Managed C++/CLI

20-Jun-03 15:31

I am running into some probems using the shared assembly. I seem to be able
to check it into the GAC, but I do not seem to able to find the file when I
reference it. I think I have done everything the help files say to do, but
when I go to build it, I get file not found error. This code works when the
assembly is private. I put a detailed explaination of problem with screen
shots and source code on the web at

http://www.robertpeterson.ws/screenshots/GACproblem.htm

Sorry for using large image sizes. I suspect that there may be some compiler
option that I haven't set, but I can't imagine what else I should change. I
will continue to research and hopefully correct the problem, but I hope you
will look at the web page and let me know if you have any suggestions. I have
looked at 4 books on Visual C++.NET. They all say how to make an assembly
shared, but they don't say how to include it into a program (at least I
haven't noticed an example yet.) The other thing I noticed is that they all
show c://winnt/assembly as the example, but not C://WINDOWS/assembly where the
gacutil puts it on the XP box.

#include "stdafx.h"

#using <mscorlib.dll>
#using <reformaterclasslibrary.dll> // File that is in the GAC
#include <iostream.h>
#include <tchar.h>
using namespace ReformaterClassLibrary;

using namespace System;

// This is the entry point for this application
int _tmain(void)
{

ParagraphReader * pReader = new ParagraphReader();

// Read the contents of the file
pReader->FilePath = "a://paragraph.txt";
pReader->Read();

// Instantiate a Paragraph Rewriter class;
ParagraphRewriter * pRewriter = new ParagraphRewriter(pReader->Data);
pRewriter->MakeTriangle2(); // Reformat the paragraph

// Instantiate a Paragraph Writer object to write the data to a disk
ParagraphWriter * pWriter = new ParagraphWriter("a://triangle.txt");
pWriter->WriteParagraph(pRewriter->Output);

cout << "System terminated normally." << endl;

return 0;
}

James T. Johnson20-Jun-03 15:49

James T. Johnson

20-Jun-03 15:49

To my knowledge, none of the .NET compilers will compile with a reference to an assembly in the GAC, instead you need to reference an absolute location. When you run your program the framework will look in the GAC first for the assembly before it starts looking in the private directories.

James

"I despise the city and much prefer being where a traffic jam means a line-up at McDonald's"
Me when telling a friend why I wouldn't want to live with him

SuperGeek20-Jun-03 16:07

20-Jun-03 16:07

Perhaps your right. That would explain why I can't seem to do it. However, this raises two new questions. 1) How do I reference the absolute location programmatically or in visual studio.Net? 2) How can I compile code that uses classes in the assembly in the GAC? If I can't reference it at compile time I just get a bunch of undeclared identifier and namespace not found errors.

James T. Johnson20-Jun-03 17:18

James T. Johnson

20-Jun-03 17:18

SuperGeek wrote:
1) How do I reference the absolute location programmatically or in visual studio.Net?

In your #using statement you should be able to give the full path, or you can add the directory containing your assembly to the #using search path (in the project's properties go to C/C++ -> General and it should be right at the top.

SuperGeek wrote:
How can I compile code that uses classes in the assembly in the GAC?

The assemblies should also exist somewhere else on your system; if they don't the vendor screwed up (IMHO). For instance, in C#/VB.NET the Add Reference dialog doesn't pull its assembly list from the GAC, instead there are is a key in the registry where vendors can add values. This key lists all of the places the Add Reference dialog should look for assemblies.

That key could give you an idea of where to search to find the assemblies.

HTH,

James

"I despise the city and much prefer being where a traffic jam means a line-up at McDonald's"
Me when telling a friend why I wouldn't want to live with him

SuperGeek21-Jun-03 6:44

21-Jun-03 6:44

Ok, I compiled it by setting the search path to the assembly that I signed and checked into the GAC with sn.exe and gacutil.exe. I can see that the assembly is in the gac. However, when move the .exe that I just built to say the desktop, and try to run it, I get a runtime error. System.IO.FileNotFound error. I presume it is not really finding the dll in the GAC. Does it look in the GAC at runtime? I dont need to put the exe in the GAC too do I? I think I am not referencing the dll in the GAC. I guess I am not convinced that the CLR is finding my dll to which the GAC points to.

