Using and Exporting External Assemblies

[dontpanic]

Hi,

can anyone tell me the correct way to include external assemblies in your indicator export zip file, when those assemblies have both 32 and 64 bit versions, so that the indicator is imported into NT it also installs the correct external assemblies?

Thanks,
Will.

[mantak007]

Hi, I just asked the same question couple of days ago - we have to provide 2 zips, with 32 and 64 bit versions . To my suprise, when you import 32 bit dll in 32 bit Ninjatrader, it works then also in 64 bit Ninjatrader (at least for me it works, not sure if it's true for every dll). This way you could use only 32 bit dll, unless you really need the 64-bit version.

[dontpanic]

Thanks Mantak,

when you say 2 zips, do you mean seperate zip files or adding my .dlls to the zip that ninja creates? is there any special naming convention so that ninja recognises these files as part of the same indicator and imports them at the same time?

I'm sharing my indicators with some people who are fairly basic level computer users, so I want to make the process work automatically and for there to be no additional steps that they have to follow when doing an import, if possible.

Will.

[NinjaTrader_JC]

Hello Will,

To you may add addition assemblies or DLLs file to your export by:

1. Locate your base .zip distribution package
2. Open the .zip
3. Add to the .zip file your assemblies and/or your DLL files to the root directory of the .zip. These files cannot be behind any extra directory structures and must be directly in the root of the .zip

For custom assemblies, you will also need to add to the root of the .zip a .txt file called AdditionalReferences.txt

1. Bring up the Windows Start Menu
2. Go to the Run field and type "notepad" without the quotes and press Enter
3. In Notepad, type the name of your custom assembly and then save the file as a text file with the name "AdditionalReferences".

Ex: If your custom assembly's name was MyCustomAssembly.dll and MyCustomAssembly.cs, in the AdditionalReferences.txt file you would type "MyCustomAssembly" without the quotes.

Note: If you have multiple custom assemblies to add you can append each of the assembly's names into the same AdditionalReferences.txt file on new lines

http://www.ninjatrader.com/support/helpGuides/nt7/index.html?distribution_procedure.htm

Also, when you Export an assembly using the NinjaTrader (64-bit), it will automatically create a 32-bit and 64-bit version of the file for you.

[dontpanic]

Hi JC,

thanks for all the info, but there is one essential part of my question that I still dont have an answer to. I have created both 64bit and 32bit versions of my external references, that I want to be copied appropriately with the 64/32b versions of the NT created assemblies.

Is there a way that I can put both the 64 and 32 bit versions of my assemblies into the zip and exsure that the correct ones are installed when the user imports?

Thanks again.

[NinjaTrader_Bertrand]

The comment in post #2 would be accurate, cleanest solution would be having a dedicated zip install file for each environment.

[dontpanic]

Thanks Bertrand, but thats actually not the cleanest solution, not from the point of view of the people installing the indicator anyway... having a single install .zip file that correctly installed the appropriate 32/64 bit files is better. I've had people asking me "but which one do I have to install? the 32 or the 64?". Not all traders know what this means.

So I would still like to find out if its possible to achieve this?

[NinjaTrader_RyanM1]

Hi dontpanic,

There's unfortunately not a built in NinjaTrader solution for this, but you could look into a custom installer which would have its own way of identifying 64 or 32 bit environment. If your custom installer would be in ms environment, I located following page which could help:

http://social.msdn.microsoft.com/Forums/vstudio/en-US/24792cdc-2d8e-454b-9c68-31a19892ca53/how-to-check-whether-the-system-is-32-bit-or-64-bit-?forum=csharpgeneral

[dontpanic]

ok, thanks for the info. I'll probably just stay with seperate installers - I'm sure that NT have this lined up for a future release