dotnet-pinvoke

An AccessViolationException during P/Invoke usually happens when .NET interop signatures mismatch C/C++ ABI expectations, causing memory corruption. Correcting type mappings, calling conventions, and string marshalling prevents these crashes.

To map C long and size_t correctly in .NET LibraryImport declarations, use CLong for C long values and nuint or UIntPtr for size_t. Precise type mappings ensure parameters match native ABI expectations across platforms.

The best way to handle native memory ownership in .NET interop is to follow the native ownership contract and free allocations using the matching allocator. Explicit string encoding and correct marshalling rules prevent silent data corruption.

To prevent intermittent GC failures when passing callbacks to native C code, root your delegates manually or use UnmanagedCallersOnly. This stops the garbage collector from collecting delegates while native code executes.

You need SafeHandle for native handles in .NET P/Invoke whenever you wrap unmanaged OS resources. Using SafeHandle ensures robust handle lifecycle management and prevents resource leaks during asynchronous exceptions or GC collection.