Yarp: Windows linking errors

[JimmyDaSilva]

Hi all,
I am still having a hard time using yarp on Windows and Visual Studio 2013.
I have set the lib and include directories in my projects, set the environment variables by following the guide for windows...
On a terminal, yarpserver runs fine.
But I get error like these:

error LNK2001: unresolved external symbol "__declspec(dllimport) public: __cdecl yarp::os::ConstString::~ConstString(void)" (__imp_??1ConstString@os@yarp@@QEAA@XZ)
error LNK2001: unresolved external symbol "__declspec(dllimport) public: __cdecl yarp::os::ConstString::ConstString(char const *)" (__imp_??0ConstString@os@yarp@@QEAA@PEBD@Z)
error LNK2001: unresolved external symbol "__declspec(dllimport) public: __cdecl yarp::os::Bottle::Bottle(void)" (__imp_??0Bottle@os@yarp@@QEAA@XZ)
error LNK2001: unresolved external symbol "__declspec(dllimport) public: __cdecl yarp::os::Port::Port(void)" (__imp_??0Port@os@yarp@@QEAA@XZ)
error LNK2001: unresolved external symbol "__declspec(dllimport) public: __cdecl yarp::os::Network::Network(void)" (__imp_??0Network@os@yarp@@QEAA@XZ)
error LNK2001: unresolved external symbol "__declspec(dllimport) public: virtual __cdecl yarp::os::Network::~Network(void)" (__imp_??1Network@os@yarp@@UEAA@XZ)
error LNK2001: unresolved external symbol "__declspec(dllimport) public: static bool __cdecl yarp::os::NetworkBase::checkNetwork(double)" (__imp_?checkNetwork@NetworkBase@os@yarp@@SA_NN@Z)

@pattacini You said you are using VS2013? Did you ever have this problem before ?

Thank you guys!

[drdanz]

you are probably missing target_link_libraries(your_target ${YARP_LIBRARIES}) in your project CMakeLists.txt

[JimmyDaSilva]

Sorry but there is no CMake involved here. I am compiling with Visual Studio

[drdanz]

In this case you have to link your project to libYARP_OS and libYARP_init in visual studio project properties.

[JimmyDaSilva]

I have set the LIBPATH to robotology\yarp-2.3.64\lib which contain YARP_OS.lib and YARP_init.lib

[drdanz]

I think that you have to add them in the input tab...

[JimmyDaSilva]

Nice that works :).
I don't understand though. Isn't it supposed to load all the libs in the specified path ?

[drdanz]

No, just imagine what it would happen on a linux system, where all the libraries are in /usr/lib...
You are supposed to tell the linker which libraries it should link, and where to find them.

[JimmyDaSilva]

Sorry to bother you again but I still have issues on VS2013. It builds now but crashes when running.
YARP seems to be missing a path to a DLL. I tried a bunch of stuff like changing the resources path and so on...

'KinectHandTracking.exe' (Win32): Loaded 'C:\Users\jimda\Documents\Visual Studio 2013\Projects\KinectHandTracking\x64\Release\KinectHandTracking\AppX\KinectHandTracking.exe'. Symbols loaded.
'KinectHandTracking.exe' (Win32): Loaded 'C:\Windows\System32\ntdll.dll'. Cannot find or open the PDB file.
'KinectHandTracking.exe' (Win32): Loaded 'C:\Windows\System32\kernel32.dll'. Cannot find or open the PDB file.
'KinectHandTracking.exe' (Win32): Loaded 'C:\Windows\System32\KernelBase.dll'. Cannot find or open the PDB file.
'KinectHandTracking.exe' (Win32): Loaded 'C:\Windows\System32\combase.dll'. Cannot find or open the PDB file.
'KinectHandTracking.exe' (Win32): Loaded 'C:\Windows\System32\msvcrt.dll'. Cannot find or open the PDB file.
'KinectHandTracking.exe' (Win32): Loaded 'C:\Windows\System32\rpcrt4.dll'. Cannot find or open the PDB file.
'KinectHandTracking.exe' (Win32): Loaded 'C:\Windows\System32\bcryptprimitives.dll'. Cannot find or open the PDB file.
'KinectHandTracking.exe' (Win32): Loaded 'C:\Windows\System32\ole32.dll'. Cannot find or open the PDB file.
'KinectHandTracking.exe' (Win32): Loaded 'C:\Windows\System32\sechost.dll'. Cannot find or open the PDB file.
'KinectHandTracking.exe' (Win32): Loaded 'C:\Windows\System32\gdi32.dll'. Cannot find or open the PDB file.
'KinectHandTracking.exe' (Win32): Loaded 'C:\Windows\System32\user32.dll'. Cannot find or open the PDB file.
The thread 0x115c has exited with code -1073741515 (0xc0000135).
The thread 0x2b68 has exited with code -1073741515 (0xc0000135).
The program '[640] KinectHandTracking.exe' has exited with code -1073741515 (0xc0000135) 'A dependent dll was not found'.

