How Can I Call C Code from C#?

Integrating C and C#: Strategies and Solutions

Cross-language integration is a common need in software development. This article focuses on integrating C code (often compiled as a .dll) into a .NET environment like C#. A popular example is incorporating the RakNet networking library.

C /CLI: Bridging Managed and Unmanaged Code

C /CLI offers a powerful solution. It acts as a bridge, allowing seamless calls to unmanaged C code while maintaining the ability to interact with the resulting code from C# as if it were native C#. This makes it ideal for integrating pre-existing libraries.

Implementation: A Compilation and Interaction Example

Consider a C class, NativeType, compiled with the /clr switch. This creates a managed wrapper, ManagedType. ManagedType's constructor allocates memory for the NativeType object, and its destructor releases it, ensuring proper resource management.

From C#, using ManagedType is straightforward. After referencing the ManagedType assembly and instantiating an object, you can access its methods, such as ManagedMethod. Calling ManagedMethod in turn calls NativeMethod in the underlying NativeType object, effectively linking the two languages.

Further Exploration

For a more detailed explanation and a complete code example, please refer to [link to a more detailed blog post - This would need to be added if such a post exists]. Mastering this technique unlocks the full potential of cross-language integration, enhancing your development capabilities significantly.

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