EntryPointNotFoundException Class
The exception that is thrown when an attempt to load a class fails due to the absence of an entry method.
Assembly: mscorlib (in mscorlib.dll)
System::Exception
System::SystemException
System::TypeLoadException
System::EntryPointNotFoundException
| Name | Description | |
|---|---|---|
![]() | EntryPointNotFoundException() | Initializes a new instance of the EntryPointNotFoundException class. |
![]() | EntryPointNotFoundException(SerializationInfo^, StreamingContext) | Initializes a new instance of the EntryPointNotFoundException class with serialized data. |
![]() | EntryPointNotFoundException(String^) | Initializes a new instance of the EntryPointNotFoundException class with a specified error message. |
![]() | EntryPointNotFoundException(String^, Exception^) | Initializes a new instance of the EntryPointNotFoundException class with a specified error message and a reference to the inner exception that is the cause of this exception. |
| Name | Description | |
|---|---|---|
![]() | Data | Gets a collection of key/value pairs that provide additional user-defined information about the exception.(Inherited from Exception.) |
![]() | HelpLink | Gets or sets a link to the help file associated with this exception.(Inherited from Exception.) |
![]() | HResult | Gets or sets HRESULT, a coded numerical value that is assigned to a specific exception.(Inherited from Exception.) |
![]() | InnerException | |
![]() | Message | Gets the error message for this exception.(Inherited from TypeLoadException.) |
![]() | Source | Gets or sets the name of the application or the object that causes the error.(Inherited from Exception.) |
![]() | StackTrace | Gets a string representation of the immediate frames on the call stack.(Inherited from Exception.) |
![]() | TargetSite | Gets the method that throws the current exception.(Inherited from Exception.) |
![]() | TypeName | Gets the fully qualified name of the type that causes the exception.(Inherited from TypeLoadException.) |
| Name | Description | |
|---|---|---|
![]() | Equals(Object^) | Determines whether the specified object is equal to the current object.(Inherited from Object.) |
![]() | Finalize() | Allows an object to try to free resources and perform other cleanup operations before it is reclaimed by garbage collection.(Inherited from Object.) |
![]() | GetBaseException() | |
![]() | GetHashCode() | Serves as the default hash function. (Inherited from Object.) |
![]() | GetObjectData(SerializationInfo^, StreamingContext) | Sets the SerializationInfo object with the class name, method name, resource ID, and additional exception information.(Inherited from TypeLoadException.) |
![]() | GetType() | Gets the runtime type of the current instance.(Inherited from Exception.) |
![]() | MemberwiseClone() | |
![]() | ToString() | Creates and returns a string representation of the current exception.(Inherited from Exception.) |
| Name | Description | |
|---|---|---|
![]() | SerializeObjectState | Occurs when an exception is serialized to create an exception state object that contains serialized data about the exception.(Inherited from Exception.) |
An EntryPointNotFoundException exception is thrown when the common language runtime is unable to load an assembly because it cannot identify the assembly's entry point. This exception can be thrown under the following conditions:
The common language runtime is unable to locate an application entry point (typically a Main method) in an executable assembly. The application entry point must be a global or static method that has either no parameters or a string array as its only parameter. The entry point can return void, or it can return an Int32 or UInt32 exit code. An application assembly cannot define more than one entry point.
The call to a function in a Windows DLL cannot be resolved because the function cannot be found. In the following example, an EntryPointNotFoundException exception is thrown because User32.dll does not include a function named GetMyNumber.
The call to a function in a Windows DLL cannot be resolved because the name used in the method call does not match a name found in the assembly. Frequently, this occurs because the DllImportAttribute::ExactSpelling field is either implicitly or explicitly set to true, the called method includes one or more string parameters and has both an ANSI and a Unicode version, and the name used in the method call does not correspond to the name of this ANSI or Unicode version. The following example provides an illustration by attempting to call the Windows MessageBox function in User32.dll. Because the first method definition specifies CharSet::Unicode for string marshaling, the common language looks for the wide-character version of the function, MessageBoxW, instead of the name used in the method call, MessageBox. The second method definition corrects this problem by calling the MessageBoxW instead of the MessageBox function.
You are trying to call a function in a dynamic link library by its simple name rather than its decorated name. Typically, the C++ compiler generates a decorated name for DLL functions. For example, the following C++ code defines a function named Double in a library named TestDll.dll.
__declspec(dllexport) int Double(int number) { return number * 2; }
When the code in the following example tries to call the function, an EntryPointNotFoundException exception is thrown because the Double function cannot be found.
However, if the function is called by using its decorated name (in this case, ?Double@@YAHH@Z), the function call succeeds, as the following example shows.
You can find the decorated names of functions exported by a DLL by using a utility such as Dumpbin.exe.
You are attempting to call a method in a managed assembly as if it were an unmanaged dynamic link library. To see this in action, compile the following example to an assembly named StringUtilities.dll.
Then compile and execute the following example, which attempts to call the StringUtilities.SayGoodMorning method in the StringUtilities.dll dynamic link library as if it were unmanaged code. The result is an EntryPointNotFoundException exception.
To eliminate the exception, add a reference to the managed assembly and access the StringUtilities.SayGoodMorning method just as you would access any other method in managed code, as the following example does.
You are trying to call a method in a COM DLL as if it were a Windows DLL. To access a COM DLL, select the Add Reference option in Visual Studio to add a reference to the project, and then select the type library from the COM tab.
For a list of initial property values for an instance of EntryPointNotFoundException, see the EntryPointNotFoundException constructors.
Available since 1.1
Silverlight
Available since 2.0
Windows Phone Silverlight
Available since 7.0
Any public static ( Shared in Visual Basic) members of this type are thread safe. Any instance members are not guaranteed to be thread safe.



