I have a .dll from c++ and I want to debug it in C#, but I don't know how to.
When I compiled the c++ project, Visual studio asked me to execute an ".exe".
I supposed that I had to create a project to execute the dll.
But I am lost, how could I debug it?
If I understand you correctly, you want to debug a C++ coded DLL that you created, in a C# project that calls the DLL, which you also created?
I've done this before by going into your C# project properties, and under the Debug section, checking the "Enable unmanaged code debugging" check box. This should allow you to step into your C++ DLL.
To debug a C++ from C# there a couple of things you have to do.
Add a C# project to you solution for your debug application.
Edit the properties of the C# project to "Allow unmanaged code debugging" on the "Debug" tab of the project properties.
Set the C++ project as a dependency of the C# project.
Write code in your C# project to use the DLL either using P/Invoke or COM.
Set some breakpoints in your C++ code and run the C# project.
I overcame this in Visual Studio 2019 by selecting "Enable native code debugging" as shown under my C# project's properies.
Visual Studio cannot execute a dll on its own.
You need to set the startup .exe that will be using your C++ dll in the properties of your dll project. You can do so from properties --> debugging --> command specifying the path of the executable that's gonna call your dll and any command line argument needed.
For VS 2017 Pro, go to the property page of the main project (your c# project in the solution) by right mouse clicking it. At the Debug menu item, find the option in Debugger engines, choose Enable native code debugging.
To complement the useful answers by heavyd and CCicotta and Noobie3001, in Visual Studio 2017 I also had to change the following when attaching to a running C# process calling a C++ DLL: in Debug > Attach to process ..., ensure Native code is listed by Attach to:
SOS (Son of Strike) Debugging Extension (SOS.dll) helps you debug
managed code in Visual Studio by providing information about the
internal CLR environment
refer the below article:-
MSDN ARTICLE
The option "Allow unmanaged code debugging" in the "Debug" tab works for most people, but it doesn't work for me. I have to manually select "Native" as the following to debug c++ dll in my c# code.
FYI: I'm using vs2019, and the dll is written with c++ and loaded into C# app with "dllimport".
Related
I have an un-managed WIN32 dll that was written in VC++ 6 and called from a C# application. I have the dll project in VS2010 and C# project in VS2017. Both project can run through under debug/release mode successfully.
I found there was something wrong with the arguments passed by C# to the dll and thus wanted to debug the dll project. Here is what I did.
Open both VS2010 dll and VS2017 C# project
Change both projects' debugger type to mixed.
Change both projects' property to enable un-managed code debugging (it's called native code in VS2017)
Set break points at the argument calculation inside the dll where I want to debug and the C## function where I called the dll
For both vs2017 and vs2010, under Tools>Options>Debugging>Symbols I define the path where .pdb files were generated for the dll project and Select "Automatically load symbols for all modules"
Start debugging C# code
In VS2010 C++ Project, select attach to process to attach the project to vs2017 exe; under select I chose both "managed" and "native"
The breakpoint of my c++ code showed as invalid since"no symbols have been loaded for this document"
I have been struggling with this problem for a long time. Any suggestion would be really appreciated!
I am working in a VS.net 2010 addin that is designed in this way.
Addin wrapper -> C#
Addin logic -> Pure C++ dll
when I try to debug the adding I can get until the C# code calls the c++ dll function.
I have checked the "Enable unmanaged code debugging" checkbox from the C# properties project.
I have copied the c++ pdb's to their respective dll's folders.
After few weeks I have finally found the solution, I am posting it in case any other developer needs something similar.
Solution:
You cannot attach your projects (at least the way is asked above) to a devenv.exe process, otherwise it will just attach to the C# dll.
So, the simple step is set devenv.exe as your dll solution start project.
Thats it!
I have created a visual c++ 6.0 dll project and using it from my c# code. Now i want to debug the dll but i am not able to do it.
I choose the following option to do it:
put the breaking point in my visual c++ project code.
build the dll and copy it into the directory of my c# project.
