Re: DLL wrapper and structs - C# Discussion Boards

Uwe Keim13-Sep-03 2:26

13-Sep-03 2:26

Maybe try the following:

- Create a new empty test-project from scratch and check whether debugging works.
- Try to move the project on another development machine to see whether the error is located to the machine or the project itself.

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Would someone please put me on the right track?

profoundwhispers12-Sep-03 22:53

profoundwhispers

12-Sep-03 22:53

I'm trying to develop a custom component library in C#. One of the set of objects in these components would be dropdown controls (DateTime picker with dropdown calender, Numeric edit with dropdown calculator, dropdown tree control, etc.)

From what I understand, for these objects (calendar, calculator, tree, etc.) to drop down in the "correct" way, they shouldn't be forms, but actually WS_POPUP windows that have the desktop as their parents. I'm imagining they should capture the mouse as soon as they drop down, report to their owner (textbox, or whatever dropped them down) and then release the mouse. Am I missing something? Is this the correct approach?

Problem number two. Is the following methodology right: I should define an interface (IPopupControl) and implement it with every desendant (like for instance: DropDownTreeView: TreeView, IPopupControl). The reason is then I should be able to assign any dropdown control to an owner, and then the owner would always call a method (like IPopupControl.Popup) because it will always be implemented. So in other words, the owner will always be accepting one object [object?] which is IPopupControl instead of a specific object (DropDownXXXX) according to what it wants to drop down. Then of course, every dropdown control will implement its own methods that are different, to report the data back to the owner control (most probably textbox).

I would have to call some Windows APIs in this process I would imagine. What are the disadvantages?

Sammy

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Re: Would someone please put me on the right track?

J. Dunlap13-Sep-03 9:26

J. Dunlap

13-Sep-03 9:26

profoundwhispers wrote:
From what I understand, for these objects (calendar, calculator, tree, etc.) to drop down in the "correct" way, they shouldn't be forms, but actually WS_POPUP windows that have the desktop as their parents. I'm imagining they should capture the mouse as soon as they drop down, report to their owner (textbox, or whatever dropped them down) and then release the mouse. Am I missing something? Is this the correct approach?

Forms are fine. You just have to set their style bits correctly.

WS_POPUP is out! You might think it should be used (as I once did), but when the WS_POPUP style is set, it causes the parent form's title bar to be "inactive" when the popup has focus. This would cause the user to be confused.

So here's the code to set the style bits:

//style
int nStyle = GetWindowLong(this.Handle, GWL_STYLE);  nStyle^=Win.User.WS_POPUP;
nStyle^=Win.User.WS_POPUPWINDOW;
SetWindowLong(Handle,GWL_STYLE,nStyle);
 
//extended style
int nExStyle = GetWindowLong(this.Handle, GWL_EXSTYLE);  
nExStyle|=WS_EX_PALETTEWINDOW;
SetWindowLong(Handle,GWL_EXSTYLE,nExStyle);

profoundwhispers wrote:
Problem number two. Is the following methodology right: I should define an interface (IPopupControl) and implement it with every desendant (like for instance: DropDownTreeView: TreeView, IPopupControl). The reason is then I should be able to assign any dropdown control to an owner, and then the owner would always call a method (like IPopupControl.Popup) because it will always be implemented. So in other words, the owner will always be accepting one object [object?] which is IPopupControl instead of a specific object (DropDownXXXX) according to what it wants to drop down. Then of course, every dropdown control will implement its own methods that are different, to report the data back to the owner control (most probably textbox).

That would be one way to do it, but then you would have to re-implement the basic popup code for each of them. Why not have a Popup class that they all derive from?

profoundwhispers wrote:
I would have to call some Windows APIs in this process I would imagine. What are the disadvantages?

Not any that I know of...

Ok, as far as closing the popup, here's how I do it:
With menus and combo dropdowns, you grab the mouse capture with SetCapture() when the mouse is outside your menu, and release the capture with ReleaseCapture() when the mouse is inside your menu (so that any contained controls can get mouse messages). Close the popup when a MouseUp event is recieved and the mouse coordinates are outside of the form's bounds. You will also want to close the popup when it recieves a WM_APPACTIVATE message where the app being activated is not your own.

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dll references

pseudonym6712-Sep-03 22:19

pseudonym67

12-Sep-03 22:19

This is a quick fish for thoughts. I do know and am intending to do an article on how circular references to dll's can mess things up in when using csharp but for know I have this problem which is not a circular reference but may well get included in the article if anyone can come up with anything useful here

the problem is this.

I have a library dll say Libdll and a main project say mainexe and another dll that uses the library dll say libdll2.

When I compile the project the libdll2 project is compiled first and copies the libdll to the project output folder. Then when the mainexe compiles it complains that it can't copy the libdll to the output folder as this will overwrite the copy already there. ( even though it is the same library version ) This in effect means that the mainexe is unable to debug any code in the libdll.