James T. Johnson21-Jun-03 7:02

James T. Johnson

21-Jun-03 7:02

Are the assemby versions the same between the one in the GAC and the one not in the GAC?

When you strongly-name an assembly the loading semantics change from just matching the assembly name to including public key token, version, and culture (for resource-only assemblys).

If you are constantly updating the assembly you are trying to load, ensure that the AssemblyVersionAttribute doesn't use * as part of the version number, otherwise the number will change every time you do a build which will require you to recompile your exe and/or provide a publisher policy (see MSDN for more info) so that it loads the correct version on each build.

James

"I despise the city and much prefer being where a traffic jam means a line-up at McDonald's"
Me when telling a friend why I wouldn't want to live with him

SuperGeek21-Jun-03 8:33

21-Jun-03 8:33

You are correct. The versions do not match. I will try deleting the one in the GAC and reapply gacutil and see how it goes. I have one little concern though. If I am using a using statement such as

# using <reformaterclasslibrary.dll> // in the GAC

do I need to specify version numbers and keys in the using statement. If I have to specify version numbers, or more information (recall that I am doing this on Win XP). How or where do I indicate this?

Thanks for all of your help.

SuperGeek21-Jun-03 9:48

21-Jun-03 9:48

Well James I am happy to report that we did it and I could not have done it with out your help. There was a slight difference in the minor version number of the shared assembly in the GAC and the one that the GAC pointed to. I am not completely sure how I let that happen, but I did. Perhaps I did a rebuild that I forgot about. I don't know. Also, I put a copy of the same version of that assembly in the debug folder of the client application so I could compile with the same version as was pointed to by the GAC. Smile | :)

The steps I followed...
1) To compile, I put a copy of my shared assembly in the same folder as my project. In the debug folder where my exe goes.
2) I removed the faulty version of the reference in the GAC
3) I readded my shared assembly to the GAC with the gacutil.exe and made absolute certain that the version numbers were exactly the same in the GAC, as assembly that the GAC pointed to and that this was the exact same version number that the client application was compiled with.

I really appreciate your help.

Is this the correct syntax?

leppie20-Jun-03 15:53

leppie

20-Jun-03 15:53

I havent tried this myself Smile | :)

, but I'll have a look in the morning.

<a TITLE="See my user info" href=http://www.codeproject.com/script/profile/whos_who.asp?id=38829>leppie<a>::<a TITLE="Go to all articles  written by me" href=http://www.codeproject.com/script/articles/list_articles.asp?userid=38829>AllocCPArticle</a>(<a TITLE="Go to my latest, greatest article!" href=http://www.codeproject.com/useritems/dfamachine.asp >Generic DFA State Machine for .NET</a>);

monrobot1320-Jun-03 12:10

monrobot13

20-Jun-03 12:10

Would this be the correct syntax to set the size of a control:

this->Size = System::Drawing::Size (500, 25);

If I try using new I get the following two errors: error C2716: 'operator new' allocates value types on the C++ heap; use '__nogc new System::Drawing::Size' and error C2664: 'System::Windows::Forms::Control::set_Size' : cannot convert parameter 1 from 'System::Drawing::Size *' to 'System::Drawing::Size'
adding __nogc fixes the first error but the second still exists.

Thanks

- monrobot13

Nemanja Trifunovic20-Jun-03 12:23

Nemanja Trifunovic

20-Jun-03 12:23

If Size is a property, you should use get_Size()

monrobot1321-Jun-03 7:01

monrobot13

21-Jun-03 7:01

I don't want to get the size though, I'm trying to set the size of the control. using set_Size and simply Size and the same thing

- monrobot13

Nathan Blomquist24-Jun-03 4:18

Nathan Blomquist

24-Jun-03 4:18

Did this syntax not work? I just tried it in VS.NET 2003 on a button control and it works. I haven't attempted it on VS.NET 2002.

Here is the code that worked for me. All I did was make a new windows forms application and added a button.

<br />
private: System::Void button1_Click(System::Object *  sender, System::EventArgs *  e)<br />
{<br />
  Button* btn = __try_cast<Button*>(sender);<br />
<br />
				 <br />
  btn->Size = System::Drawing::Size(100,100);<br />
				 <br />
}<br />

Later,
Nathan

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Hmmm... what's a signature?