How to: Embed Type Libraries as Win32 Resources in .NET-Based Applications

  • Article

You can package a type library as a separate file or embed it as Win32 resource file within a .NET-based application. Microsoft Visual Basic 6.0 performed this task for you automatically; however, when using Microsoft Visual Basic 2005, you must embed your type library manually.

To embed a type library as a Win32 resource in a .NET-based application

  1. Compile your managed application as a library file. For example, to create an assembly for an application called MyApp, type the following command at the command prompt:

    vbc /t:library MyApp.vb

    csc /t:library MyApp.cs

  2. Export a type library file from your assembly using the Type Library Exporter (Tlbexp.exe). At the command prompt, type the following command:

    tlbexp MyApp.dll /out:mytypelib.tlb

  3. Create a resource script that contains the following statement:

    1 typelib "mytypelib.tlb"

    For this example, the script file name is myresource.rc.

  4. Compile the script using the Microsoft Windows Resource Compiler (Rc.exe). At the command prompt, type the following command:

    rc myresource.rc

    Rc.exe produces the myresource.res resource file.

  5. Compile the source file again and specify the resource file. At the command prompt, type the following command:

    vbc /t:library MyApp.vb /win32res:myresource.res

    csc /t:library MyApp.cs /win32res:myresource.res

See Also

Concepts

Packaging an Assembly for COM

Exposing .NET Framework Components to COM

Change History

Date

History

Reason

May 2010

Corrected the resource script content in step 3.

Content bug fix.