UnmanagedDllResolveHelper 1.1.0

UnmanagedDllResolveHelper

UnmanagedDllResolveHelper is a .NET helper library for resolving unmanaged (native) library dependencies at runtime, based on the location of the calling native library.
This is especially useful for self-contained native plugins or AOT scenarios where dependent libraries are placed alongside the main native library.

Features

• Resolves dependent native libraries from the same directory as the calling library
• Supports Windows, Linux, and macOS
• No configuration or search path setup required
• Simple integration with AssemblyLoadContext

How to Use

1. Add Reference

Add a reference to the UnmanagedDllResolveHelper project or NuGet package in your native library project.

2. Register the Resolver

In your native library's static constructor, register the resolver to AssemblyLoadContext.Default.ResolvingUnmanagedDll:

using System.Runtime.Loader;

static Class1()
{
    AssemblyLoadContext.Default.ResolvingUnmanagedDll += UnmanagedDllResolveHelper.UnmanagedDllCurrentLibraryLocationResolver.ResolveUnmanagedDll;
}

3. Use P/Invoke as Usual

Declare your P/Invoke as usual. For example:

[DllImport("SampleNativeLibraryDependency", EntryPoint = "Sum42", CallingConvention = CallingConvention.StdCall)]
public static extern int Sum42(int a);

4. Build and Place Native Libraries

Build your native libraries and place any dependencies in the same directory as the main native library.
For example, if your main library is SampleNativeLibraryWithLoader.dll and it depends on SampleNativeLibraryDependency.dll, place both in the same output folder.

5. Example

public static class Class1
{
    static Class1()
    {
        AssemblyLoadContext.Default.ResolvingUnmanagedDll += UnmanagedDllResolveHelper.UnmanagedDllCurrentLibraryLocationResolver.ResolveUnmanagedDll;
    }

    [DllImport("SampleNativeLibraryDependency", EntryPoint = "Sum42", CallingConvention = CallingConvention.StdCall)]
    public static extern int Sum42(int a);

    [UnmanagedCallersOnly(EntryPoint = "Run", CallConvs = new[] { typeof(System.Runtime.CompilerServices.CallConvStdcall) })]
    public static int Run(int a)
    {
        return Sum42(a);
    }
}

Testing

See UnmanagedDllResolveHelper.Tests/UnitTest1.cs for a dynamic loading example using NativeLibrary.Load and function pointer binding.

Supported Platforms

• Windows (.dll)
• Linux (.so)
• macOS (.dylib)

License

MIT License