LoadLibrary() an EXE?

Question

I have an executable (that I created using Visual C++ 10), and I need to use its capabilities from another program I wrote (same environment). Due to complex deployment requ

Answer 1

The short answer, is "no". After looking far and wide, there is no way to get VC++ to do what I want, and quite likely not any other compiler.

The main issue is that the main() entry point most people know and love is not the real entry point in C++ executables: the compiler needs to do a lot of initialization work to get the "C++ Run Time library" to a usable state, as well as initialize globals, statics and the likes. This initialization uses different code in shared libraries than in executables and there is no way to one to behave like another.

One thing that possibly can be done, is to build the shared functionality into a DLL, and for the primary executable to embed the DLL as a resource, and load it from a memory mapped region of the executable file (there are several code samples how to do this with VC++ on stackoverflow and elsewhere on the web). Now another program can do the same thing by loading the DLL from the bundling executable.

Answer 2

Simply no! The Problem is that the CRT and in the EXE you want load, uses some globle variables. You main EXE does the same. So how should Memory allocation work?

If you want to use such a structure you must use a DLL to be Aware of meulti threading, CRT initialization ans all this other stuff. You need this!

But what about COM Automation? Wouldn't tis be an easy solution to use your code in one EXE from another?

Answer 3

Yes it is possible.

http://www.codeproject.com/Articles/1045674/Load-EXE-as-DLL-Mission-Possible

The idea is a) to patch the IAT and b) to call the CRT before calling your exports.