[RESOLVED] DLL exported functions

[John E]

As far as I understand, a DLL's exported function table can contain either function names or ordinal numbers (perhaps both). When an exe gets launched, how does Windows match it up to the functions in the DLL? Does it start by searching for a matching function name, then, if it doesn't find one, match the ordinal numbers somehow?

The reason I'm asking is that our (VC built) app links to a DLL built using MinGW. Every time the MinGW developer brings out a new version, our app stops working (with Windows putting up a message box about missing ordinals in his updated DLL). The MinGW developer isn't building with reference to a .DEF file so I'm guessing that might be part of the problem.

Having said that, all his exported functions are standard 'C' functions - so unless MinGW is decorating them, I'd expect them to be found if Windows starts off by trying to match the function names. Hope this makes sense!

[Edit...] Or is this something I need to specify at link time? Do I need to link our exe so that it'll load functions in his DLL by name, rather than by number?