Thanks !

[pattacini]

Hi @JimmyDaSilva

From your previous post I imagine you're not using cmake to create the VS project. Is that right?

If so, let me point out that this approach can be considered somehow an anti-pattern, meaning that handling directly VS options is very likely to bring about problems - as you're experiencing - because of some missing libraries, include paths and so on so forth, which are difficult also for us to figure out.

On the other hand, using cmake is easy, neat, scalable, maintainable and of course intrinsically multi-platform and comes with a very tiny cost.

Would you be willing to switch to the use of cmake? Is there any particular requirement not to use it?

[JimmyDaSilva]

Hi @pattacini. Thank you for you answer.

Yes I am not using cmake to create the VS Project.

I know cmake is great, even if I can't say I am an experienced user. My main concern is that I need to generate a Windows App. I want to use the Kinect2 SDK to get information and send them over using YARP.

Using the cmake example file works fine. The example is generated and runs. But it is not a Windows App but a console application in which I cannot add the Microsoft SDK in.

I tried to copy the properties of the example project but without success.

I am frustrated because it worked one night. Then computer got restarted or I changed something I shouldn't have and it's broken now.

Thank you for your concern :)

[traversaro]

Fortunatly CMake has support for generating a Windows GUI application in a Windows Store project.

To generate a Windows GUI executable, just add WIN32 to the add_executable call for your GUI ( https://cmake.org/cmake/help/v3.0/command/add_executable.html ).

To generate a Windows Store project, you can follow this example in CMake configuration : https://cmake.org/cmake/help/v3.1/manual/cmake-toolchains.7.html?highlight=windowsstore#cross-compiling-for-windows-store .

[JimmyDaSilva]

Going to give this a shot! Thanks for the help!

[JimmyDaSilva]

I successfully generated a windows Store project including yarp with cmake.
Everything builds but I get the same error of missing dependent dll when running.
I only have the main.cpp from the example.
When I remove yarp objects the project runs

[lornat75]

Looking at your error log I do not understand the problem. The "missing pdb" information should be only a warning, which btw should disappear if you run the "release" version of your program. However, the error seems to be related to a missing "dll". Can't you spot anything specific to this problem in the output of your program?

[lornat75]

ok, I should have checked more carefully. It seems to be something specific to windows apps:

Did you try the suggestions at this link:

http://stackoverflow.com/questions/29214446/referencing-native-c-dll-in-c-windows-app-only-works-when-added-as-reference

[JimmyDaSilva]

More dll gets loaded now, but not enough. I have included YARP_OS.dll, YARP_OSd.dll, YARP_init.dll,YARP_initd.dll

