Importance of .lib file for a dll

Hi,

When i bulid a dll, i have a .lib file getting created. When i try to link this dll in another i am using the .lib file and not the .dll file. What is the importance of the .lib file.

Regards,
Varadha

Using the .lib file (and associated header files) allows you to resolve any references to exported dll methods and variables at compile time.

Without it, you would need to explicitly load the DLL at runtime (LoadLibrary) and resolve addresses to the functions you wish to call.