Documentation

    Table of Content
    • CodePorting.Native Product Family
      • CodePorting.Native Cs2Cpp
        • Getting Started
          • Product Overview
          • Installation
          • Licensing
          • How to use CodePorting.Native Cs2Cpp
            • How to Use Command line to port and build Projects
            • How to Use GUI to port and build Projects
        • Developer Guide
          • Porting Simple C# Projects
            • Porting Simple Console Application
            • Porting Simple Library
            • Porting Simple NUnit Test
          • Porting Dependent C# Projects
            • Porting Dependent Console Application
            • Porting Dependent Library
            • Porting Dependent NUnit Test
          • Porting Complex C# Projects
            • How to Convert Complex C# Console Application to C++
            • How to Convert Complex C# Library to C++
            • How to Convert Complex C# NUnit Test to C++
          • What Converts to What
            • Abstract Classes
            • Auto Properties
            • Break Statements
            • Class Constructors
            • Continue Statements
            • Delegates
            • Do While Statemetns
            • Enums TypeCast
            • Enums
            • Events
            • Exceptions
            • Expected Exceptions
            • Finalizers
            • For Statements
            • ForEach Statements
            • Generic Classes
            • Generic Delegates
            • Generic Interfaces
            • Generic Methods
            • Generic Structs
            • If Statements
            • Indexers
            • Lambda Expressions
            • Methods
            • Nested Classes
            • Properties
            • Return Statements
            • Simple Class
            • Simple Interface
            • Simple Struct
            • Simple Test
            • Standard TypeCast
            • Static Class
            • Static Constructor
            • Static-Methods
            • Static Properties
            • Switch Statements
            • Test with Setup Methods
            • Throw Statements
            • Try Catch Finally Statements
            • Try Catch Statements
            • Try Finally Statements
            • Var Expressions
            • Virtual Methods
            • While Statements
          • CodePorting Native Cs2Cpp Attributes
          • CodePorting Native Cs2Cpp Configuration File
            • CodePorting.Native Cs2Cpp Configuration File Structure
            • Attributes in Configuration file
            • Configuration file Nodes
            • Configuration file Options
          • Memory Management Model
            • Using aliasing constructor to create a smart pointer
          • Cmake Support
          • Limitations and Bugs
            • Porter Limitations and Bugs
            • Library Limitations and Bugs
            • Cpp Code Injection
        • Release Notes
          • 2020
            • CodePorting.Native Cs2Cpp 20.11
            • CodePorting.Native Cs2Cpp 20.12
            • CodePorting.Native Cs2Cpp 20.10
            • CodePorting.Native Cs2Cpp 20.9
            • CodePorting.Native Cs2Cpp 20.8
            • CodePorting.Native Cs2Cpp 20.7
            • CodePorting.Native Cs2Cpp 20.6
            • CodePorting.Native Cs2Cpp 20.5
            • CodePorting.Native Cs2Cpp 20.4
            • CodePorting.Native Cs2Cpp 20.3
            • CodePorting.Native Cs2Cpp 20.2
            • CodePorting.Native Cs2Cpp 20.1
          • 2021
            • CodePorting.Native Cs2Cpp 21.1
          • 2018
            • CodePorting.Native Cs2Cpp 18.9
            • CodePorting.Native Cs2Cpp 18.9.1
            • CodePorting.Native Cs2Cpp 18.10
            • CodePorting.Native Cs2Cpp 18.11
            • CodePorting.Native Cs2Cpp 18.12
          • 2019
            • CodePorting.Native Cs2Cpp 19.1
            • CodePorting.Native Cs2Cpp 19.2
            • CodePorting.Native Cs2Cpp 19.3
            • CodePorting.Native Cs2Cpp 19.4
            • CodePorting.Native Cs2Cpp 19.4.1
            • CodePorting.Native Cs2Cpp 19.5
            • CodePorting.Native Cs2Cpp 19.6
            • CodePorting.Native Cs2Cpp 19.7
            • CodePorting.Native Cs2Cpp 19.8
            • CodePorting.Native Cs2Cpp 19.9
            • CodePorting.Native Cs2Cpp 19.10
            • CodePorting.Native Cs2Cpp 19.11
            • CodePorting.Native Cs2Cpp 19.12

