DISM API - Change output language

Question

1.00/5 (1 vote)

See more:

Hi,
i'm working with the documented functions of dismapi.dll, but there is no option to control the output language of error messages. So when i execute DismGetLastErrorMessage(), i get a german text. Can i change this behaviour, so that the api displays an english text??

I think, when i change my system language the output language will change too, but i want to serve my software, so i need a dynamic language.

Thank you!

Posted 10-Sep-15 6:13am

Tolleule@web.de

Add a Solution

Comments

Sergey Alexandrovich Kryukov 10-Sep-15 12:35pm

What, not platform, not language? Anyway, here is the suggestion: did you try to change the Culture and UICulture of the calling thread? I don't know if it works, just the idea... But it's very usual when some systems have just fixed language set up at installation time, or it can be option not available to client code...
—SA

Tolleule@web.de 10-Sep-15 21:35pm

Thanks for answer, but i can't follow you: What do you mean with "did you try to change the Culture and UICulture of the calling thread?"

The platform i work with is Windows 10, but i already worked a lot with DISM API on Windows 7 with AutoIT a few years ago. Now with Windows 10 and python. I already set up the models and i can access all documented functions without any trouble.

The question i alredy had while working with AutoIT language is how i can change the output language.

Here an example:

hDism = OleDLL("C:\\Windows\\SysWOW64\\DismApi.dll") // open api

hDism.DismInitialize(1, None, None) // init DISM

When i want to get an error message i can call:

session = hDism.DismOpenSession("C:\\folder_to_mount", None, None, byref(session))

and

hDism.DismGetLastErrorMessage(byref(ErrorMessage))
print("The last error message was: %s\n" % ErrorMessage[0].Value)

A german string is printed. Now I'm looking for a solution to change the language of the output string and there is no option to do this in the API Reference of microsoft.com.

As a test i changed my system language to en-US and i got an english output but it's not a solution i can work with.

Is there a possibility, to handle this.

Sergey Alexandrovich Kryukov 10-Sep-15 21:56pm

This was not an answer, because I don't know the answer, it was just one guess, applicable to .NET platform. This is weird that you are using a DLL of WOW64, which is a 64-bit OS platform for 32-bit applications supporting 32-bit processes. Why not 64-bit processes? And does it have to be just OLE, quite outdated technology? I'm just unaware of this thing.

The documentation on DISM is written in C/C++...
By this documentation, DismAPI library is installed at
C:\Program Files (x86)\Windows Kits\8.0\Assessment and Deployment Kit\Deployment and Imaging Tools\SDKs\DismApi\Lib\
C:\Program Files (x86)\Windows Kits\8.0\Assessment and Deployment Kit\Deployment and Imaging Tools\SDKs\DismApi\Include

(Yes, where 32-bit software for 64-bit OS is usually installed.)

Why not using it exactly this way?
https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/hh825838.aspx

This is some sample:
https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/hh824795.aspx

No OLE, nothing like that...

—SA

Tolleule@web.de 11-Sep-15 18:56pm

oh, i understand now, except the part with the 32 and 64 bit processes.

The problem is, i have no experience with c++ or .net and i dont't want to. But i like to have a look into this lib file and study it. Would you be so pleasant to explain, how i can get the code of this lib or how it is used? I have installed Visual Studio Express 2012 right now, but i can't open the file with it and there is no section "Linker". I checked the internet but the IDE is soo gay, can't find a proper explanation, perhaps it's because i have the german version -.-

Do you know TeamViewer? Would you login into my pc and prepare the IDE, it's really easy with TeamViewer. That would be really nice.
Thanks

Sergey Alexandrovich Kryukov 11-Sep-15 19:16pm

I'm afraid to say, hardly. It takes serious experience in programming. With "I don't want to" attitude there is nothing to do there, frankly...
—SA

Tolleule@web.de 11-Sep-15 19:26pm

no no you missunderstood me. I'm interested in programming a lot, but not in f***ing C++, this language is confusing me. I only working with python. Now, i only need a way to read the lib. When i add it to my Win32 Project i get an error "...there is no editor available for dismapi.lib". Can you help me with it?

Edit: Is a lib file a compiled file like a DLL?

Sergey Alexandrovich Kryukov 11-Sep-15 20:21pm

All right, I don't like C++ myself and consider it as wrong, but you still need to know it seriously. Then, let's say, you can do it in C#. I don't know if we have .NET wrapper for DISM. If not, you have to do it yourself, and for this purpose you have to understand a good deal of C++. If it is available, you still need serious knowledge of .NET and C#. Finally, let's say you want to use Python instead of C#. There is such thing, called Iron Python. It means knowing .NET very well. And so on...
—SA

Sergey Alexandrovich Kryukov 11-Sep-15 20:23pm

Lib file is nothing like DLL.

