Given an IDL file such as example2.idl, which defines one or more COM interfaces and a type library, the MIDL compiler (Midl.exe) generates the following files as the default output:
| Filename | Description |
|---|---|
| Example2.h | The header file, containing type definitions and function declarations for all of the interfaces defined in the IDL file, as well as forward declarations for routines that the stubs call. |
| Example2_p.c | The proxy/stub file, which includes the surrogate entry points for both clients and servers. |
| Example2_i.c | The interface ID file, which defines the GUID for every interface specified in the IDL file. |
| Example2.tlb | A compound document file that contains information about types and objects. |
| Dlldata.c | Contains the data you need to create a proxy/stub DLL. |
You use the header file and all of the .c files to create a proxy DLL that can support the interface when used by both client applications and object servers. You use the interface header file (Example2.h)and the interface ID (Example2_i.c) file when creating the executable file for a client application that uses the interface. You can choose to include the type library file as a resource in your EXE or DLL, or ship it as a separate file.
For more information about these files, see Files Generated for a COM Interface, in the MIDL Programmer's Guide and Reference.