VB.Net embedded Flash Object creates problems - vb.net

Ì have had this problem in a number of projects and I have almost given up. I am sure there is a solution though. When I insert a Flash object in a VB.Net Windows Forms application, it works fine for a little while and then I see this error in the Design Screen. I am using Visual Studio 2010
Could not load file or assembly 'Interop.ShockwaveFlashObjects, Version=1.0.0.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=null' or one of its dependencies. The system cannot find the file specified.
I have read several descriptions of why this happens, and apparently it has something to do with strong naming (or lack thereof), but have not found a solution yet. I used Add Reference->COM->Shockwave Flash (C:\Windows\SysWOW64\Macromed\Flash\Flash32_11_2_202_235.ocx) If I ignore the error it appears to work fine, but I don't want my users to have a problem.
I know I can use a browser control and play the Flash in that, but for reasons I won't get into, I have to use a Flash control. Any ideas would help.

Okay. I can't promise this to work for you, but it worked for me.
First, you have to locate a file on your computer titled AxImp.exe. You have to run it from the command prompt. This file is located (for me at least) here:
C:\Program Files\Microsoft SDKs\Windows\v7.0\Bin\x64
Once you do find and run it, you have to point it to the correct Flash.ocx file you're using, like so:
AxImp.exe <path>\Flash.ocx
Once you've done that you should end up with 2 DLL files in the same directory as the .ocx file. One called AxShockwaveFlashObjects.dll and another called ShockwaveFlashObjects.dll.
You don't care about ShockwaveFlashObjects.dll, just AxShockwaveFlashObjects.dll.
Grab that file and the Flash*.ocx file and paste them into the project directory.
Then include them into your references. This should open up two new references, AxShockwaveObjects and ShockwaveObjects.
Make sure you're Using both of them.
After this, you have to register the Flash*.ocx using RegSvr32 from your command prompt (make sure to run CMD in admin mode). That is done like so:
C:\RegSvr32 <path>\Flash.ocx
This worked for me. I was having the exact same problem (which is what led me here). It could be a half backed hack workaround but for now, that's how it worked for me.
Let me know if it works for you or not.
Hope it goes well for you.

I know this is an old post but I had this issue yesterday and the solution, at least in my case, was very simple. All I had to do was to change the Platform and Platform Target to x86 (Build tab of project property).

Related

What is different between .dll and .DLL

I'm using MSI to create a setup, it's all fine but I have a question that I got this:
Why do we get .dll and .DLL file? And what is the difference between them.
Thanks
There's no difference between them, just that the creator of the name and extension chose to name them that way. The Operating system considers them the same types of files. Same thing happens with .EXE and .exe, .AVI, .... Some organizations may consider it a naming convention.
On a Windows filesystem, there is absolutely no difference as file names are case insensitive.
The only time you will notice a problem is when accessing the filesystem through a file sharing protocol that is case sensitive.
That screenshot is Visual Studio Deployment Projects view and it appears it isn't smart enough to realize those are the same DLL's. I'd build the MSI and look at it in ORCA and see if it actually tried to package it twice and create a component rule violation in the process. It wouldn't surprise me at all but this isn't one of well known issues that I can recall at the moment.
In addition to Windows being case aware but case insensitive, fill extensions don't really matter that much either. A Windows dynamically loaded library (PE format) can be any extension as the LoadLibrary() function doesn't really care. Common extensions are .DLL, .SYS, .OCX and .DRV.

VB6 reference confusion

I am a .NET Developer. I have a good understanding of how references work in .NET i.e. if you want to use AssemblyA.ClassA.MethodA in AssemblyB.classB.MethodB then you add a reference in Assembly A to Assembly B.
I am looking at a VB6 app and I get an error when I open it i.e. Errors during load. Refer to frmMain.log. I open frmMain.log and it says: "2142: Class MSComDlg.CommonDialog of control CommonDialog1 was not a loaded control class.". I have used WinMerge to compare the source code in the faulty project to a previous version of the project (which does not have the problem). The only difference is that the faulty project contains the following line in the client.vdp file:
Reference=*\G{08DBEFD7-6A19-4DCE-A533-5BDBB93683C8}#1.2#0#..\..\..\..\..\Windows\SysWOW64\Comdlg32.oca#Microsoft Common Dialog Control 6.0 (SP3)
Removing this line seems to resolve the problem. Why does this resolve the problem?
I have used Winmerge to compare yesterdays revision of the project (which does not have the problem) to todays revision of the project (which does have the problem). The only difference is the reference in the original post in the VBP file.
I would assume that someone installed the development version of this control on a different machine and then set a reference to it. When you try to open the project on your machine the reference fails. Or the control was uninstalled. It seems that the project was not using the reference and that it can be safely removed as it will still compile without the reference.
However, I have seen vb6 actually remove non-licensed controls from the form in question in this situation. So it may be that you can now compile because the form is missing a component that was there previously. Have you checked that frmMain has not changed, both the .frm and .frx files?

