C++ project reference in a C# project in visual studio 2008

Question

Is is possible to reference a C++ project in a C# Project? I've tried adding a reference in the c# project to that C++ one but I get an error saying "A reference to could not be added"

Answer 1

You cannot reference native DLLs directly. You could only if you compiled it for the CLI (targetting .NET CLR) or had build a COM component (in which case VS builds an interop DLL automatically). Otherwise no way, you would have to write a wrapper DLL.

Answer 2

If your C++ project is a native (standard C++) project, then no. If it's a managed project, you can add a reference to it.

For native code, you'll need to use P/Invoke to access functions within the C++ DLL.