Using ctypes in python to access a C# dll's methods

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I would like to implement C# code in a critical part of my python program to make it faster. It says (on Python documentation and this site) that you can load a Dynamic Link Library (and so say the PyDocs) as follows:

cdll.LoadLibrary("your-dll-goes-here.dll")

This is the part of my code that takes care of this feature:

from ctypes import *
z = [0.0,0.0]
c = [LEFT+x*(RIGHT-LEFT)/self.size, UP+y*(DOWN-UP)/self.size]
M = 2.0

iterator = cdll.LoadLibrary("RECERCATOOLS.dll")

array_result = iterator.Program.ITERATE(z[0],z[1],c[0],c[1],self.iterations,M)

z = complex(array_result[0],array_result[1])
c = complex(array_result[2],array_result[3])
last_iteration = int(round(array_result[4]))

And the RECERCATOOLS.dll that I use is this (C# code, not C or C++):

using System;
using System.Collections.Generic;
using System.Linq;
using System.Text;
using KarlsTools;

public class Program
{
    public static Array ITERATE(double z_r,double z_i,double c_r,
                        double c_i, int iterations, 
                        double limit)
    {
        Complex z = new Complex(z_r, z_i);
        Complex c = new Complex(c_r, c_i);

        for (double i = 1; Math.Round(i) <= iterations; i++)
        {
            z = Complex.Pow(z, 2) + c;
            if (Complex.Abs(z) < limit)
            {
                double[] numbers = new double[] { Complex.Real(z),
                                                  Complex.Imag(z),
                                                  Complex.Real(c),
                                                  Complex.Imag(c),
                                                  i};
                return numbers;
            }
        }
        double iter = iterations;
        double[] result = new double[]        { Complex.Real(z),
                                                  Complex.Imag(z),
                                                  Complex.Real(c),
                                                  Complex.Imag(c),
                                                  iter};
        return result;
    }
}

To build this DLL I use "Build" command over the Visual Studio 2010 project, which only contains this file and a reference to "Karlstools", a module that allows me to use complex numbers.

I don't know why but when I try to run my Python code, it just throws an exception:

    [...]
    array_result = iterator.Program.ITERATE(z[0],z[1],c[0],c[1],self.iterations,M)
  File "C:\Python32\lib\ctypes\__init__.py", line 353, in __getattr__
    func = self.__getitem__(name)
  File "C:\Python32\lib\ctypes\__init__.py", line 358, in __getitem__
    func = self._FuncPtr((name_or_ordinal, self))
AttributeError: function 'Program' not found

I need help with this, since it keeps throwing me exceptions even with everything is set to public and the function as static, or even when if I try to access the function directly without specifying the "Program" class... I have no clue where the problem could be.

5 Answers

A C# DLL is really referred to as an Assembly so it is quite different. Unless there is a very important reason I suggest you use C++

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