C++ Hot Reloading Solution for Windows

Overview

This Visual Studio solution contains two projects: enginelib and hotreload. enginelib is a DLL project that includes the functionalities you want to hot reload. hotreload is an executable project that demonstrates how to dynamically load, unload, and reload the enginelib DLL at runtime. This setup is particularly beneficial for C++ development on Windows, where iterative testing and development are crucial, such as in game development.

Features

• Dynamic DLL Loading: Load and unload the enginelib DLL at runtime in the hotreload executable.
• Automatic Reloading: The hotreload executable watches for changes in the enginelib DLL and reloads it automatically.
• Error Handling: Implements basic error handling for file access and DLL operations.

Requirements

• Windows Operating System
• Visual Studio 2022 or later (solution is set up and tested with Visual Studio 2022)
• C++17 Compiler (for std::filesystem support)

Structure

• enginelib: The DLL project. Contains the code that can be hot reloaded.
• hotreload: The executable project. It loads the enginelib DLL and implements the hot reloading mechanism.

Getting Started

1. Clone the Repository:

   git clone https://github.com/andresfelipemendez/hotreload.git

2. Open the Solution in Visual Studio: Navigate to the cloned directory and open the solution file.

3. Build the Projects: Build both the enginelib and hotreload projects within Visual Studio.

4. Run the hotreload Executable: Start the hotreload project. It will load the enginelib DLL.

5. Modify and Rebuild the enginelib DLL: Make changes to the enginelib project, rebuild it, and observe the hotreload application reloading the DLL without needing a restart.

Usage Notes

• Ensure that both enginelib and hotreload projects are built with compatible settings (e.g., Debug/Release, x86/x64).
• The hot reloading mechanism uses simple file polling to detect DLL changes. Adjust the checking interval in the hotreload project as needed.
• While the example provided is basic, it's a starting point for more complex implementations, and additional error handling might be required for production-grade applications.

Contributing

Feel free to fork this repository, make improvements, and submit pull requests. Any contributions to enhance this hot reloading solution are welcome.