Now i build my c# project and dll works fine (method are calling perfectly).
Now i want to debug the dll.
I follow a blog and open the c++ project and choose the Attach to process from vc++.
but i am not able to find the running process of visual c# project, whereas it available at task manager process.
In my c# project solution i have two project i.e.
web service (i called the dll method at the time of accessing a url)
Another one is webform application which starts the web services.
Now please help me how should i debug my dll. I have followed so many blogs but all of them are focusing on Attaching process method which is not working in my condition. What should i do?
You'll need to enable unmanaged debugging, it is not turned on by default in either scenario because your main program is managed.
You do it in your C# project with Project > Properties > Debug tab > tick the "Enable unmanaged code debugging" checkbox.
You do it with Tools > Attach to Process by clicking the Select button. Choose the "Debug these code types" radio button and tick both Managed and Native. You may have to resort to only native if your process is 64-bit.
Set a breakpoint in the DLL's source code and be sure to write C# code that exercises the DLL function. If you still have trouble getting a breakpoint then use Debug > Windows > Modules and verify that you see the DLL in the module list. Get additional troubleshooting info by right-clicking it, select Symbol Load Information. Which shows a trace of where the debugger looked for the PDB file.
You can add C++ project to the your C# solution and add reference directly to the project (not dll), then you will not be needing to copy DLL. After that just start normal debugging (F5) of your C# project, and breakpoints will be working for C++ project too. This way will be very comfortable for debugging. I have tried such debugging and did not change any other settings.
I have a C++ solution. The startup project is an exe. In the solution there are a number C# dlls (targeting .NET Framework 2.0) that are registered for COM interop. When I put a breakpoint in the C# code I get the hollow red breakpoint with "No native symbols in symbol file"
I have tried setting Project Property Pages -> Debugging -> Debugger Type to Mixed on the start-up project that calls the COM methods.
I have checked Debug -> Windows -> Modules. It has loaded my dlls, and the symbol status is "No native symbols in symbol file".
This is not the end of the world because if I do Debug -> Start Without Debugging and then Debug -> Attach to Process, changing the Attach To: to Managed (v2.0, v1.1, v1.0) code, Native code. Then I hit breakpoints in both the C++ code and C# code.
So I have my workaround but I reckon if I can do it by attaching to process - I should be able to do it by just debugging.
How can I hit my C# breakpoints by just doing Debug -> Start Debugging?
I was able to debug my C# dll from a C++ project in VS2008 by doing the following:
In the C++ project's properties, goto Configuration Properties -> Debugging. Set "Debugger Type" to Mixed. "Attach" should be set to No.
In your C# project properties, in the Debug tab, set the "Start External Program" to your C++ project's executable.
I know it's a little bit old but I found a practical solution for the problem.
I had the same problem while using a C++ application which uses a C# COM-Object. I tried several settings within Visual Studio on the C++ and C# side. Nothing helps until I tried manually launching the Debugger.
You can use
Debugger.Launch();
to manually start the Debugger on your C# DLL. I know this is not the best but a practical way. In later productive environments you have to remove the Debugger launch function :).
Regards
I am unsure if this will help but we work a lot with C# and C++. I found this to be possible by placing the C++ project and the C# project in the same solution and enabling "native debugging" in the C# project. Then I was able to jump back and forth between them while debugging.
I have a Visual Studio 2010 solution with 3 projects. The first is an unmanaged DLL project (C++) that I've written with a few DLL exports. The second project is a Managed wrapper for the first project (C# using DLLImport). The final project is a WPF application I'm using to test out the functionality of the first projects.
I'm using the first project by copying the DLL in a post-build step to the release/debug folder of the wrapper. However, this isn't enough to allow me to step through it in the debugger. I can't figure out how to reference the project properly so that I'm loading debug symbols for the unmanaged DLL. How would I do this?
Try enabling unmanaged code debugging:
To enable debugging of unmanaged code
With a project selected in Solution Explorer, on the Project menu, click
Properties.
Click the Debug tab.
Select the Enable unmanaged code debugging check box.