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Wireshark-dev: Re: [Wireshark-dev] MSVC variant problem in v1.0.5

From: Ulf Lamping <ulf.lamping@xxxxxx>
Date: Fri, 30 Jan 2009 22:52:02 +0100
gogrady@xxxxxxxxx schrieb:
Darn. So does this mean that when the ABI changes, I will have to compile the plugin with the new source?

Yes and no, see below.

Also, what is ABI?

Application Binary Interface
This is the interface provided by Wireshark to the plugins.



Some background
This ABI consists of all function calls that a plugin can potentially use, of course with the corresponding parameter semantics, enums and definitions involved.

This means: If any of this stuff changes in Wireshark and your plugin uses it, it will probably fail to work. Even worse, if some of the semantic changes, it *seem* to work ok until later a special function is used that fails.


However, some real life experience
I've compiled an "in-house" plugin with the stable 1.0.0 and it still works with 1.0.5 without problems.


The stable releases are only moderately changed (to prevent introducing new bugs), but there are *no* guarantees in this regard. If there's a desperate need to change something here, it will be changed ...

Regards, ULFL