Lib is a kind of collection of obj files. That is, the compiled compilation units to be statically linked in executable (and DLL is already the executable. PE file, exactly as DLL file). So, you need to understand complier, object file, linked and separate compilation based on those. Also, more of C++...

—SA

Tolleule@web.de 11-Sep-15 20:53pm

Interesting, i think i got it Sergey. So a linker would compile the set of functions and objects to a static, dynamic library or a exe, right?

Then it's impossible to get the source code which i need to understand how dism is managing the error messages by language, right?

Thanks for your effort!

Edit: Don't forget, that i already have full access to all functions of the api, but with ole. I know its a indirect way, but using .net or c++ is no option -.-

Edit2: A .net wrapper for dism exists.

Edit3: You have shown me the proper way to use the api but don't forget my real problem? Changing the output language of dism error strings. I think without getting the source code, it's not possible to get a working solution :/ What do you mean

Sergey Alexandrovich Kryukov 11-Sep-15 22:54pm

Please see my answer.

I don't think OLE gives you any benefits. To get rid from C++ ugliness, .NET is the best. And you can use any language, including Python, in the form of Iron Python.

Yes, I forgot the original problem; I mean, I remember it, but I just don't know what is that. Please tell me, what's about German? Is it possible that you have some German installation, or German version of Windows, anything? As I say, it's possible that there is a fixed-culture installation, that's it...

—SA

Tolleule@web.de 12-Sep-15 11:08am

You are right.

Yes i have Windows 10 64 Bit German version. I already thought about this possibility, that a english version of Windows has a english version of dismapi.dll, but i checked it and it's the same file. Then i changed my system language to en-US and the output was like expected in english. That's all i know -.-

Sergey Alexandrovich Kryukov 13-Sep-15 12:07pm

Unfortunately, I'm not sure that you can switch to different cultures at the level of the usage, without changes of any settings (like changing OS culture). It might not be a feature. I just don't know. Theoretically, doing such things is possible, but maybe not in this case.
—SA

1 solution

Add a Solution

Add your solution here

Treat my content as plain text, not as HTML

Preview 0

…

Existing Members

Sign in to your account

...or Join us

Download, Vote, Comment, Publish.

Your Email
Password
Forgot your password?

Your Email
This email is in use. Do you need your password?
Optional Password

I have read and agree to the Terms of Service and Privacy Policy
Please subscribe me to the CodeProject newsletters

When answering a question please:

Read the question carefully.
Understand that English isn't everyone's first language so be lenient of bad spelling and grammar.
If a question is poorly phrased then either ask for clarification, ignore it, or edit the question and fix the problem. Insults are not welcome.
Don't tell someone to read the manual. Chances are they have and don't get it. Provide an answer or move on to the next question.

Let's work to help developers, not make them feel stupid.

This content, along with any associated source code and files, is licensed under The Code Project Open License (CPOL)

Sergey Alexandrovich Kryukov · Answer 1 · 2015-09-11T14:37:00

Please see my comments to the question.

Tolleule@web.de wrote:

no no you missunderstood me. I'm interested in programming a lot, but not in f***ing C++, this language is confusing me. I only working with python. Now, i only need a way to read the lib. When i add it to my Win32 Project i get an error "...there is no editor available for dismapi.lib". Can you help me with it?

Edit: Is a lib file a compiled file like a DLL?

I'm sorry to say: hardly, and I, unfortunately, understood you pretty much well.

You still need to know C++ very well. Then, let's say, you can do it in C#. I don't know if we have .NET wrapper for DISM. If not, you have to do it yourself, and for this purpose you have to understand a good deal of C++. If it is available, you still need serious knowledge of .NET and C#. Finally, let's say you want to use Python instead of C#. There is such thing, called Iron Python. It means knowing .NET very well. And so on…
See also:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IronPython[^],
http://ironpython.net/[^].

Let's say, however, that you want to use Python targeting native platform. But DISM API and documentation is written for C++ use, so you need some inter-operation, which will also require good understanding of C++. Please see, for example: http://www.boost.org/doc/libs/1_42_0/libs/python/doc/tutorial/doc/html/index.html[^].

Now, you really need some help with lib and DLL. Lib is nothing like DLL. This is a module of object code, pretty much a collection of object files in one file (and this is how it is implemented in *NIX, but not exactly the same way in Windows). And obj files are object files of the native code which is still to be statically linked using a linker into executable code. Please see:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Linker_%28computing%29[^],
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Object_file[^]
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Static_library[^].

Lib library is a static library, and DLL is a dynamic link library. Static libraries go on the input of the linker, to produce executable file. Those executable files are PE files, Portable Executable. Now, the main point is: EXE, DLL, and some other files are PE files. Actually, difference between EXE and DLL is quite subtle, but DLL is presumable used only as a library. Strictly speaking, this is not always so, and even EXE can be used not as application, and it can be used even as a library. Please see:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portable_Executable[^],
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dynamic-link_library[^].

—SA