How to create/compile an exe which contains two other files? - c

I have two files, both of them are exe. One for 32bit, and one for 64bit. I'd like to create a small program(a third exe) in C, which contains these two files. When i start my third exe, it should do some work, and execute one of them. Is this somehow possible?
Thanks in advance!

Doing it yourself in C
There are ways to implement this kind of thing in C/C++ described here and here. Basically you do the following:
Add your 32-bit and 64-bit executables as binary PE resources to a 32-bit bootstrapper executable. You can do this using any PE resource editor including Visual Studio if that's what you're using.
The bootstrapper uses the IsWow64Process API to decide whether it is running on a 64bit system or not.
The bootstrapper extracts the correct executable file from its resources using the resource APIs
The bootstrapper writes the executable file to a temporary file and executes it.
This is pretty much what I had to do for an old project, and offers you the most control and flexibility. But if you just want quick and dirty...
Making AutoIT do it for you!
I also found this guide to compiling an AutoIT script which basically does all of the above for you! Neat, eh?
I will reproduce the AutoIT script here in case the link disappears:
; Check if we’re on 64-bit OS…
If EnvGet(“PROCESSOR_ARCHITEW6432″)=”” Then
; No we’re not – run x86 version…
FileInstall(“D:\Support\ETrustCheck_x86.exe”,#TempDir & “\ETrustCheck_x86.exe”)
RunWait(“D:\Support\ETrustCheck_x86.exe”,#TempDir & “\ETrustCheck_x86.exe”)
FileDelete(#TempDir & “\ETrustCheck_x86.exe”)
Else
; Yes we are – run x64 version..
FileInstall(“D:\Support\ETrustCheck_x64.exe”,#TempDir & “\ETrustCheck_x64.exe”)
RunWait(“D:\Support\ETrustCheck_x86.exe”,#TempDir & “\ETrustCheck_x64.exe”)
FileDelete(#TempDir & “\ETrustCheck_x64.exe”)
EndIf
; The END
This script can be wrapped by the AutoIT script editor into 32bit launcher with your two executables packed into it.

Related

Using multiple main files in VS2017

I've downloaded VS2017 Community Edition and I'm working through "Programming in C" by Stephen G. Kochan.
I'd like to store all the examples in one project (possibly 1 project per chapter), however I've come across the error about multiple "main" files in one project. Before telling me I can't have multiple main's in a project, could you suggest the best way to organise these small C programs in VS2017.
I love the fact that I don't have to use a terminal compiler and would like to use VS2017 to work my way through the book.
Any suggestions?
A typical case of "assignments" in a course. In that case you can create one module (c file) for each assignment and call the current assignment from your main. Now you have all assignments in a single project, so you can easily look them up. Assignments completed you can comment-out.
I don't think you really want them all in one project. I think you want them all in one Solution, with each example in its own Project. That way you can switch between projects in the IDE and build/run/debug whichever one you are working on at the time.
Add a new project to your solution by right-clicking the solution in Solution Explorer and selecting Add->New Project from the menu.
Set the active project by right-clicking the project in Solution Explorer and choose "Set as startup project" from the menu.
This allows you to build each example on its own, or build all of them at once. Each project is self-contained and generates its own executable, and you can navigate around from one project to another inside the IDE.
You can compile and run your C files individually from command line.
This is not ideal when using an IDE.
Your other option is to use add_executable command in cmake
Adds an executable target called to be built from the source
files listed in the command invocation. The corresponds to the
logical target name and must be globally unique within a project. The
actual file name of the executable built is constructed based on
conventions of the native platform (such as .exe or just
).

How deal with FileChooser in GTK with static compilation

I have to create one-file (.exe) program.
In this program user can choose directory from his computer.
I create program in order of http://www.tarnyko.net/en/?q=node/31 and it run well.
But when I invoke FileChoser (click on button) I got this error
GLib-GIO-ERROR No GSettings schemas are installed on the system
Response of Tarnyko to this issue is in coment on webpage - this is known "bug" with static compiling.
How can I work around this?
On the one hand I have to have one-file.exe.
On the other hand I realy do not want create "sophisticated" FileChooser on my own... is there any option to deal with this?
My ideas:
1 - Call native File chooser of OS (windows)
2 - Create file chooser on my own - if it is not "much hard" in gtk
I do not know how to do either of this.
Sorry for duplicating - probably succes solution is in answer form "ebassi" here GLib-GIO-ERROR**: No GSettings schemas are installed on the system (not tested yet)
Settings schemas (which are used in GTK in more places than just the file selector widget) cannot be statically linked into a binary: they have to be installed in a well known location (controllable via the $XDG_DATA_DIRS environment variable) and they have to be compiled into a cache.
GTK's dependencies like Pango and GDK-Pixbuf also use ancillary files and loadable modules that are not strictly compatible (unless you're willing to spend time on it) with static linking.
The usual recommendation for only providing a single executable for your application is to have a self-extracting installer that contains all the installed files necessary to running a GTK application, and avoid static linking.
I don't think it's possible to create just one .exe file (without any other files) with GTK+. Maybe only when you recode the GTK and it's dependencies - which is not an easy task to do.
The best solution I found is to put all schemas (and also icons for your GTK+ app) in the same location where your .exe file is placed:
EXE_LOCATION\program.exe
// For icons:
EXE_LOCATION\share\icons\hicolor...
// For schemas
EXE_LOCATION\share\glib-2.0\schemas
Then you deliver these files together with your .exe file and with all needed .dll files.
About the native file chooser in GTK+: It also needs the schemas - at least on Windows OS.

