Combining C++ and C#

Question

Is it a good idea to combine C++ and C# or does it pose any immediate issues?

I have an application that needs some parts to be C++, and some parts to be C# (for increased efficiency). What would be the best way to achieve using a native C++ dll in C#?

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Answer 1

Yes using C# and C++ for your product is very common and a good idea.

Sometimes you can use managed C++, in which case you can use your managed C++ module just like any other .NET module.

Typically you'd do everything that you can in C#. For the parts you need to do in C++ you'd typically create a C++ DLL and then call into that DLL from C#. Marshalling of parameters is done automatically for you.

Here is an example of importing a C function inside a DLL into C#:

[DllImport("user32", CharSet=CharSet.Auto, SetLastError=true)]
internal static extern int GetWindowText(IntPtr hWnd, [Out, MarshalAs(UnmanagedType.LPTStr)] StringBuilder lpString, int nMaxCount);

Combining C++ and C#

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