Note that the main project is a test bed for building the libdll in the first place so the code is constantly changing and in need of debugging.

Any thoughts, answers?

pseudonym67

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Re: dll references

Arjan Einbu12-Sep-03 23:07

Arjan Einbu

12-Sep-03 23:07

I've had this problem before. I don't know WHY it surfaced... It seems that a process has hold of the libdll file, so it can't be overwritten.

When I see this problem, I close down VS.net, remove libdll from the folder that mainexe is compiled into.
When I startup VS.net and open the project again, I don't see this problem again.

Re: dll references

dbetting13-Sep-03 15:36

dbetting

13-Sep-03 15:36

Sounds like a very similar problem we just had yesterday. We had one session running to modify the dll library. The second session was running the main program that referenced the dll library. Every time a change was made to the library, the debugger would no longer work on the dll library code. We tried several things and after being frustrated with shutting down the code several times, we found the following solution.

Solution: Make the appropriate change to the library code and build the source. Go to the main application, remove the reference to the dll and then re-add it. It takes about 10 seconds to do, it is tedious, it is senseless that it has to be done, but it worked! We were successful in completing the debugging in a reasonable time.

db

DLL wrapper and structs

pithhelmet12-Sep-03 14:10

pithhelmet

12-Sep-03 14:10

Hi Everyone -

I am trying to create a C# wrapper around a legacy C .DLL

I am stuck on one implementation area...

There is a DLL function called GetDateTime

extern "C" bool GetDateTime( DateTimeStruct &dateTime )

is how the SDK says it is to be implementated.

I have created a wrapper shell for this function below...

[DllImport("CarChipSDK", EntryPoint="GetDateTime")]
public static extern bool GetDateTime
(
//// what goes here???
);

I have create the struc in BOTH the main program,
and the shell

[StructLayout(LayoutKind.Sequential)]
public struct DateTimeStruct
{
public int year;
public int month;
public int day;
public int hour;
public int minute;
public int second;
}

Here are the questions...

1) Do I need to create a struct in both the caller and callee classes?
2) How do i setup the caller class to send the struct to the callee class?

thanks
tony

Re: DLL wrapper and structs

Tym!15-Sep-03 6:48

Tym!

15-Sep-03 6:48

I haven't done this before, but have been researching for my own project. This is how I think it should work...

define the struct in your "callee" class namespace:

 <br />
namespace myNS<br />
{<br />
 [StructLayout(LayoutKind.Sequential)]<br />
 public struct DateTimeStruct{...}<br />
<br />
 class Callee{<br />
 [DllImport("CarChipSDK", EntryPoint="GetDateTime")]<br />
 public static extern bool GetDateTime <br />
                           (out DateTimeStruct dateTime);<br />
  }<br />
}<br />

in "Caller" add MyNS as reference, add new DateTimeStruct variable and then call your function, passing this variable by reference:

<br />
using MyNS;<br />
...<br />
DateTimeStruct dts;<br />
...<br />
Callee.GetDateTime(out dts);<br />
...<br />
// now you can use dts members:<br />
int hr = dts.hour;<br />

Let me know if this works.

Tym!

Exception from HRESULT: 0x800A01C9

ajkumar12-Sep-03 14:09

ajkumar

12-Sep-03 14:09

I don't why I'm getting this exection. No idea what does
this mean.
Here is the code :

In this CollectionFactory is for creating a new instance
for VBA collection because we cannot use new on VBA
collection outside VB.

CollectionFactory.clsVBACollectionClass Col = new CollectionFactory.clsVBACollectionClass();
VBA.CollectionClass mHoliDates = (VBA.CollectionClass) Col.CreateVBACollection();

System.Collections.IEnumerator e = oAdsCollection.GetEnumerator();
while( e.MoveNext() != false )
{
IADSObject oAdsObject = (IADSObject)e.Current;
DateTime dt = (DateTime) oAdsObject.GetValueByIndex(0);
object oValue = (object) oAdsObject.GetValueByIndex(0);
object oKey = (object) dt.ToString("mm/dd/yyyy");
mHoliDates.Add(ref oValue, ref oKey,ref oMissing,ref oMissing);
}

if I'm commenting following line in code above then I'm
not getting any exception

mHoliDates.Add(ref oValue, ref oKey,ref oMissing,ref
oMissing);

mHoliDates is a VBA.Collection.

oAdsCollection is COM collection written in MS VC++

And I'm getting exception on this line

while( e.MoveNext() != false )

Re: Exception from HRESULT: 0x800A01C9

leppie12-Sep-03 14:44

leppie

12-Sep-03 14:44

One cannot modify a collection while enumerating thru it. You will have to look for another solution.

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Re: Exception from HRESULT: 0x800A01C9

ajkumar12-Sep-03 15:52

ajkumar

12-Sep-03 15:52

But I'm not enumerating thru same collection. I'm enumerating thru oAdsCollection which a c++ com collection and trying to modify VBA Collection mHoliDates.

