.lib
Files, .dll
files, and .sln
files are all files related to the Microsoft Visual Studio development tools.
.lib
Files (static library files):
.lib
The file is a static library file that contains the binary code and symbol information of a set of object files, which can be linked into the executable file by the compiler. When the compiler compiles a program, it includes .a
files (Linux) or .lib
files (Windows) into the final executable. These static files will be directly linked into the final program when compiling and distributed together with the final program. Therefore, their size is larger than that of dynamic libraries, but compared with dynamic libraries, static libraries are more convenient and flexible to use. Some common static library files include: libc.lib, libm.lib, etc.
Build .lib
file:
In Visual Studio, .lib
the method of generating the file is as follows:
- Create a new Win32 library project;
- Specify the generated library type as a static library in the settings;
- Add the source files that need to be compiled as libraries to the project;
- Compile the project and generate
.lib
the file.
.dll
File (dynamic library file):
.dll
The file is a dynamic link library file, which also contains a set of binary code and symbol information of the object file, but they will not be directly linked into the final executable file, but will be dynamically loaded into the memory when the program is running, and in the executed when needed. Compared with static libraries, it takes up less memory space because it only needs to be loaded once at runtime, and it also makes program updates more flexible, because only .dll
files need to be replaced to update the code. Some common .dll
files include: msvcrt.dll, kernel32.dll, etc.
Build .dll
file:
In Visual Studio, .dll
the method of generating the file is as follows:
- Create a new Win32 DLL project;
- Specify the generated library type as a dynamic link library in the settings;
- Add the source files that need to be compiled as libraries to the project;
- Compile the project and generate
.dll
the file.
.sln
file (solution file):
.sln
The file is a Visual Studio solution file that contains multiple projects, as well as the relationship and configuration information between these projects. A solution can contain multiple projects and files that together make up an application. Opening the file in Visual Studio .sln
will automatically open the associated project files and combine them into a configured and connected whole.
Build .sln
file:
In Visual Studio, a solution can contain multiple projects, and multiple projects can be added when creating a new solution, or one or more projects can be added to an existing solution. You can create a new project by selecting "New Project" from the "File" menu in Visual Studio, and then you can create or add it by selecting "New Solution" or "Add Existing Project" from the "File" menu in Visual Studio. project and generate .sln
a file.
In summary, .lib
files are for static libraries, .dll
files are for dynamic libraries, .sln
and files are solution files for Visual Studio. These associated files can be easily generated and used in Visual Studio using various tools and methods.