Re: Ann: AdaNetframework - Proof of cncept / alpha release

[alby.gamper@gmail.com]

On Wednesday, April 1, 2020 at 2:25:21 AM UTC+11, Shark8 wrote:
> On Thursday, March 26, 2020 at 3:11:37 AM UTC-6, alby....@gmail.com wrote:
> > Dear Ada Community
> > 
> > For those interested in Microsoft NetFramework, I have developed a set of
> > bindings, runtime that allows native Ada applications built using GNAT to
> > use the NetFramework. Conceptually this is very similar to "Embedinator 4000"
> > developed by the "Mono" development team. Note this is not Ada compiled into
> > CLR/VM bytecode, but a native (albeit for the moment) Windows x64 application that
> > can make use of the functionality provided by the NetFramework.
> > 
> > Note this is a Proof of concept/alpha release, but it is functional
> > 
> > The git repo contains 3 branches, these being
> > 
> > 1) Master - a cutdown version of mscorlib (only includes subset of mscorlib)
> > 2) System.dll - contains the core system bindings (core dependency)
> > 3) System.Windows.forms.dll - contains winforms bindings
> > 
> > I suggest that if you want to build/test the repo, please start with the "Master"
> > branch (which contains rudimentary test application (ie VS/GPR project) and then
> > progress to System and finally System.Windows.Forms branch. Note that the 
> > Winforms branch will take ~45 min to complete, so be patient (its a large lib!)
> > 
> > Notes:
> > 
> > 1) Please use the latest version of VisualAda to build the projects. Their was
> > a memory leak which may/will cause the final part of the build to fail
> > 
> > 2)I am intending to support NetCore going forward, so that Mac, Linux clients
> > will be supported. But this may take some time, since the CLR hosting /interop
> > Api's are very different from NetCore to NetFRamework
> > 
> > Git repo is https://github.com/Alex-Gamper/Ada-NetFramework.git
> > 
> > Feel free to raise questions / comments
> > 
> > Alex
> 
> So, this allows you to use DOTNET stuff in native applications; that's pretty nifty.
> There was a GANT that targeted DOTNET directly, though the latest one is pretty old now (2014?) and there was a Ada spec generator where you could import DOTNET libraries for use in your Ada programs. [I have a copy of Delphi.NET, so of course I ran it over the Delphi DLLs. ;) And had some fun playing around with that.]

Hi Shark8

Yes it does allow you to use DOTNET directly (ie from a native x64 binary)
The big difference between my approach and targeting CLR/DOTNET directly as
the BNAT 2014 did, Is that the Bindings need to be generated based on a 
predefined set of assembly's. Hence the reason for the 2 main branches in Git

The "system.dll" branch contains only the bindings for system.dll and the
"System.windows.Forms.dll" branch contains the bindings for WinForms and all
its dependencies (If their is demand I can do another branch for WPF)

Alex