How Can I Export All Symbols from a DLL in Visual Studio Without Using Macros or .def Files?

Automatically Export All Symbols in a DLL Without Macros or .def Files

In Visual Studio 2005, you can export all symbols from a DLL without manually adding __declspec(dllexport) or creating .def files. This is achieved through the following steps:

Using CMake (Recommended)

• Install CMake version 3.3.20150721-g9cd2f or higher, which includes the "Export All" feature.
• Add the line set(CMAKE_WINDOWS_EXPORT_ALL_SYMBOLS ON) to your CMakeLists.txt file.
• Create a Visual Studio project using CMake.
• Compile the project, and all symbols will be exported automatically.

Note: When using this method, ensure that /GL (Whole Program Optimization) is not enabled.

Parsing .obj Files

• Create a program to parse the .obj files and extract the exported symbols.
• Gather information such as calling conventions, symbol fields, and extern/static information.
• Generate a .def file with the extracted symbols.
• Link the DLL using the .def file.

While this method requires additional effort, it provides flexibility in parsing the .obj files.

Additional Tips

• Use __declspec(dllexport) or __cdecl export macros for C functions to eliminate name mangling.
• Use a static library to export symbols, then parse and extract them for use in a .def file.

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