How can I marshall a vector from a C++ dll to a C# application?

Question

I have a C++ function that produces a list of rectangles that are interesting. I want to be able to get that list out of the C++ library and back into the C# application th

Answer 1

Yes. You can. Actually, not just std::vector, std::string, std::wstring, any standard C++ class or your own classes can be marshaled or instantiated and called from C#/.NET.

Wrapping a std::vector in C# is indeed possible with just regular P/Invoke Interop, it is complicated though. even a std::map of any type can be done in C#/.NET.

public class SampleClass : IDisposable
{    
    [DllImport("YourDll.dll", EntryPoint="ConstructorOfYourClass", CharSet=CharSet.Ansi,          CallingConvention=CallingConvention.ThisCall)]
    public extern static void SampleClassConstructor(IntPtr thisObject);

    [DllImport("YourDll.dll", EntryPoint="DestructorOfYourClass", CharSet=CharSet.Ansi,          CallingConvention=CallingConvention.ThisCall)]
    public extern static void SampleClassDestructor(IntPtr thisObject);

    [DllImport("YourDll.dll", EntryPoint="DoSomething", CharSet=CharSet.Ansi,      CallingConvention=CallingConvention.ThisCall)]
    public extern static void DoSomething(IntPtr thisObject);

    [DllImport("YourDll.dll", EntryPoint="DoSomethingElse", CharSet=CharSet.Ansi,      CallingConvention=CallingConvention.ThisCall)]
    public extern static void DoSomething(IntPtr thisObject, int x);

    IntPtr ptr;

    public SampleClass(int sizeOfYourCppClass)
    {
        this.ptr = Marshal.AllocHGlobal(sizeOfYourCppClass);
        SampleClassConstructor(this.ptr);  
    }

    public void DoSomething()
    {
        DoSomething(this.ptr);
    }

    public void DoSomethingElse(int x)
    {
        DoSomethingElse(this.ptr, x);
    }

    public void Dispose()
    {
        if (this.ptr != IntPtr.Zero)
        {
            // The following 2 calls equals to "delete object" in C++
            // Calling the destructor of the C++ class will free the memory allocated by the native c++ class.
            SampleClassDestructor(this.ptr);

            // Free the memory allocated from .NET.
            Marshal.FreeHGlobal(this.ptr);

            this.ptr = IntPtr.Zero;
        }
    }
}

Please see the below link,

C#/.NET PInvoke Interop SDK

(I am the author of the SDK tool)

Once you have the C# wrapper class for your C++ class ready, it is easy to implement ICustomMarshaler so that you can marshal the C++ object from .NET.

http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/system.runtime.interopservices.icustommarshaler.aspx