As has been pointed out, the only way to make native classes available to managed code is to write managed adapters (you'll likely have to change attributes or behaviour slightly, so they're usually more than just "wrappers").
In C++/CLI, you can simply write managed classes and instantiate and use unmanaged classes (whose source is in the same project or link to native LIBs or DLLs). This "magic" is C++ Interop (or Implicit Pinvoke) in Visual C++ 2005. This was referred to in Visual C++ 2003 as "It Just Works" (IJW). You can sometimes find a bit of overlap of the two terms ,IJW and C++ Interop, between VC2k3 and VC2k5; but C++ Interop is far more common with VC2k5. In any event, there's some good references on C++ Interop, like in the Visual C++ programming guide: http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en- us/library/2x8kf7zx(VS.80).aspx and specific examples of wrapping a native C++ class for use in C#: http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms235281 (VS.80).aspx The pimpl idiom is often used to implement managed adapters for native classes, if you're not familiar with that you might want to look at references like http://www.codepedia.com/1/CppPimpl or http://www.devx.com/cplus/Article/28105 or http://www.gotw.ca/gotw/024.htm I've written managed adapters to native classes in both VC2005 and VC2003, so feel free to post further questions about this approach... Are you writing for .NET 2.0 or .NET 1.x? Are you dealing with any LIBs or DLLs? On Fri, 16 Nov 2007 11:24:57 -0500, Mark Nicholls <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: >Hello, >can someone give me some advice about calling a unmanaged C++ dll from >C#.....it also uses templates from the STL......it all sounds a bit >horrible....any advice....or (good) articles on the web somewhere. =================================== This list is hosted by DevelopMentor® http://www.develop.com View archives and manage your subscription(s) at http://discuss.develop.com
