Many files for a single program?

Question

Typically, when I create a program (I have only made a few very simple ones so far) I compile the program into a standalone EXE. Most programs that are distributed nowadays have many exes, dlls, and other files that are installed when you first download the program. Is this wrong to be compiling my programs into standalone EXEs? What are some advantages/disadvantages to a standalone vs multifile program?

The only possible thing I can think of is for updating and fixes, because then instead of having to download a 100MB file and overwrite all user settings data, etc. you can simply download maybe a 400kb file that only replaces the files that need to be fixed.

Answer 1

DLL files are library files. If you are not using any functions from a library, then the DLL files will not be included with your program. Having multiple EXE files are generally a way to break a larger program down into smaller, more maintainable units.

If you're just getting started, this is not something you'll need to worry about just yet. One day, when you're working on a larger project that involves using other pre-built components, you'll dig around in your build folder and notice that you also have some DLL files and other resources.