Statically linking an EXE

[wschalch]

Hello,

When I create an application in MFC, for example, I can choose to statically link it to reduce the dependencies of libraries. Can I do the same thing for a VB application? I tried to find something in the compiler options, but I couldn't find...

Thanks,
Wagner

[WizBang]

You can create controls at runtime, and use win32 API calls too. This can help reduce the exe size and dependencies. Is that what you want to do? Are you using any non-intrinsic controls? Can you explain more?

[wschalch]

Hello,

Thanks for the help... In fact, I am not worried with the dependencies of the controls being used in the application, but wth the "MSVBVM60.DLL" dependency. Is there a way to remove it? Maybe with some option to statically link it to my EXE...

Thanks again,
Wagner

[WizBang]

No, because MSVBVM60.DLL is the vb runtime engine. There are programs which supposedly compile everything into the exe, so there aren't any dependencies. However, this would add to the size of the exe, since it has to have everything in it. These programs typically claim to compress the exe as well, but of course that means a slower loading time. Since the vb runtime comes with windows, it's unlikely that a user would need to install it with your program, so you should be able to leave that out of the installer anyway.

There are other languages which produce a standalone exe, and are quite a bit like vb. RealBasic is one such program. There are a few differences to take particular note of, but probably most of your vb code would work as is. Apparently, it even opens vb files. I've yet to try it, but it looks interesting. I didn't find any claims about performance on their site though, which makes me think there is a trade-off.

Have you tried Delphi? That's another one with some good benefits, including no runtime dependencies.

[wschalch]

Hello,

If the VB runtime comes with Windows, for me that is ok. I was just worried about that... The other controls I will deliver with my application.

Thanks a lot for the help!!!

Regards,
Wagner