creating an activex control

**Benzakhar** · 12-01-2003

How may I create an activex control without using the Wizard. I don't want to use the wizard because it creates files that I don't need. The control I want to create all it requires is some api's like CreateWindow and other window api's. This control I want to create is like a syntax highlighting control. I've tryed in vb. I did it. But I couldn't make fast algorythms because I cant use string pointers. Thus if I use pointers to array's of string and use the polytextout api I can do what I wan't at a very highspeed.

How may I get started on making an activex control in C++ without using the wizard?

Thanx in advance!

**Benzakhar** · 12-01-2003

. This stuff is hard to find. I was searching for a long time and here it is. This is a link to a tutorial that teaches you how to create a activex COM object. I don't know much about them but it teaches how to do this without the MFC wizard. I hope after learning from this tutorial I will be able to create activex controls. Good for newbies

**anonytmouse** · 12-01-2003

I just scanned the page you posted and I thought I should note a couple of things:

1. Code does not include a type library or IDispatch support. It also uses non-automation compatible types such as char *. This means, as is, it will not work in VB, script or any language that is not C or C++.

2. The code is for a COM object and not an ActiveX control. That is, it can not be embedded in a form.

EDIT: Chapters 10 and 11 refer to creating an ActiveX control.

**lyx** · 12-02-2003

I've done it quite a while ago to me...
If you want maybe can I find the sources of my Ax component, it was a true embedded component (which did nothing though...) but it is written in pure assembly using MASM's Intel x86 syntax *without* the high level stuffs. Besides it is commented in French.

anonytmouse >
Well, for the non-automation types, I don't remember what types could be used...
But for the COM stuff, OLE is just a COM component that implements some specific interfaces and for someone who starts from nothing, he should learn how to do COM programming before trying to do OLE programming...

benzakhar >
Well, anyway, if you don't already know about it, read The Journals of Captain COM by Sean Baxter.

http://spec.winprog.org/

**Benzakhar** · 12-02-2003

Thanx lix.

I have read the first part of COM. When I read the whole first part it explained almost everything. I have a question, in this part of the code;

DLL_HW.IDL
[
uuid(49FFDAE0-E465-11d2-A0FA-00E0291D8B19),
helpstring("Sean's Test Automation Library"),
version(1.0)
]

What is uuid()? And how do I know what characters to put inside the bracket of uuid?

Thanx in advance!

**Mithoric** · 12-02-2003

UUID stands for Universal Unique Idetifier.

http://www.dsps.net/uuid.html

**lyx** · 12-03-2003

You must acquire a tool called guidgen, uuidgen or something...
It is provided by MS as part of the VS. If you don't have them, I can send it to you.
Actually, this utility is supposed (I can't certifiate it is true) to create really unique ID for each component, at least, they won't mess with the system ones.

And also, don't always use the GUID generator, often, only a digit is incremented by one for each class of a same component.

Oh, and if you don't see what is GUID really, it is the thing you use when creating a component with the API. CLSID and things like that...

**Benzakhar** · 12-05-2003

Thanx everyone!

C++ is amazing. I just made an DLL in c++ witch then I registered (compiler does that outomaticly). I opened VB and I saw my DLL in the Reference. I loaded and tested and it worked. I say C++ is amazing because when in VB a person has this part in the code;

I = mydllmodule.Property

I have the reference of "I". And I can set "I" to be equal to where it is located in memory or anything I want.

Before I go make ActiveX controls. May someone please answer these questions;

1. How can I make a method return something.
2. How do I transfer a string from VB to my function and vice versa I get errors when I try to do this.

Thanx in advance!

**Helix** · 12-29-2003

Hey.

1)Just declare the method as returning something else than void.
2)Well, there's a discussion here. But I'd probably just confuse you, so you better check the MSDN reference.

There are at least two types of string handling, one of them is specific to Automation and that's the one you need (in the VC++ part). As for VB, read the page titled "Passing Strings to a DLL Procedure". It's located in Component Tools Guide \ Accessing DLLs and the Windows API.

**Benzakhar** · 12-29-2003

>1)Just declare the method as returning something else than void.

Thats not true. The function should return if there is an error or not. If error then it should return an error code. See Visual basics error codes. To return something else other then nothing(sub) then the declaration must be as follows

Code:

HRESULT myClass::MyFunction(parameters, [out, retval] returndatatype *var)
{
*var = what to return;
return error? errorcode : S_OK;
}

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