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referencing libraries created with --standalone flag
f#compiler

i am trying to use a wrapper library that i wrote (in F#) against a third party .Net dll, in other F# programs. in order to avoid having to compile against the both my wrapper and the third party library in future programs i wanted to make my library statically linked, or really to include the third party dll. i thought a proper solution to this problem would be to compile my original library using the --standalone flag, but i seem to run into a problem which i have reduced to the following example, where i am uncertain of how to correctly reference elements (types in this case) of previously linked library. 

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$ ~/research/fs_src/fork $ cat lib.fs 
#light
type foo = | Foo | Bar
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$ ~/research/fs_src/fork $ cat prog.fs 
#light
let () =
    let x = Lib.Foo in
    match x with
    | Lib.Foo -> printfn "foo"
    | Lib.Bar -> printfn "bar"
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$ ~/research/fs_src/fork $ cat prog2.fs 
#light
#r "Lib.dll"
let () =
    let x = Lib.Foo in
    match x with
    | Lib.Foo -> printfn "foo"
    | Lib.Bar -> printfn "bar"
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$ ~/research/fs_src/fork $ fsc -a -o lib.dll lib.fs 
Microsoft F# Compiler, (c) Microsoft Corporation, All Rights Reserved
F# Version 1.9.6.2, compiling for .NET Framework Version v2.0.50727
$ ~/research/fs_src/fork $ fsc -r lib.dll prog.fs 
Microsoft F# Compiler, (c) Microsoft Corporation, All Rights Reserved
F# Version 1.9.6.2, compiling for .NET Framework Version v2.0.50727
$ ~/research/fs_src/fork $ ./prog.exe 
foo
$ ~/research/fs_src/fork $ fsc -a -o lib.dll <b>--standalone</b> lib.fs 
Microsoft F# Compiler, (c) Microsoft Corporation, All Rights Reserved
F# Version 1.9.6.2, compiling for .NET Framework Version v2.0.50727
$ ~/research/fs_src/fork $ fsc -r lib.dll prog.fs 
Microsoft F# Compiler, (c) Microsoft Corporation, All Rights Reserved
F# Version 1.9.6.2, compiling for .NET Framework Version v2.0.50727

prog.fs(3,17): <b>error FS0039</b>: The field, constructor or member 'Foo' is not defined.

prog.fs(5,11): <b>error FS0039</b>: The field, constructor or member 'Foo' is not defined.
$ ~/research/fs_src/fork $ cat prog2.fs 
#light
#r "Lib.dll"
let () =
    let x = Lib.Foo in
    match x with
    | Lib.Foo -> printfn "foo"
    | Lib.Bar -> printfn "bar"
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$ ~/research/fs_src/fork $ fsc -r lib.dll prog2.fs 
Microsoft F# Compiler, (c) Microsoft Corporation, All Rights Reserved
F# Version 1.9.6.2, compiling for .NET Framework Version v2.0.50727

prog2.fs(2,1): warning FS0076: #r directives may only occur in F# script files (extensions .fsx or .fsscript). Either move this code to a script file or add a '-r' compiler option for this reference

prog2.fs(4,17): error FS0039: The field, constructor or member 'Foo' is not defined.

prog2.fs(6,11): error FS0039: The field, constructor or member 'Foo' is not defined.

thanks for your help.

leonid

.

In general, once you create a --standalone, you'll no longer be able to reasonably reference the assembly from F#. (To get a feel for why; imagine there's a function that returns a tuple. Under --standalone, it will return an instance of the Tuple<> type that's compiled into the assembly, whereas an F# program that references it will assume tuples are the Tuple<> type in the general FSharp.Core.dll. The same kind of issues permeate all kinds of other stuff in --standalone assemblies.)

So I think the answer is "don't do that"; just have new apps reference both of the prior libraries.

By on 11/7/2008 1:04 PM ()

ok, thank you.

By on 11/10/2008 6:57 AM ()

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