Program done how can I use it on other PCs?

I just finished coding my c program in visual studio (VS) and what I had done is just drag the compiled .exe file out of the folder to run it on other computers, except on other computers for that to work I guess I need VS since it says the MSVCR110D.dll is missing which is from VS. So how can I run my program on other computers that don't have VS?
You can use IExpress which is used for distributing self-contained installation packages. It is there in every windows machine preinstalled. Using this utility you can make the executable .exe which will be incorporated with dependent dlls. You can see Step by step guide, to see how to use it.
Follow these steps
https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/3w7axy17.aspx
In your output window it will show you where you can find the exe file, usually something like "ProjectName/Debug/Release/"
If you have added any external libraries you will have to copy any DLL files in that folder with the exe (You can combine them with some applications if needed)
You will also have to make sure that you have the correct version of the .NET Framework on the PC that you are trying to run your program on

Registered an Assembly for COM, but only works on dev computer

Hey, I was wondering if you guys could see what is wrong/suggest a solution.
I have a dll Assembly for COM that I built with C#, and i am trying to get the COM object from Silverlight Out-of-browser. I want the siverlight application to be mobile between computers, so i put all the neccesary files in a zip along with a batch installer that does the followingto register the assembly:
cd %windir%\Microsoft.NET\Framework\v4.0.30319\
RegAsm.exe "%USERPROFILE%\My Documents\Homework Clock\windowsHook.dll" /tlb /nologo
My application finds the assembly and it works fine on my dev computer, but when I move my application to a test computer (along with the dll and any other neccesary files), my batch file says it registers successfully but the application doesn't find it.
However, when i rebuild the assembly with C# on the test computer and replace the dll i moved from the dev computer with the rebuilt dll, the application finds it fine. It would be convenient for my clients if they didn't have to rebuild the assembly using C# if they wish to use my application, so i was wondering if there was a way to fix this.
I looked into this problem for a while and thought it might be because my assembly wasn't a strong named assembly, since I think C# does that automatically, so i tried doing it in my batch file and it couldn't recognize the 'al' and 'sn' commands necessary to generate the cryptographic key to give an assembly a strong name, and i tried doing it in the
'signing' tab in the C# project properties, but i encountered the same problem. Any ideas how to fix this?
Thanks in advance
The reason it works when you rebuild with VS is because it runs Regasm.exe with the /codebase option. Required if you don't plan to put the assembly in the GAC.
C# does not automatically give assemblies a strong name. If you're using Visual Studio, open the project's Properties page, and look under the Signing tab. Check Sign the Assembly, and generate a new strong name key file. Build your project, and you should be able to do what you need to do with your existing batch file.

EXE generated in obj\Debug folder

I have inherited a Windows Forms application and I have found that a .EXE file gets generated into the obj\Debug folder everytime I compile.
I am more a Web Forms kind of developer so I am a little confused as to what is happening here. Why is it a .EXE and not a .DLL? What does this file actually represent? Is this the default behaviour for Windows Forms applications? Or, did my predecessor have to set it up up somehow?
As far as I can tell, the solution does not have a deployment project.
Their are many types of win application in delhpi. If u create windows form, .exe will be craeted in the debug folder similarly if you are creating Dynamic Link Liberary (DLL) .dll files will b created. These files are created each time when you compile the application.
Why this is a problem? Console application projects have exe file in the obj/Debug folder too. The obj folders are NOT used for running the application - they are used for creating the end binaries in the bin folders.
If the question is about exe vs dll then compiled exe file is used to run the application. In the web environment you used dll because ASP.NET new how to run code from it. But Windows knows how to run exe files, so any of your code actually can be compiled to an executable.
Every application be it web or windows would have an entry-point for execution. Anything in compiled form in .Net is an assembly which need not always be a DLL file. An EXE file is a .Net assembly with an entry point and few headers in the beginning of the file that identifies itself as a stand-alone executable to the windows operating system. In case of your web-application your asp.net pages are the entry points that users would type in a browser and start the application. In case of a stand-alone windows forms desktop application, it is an EXECUTABLE file, which user can click on run.
I am more a Web Forms kind of developer so I am a little confused as to what is happening here. Why is it a .EXE and not a .DLL?
Having said this, It is also important to note that, just like the asp.net is not the only platform to develop web-applications [you have php, jsp, etc.], .Net windows forms is also not the only way to create stand-alone executables. You can make EXEs in C, C++, VB, Delhpi, etc. only difference would be that they will not be .Net assemblies but all of them including .Net executables will have an entry-point to start execution from and the EXE header that identifies them as executables on the host windows operating system.
Why would it be a DLL? It's an application - it has to be launchable, unlike a website which lives "inside" a web server (effectively). The exe file is the application (along with any libraries it requires, of course). You double-click on it, it will launch the application. No problem.
Having said that, you should pretty much ignore the obj directory - it's just an intermediate directory. The bin directory is the one you should be taking build results from.

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