A dynamic-link library (DLL) is an executable file that acts as a shared library

of functions. Dynamic linking provides a way for a process to call a function t

hat is not part of its executable code. The executable code for the function is
located in a DLL, which contains one or more functions that are compiled, linked
, and stored separately from the processes that use them. DLLs also facilitate t
he sharing of data and resources. Multiple applications can simultaneously acces
s the contents of a single copy of a DLL in memory.
Dynamic linking differs from static linking in that it allows an executable modu
le (either a .DLL or .EXE file) to include only the information needed at run ti
me to locate the executable code for a DLL function. In static linking, the link
er gets all the referenced functions from the static link library and places it
with your code into your executable. Using DLLs instead of static link libraries
makes the size of the executable file smaller. If several applications use the
same DLL, this can be a big savings in disk space and memory