Using a shared DLL file from another application

[e-Duardo]

Hi,
I am using an instrument (a IR camera) that runs on its proprietary software, and it offers the possibility to communicate with external applications via an IPC (Inter Process Communication) protocol, which uses a DLL file.
The software documentation includes some program samples made with C++, C# and VC++.NET

I would like to know if there is a posibility to use NodeRED interact with the DLL file (poll data using the specified functions).

You will have noticed that I do not have experience in programming...(I just can write simple code for simple operations).

regards,

[dceejay]

Yes it is possible to get node.js to call DLL - and then to wrap that into a node for Node-RED - but it definitely requires programming expertise. Google is your friend... but it's a non-trivial task, (at least for me).

[TotallyInformation]

Anything involving .NET has always been beyond me! And I've worked with Windows since before it even began (starting with LANManager and OS/2).

[krambriw]

@TotallyInformation

starting with LANManager and OS/2

Makes me think of the good old days

[TotallyInformation]

Haha, this week I did give in to bemoaning the terrible work ethics of some colleagues who's idea of documenting things was appalling and thoughtless and wishing (but only slightly) for the discipline that multi-million £ mainframes enforced on us.

My comments on their documents were longer than the documents themselves. Would have been easier just to write the things myself.

I don't miss LANManager but I do (a little bit) miss OS/2 along with the joys of REXX and the ISPF editor. Oh, and programming in APL on the mainframe (look it up kids, it was fun - though you needed a special keyboard covered in math symbols!!).

Look what you did now, got me reminiscing, dreadful habit for an old man. The best thing that moving into IT did for me was to keep me always learning new things.

[krambriw]

@TotallyInformation

habit for an old man. The best thing that moving into IT did for me was to keep me always learning new things

I think and hope that keeps us young & alert longer, keeping the brain busy is said to be good!!

A bit OT but I cannot resist in the beginning of a new great day. In the early 90's, we developed a client/server solution for OS/2 in Smalltalk. It became pretty impressive as we also developed our own OO database. When a client was typing something on the keyboard, all other clients saw it instantly if they where looking at the same screen. This functionality was implemented by intention but it was according to my developers pretty easy to do. Today you see the same feature in Google Docs when you share a document. But we did this already 30 years ago and I'm still waiting for this to be possible with Microsoft Word and Excel, why do they not see the value in such feature? Anyway the thing we did worked fine technically but did not fly commercially, it was killed, all customers suddenly required Windows only

Back to the topic just to climate compensate my OT exercise a bit; yes to the question about the dll, an alternative way, if too complicated with node.js, I have have done that multiple times in Python. Then adding MQTT and suitable features, you are done, a little python server/service. The key is just to find the entry points in the dll but there are tools for such things

[TotallyInformation]

@krambriw

Python

Yes, I believe Python is good for this. I've only recently discovered that a lot of Python's current popularity, especially in science and analytics areas is due to the use of libraries written in C/C++/Fortran/etc. Python itself being quite slow of course.