I have one problem in vb6. I created a .tlb file in VB.net 2005 by adding Com class to project. I built the project, I got .tlb file and .dll files while building project, i selected "Register for Com interop" from project properties and built. It registered autometically and I can use created .tlb file in that PC in Vb6 working fine. if I deploy application to another PC and run I am getting "Error 429 ActiveX Component Can't create object" run time error. What I need to do? Please help me as soon as possible. I can't deploy the application to client due to above error.
one possible solution is to install .net frame work on client pc i never want to install .net framework any other solution will be most appreciatable.
If you've created a DLL in a .NET language (such as VB.NET), the target computer must have the .NET Framework installed in order to use the DLL.
This a hard and fast requirement, irrelevant of how you're utilizing the DLL, whether from a VB 6 application through COM interop or otherwise. It is also a hurdle you'll have to jump over first, before you worry about things like registering COM components, as Uday's answer suggests.
If you don't want a dependency on .NET, you need to use another environment to create the ActiveX DLL; either C++ or VB 6 are possible choices.
One option may be that, while deployment, you need to register that .tlb file in System Registry using regsvr32 command in command-prompt. Generally static libraries does not work until they are registered with System Registry.
You might have seen many programs register components during installation like 'Registering Type Components' or 'Registering COM Components' (for those who do networking especially). Those components are nothing but native COM dlls and tlbs.
so when creating deployment project, add some scripting login to register thode dlls and tlb to System registry using:
regsvr32 <path to tlb/dll>
you have to recursivey call this command for every dll/tlb you want to register with system. For example, if you have 4 dlls and 2 tlbs then you have to call it 6 times providing the path of dll and tlb one at a time.
Related
I have a project that I am developing that uses a third party COM library as a reference and I would like to build this project on a Visual Studio Team Services build client. My first idea is to create a MSBuild task that checks to see if the COM library is installed on the local computer and if it is not, go ahead and install it, but this seems like a really messy way to do this. I have searched around but it seems as though all the answers date back years and I can't seem to make the few I have found work in a VS 2013 project. How have other people solved this problem? Is there a cleaner way?
For reference I have also tried this solution, which looks really clean, to no avail.
I would go one of these routes:
Generate interop dll with tlbimp, add it to your project and reference it directly:
In VS command prompt, execute tlbimp.exe <your_dll> to generate the interop dll. You can specify the name with /out option.
put this dll somewhere with your code
reference it by going to Add reference > Browse and click Browse... to add the dll
Generate the tlb from COM dll , add it to the project and reference the tlb:
Generate the tlb (e.g. using OLE/COM Object viewer) or extract it from the dll resources,
put this tlb somewhere with your code
reference it by going to Add reference > COM and click Browse... to add the tlb reference to project
As #HansPassant noted in comments, this solution still relies on registry, but you can register it with regtlb, regtlib or similar tool, as a prebuild step, which should be easier than installing the server (though if it is just a dll, you could use regsvr32 to register it instead of full install). However, this is still more complex than the approach with interop dll
I have a DLL written in C# and set for COM visibility. I have it setup as a side-by-side assembly and can successfully deploy the application to client PCs registration free. My question is related to the development PC. Is it possible to compile against the DLL in a similar registration-free manner or is registration required on the development machine? I have tried adding the DLL directly though the Project -> References menu and get an error stating "Can't add a reference to the specific file." The DLL is sitting in the same directory as the .vbp file and I have tried adding the DLL both with and without the client app manifest being present.
I have tried adding the DLL directly though the Project -> References menu
That adds a reference to a type library. A type library is a language-independent description of the types in a COM component, VB6 uses it to know how generate efficient code and to provide type checking and auto-completion. A type library is the exact equivalent of metadata in a .NET assembly.
Traditionally, and the way VB6 did it, the type library was embedded as a resource in a DLL. So you are probably used to picking a DLL in the dialog. That however doesn't work so well when the DLL is generated by C#, the type library can only be generated after the C# code is compiled. You have to pick the .tlb file in the VB6 dialog. The traditional way starts with the COM component being described in the IDL language, the type library can be generated before the code is compiled so can easily be embedded in the final DLL. It is technically possible to do it in C# as well, but the build steps are very laborious and painful, you essentially have to build the DLL twice with different build commands.
The type library for a C# library is normally generated in one of three ways:
Using Project + Properties, Build tab, "Register for COM interop" option. This requires VS to run elevated so it can write to the registry. You start VS elevated by right-clicking its shortcut and picking "Run as Administrator"
By running Regasm.exe, using the /tlb:filename option. An alternative for the 1st bullet and necessary if you don't want to run VS elevated for some reason. Using the /codebase option on your dev machine is also wise to make it work exactly like the 1st bullet and not require putting the DLL into the GAC with gacutil.exe
By running the Tlbexp.exe utility, the type library exporter for .NET assemblies. No registration is done, it only generates the .tlb file.
