles = True
errorhandler:
    Close #1
    Close #2
    Close #3
Exit Function

I never used this, if you do use it, let me know if it works.

[Edited by Matthew Gates on 08-18-2000 at 01:24 AM]

[Yonatan]

It would work, but:

• The things you put just after Exit Function should be just before it.
• It is not useful for including DLL files in your EXE...

[arachnid]

True, but if you extracted and registered the needed files before anything in your project references it, then you'll be just fine.

Create a Sub_Main and add the routines to check if the needed files exist. If they do not, then extract them from the resource file and run RegSvr on them. Then load your main form.

[arachnid]

And if you plan on investing in BitArts Fusion because you think it protects your OCXs and DLLs, then you're mistaken. All it does is extract and register the included files if they do not already exist, which offers no protection whatsoever.