'Kinect2HandYarp.exe' (Win32): Loaded 'C:\Users\jimda\Documents\ProjectKinect2Yarp\build\Debug\AppX\Kinect2HandYarp.exe'. Symbols loaded.
'Kinect2HandYarp.exe' (Win32): Loaded 'C:\Windows\System32\ntdll.dll'. Cannot find or open the PDB file.
'Kinect2HandYarp.exe' (Win32): Loaded 'C:\Windows\System32\kernel32.dll'. Cannot find or open the PDB file.
'Kinect2HandYarp.exe' (Win32): Loaded 'C:\Windows\System32\KernelBase.dll'. Cannot find or open the PDB file.
'Kinect2HandYarp.exe' (Win32): Loaded 'C:\Windows\System32\combase.dll'. Cannot find or open the PDB file.
'Kinect2HandYarp.exe' (Win32): Loaded 'C:\Windows\System32\msvcrt.dll'. Cannot find or open the PDB file.
'Kinect2HandYarp.exe' (Win32): Loaded 'C:\Windows\System32\rpcrt4.dll'. Cannot find or open the PDB file.
'Kinect2HandYarp.exe' (Win32): Loaded 'C:\Windows\System32\bcryptprimitives.dll'. Cannot find or open the PDB file.
'Kinect2HandYarp.exe' (Win32): Loaded 'C:\Users\jimda\Documents\ProjectKinect2Yarp\build\Debug\AppX\YARP_OSd.dll'. Cannot find or open the PDB file.
'Kinect2HandYarp.exe' (Win32): Loaded 'C:\Windows\System32\user32.dll'. Cannot find or open the PDB file.
'Kinect2HandYarp.exe' (Win32): Loaded 'C:\Windows\System32\gdi32.dll'. Cannot find or open the PDB file.
'Kinect2HandYarp.exe' (Win32): Loaded 'C:\Windows\System32\shell32.dll'. Cannot find or open the PDB file.
'Kinect2HandYarp.exe' (Win32): Loaded 'C:\Windows\System32\cfgmgr32.dll'. Cannot find or open the PDB file.
'Kinect2HandYarp.exe' (Win32): Loaded 'C:\Windows\System32\windows.storage.dll'. Cannot find or open the PDB file.
'Kinect2HandYarp.exe' (Win32): Loaded 'C:\Windows\System32\advapi32.dll'. Cannot find or open the PDB file.
'Kinect2HandYarp.exe' (Win32): Loaded 'C:\Windows\System32\sechost.dll'. Cannot find or open the PDB file.
'Kinect2HandYarp.exe' (Win32): Loaded 'C:\Windows\System32\shlwapi.dll'. Cannot find or open the PDB file.
'Kinect2HandYarp.exe' (Win32): Loaded 'C:\Windows\System32\kernel.appcore.dll'. Cannot find or open the PDB file.
'Kinect2HandYarp.exe' (Win32): Loaded 'C:\Windows\System32\SHCore.dll'. Cannot find or open the PDB file.
'Kinect2HandYarp.exe' (Win32): Loaded 'C:\Windows\System32\powrprof.dll'. Cannot find or open the PDB file.
'Kinect2HandYarp.exe' (Win32): Loaded 'C:\Windows\System32\profapi.dll'. Cannot find or open the PDB file.
'Kinect2HandYarp.exe' (Win32): Loaded 'C:\Windows\System32\ws2_32.dll'. Cannot find or open the PDB file.
'Kinect2HandYarp.exe' (Win32): Loaded 'C:\Program Files\WindowsApps\Microsoft.VCLibs.120.00.Debug_12.0.21005.1_x64__8wekyb3d8bbwe\msvcp120d_app.dll'. Cannot find or open the PDB file.
'Kinect2HandYarp.exe' (Win32): Loaded 'C:\Program Files\WindowsApps\Microsoft.VCLibs.120.00.Debug_12.0.21005.1_x64__8wekyb3d8bbwe\msvcr120d_app.dll'. Cannot find or open the PDB file.
The thread 0x2f28 has exited with code -1073741515 (0xc0000135).
The thread 0x2cf4 has exited with code -1073741515 (0xc0000135).
The program '[12060] Kinect2HandYarp.exe' has exited with code -1073741515 (0xc0000135) 'A dependent dll was not found'.

[lornat75]

What is strange is that usually the executable should state which DLL is not found, this helps a lot.

Try adding YARP_devb.dll, YARP_mathd.dll... there could be other DLLs missing (the ones kinect related to the kinect driver, for example).

[JimmyDaSilva]

I have added all Yarp's dlls to check, same problem.
I haven't included the kinect here yet. It's just the yarp example in the Windows Store format.

Yep very frustrating that VS is not displaying the missing dll...

[JimmyDaSilva]

Just checked again. Windows blank app builds and runs.
But if a yarp object is created in the program I get the dll missing problem

[JimmyDaSilva]

Found it!
I added also ACE.dll by using @lornat75 's link and it runs now :)

Problem is that the communication with the yarpserver does not work ...

yarp::os::Port leftHandPositionPort;
leftHandPositionPort.open("/kinect/leftHandPosition:o");

This opens a port in a console application, but not the windows store app.
A permission issue ?

[lornat75]

It could be a a permission issue. Any way to catch the stdout?

[JimmyDaSilva]

Yep just found a way.

    yarp::os::Network yarp;
    double network_timeout = 10000.0;
    if (!yarp.checkNetwork(network_timeout))
    {
        OutputDebugStringW(L"YARP network is not available\n");
        return;
    }
    OutputDebugStringW(L"YARP network is available\n");

Returns YARP network is not available

[lornat75]

can you try testing basic usage of yarp at a normal console, following the first example here:

http://www.yarp.it/note_ports.html

If the yarp network works in a normal console, we can narrow the analysis to specific problems with the windows app.