The first bullet is the normal choice and very desirable because you can never forget to update the type library this way. It is perfectly fine on a dev machine since you only really care about reg-free deployment on the user's machine. You probably got into trouble by not doing this anymore.
Using the 3rd choice is okay and more compatible with your goals, run Tlbexp from the Visual Studio Command Prompt. Just keep in mind that you have to do it again when you make changes to your C# code. Forgetting this once and losing clumps of head-hair trying to figure out why your C# changes don't seem to be effective or getting hard-to-diagnose error codes gives you lots of reasons to consider the 1st bullet again :) You can emulate the reg-free scenario by running Regasm.exe with the /uninstall option.
I am working for a company that registers a lot of COM DLLs in the System32 folder/SYSWOW64 folder. I recall a question some time ago where Hans Passent said that this is wrong as the folders specified are for Windows DLLs. I cannot find the post so I want to check that this is correct?
Also if I want to register a COM DLL or a TypeLibrary in a foreign folder then can I just use the following command (for COM):
regsvr32 app.dll
Finally I was reading about the CODEBASE flag of Regasm: http://www.vbforums.com/showthread.php?597928-RESOLVED-How-to-delete-a-VB6-Reference. Do you have to use this flag if you want to register a TypeLibrary (.TLB)? What happens if you .NET assembly uses a third party library that is not signed?
If you are talking about installing COM DLLs in the System folder, then you are correct. All applications, and their support libraries, should be installed under the Program Files folders, or the Common Program Files folders.
You are also correct that REGSVR32.EXE can be used to manually register DLLs and OCX. "Foreign folder" is not a Windows concept - you can register a component anywhere in the file system, including the Windows and Windows System folders. By the way, if you use an installer, then you shouldn't have to use REGSVR32.EXE.
However, TLB files cannot be registered with REGSVR32.EXE, because that application basically loads the DLL/OCX, and calls an exported function on the library, so effectively the library registers itself. Instead, you need another tool, e.g. REGTLIB.
You don't use /CODEBASE to register a raw type library, because REGASM is used for registering .NET DLLs as COM components, not TLB files.
I have a C++ DLL project which is created in VS 2010. It is exposed as COM(ATL). I used this dll to another .NET Project as reference. C++ Project linker settings are set as follows:
"Register Output" = Yes
"Per-user Redirection = Yes
I created a build definition to build these two projects in tfs 2010. C++ Project builds fine, but .NET project fails because the output dll of C++ project is not registered. Setting to "Per-User redirection" = false does not work. I also tried using WF activity 'InvokeProecss' to register the c++ dll using Regsrv32/batch file/my own exe etc, but I get exit code of 5. My TFS 2010 is in Windows 2008 Server R2. And I think, it's not running the process as admin.
If I generate a interop dll using tlbimp, and then I refer that interop in my .NET proejct, it works fine(oviously in tfs build, I need to add InvokeProecss to call tlb). But this is not acceptable as our general practice is to refer a COM dll directly from .NET proejct.
Can anybody please help about this?
Is there a way to run the tfs automated build activity 'InvokeProcess' as Administrator without prompting for user name/password?
By default, the TFS Build Service runs as the "Network Service" account which is a relatively low-privilege account. Alternatively, you can configure it to run as any domain account you like. I wouldn't recommend that as a solution to the problem you described, however. I would agree with Hans that, in this case, it would be better to use the type library importer (TlbImp.exe) to "reference" your COM server from your managed assembly.
If the COM object isn't changing, you can just use the type library importer to generate an interop assembly, check that in and reference it from your .NET project. If it is changing, you can add a post-build step to generate the interop assembly rather than using the InvokeProcess activity. As Hans pointed out, you can't actually reference a COM object directly from a managed assembly. Your reference is actually causing an interop assembly to get generated at build time after resolving the reference to the registered COM server.
I'm trying to reference a COM dll in visual studio by using the Browse tab and selecting the DLL. I noticed that if the DLL is registered on the system with regsvr32 I can reference it, but if it's not registered I receive an error selecting the dll file "A reference to 'file.DLL' could not be added. Please make sure that the file is accessible, and that it is a valid assembly or COM component."
We would like to keep the DLL not registered, so that we have less configuration needed on other development machines and on the development environments.
Is it too much to ask?
Thanks!
you need to register dll. you can set registration in your setup project or create a batch file for all these type of processes.
Note: Don't forget to unregister dll on uninstallation.
You'll need to register the dll because otherwise it would not be able to find the type library.
Adding the dll afterwards as a reference to you project will create the interop.XXXXmethod.dll assembly.
You need to have the COM server registered, period. You could take some measures to automate the process though and to unregister the COM server when it is not needed.
The same applies to daily builds. If you build a COM server and a .NET based client during the build you have to register the server prior to building the client. And you better unregister it as soon as the client is built. Adding these steps to the build sequence is not a problem at all.
You might be able to use Registration Free Com