C++

C++ is a general-purpose programming language created as an extension of the C programming language.

Index

• Libraries
• References

Libraries

A library is a collection of resources used by programs. These resources may include code, data, templates, documentation, etc.

There are 2 types of libraries, static and dynamic.

• Static files (lib) can contain either static libraries (containing object files) or import libraries (containing symbols to allow the linker to link dll or so files).
• Dynamic files (dll or so) contain dynamic libraries.

When linking is performed during the creation of an executable or an object file, it is known as static linking (early binding). In this case, the linking is usually done by a linker, but may also be done by the compiler.

When linking is performed while a program is being loaded (load time) or executed (runtime), it is known as dynamic linking (late binding).

Dynamic libraries have 2 types of linking.

• Implicit. When a lib file is provided by the dll creator along with appropriate headers. This lib is an import library, merely a descriptor of the target library, it contains entry point, addresses, etc. It doesn't contain any code and must be passed to the linker.
• Explicit. When the library is manually loaded with LoadLibrary functions. The lib file isn't needed, but it requires more effort to find exports, addresses, and call functions through pointers.

References

• cplusplus.com
• C++ Cheat Sheets & Infographics
• Smart Pointers