Is it possible to use *.a static library files in CVI on Windows?

[guybrush_threepwood]

Hi!

I need to use some third-party code in my program, and I have managed to compile it into a *.a static library file (not *.lib). Is it possible for me to make use of the *.a file or do I need to use *.lib if I develop on Windows?

Thanks!

[gdargaud · Accepted solution]

No. A .a library is a Linux static library and won't run on Windows.. You need to compile you library on Windows, possibly with CVI but any compiler will do.

[rolfk]

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@gdargaud wrote:

No. A .a library is a Linux static library and won't run on Windows.. You need to compile you library on Windows, possibly with CVI but any compiler will do.

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Actually, any compiler will do is a bit of a stretch. The compiler should be able to generate proper COFF format object files in order to be able to link them with the LabWindows/CVI linker. While COFF is the defacto standard under Windows nowadays since the demise of Borland C, Symantec C and other derived compilers which used the competing OMF object format, it's still not a completely idiot proof experiences if you use gcc based compiler tools as even if you create COFF object files, they don't have to be necessarily in an MSVC compatible form.

[guybrush_threepwood]

Thanks to both of you! Very relevant to know about the COFF format as well. I might easily have stumbled on that one!