How can I distribute a visual studio solution that references a class library

I have a visual studio solution written using VB.net.
The solution contains 4 projects.
A GUI
A Service
A Settings library
A WiX Setup project
Here's how it used to work.
Last week, I had no shared settings library, and all was fine. But, because both the GUI and the Service contained an identical class named ConfigXML.vb (for serializing and deserializing settings), which I was regularly making changes to and copying and pasting between projects, I decided to extract the class into a library project of it's own (3 above).
This week, nothing works!
I added project references to 1. and 2. and things do work the same as they ever did. When I "start debugging" I can see and use the GUI as normal.
However, the problem I have is that when I create and install a new Setup of the solution, both the GUI and the Service fail to start.
I presume that the problem is the settings library is no longer where it was expected to be / hasn't been registered properly, needs to be placed in a directory by the Setup.msi or something similar.
This is my first time doing something like this, so I expect it's an obvious fix that I need.
I gather from the name of that class "...XML.vb" that there is an XML file that lives along side this class on disc. If there is such a file, then you need to add that file to the project and then right click on it go to "Properties" and set the "Copy to Output Directory" to "Copy if Newer"

VB6 IDE Is Locking The Loaded Project's DLL

I'm responsible for maintaining legacy VB6 code, and have encountered an annoying problem with regard to the locking of a project's COM DLL. (We'll call it MyProject and MyProject.dll)
When I load MyProject into the VB6 IDE, I am able to compile the resulting binary-compatible DLL MyProject.dll. I can then run my (Classic ASP) web application that hooks into the DLL (or anything else for that matter).
So, when I try to recompile the COM DLL, I get a 'permission denied' error. I then find myself having to carry out the following steps in order for the DLL to be unlocked:
Check I have no dependant projects open in other VB6 IDEs
Recycle IIS
Check the file isn't read only (sometimes it will be if I have checked it in to source control)
Close the project and reopen it.
Often it is the last step that fixes the issue, and allows me to recompile, which means that the VB6 IDE is actually locking the DLL of the loaded project!
My colleague explained to me that it was to do with the way a VB6 project works with binary compatibility upon the DLL, but was unable to suggest a resolution.
My searches elsewhere have yielded very little in the way of answers. Search queries that are related to this tend to return a lot of unrelated answers (maybe I'm asking the wrong thing of search engines).
The closest thing I could find on Stackoverflow was this question from a couple of years ago, but it doesn't really fit the bill.
Does anyone have any other suggestions that might ameliorate this?
Keep a copy of MyProject.dll named MyProject.cmp and point binary compatible setting to your .cmp file. This way you won't need reopening project file (step 4).
During check-in you can mark keep checked-out to skip step 3 too.

VB6 Error - Cannot load .ocx File

I have been trying to load a OCX file into one of my VB6 projects for most of the day today. I've tried checking the COM registration in the registry the best that I know how, and have attempted several times using REGSVR32 on the file to no avail. All I keep getting from VB6 when I try to load the component (Under Project --> Components) is 'FilePath\FileName.ocx' could not be loaded. Has anyone else seen this before, and if so, any ideas how to fix it?
Just a couple of tips to help isolate the problem....
Look at the control with OleView
Examine the name: if it is one of the reserved words such as 'Menu', vb6 will fail to load it. (Although vb6 will happily let you create (and use) one with a bad name until it is saved and reloaded)
Examine the interface: does it describe the functionality? You may have a damaged or unlicensed ocx.
Attempt to load it with the ActiveX Control Test Container...
If you can, the problem is with VB6 and not the ocx.
This it may be a dependency issue -- some other component needed by the OCX is not present. Dependency Walker will find any static dependencies.
We fixed similar error recently. In our case the error was in the Visual Basic project (.vbp) file. Project file had been edited outside standardized build machine and contained references to OCX components - including workstation specific paths & versions of the components.
You can either edit the the project file in text editor or get a working version from version control.
Un-registering and registering again worked for me too.
Please note that you need to register this component using this syntax:
regsvr32 /i:design olch2x8.ocx
When you say you have used "REGSVR32 on the file to no avail" do you mean that you get a file name succeeded message, or an error message? If registering the file succeeds CMB is likely right about the ocx being unlicensed.
Licensing aside, there are a couple of other trip points with vb6. Especially if the OCX was developed in VB6.
If so, the 'officially' system registered version may conflict with the specific ocx you're using. In other words, both of them might have the same proper name (or classid) but the one you're attempting to use may not implement all the functionality described in the system registered one (i.e. you have a less evolved version). This arises when the author desires to maintain binary compatibility while enhancing the functionality of a control. As long as the public interfaces remain compatible, vb will not recalculate the classid.
You can fix this by forcibly unregistering the specific control (actually unregister all instances of the control). (regsvr32 /u control.ocx ) Then re-register the one you intend to use. Be certain that no running instance of VB6 exists when you do this or the results might not work. (Check your task list)
Hope that helps...
The control may be reliant on another DLL or OCX that may be missing or not registered and this could manifest itself as VB reporting that the control you're trying to use is missing. However, I'm not sure how you would identify the dependencies. As far as I know, dependency walker identifies static dependencies; I'm not sure if it can identify COM dependencies.
Un register the Ocx
re register the ocx
then loaded the project again in VB6, it worked for me.
Thanks everyone