    What's on this Page

      • Porting Dependent Console Application
        • Porting CommonLib
        • Porting DependentConsoleApp
    1. Home
    2. CodePorting.Native Product Family
    3. CodePorting.Native Cs2Cpp
    4. Developer Guide
    5. Porting Dependent C# Projects
    6. Porting Dependent Console Application

     

    Note that this example is built upon several assumptions, namely:
    • Porter is installed to C:\CodePorting.Native_Cs2Cpp_19.4 directory
    • All C# projects are located in C:\DependentConsoleApp directory
    • The output directory for all projects is C:\output

    Porting Dependent Console Application

    The following example demonstrates how to port two C# projects one being a console application C# project and another – a library project on which the console application C# project depends. We’ll use pre-existing projects from DependentConsoleApp example located here.

    This example consists of two C# projets – CommonLib and DependentConsoleApp.

    Porting CommonLib

    CommonLib is a library project consisting of a single .cs source file SomeClass.cs and a project file CommonLib.csproj. This project does not have any special dependenies on other projects or 3-rd party assemblies.

    Also CommonLib project directory contains precreated configuration file CommonLib.porter.config. Let us have a closer look at the configuration file.

    CommonLib.porter.config is quite simple. It begins with an XML declaration, which specifies that the file contains an XML document.  
    
    Then goes the XML root element <porter> which is mandatory for Porter configuration XML document  
    
        <porter>  
    
    Next, the default Porter configuration file is imported using <import> element. The default configuration assigns default values to all configuration options.  
    
        <import config="porter.config"/>  
    
    And the XML document is finished with closing tag of the root element <porter>:  
    
        </porter>

    This example assumes that C# CommonLib library project should be ported into a C++ static library project, which is a default setting.

    With C# project and configuration file ready, we can convert the project.

    In order to covert BaseLibrary project we run CMD and navigate to the directory with porter binary:

    >cd C:\CodePorting.Native_Cs2Cpp_19.4\bin\porter
    

    And run Porter:

    >CsToCppPorter.exe -c C:\DependentNUnitTest\CommonLib\CommonLib.porter.config C:\DependentNUnitTest\CommonLib\CommonLib.csproj C:\output
    

    Porter will print some logs of the porting process to the console window and when it finishes porting, directory C:\output will contain a directory named CommonLib.Cpp containing the generated C++ source files and Cmake configuration files.

    Now we want to use Cmake to generate makefile/project files. Let it be a Visual Studio 2017 x86 project file. In CMD we navigate to the C:\output\CommonLib.Cpp directory

    >cd C:\output\BaseLibrary.Cpp
    

    And run Cmake in configuration mode:

    >Cmake --G "Visual Studio 15 2017" .
    

    And now we can build the sources using either Cmake or Visual Studio. Let us use Cmake:

    >Cmake --build . --config Release
    

    The library is built.

    Porting DependentConsoleApp

    DependentNUnitTest is a console application C# project that consists of a single .cs source file Program.cs and a project file DependentConsoleApp.csproj. This project has a dependency on previously ported project CommonLib. This dependency has to be reflected in the DepedentConsoleApp project’s configuration file. In our example this configuration file is pre-created, its name is DepedentConsoleApp.porter.config and it is located in the project’s directory DependentConsoleApp. Let us have a closer look at the configuration file.

