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Issue with Foreign Function Interface (FFI) and Graphics in Version 12.27 Console (Win_64) #280
Description
Hello SmallBASIC Team,
I am experiencing persistent issues with SmallBASIC version 12.27 (Console Win_64, Apr 26 2024) on Windows 10/11. I am trying to use the Raylib plugin, but I've encountered several roadblocks that seem related to the interpreter's core handling of external libraries and internal modules.
Technical Environment:
OS: Windows (AMD64)
Version: SmallBASIC 12.27 Console Win_64
Library: libraylib.dll (confirmed to be in the path/folder)
The Issues encountered:
FFI Syntax Errors: When attempting to use export or dlopen within a unit, the interpreter frequently returns Variable is NOT an array or Undefined SUB/FUNC code: EXTERN, even when following standard documentation for plugin headers.
Case Sensitivity/Symbol Lookup: Even after confirming via binary inspection that a symbol exists (e.g., INITWINDOW), the interpreter fails to link it, returning Export symbol 'INITWINDOW' not found.
Core Modules Missing: Surprisingly, the native graphics command returns Undefined SUB/FUNC code: GRAPHICS in this specific Console Win_64 build, preventing even basic non-plugin drawing.
Process Hang: Some attempts to load external DLLs results in a hanging cursor (infinite loop) without any error output or window initialization.
Could you clarify if the 12.27 Win_64 Console build has known limitations regarding the Graphics module or if there is a specific requirement for the libraylib.dll architecture (32 vs 64 bit) and naming convention (StdCall/Cdecl) to work with this version?
Best regards,
Luiz
Activity
luizmoura1 commentedon Mar 8, 2026
I've found the cause of the 'Unit not found' error and would like to share my findings to help others:
Local Dependency: On Windows (SmallBASIC 12.27), the Raylib DLLs must be in the same folder as the .bas script being executed. Even if the main sbasic.exe is in the system PATH, the interpreter fails to load the third-party libraries if they are not present in the script's current working directory.
The .sbu File Mystery: I performed comparative tests and confirmed that SmallBASIC only generates the .sbu file when the Unit contains executable code (sub or func). Since my raylibc.bas unit contains only export const definitions, the interpreter treats it as a data header in memory and does not compile a binary bytecode file to disk. This is why the .sbu was 'missing' even when the code worked.
Misleading Error Message: When the DLLs were missing from the subfolder, SmallBASIC failed the import process and incorrectly reported that the Unit was 'not found'. In reality, it was the absence of the DLLs that blocked the process.
By placing the 10 DLLs and the raylibc.bas file in the same folder as the script, everything works perfectly via the terminal (e.g., sbasic janela1.bas).
Joe7M commentedon Mar 9, 2026
Sorry for the confusion. You are right, the info in the raylib article is not correct. I'll clarify this in the article.
An additional option is to point sbasic to the right DLL folder at startup:
PATH_TO_DLLcan be an absolute path likeC:\myfolderor a relative path like./mydlls. The relative path is relative to the location of you program.raylibc.basstill needs to be in the same folder as your prgram.