[JimmyDaSilva]

Works fine when running commands via console, like yarp read /reader.
The above code works fine with a console application but fails when run by a Windows App

[lornat75]

Potential issues I see are access problems with the following:

• The file yarp.conf (to see where it is located in your system launch yarp conf at the command line)
• Sockets in general, if windows apps are executed in a protected environment

I am just speculating, I know nothing about windows apps.

[JimmyDaSilva]

yarp.conf location:
C:\Users\jimda\AppData\Roaming\yarp\config\yarp.conf

192.168.99.1 10000 yarp

Should I change that file to something else ?

Any help will be appreciate but I understand that Windows Apps are quite annoying and not really of your concern.

Thank you for the time you spent on this.

[lornat75]

Do you have a way to set in the app the environment variable YARP_CONF to C:UsersjimdaAppDataRoamingyarpconfig ?

[JimmyDaSilva]

I don't know but I can try tomorrow. You think the problem is the accessibility to the yarp.conf file ?

[lornat75]

It is possible that %APPDATA% is not expanded like in a console application. By setting YARP_CONF you force the location of the yarp.conf file to a directory of your choice (assuming it is accessible from the app). Alternatively you can copy the yarp.conf file to wherever %APPDATA% points to in a windows app.

[JimmyDaSilva]

I tried running this:

    yarp::os::Network yarp;
    bool scanNeeded, serverUsed;
    yarp::os::Contact contact_yarp  = yarp.detectNameServer(true, scanNeeded, serverUsed)

Here is the output from the yarpserver:

C:\WINDOWS\system32>yarpserver
...
...
Ok.  Ready!
 * NAME_SERVER query "/root"
ASKED NAME_SERVER query /root, GAVE registration name /root ip 192.168.99.1 port 10000 type tcp
 * NAME_SERVER query "/root"
ASKED NAME_SERVER query /root, GAVE registration name /root ip 192.168.99.1 port 10000 type tcp
 * NAME_SERVER query "/root"
ASKED NAME_SERVER query /root, GAVE registration name /root ip 192.168.99.1 port 10000 type tcp

So some communication seems to work.
What should I do? Why does detectNameServer works but checkNetwork fails ?

[lornat75]

The yarp.conf file is exactly a way to skip detection of nameserver. If the file is not found there could be problems connecting to the nameserver. Did you try my suggestion above?

[JimmyDaSilva]

I didn't succeed in setting APPDATA for the windows app environment. The APPDATA macro is properly set and available in Visual Studio, but I can't figure out if the App has actually access to this value

[lornat75]

What about setting YARP_CONF?

Sent from mobile device

[JimmyDaSilva]

What do you mean? As a global user environment variable ?
Does yarp read that variable somewhere within its functions ?

[JimmyDaSilva]

I have set YARP_CONF to the desktop and saved the conf file there. checkNetwork stills fails within the Windows App

[JimmyDaSilva]

@lornat75 I finally decided to use sockets instead.
I am sending the Store App data through a socket, then from a console application I read the data and give it right back to Yarp.
You can choose to close the issue or keep it opened but I don't think I will try working on this issue any time soon.

Thanks again for your time and help on the matter!

[lornat75]

if you are willing to share the original app code I may give it a try myself to see what goes wrong.

[JimmyDaSilva]

Here is a minimal VS2013 project of a Windows App reproducing the problem.

Everything compiles fine.
I had to copy/paste the some DLLs in YarpApp\YarpApp so that it runs.
Problem is that the yarp::os::Network::checkNetwork fails, so does port creation.
But strangely yarp::os::Network::detectNameServer makes some input to the yarpserver terminal:

C:\WINDOWS\system32>yarpserver
...
...
Ok.  Ready!
 * NAME_SERVER query "/root"
ASKED NAME_SERVER query /root, GAVE registration name /root ip 192.168.99.1 port 10000 type tcp
 * NAME_SERVER query "/root"
ASKED NAME_SERVER query /root, GAVE registration name /root ip 192.168.99.1 port 10000 type tcp

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B61-Kf77E1hUenF1VFdZV2NJTUE/view?usp=sharing

[lornat75]

I gave this a try but ran into problems. I think the problems are related to permissions with windows applications but debugging requires more time and knowledge of the windows universal app framework.