How to See the Contents of Windows library (*.lib)

Question

I have a binary file - Windows static library (*.lib).
Is there a simple way to find out names of the functions and their interface from that library ?

Something similar to emfar and elfdump utilities (on Linux systems) ?

Transcendentalistic

Note: The command prompt specific to .NET comes with the Visual Studio editions but not with the Express edition. From: social.msdn.microsoft.com/Forums/en-US/… – Tiedeman

Answer 1

Assuming you're talking about a static library, DUMPBIN /SYMBOLS shows the functions and data objects in the library. If you're talking about an import library (a .lib used to refer to symbols exported from a DLL), then you want DUMPBIN /EXPORTS.

Note that for functions linked with the "C" binary interface, this still won't get you return values, parameters, or calling convention. That information isn't encoded in the .lib at all; you have to know that ahead of time (via prototypes in header files, for example) in order to call them correctly.

For functions linked with the C++ binary interface, the calling convention and arguments are encoded in the exported name of the function (also called "name mangling"). DUMPBIN /SYMBOLS will show you both the "mangled" function name as well as the decoded set of parameters.

Fascinating

Both /SYMBOLS and /EXPORTS don't work nowadays. I have to use /ALL with a |more pipe to see all functions in the .lib file. – Sestertium

@Sestertium dumpbin /symbols worked fine for me today on Win 10 with VS 2019 developer command prompt on a static library .lib file, why do you say it doesn't work these days? – Inappetence

You can use /OUT:filename in order to export the output to a file – Apodaca

What is DUMPBIN ? Where is it ? – Feculent

Dumpbin is a command line app that's installed alongside VS. From within VS you can access it via Tools > Command Line > Developer Command Prompt. Then type "dumpbin" – Weisburgh

dumpbin /exports does not show __imp__calloc in ucrt.lib for example (although the reference arises in user code), dumpbin /linkermember:1 does show it ... Hint: Use | find /i "calloc" to filter the symbols you search for. – Whiffler

FWIW dumpbin appears not to be available in the Developer Command Prompt for Visual Studio 2022. – Goodfellowship

Answer 2

Open a Visual Studio Command Prompt

dumpbin /ARCHIVEMEMBERS openssl.x86.lib

or

lib /LIST openssl.x86.lib

or just open it with 7-zip :) its an AR archive

Sparker

Cool trick with 7-zip there seems to be two .txt files there what do they mean? – Klee

These both just list a load of DLL names. dumpbin /exports lists the actual symbols. – Vestryman

Answer 3

I wanted a tool like ar t libfile.a in unix.
The windows equivalent is lib.exe /list libfile.lib.

Anana

Yes lib will (only) show the obj files; it will not show the functions and data in the obj files. – Lewison

Answer 4

"dumpbin -exports" works for dll, but sometimes may not work for lib. For lib we can use "dumpbin -linkermember" or just "dumpbin -linkermember:1".

Subito

Answer 5

LIB.EXE is the librarian for VS

http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/7ykb2k5f(VS.80).aspx

(like libtool on Unix)

Officious

Answer 6

DUMPBIN /EXPORTS Will get most of that information and hitting MSDN will get the rest.

Get one of the Visual Studio packages; C++

Raccoon

Answer 7

Like it can be seen in other answers you'll have to open a Developer Command Prompt offered in your version of Visual Studio to have dumpbin.exe in your execution path. Otherwise, you can set the necessary environment variables by hand.

dumpbin /EXPORTS yourlibrary.lib will usually show just a tiny list of symbols. In many cases, it won't show the functions the library exports.

dumpbin /SYMBOLS /EXPORTS yourlibrary.lib will show that symbols, but also an incredibly huge amount of other symbos. So, you got to filter them, possibly with a pipe to findstr (if you want a MS-Windows tool), or grep.

Searching the Static keyword using one of these tools seems to be a good hint.

Chambliss

Answer 8

1) Open a Developer Command Prompt for VS 2017 (or whatever version you have on your machine)(It should be located under: Start menu --> All programs --> Visual Studio 2017 (or whatever version you have on your machine) --> Visual Studio Tools --> Developer Command Prompt for VS 2017.

2) Enter the following command:

dumpbin /EXPORTS my_lib_name.lib

Levator