What exactly .DLL Means?
You may have often heard about dll files, but you may not know exactly what it means. This article would help you in obtaining some general information related to dll files. In very simple terms dll file or dynamic link library is a collection of small programs, or support files for some types of software.
Mostly, these files are located in the directory of your Windows System. Whenever the need arises, it can be called upon by the executable program (EX) that is running on your Windows.
Often, the dll files let the EX or the executable program communicate with a specific required device such as a printer. But sometimes it cannot let the executable program communicate automatically. At such times, it contains source code to do particular functions.
For example suppose if the executable program requires the free space of your hard drive. Then, it can call the DLL file containing the function with specific parameters and a call function. The DLL file would then tell the executable program the required free space. This will enable the executable program to be in proper size and thus it will write only the existing function.
This will give the information about the free space to the executable program, and there is no necessity to write all the source code on your hard drive thus it saves space. Whenever a DLL file is used in this manner, it is also called as shared file.
The main advantage of DLL files is that they save the space in Random Access Memory (RAM), as they do not get loaded into it along with the main program. It is loaded only if a dll file is called upon.
For example, if you want to edit a Microsoft Word document, then there is no necessity to load DLL file of the printer into Random Access Memory. If there is a need to print the document, then the DLL file of the printer is downloaded automatically and a call is made to print the page.
Along with, saving space, it also saves time as many of the files are already installed in the windows.
In simple words, you can say that a dll file is an executable file that runs with the help of another executable file from inside Windows.