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How to call a c# dll from java program

I have a c# dll that needs to be called in Java.I see that there is a method using jni to call c++ dlls.How can I do it for a c# dll..Please help..I couldnt find any good material on this

From here:-
IKVM.NET is an implementation of Java for Mono and the Microsoft .NET
Framework. It includes the following components:
A Java Virtual Machine implemented in .NET
A .NET implementation of the Java class libraries
Tools that enable Java and .NET interoperability

You can use Java Native Interface. Or you can create a COM assembly from the C# code and use J-Interop to invoke it.
If you have C# dll sources you need to use maybe the better way will be to translate it to Java using some tools like GrassHopper.
According to GrassHopper key feature explanation it can convert MSIL to Java bite code. So can use without sources of c# dll

Check this: http://www.javonet.com
If you look for quick and easy solution then Javonet should work fine for you. It is light counterpart of IKVM and J-Integra works also as native bridge.
All you have to do is:
add Javonet.jar do your project call
call Javonet.addReference("yourlib.dll")
use your .NET library like it was almost JAVA package
Sample:
NObject obj = Javonet.New("yourDotNetClass");
obj.invoke("YourMethod","arg1", 2);
The syntax is not strongly-typed and works like reflection but gives you fastest access to any custom .NET code, third-party libs or .NET framework as no changes are needed on .NET side. If you need it is also possible to implement custom strongly-typed wrappers.
I do recommend this bridge as in my opinion it is easiest to quickly get things done but also other native bridges are worth checking as this is best approach for such case.
I would avoid going into custom JNI or COM unless you have a lot of time and you just want to learn, if you need quick and reliable solution take one of third-party bridges.

How to use C# code in C++ project

I have some code in C# which I want to use in other project (coded in C++).
From what I researched, I need to create a .lib but MSVS only creates .dll (I think..). I think is possible to use the .dll by using LoadLibrary() over C++ but seems not very friendly.
1 - Can I create the .lib in MSVS? If not, how can I create it.
2 - What is the best way to integrate the code? By the .lib or using .dll + LoadLibrary()?

The easiest option, honestly, is to use C++/CLI. That lets you use both object systems (.NET, and traditional C++ with its standard template library).

Is it managed C++ ? If so you can directly add a reference to the C# dll and use it.

What you need is a com compliant class in c#:
http://en.allexperts.com/q/C-3307/2008/2/Using-C-class-C.htm
http://blogs.msdn.com/b/deeptanshuv/archive/2005/06/26/432870.aspx

One possibility is to make your C# code Managed COM compliant. Then use the standard COM api's (QueryInterface etc) to call the C# COM code.
The codeproject sample may be useful
http://www.codeproject.com/KB/cs/ManagedCOM.aspx

Connecting C++ to C#

I've been writing a program in C++ and noticed there is a library in C# that someone else wrote that I would like to link in to my code.... but I'm not sure how to do that. Can someone suggest something? Doubt this matters, but I'm using Windows 7 with MSVC2010.
Thanks in advance!

You can try compiling your C++ program in C++/CLI mode. Then the compiler will produce a .NET executable which can create C# objects and use their methods.
C++/CLI is discussed here: C++/CLI

If you're familiar with COM you could access the .NET library through COM. If the library doesn't provide COM interop out of the box you could write a wrapper around it using C# and expose that through COM.
If you're going to pull in a .NET library you should be aware that it requires a .NET runtime which may take up valuable resources. If you ware building the application in C++ for performance reasons, maybe you're better off porting the parts of the library you need to C++.

Creating C++ Dll, and call it from C#

In my project I got a device which comes with C++ Sample codes. The codes are ok and the device is working as expected.
But I need it to talk with my C# interface because all other devices are currently using C# interface.
So I am planning to create a DLL Wrapper for the driver. I will create a C++ Library of my own (from source code with proper interface) and Call this C++ Library from C# using DLLImport (just call my interfaces there.).
I am pretty sure it can be done this way, but I have never created a C++ Library and used it from C# yet. So, can anyone refer me to some tutorial that goes with my problem?
I am using C++/C# int VS.NET 2008.
Regards,
Maksud

Have a look at
using a class defined in a c++ dll in c# code

Another useful tool you have at your disposal is C++ CLI.
You can use C++ CLI to create an intermediate library - one that exposes managed classes but runs unmanaged C++ code. You can actually mix managed and unmanaged C++ in the same DLL.
The unmanaged portion can accesses the unmanaged DLLs without having to use the PInvoke functions.
Your C# code can access the managed classes in this intermediate library.

Depending on the DLL and what you need to do you may not need to create a wrapper directly. You might be able to get away with P/Invoke for the functions. You will need to evaluate your specific needs and what is already available in the libraries/code provided.

For anyone who comes to this question and are looking for answers, you may want to try xInterop NGen++ , a C# wrapper generator for native C++ DLL, which has been just released to the public, the tool can generate C# wrapper for native C++ DLL automatically and instantly by using advanced P/Invoke technologies. Check out the current version and a free version will be out soon.
(I am the author of the tool)

Call C# methods from C++ without using COM

Is there a way to create C# objects and call methods from unmanaged C++, but without using COM Iterop? I am looking for something like JNI (but for .Net), where you can manually create the VM, create objects, etc.

If you are using C++/CLI then you can interact directly with both the managed world and unmanaged code, so interop is trivial.
You can also host the CLR yourself, and whilst the hosting API is COM based, you can then create any managed object. The process isn't a difficult as it sounds as a few API calls encapsulate a lot of functionality. There is a lot of info online, for example the MSDN documentation on "Hosting the Common Language Runtime".

There is a somewhat "undocumented" way of exporting C style API from a .NET class / method.
This ultimately leads to a situation where a .NET dll has exported APIs that can be called from C/C++ or anything that can consume .DLLs for that matter.
If you are into "reading" (beh ;) you can get a book called: Inside Microsoft® .NET IL Assembler where you'll find this technique in chapter 15: "Managed Methods as Unmanaged Exports"
There's also a nice example project on code-project you can use as a starting point for 32-bit environments:
http://www.codeproject.com/KB/dotnet/DllExport.aspx

You can decide file-by-file in your C++ project whether or not to use managed C++. Try changing the settings a file in your project so that it compiles as managed. Put the calls there to your C# object.
There's a cost to crossing the C++/C# border, so you should analyse where to do it. Like, you wouldn't want to do it inside a loop.

I am author of jni4net, open source intraprocess bridge between JVM and CLR. It's build on top of JNI and PInvoke. No C/C++ code needed. I hope it will help you.