    DependentConsoleApp.porter.config begins with an XML declaration, which specifies that the file contains an XML document   
    
    Then goes the XML root element <porter> which is mandatory for Porter configuration XML document   
    
        <porter>   
    
    Next, the default Porter configuration file is imported using <import> element. The default configuration will assign default values to all configuration options   
    
        <import config="porter.config"/>   
    
    Also we need to import a configuration file include_map.config from ported CommonLib project that maps public types exported by CommonLib library to generated C++ header files in which these types are declared. include_map.config is generated by Porter for each project it ports. Thus, before porting DependentConsoleApp project, CommonLib project has to be ported first so that Porter generates include_map.config. This is how include_map.config is included in DependentConsoleApp.porter.config  
    
        <import config="../../output/CommonLib.Cpp/include_map.config" />   
    
    Here ../../output is a directory that was passed as an output directory to Porter when CommonLib project was ported.  
    
    Next, we want Porter to add some commands to the output CMakeLists.txt. We do that by adding <cmake_commands> element to the configuration file containing raw Cmake commands   
    
        <cmake_commands>   
           <![CDATA[     
    
    The first command sets the output directory for the executable binary by setting the corresponding property on the target ${PROJECT_NAME}
    
        set_target_properties(${PROJECT_NAME} PROPERTIES RUNTIME_OUTPUT_DIRECTORY "${CMAKE_CURRENT_SOURCE_DIR}/../bin")   
    
    Here ${PROJECT_NAME} is the name of the Cmake project that is equal to the name of the main Cmake executable target.   
    
    Then the <cmake_commands> element is closed   
    
          ]]>   
        </cmake_commands>   
    
    Then, we need to tell Porter that DependentConsoleApp project depends on CommonLib library. We do it using <lib> element:   
    
        <lib name="CommonLib.Cpp" csname="CommonLib">   
          <cmake_link_template>   
            <![CDATA[
              find_package(CommonLib.Cpp REQUIRED CONFIG PATHS "${CMAKE_CURRENT_SOURCE_DIR}/../CommonLib.Cpp" NO_DEFAULT_PATH)   
              target_link_libraries(${PROJECT_NAME}_dependencies INTERFACE CommonLib.Cpp)   
            ]]>   
         </cmake_link_template>   
        </lib>   
    
    Here ${PROJECT_NAME}dependencies is the name of the Cmake Interface Library target that is defined in the output _CMakeLists.txt file and is linked to main executable target ${PROJECT_NAME}. Thus libraries linked to ${PROJECT_NAME}_dependencies get automatically linked to ${PROJECT_NAME} target.   
    
    Finally the XML document is finished with closing tag of the root element <porter>   
    
    </porter>

    With the C# project at hand and configuration file ready, we can convert the project.

    In order to covert DependentConsoleApp project we run CMD and navigate to the directory with porter binary:

    >cd C:\CodePorting.Native_Cs2Cpp_19.4\bin\porter
    

    And run Porter:

    >CsToCppPorter.exe -c C:\DependentConsoleApp\DependentConsoleApp\DependentConsoleApp.porter.config C:\DependentConsoleApp\DependentConsoleApp\DependentConsoleApp.csproj C:\output
    

    Porter will print some logs of the porting process to the console window and when it finishes porting, directory C:\output will contain a directory named DependentConsoleApp.Cpp containing the generated C++ source files and Cmake configuration files.

    Now we want to use Cmake to generate makefile/project files. Let it be a Visual Studio 2017 x86 project file. In CMD we navigate to the C:\output\DependentConsoleApp.Cpp directory

    >cd C:\output\DependentConsoleApp.Cpp
    

    And run Cmake in configuration mode:

    >Cmake --G "Visual Studio 15 2017"
    

    And now we can build the sources using either Cmake or Visual Studio. Let us use Cmake:

    >Cmake --build . --config Release
    

    When build finishes, directory D:\output\bin\Release should contain two files: DependentConsoleApp.Cpp.exe, which has just been built from C++ sources, and aspose_cpp_vc140.dll, which was copied from Porter installation directory during a post-build step. When we run DependentConsoleApp.Cpp.exe its output to the Console window should be similar to the output of the original C# application project we ported.