How are windows import library created

[Phil Lavoie]

On Monday, 7 January 2013 at 16:48:02 UTC, Phil Lavoie wrote:
> Hi,
>
> I am currently trying to create an import library for 
> opengl32.dll. I used this command:
> implib /noi /system ...
> To create the import library. However, the exported symbols do 
> not have the at suffix (@someInt) (supposed to be _stdcall, so 
> translated to extern( Windows ), which expects @... suffixes). 
> How to I add those using implib? Or how are the import library 
> for the compiler created (what tool + options)?
>
> Thanks,
> Phil

I am asking this because if I compare a handmade import library, 
for example kernel32.lib with the one provided with the compiler 
I can see that, in the hand made one, there are no visible 
@ordinal expressions for none of the exported symbols, whereas 
you can find them in the one provided with the compiler.

I'd like to know why is extern( Windows ) expecting an ordinal 
and how is this ordinal calculated? But this question is really 
just out of pure curiousity.

A more practical question remains: how where the import library 
provided with dmd created? How can I recreate the final products, 
I would really like to link against opengl32.dll with an import 
library.

Thank you,

Phil