Determining what type of project you are creating should be a key step
in the analysis and design phase of the application development process. There
are a number of application types that can be developed for the S60 platform.
Two common types are .exe and .dll.
During implementation, you need to specify the application type in the TARGET and TARGETTYPE keywords
of your application mmp file.
For a full list of available project types, see targettype table in the Symbian Developer's Library.
An exe project
creates a binary executable for your application with the extension exe.
Examples of possible exe application projects include:
GUI-based applications
server applications
exe projects may also be associated with compiled
resource files and dlls.
A dll project
creates a dynamic link library for use with other applications.
The S60 platform supports two types of dlls:
static interface dlls - represent an interface which is defined in its clients by one or more headers for use at compile time, and an import library for use at link time.
polymorphic interface dlls - contains an interface defined by a gate function and an abstract class with at least one virtual function.
Examples of polymorphic dlls include general engine dlls, ECom plug-ins, device drivers and Front End Processors (FEPs).
Some dlls have different extension names that indicate their function.
For instructions on how to build dll projects, see How to build DLLs in the Symbian OS Library .