[gdal-dev] How can you use GDAL from a process that has already loaded some other app's xerces-c_2_7.dll?

[Frank Warmerdam]

Jason Roberts wrote:
> With the 1.6 release, GDAL for win32 appears to have taken a new dependency
> on xerces-c_2_7.dll. Unfortunately this causes compatibility problems with
> other applications.

Jason,

This is not a new dependency.  GDAL has optionally used xerces for some time.
Perhaps the issue is just that the standard binaries now link against this
library?

> Any idea how to get this done?

I would suggest just recompiling a GDAL binary without use of Xerces-c
assuming you have no pressing need for GML support.

> Ideally, every app that compiles its own xerces-c_2_7.dll should either give
> it a private name or leverage the Windows side-by-side (sxs) infrastructure.
> Because everybody is using it, you could say xerces-c_2_7.dll now has
> equivalent status to libraries such as MSVCRT. Any chance that GDAL could
> employ one of these solutions so that it may be called from programs that
> also load ArcGIS 9.3 or MATLAB DLLs?

I was under the impression I used the "stock" xerces 2.7 binaries distributed
by the xerces project so I'm somewhat suprised at the degree of compatability
problems.  But I could be wrong about having done that.

I'm afraid I don't understand the "side-by-side" stuff, and I'm concerned
about adding any dependencies on stuff that won't work on older systems.
I'd also note that GDAL's standard binaries are still built with
VC7.1 (aka Visual Studio 2003) which doesn't seem to produce manifests which
I assume are part of the sxs stuff.

If the xerces dependency is too much of a problem, I could regenerate stock
GDAL binaries without the xerces dependency.  I could also potentially build
a renamed xerces to avoid conflicts, though I kind of hate doing that when
the project provides stock binaries.

Best regards,
-- 
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I set the clouds in motion - turn up   | Frank Warmerdam, warmerdam at pobox.com
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and watch the world go round - Rush    | Geospatial Programmer for Rent