🚀 go-pugleaf

In article <1huff6INNag0@cs.tut.fi> pk64380@kaarne.cs.tut.fi writes:
>From article <1992Dec31.021603.21231@emr1.emr.ca>, by jagrant@emr1.emr.ca (John Grant):
>> CTL3D.DLL is provided by MS on CI$ and at ftp.cica.indiana.edu
>> (in vendors... - sorry I forget the exact location or filenames,
>> but it was posted here recently).  It provides 3d effects for
>> listboxes, comboboxes, etc (finishing up what they started with
>> 3d buttons).
>    /vendor/microsoft/developer-network/techsamp/3-31.zip
>     
>> Problems with CTL3D.DLL
>> -----------------------  
>>   1. before *anything* in your app runs (i.e. even before you check for
>>      'first instance', something in CTL3D.LIB (linked in) tries to find
>>      CTL3D.DLL.  It appears to look in at least 3 directories:
>> 	- ...\windows
>> 	- ...\windows\system
>> 	- the application's home directory (GetModuleFileName)
>>      (I tried placing it in each of the 3 directories to see
>>       what it was looking for and where).
>> 
>>      If it can't find CTL3D.DLL, it chokes and displays:
>> 	+----------------------+
>> 	|     File Error       |
>> 	| Can't find CTL3D.DLL |
>> 	+----------------------+
>>      and then terminates the application before it even gets a
>>      chance to run.
>
>   Yes, but that's Windows itself. Before executing a single line of the 
>   application it will try and load all the DLL's needed (specified
>   when linking).
>   If you don't want this, you might try LoadLibrary and GetProcAddress
>   (or whatever, never tried myself - so don't ask how to do this. SDK
>    reference should be able to help)
>
>-zi

If you do not wish to implicitly load the DLL as above, you can
use a LoadLibrary call on the DLL, and then to call functions
you use a GetProcAddress and cast to the correct type for the
prototype.  This involves some bookkeeping and annoying casts
but enables your application to run without the DLL present (if
that is possible).  When you do this you do not link with the 
import library (the CTL3D.LIB file).

If you wish to override the Windows system modal dialog and
put up your own failure dialog and handle things yourself
then you can use the SetErrorMode API to turn off that dialog
(but be sure to handle the error yourself).  This will only
work when you use LoadLibrary explicitly, since Windows will
load the DLL implicitly before your WinMain is started (and
before you can SetErrorMode).


-- 
Steven Sinofsky
stevesi@microsoft.com
Disclaimer: I don't speak for Microsoft, BillG does that.