Re: [Caml-list] flexdll circular dependency on ocamlc: Impossible to built ocaml for mingw without using some prebuilt binaries?

[Alain Frisch <alain.frisch@lexifi.com>]

On 24/10/2015 14:51, David Allsopp wrote:
> Alain Frisch wrote:
>> On 24/10/2015 11:50, Soegtrop, Michael wrote:
>>> Also I wonder why flexdll/flexlink is required. The documentation of
>>> flexdll states:
>>>
>>> Windows DLL cannot refer to symbols defined in the main application or
>>> in previously loaded DLLs.
>>>
>>> In my experience this is not true. At least when using MSVC one can
>>> declare functions in the main executable as DLL-export. Then when
>>> linking the main executable an import library is created in the same
>>> way as when building a DLL by the linker. The DLL can then link to
>>> this import library and can access the functions  in the main
>> executable.
>>
>> Dynlink follows a different model: dynlinked units are not tied to a
>> specific main executable.  A myplugin.cmxs can be dynamically linked by
>> any application that provides the required interfaces.
>
> Wouldn't that still be true with the .def/.a approach, though?

I don't see how this would work without changing the compilation model.
Would you generate an import library for each .cmi file?

Also keep in mind that currently, dynlinked code can access directly 
data symbols from the main program (not just function calls that can 
more easily go through an import library).


Alain