Convert Interface IDL file to C#

Question

I have an interface defined in an IDL file that I would like to use in C#. Is there a way to convert the IDL to something usable in C#?

Something usable in C#. Something that will compile. – Jon Tackabury Aug 20 '09 at 17:38 — Jon Tackabury, Aug 20 '09 at 17:38

score 34 · Accepted Answer · answered Aug 20 '09 at 17:38

34

One way is to run MIDL on the IDL to create a type library (.tlb). This requires a library block in the IDL. Once you have the .tlb, you can run tlbimp.exe on it to get a C# definition/Interop DLL.

answered Aug 20 '09 at 17:38

Vinay Sajip

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and you then you can use [JetBrains dotPeek](https://www.jetbrains.com/decompiler/) to view the C# definition from the generated interop DLL. – Greg Thatcher Jun 02 '16 at 22:33

score 6 · Answer 2 · edited Jun 11 '17 at 07:35

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What datatypes/structures are used in the IDL? You should first define the datatypes in C# first if there is no inbuild type already.

You can use the following tool to convert the structures, but you need to verify the ouput manually.

Download: http://download.microsoft.com/download/f/2/7/f279e71e-efb0-4155-873d-5554a0608523/CLRInsideOut2008_01.exe

This utility is described at Accessing Windows API Constants and Structs for P/Invoke.

The original January 2008 article is now only available as a .CHM help file download, linked at the bottom of https://msdn.microsoft.com/magazine/msdn-magazine-issues. For the time being, the source code can be found at http://clrinterop.codeplex.com/.

edited Jun 11 '17 at 07:35

Glenn Slayden

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answered Aug 20 '09 at 17:46

DevByDefault

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Where is the documentation for this>?? – Chandra Eskay Sep 03 '12 at 11:44
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@ChandraEskay Since the link to the MSDN article was no longer correct, I took the liberty of updating the information about this utility. – Glenn Slayden Jun 11 '17 at 07:36

score 2 · Answer 3 · answered Oct 31 '14 at 17:59

For example, I've recently used the XPS Print API and needed the xpsobjectmodel.h interfaces. The Windows SDK comes with xpsobjectmodel.idl fortunately.

I generated the TLB file with MIDL first and used TLBIMP to generate a proper DLL assembly ready to be added in the 'References...' section in my C# project.

Be sure to use the tools with the correct version for your project framework. e.g, if your project framework is 3.5-based, using tlbimp from the 4.0 toolset won't work.

Convert Interface IDL file to C#

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