I'm getting exception on while( e.MoveNext() != false ).

Re: Exception from HRESULT: 0x800A01C9

leppie12-Sep-03 16:10

leppie

12-Sep-03 16:10

Sorry I miss read that a bit, I think you will need to copy your references perhaps.

leppie ::AllocCPArticle("Zee blog");
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Re: Exception from HRESULT: 0x800A01C9

J. Dunlap12-Sep-03 15:05

J. Dunlap

12-Sep-03 15:05

As leppie says, you can't modify a collection while enumerating through it. My suggestion is to add the items to a separate collection, and then add them all at once after you're out of the foreach loop.

"Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God." - Jesus

"You must be the change you wish to see in the world." - Mahatma Gandhi

Re: Exception from HRESULT: 0x800A01C9

ajkumar14-Sep-03 6:17

ajkumar

14-Sep-03 6:17

I found the problem. My data was wrong I was adding duplicate Keys in my VB collection

#dev 0.97 released

leppie12-Sep-03 10:59

leppie

12-Sep-03 10:59

They have binned the Magic lib as well as the Utilily library.

http://www.icsharpcode.net/OpenSource/SD/Default.aspx[^]

leppie ::AllocCPArticle("Zee blog");
Seen on my Campus BBS: Linux is free...coz no-one wants to pay for it.

Re: #dev 0.97 released

J. Dunlap12-Sep-03 13:55

J. Dunlap

12-Sep-03 13:55

You always beat me to it! Big Grin | :-D

#D just got much better. The best things for me are:

Rose | [Rose]

Better code completion:

member[index].
          // ^--Code completion window pops up now

The code completion tooltips don't go off the edge of the screen

Rose | [Rose]

No more (argh!!) buggy UtilityLibrary and Magic Library!

"Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God." - Jesus

"You must be the change you wish to see in the world." - Mahatma Gandhi

Re: #dev 0.97 released

leppie12-Sep-03 14:41

leppie

12-Sep-03 14:41

But alas the GDI code is STILL broken..... Sigh | :sigh:

leppie ::AllocCPArticle("Zee blog");
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I would like to refine an array.

mcgahanfl12-Sep-03 9:42

mcgahanfl

12-Sep-03 9:42

1. In the code below I refine an array and add two properties to it. I can add elements to this array but can not read them back.

public class C_myList : System.Collections.ArrayList
{
public C_myList()
{
}
public void Add(string sString, int iNumber)
{
m_sString = sString;
m_iNumber = iNumber;
base.Add(this);
}
//refine the arraylist by adding two properties
public int m_iNumber;
public string m_sString;
}

2. Now I would like to add some items to this array and read them back. I can add them but what is the syntax for reading them back?

private void button1_Click(object sender, System.EventArgs e)
{
C_myList aList = new C_myList();
for(int i=0; i < 20; i++)
{
aList.Add(i.ToString(), i * 2 );
}

/*for(int x =0; x < 5; x++)
{
int ivalue = xList[x];
int ivalue2= xList[x].m_iMajorTabOrder;
}*/

}

thanks

Re: I would like to refine an array.

Ernesto Perales Soto12-Sep-03 13:18

Ernesto Perales Soto

12-Sep-03 13:18

are you sure your code is correct?

what is the intention of base.Add(this)?

eperales

Re: I would like to refine an array.

Nnamdi Onyeyiri13-Sep-03 1:24

Nnamdi Onyeyiri

13-Sep-03 1:24

make life easy for yourself. store the information in a struct, then use ArrayList to store an array of structs.

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VSS

yyf12-Sep-03 8:07

yyf

12-Sep-03 8:07

There is VSS in Visual Studio 6.0. But I can't find it in Visual Studio .Net

Anyone know why?

Thanks in advance.

Re: VSS

NetPointerIN12-Sep-03 8:25

NetPointerIN

12-Sep-03 8:25

Its there. Check your file_Sourcecontrol menu. and check your Tools_options_sourcecontrol menu.

Installer is probably in 3rd or 4th CD.

You will be needing atleast VSS 6.0c to work with .NET.

Regards.
NetPointer

Re: VSS

leppie12-Sep-03 9:00

leppie

12-Sep-03 9:00

You can alternatively use Borland's Starteam Personal Edition. It has VS.NET integration.

leppie ::AllocCPArticle("Zee blog");
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what textboxes are on my form?

.gonad12-Sep-03 7:45

.gonad

12-Sep-03 7:45

i need to have all the names of the textboxes on my form put into an array. is there a way to dynamically set up an array of all the textboxes on my form?

Thanks,

.gonad.

Re: what textboxes are on my form?

Mazdak12-Sep-03 7:55

Mazdak

12-Sep-03 7:55

You can get controls in your form by this.Controls property in your form,then check the type of each one and if it is TextBox put it in an array.

Mazy

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