IMPORTS Statement

Syntax:

IMPORTS
  importdefinitions

This statement defines the names of the functions imported for the application or library.

Note: The term import refers to the process of declaring that a symbol is defined in another run-time module (a dynamic-link library).

Typically, LINK386 uses an import library to resolve external references to dynamic-link symbols. However, the IMPORTS statement provides an alternative for resolving these references within a module.

The IMPORTS keyword marks the beginning of the import definitions. This keyword is followed by one or more import definitions, each on a separate line. Each import definition corresponds to a particular function.

Import-Definition Syntax

[internalname=]modulename.entry

<internalname>

The name that the importing module uses to call the function. Thus, <internalname> appears in the source code of the importing module, although the function can have a different name in the module where it is defined. By default, internalname is the same as <entry>.
<modulename>
The name of the application or library that contains the function.
<entry>
The function to be imported; can be a name or an ordinal value. (Ordinal values are set in an EXPORTS statement.) If an ordinal value is given, then <internalname> is required.

Note: A given function has a name for each of three different contexts. The function has a name used by the exporting module (where it is defined), a name used as an entry point between modules, and a name as it is used by the importing module (where it is called). If neither module uses the optional <internalname> field, the function has the same name in all three contexts. If either of the modules uses the <internalname> field, the function may have more than one distinct name.

Syntax:

IMPORTS  Sample.SampleRead
  SampleA.SampleWrite
  ReadChar = Read.1

This example defines three functions to be imported:

• SampleRead
  
• SampleWrite
  
• A function that has been assigned an ordinal value of 1

The functions are found in the modules Sample, SampleA, and Read, respectively. The function from the Read module is referred to as ReadChar in the importing module. The original name of the function, as it is defined in the Read module, may or may not be known.

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