[Lazarus] Form in DLL

[Michael Schnell]

On 05/03/2012 10:22 AM, Mark Morgan Lloyd wrote:
>
> So using the LCL, is it possible to e.g. put the code associated with 
> a right-button menu in a DLL, and have it interact with e.g. a SynEdit 
> on the main form?
I do believe this is possible, but I am sure that nobody has tried this, 
yet and there of course will be lots of issues to handle.

The LCL (i.e. the GUI-related functions) is not reentrant: it can't be 
used by multiple threads. As it is instantiated by by the programs the 
main thread in the startup code of an "Application", it only can be used 
by the main thread, (A DLL does not have a "main thread" by default.)

This means (besides other thread- and external-widget-set- issues) that 
there are static variables in memory that are (and need to be) preserved 
between calls to functions in the LCL. Same are not (and need not be) 
protected against concurrent calls from multiple threads.

The DLL has it's own static memory, that is why all the static variables 
of the LCL instance in the DLL are independent of those in the main 
program. This it is "dual entry" (or in fact completely independent as 
the code also is duplicated) regarding two different threads.

Moreover when (with it's own thread) instantiating this copy of the LCL 
TApplication, it on it's own attaches to the OS Widget Set and thus I 
_believe_ the Widget Set handles it as if it would be a completely 
different program. In fact the OS widget set _could_ find out that this 
call is done by a program that already did attach and create a main 
Window and act appropriately (either by creating a somehow depending 
sub-main window or somehow unexpectedly so that the intended function 
can't be accomplished. But I don't see why it even should do so.

Good luck !

-Michael