Unable to compile correctly with Visual C Express

[ikke_nl]

Hi,

I am trying to get familiar with writing plug-ins but for some reason I cannot compile it correctly.

I am trying to make a content plugin according to the 2.1se content plugin help and the file_sys source files. For this I use Visual C++, because it is free and I was under the assumption that this was the easiest. When I compile the DLL and rename it to .WDX, the plug-in does not work:
- I cannot get a fieldname, I cannot get a detectstring in TC.
To verify this, I have tried WDX_tester, so I can see if all my routines can be accessed and if they return any fields, and they don't. This console program normally returns all available routines and it says that there are no routines, not even one.

The code is almost entirely according to the filesys_src example that can be downloaded with the website with the help. I have not changed anything in the compile options in Visual C++ express, only one: that I am making a DLL.

-Does anyone have a idea what kind of mistake I have made?
- Another compiler, but is there one with a good IDE?

[fenix_productions]

2ikke_nl
Dunno if it helps but you can check source codes of my plugins (32bit) at:
https://skydrive.live.com/?cid=e12762cbdafb3c47&id=E12762CBDAFB3C47%21318#cid=E12762CBDAFB3C47&id=E12762CBDAFB3C47%21126

They may be spaghetti coded but most (all?) of them were made with VS Express. You can compare project files to get right configuration settings.

AFAIR: when I was starting my play with them, I had problems with proper exports definitions.

[ikke_nl]

I have taken WDX_empty_0.03 as comparison. Compiling it works, according to WDX_tester.

It seems that I do not have a *.def file.

I'll look into it why I need it and if there are other differences.
Thanks!

[MVV]

ikke_nl, if you compile .CPP file, compiler will export your functions with decoration, if you compile .C file, it will add prefix "_". In any case .DEF file allows to specify exact names of your exported functions. You may use plugin FileInfo (or any PE info tool) to look which functions your plugin exports.