[VB6 Add-In] Project Examiner

This Add-In is mainly intended for large projects, maybe old or inherited projects that you need to renew or rework, and you have to find what it has and where.

It deals with design time issues, not with source code. For source code I suggest LaVolpe's Project Scanner.

How to start with it:

Download the source code of the Add-In, compile it with an elevated IDE and close the IDE.

Then open the IDE again with the project you want to work on.
Go to the Add-Ins menu and select Project Examiner.

Here there are some screen shots:

Attachment 178919

Attachment 178920

Attachment 178921

There are several tabs. Their functions are:

Scan:
Performs the scan of the project to find what it has.
This must be done before anything else.

Dependencies:
Shows what control types the program uses and where they are.
There are two option buttons at the bottom to select to view them grouped by dependency or by form.

Strings:
Shows what controls and which properties has strings stored at design time.
This can be useful if you are translating a program and need to find where are the design-time strings that need translation.

Fonts:
This tab shows the fonts that the program uses and where.
There are two option buttons at the bottom to select to view them grouped by font or by form.

Find controls:
Find the controls that meet certain criteria. The condition is the value of a property ("=", "<>" ">", etc.).
If works with numeric values and also with strings.

Replace fonts:
There you can select what font to replace and with which one.

Copy controls:
Copy a control that is on a form to all the others (and/or to usercontrols) or some of them.


Notes:

• Image handling seems not to be supported by the Add-in environment.
• Make a backup copy of your project before doing anything (if you don't already have one), that is a good practice.

Changelog:

Code:

---

2021-11-28 some improvements made.
2021-01-27 fixed bug in the font replacement utility
2021-01-27 fixed bug that happened when compiled
2021-01-27 added better support for running on project groups
2021-01-26 bug fix at the 'Find controls' tab, now it allows to compare to empty strings ("")
2021-01-19 added more options the the 'Find controls' tab
2021-01-18 added some fixes for running at non-integer TwipsPerPixels DPI settings.
2021-01-17 bug fix: in some situations VBComponent.Reload raised an error.
2020-10-04
      The Copy to Clipboard feature now adds tab characters instead of spaces to facilitate pasting to Excel.
      Some forms can be flagged unsaved (or changed) just opening them (without making any changes to them). It can be due to an UserControl or third party control. The Add-in opens all the forms, and in the previous version these forms were flagged as unsaved. Now that is fixed in this version, all forms remain in their original "saved/unsaved" state.
      Designer windows remain in their original state (not closed if they were already open).
2020-10-04
      The compare criteria in the Find tab now ignored the "&" symbol (that can be common on Captions to set the accelerator key)
      FontName properties not added to the String list anymore.
      Out of memory bug fixed. The designer windows were opened -but not set visible- in the scan and not closed after that, causing an out of memory error on very large projects.
2020-10-03: First version

---

Download from GitHub.

Seems intersting (looking the code), but no way to compile it
"Compile Error Procedure declaration does not match description or event or procedure having the same name"
on
Private Sub AddinInstance_OnConnection(ByVal Application As Object, ByVal ConnectMode As AddInDesignerObjects.ext_ConnectMode, ByVal AddInInst As Object, custom() As Variant)

and

Private Sub AddinInstance_OnDisconnection(ByVal RemoveMode As AddInDesignerObjects.ext_DisconnectMode, custom() As Variant)

NB : After closed and several attempts, I made it run.
now scanning a big project to look the result

I had a out of memory on this line :
Set iDes = iComp.Designer

than it corrupted the form (I had a backup)

NB : It is a big project with 236 forms & 26 UC

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Thierry69

I had a out of memory on this line :
Set iDes = iComp.Designer

than it corrupted the form (I had a backup)

NB : It is a big project with 236 forms & 26 UC

---

iDes is declared As Object.

Try declaring it As VBForm.

Also, try before the line:

Set iDes = iComp.Designer

Code:

---

Set iDes = Nothing
Set iDes = iComp.Designer

---

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Thierry69

Seems intersting (looking the code), but no way to compile it
"Compile Error Procedure declaration does not match description or event or procedure having the same name"
on
Private Sub AddinInstance_OnConnection(ByVal Application As Object, ByVal ConnectMode As AddInDesignerObjects.ext_ConnectMode, ByVal AddInInst As Object, custom() As Variant)

and

Private Sub AddinInstance_OnDisconnection(ByVal RemoveMode As AddInDesignerObjects.ext_DisconnectMode, custom() As Variant)

NB : After closed and several attempts, I made it run.
now scanning a big project to look the result

---

That was probably about a different Office version that you have installed, but not sure.

Same problem.
Always on the same form, the 26's form

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Eduardo-

That was probably about a different Office version that you have installed, but not sure.

---

I have found the reason.
I just had to open the main designer to make it work (just to let you know)

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Thierry69

I have found the reason.
I just had to open the main designer to make it work (just to let you know)

---

What is the main designer? Connect.dsr?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Thierry69

Same problem.
Always on the same form, the 26's form

---

I don't know, perhaps it is a RAM limitation or some resource limitation and that form in particular has too many controls.

You are an Add-In professional, please help! (LOL).

Accessing the Designer might fail for a form which hosts a user-control from the same project (or different project in the current project group).

Manually opening the designer pre-compiles the user-control and running the whole project (Ctrl+F5) compiles all the forms. Still accessing the Designer might fail with out-of-memory and bring down the IDE in the process.

cheers,
</wqw>

No problem of ram (32gb)
I'll try to figure out

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by wqweto

Accessing the Designer might fail for a form which hosts a user-control from the same project (or different project in the current project group).

---

But I tested it with several projects that had usercontrols and I didn't get that error.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by wqweto

Manually opening the designer pre-compiles the user-control and running the whole project (Ctrl+F5) compiles all the forms. Still accessing the Designer might fail with out-of-memory and bring down the IDE in the process.

cheers,
</wqw>

---

Could you or someone else post a test project where the error happens to study it?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Thierry69

No problem of ram (32gb)
I'll try to figure out

---

Just a shot in the dark: do you have SP6 installed?
(I guess you do, but just to be sure)

I modified the addin just tohandle UC.
I worked
Unfortunately I have exactly 26 UC (it crashed on the 26's form)
I still investigate

Some comments :
Extracting string (I found 2 labels that where not translated), gives also strings for fonts:
FontName Property: "Segoe UI"

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Eduardo-

Just a shot in the dark: do you have SP6 installed?
(I guess you do, but just to be sure)

---

Of course :)
I am 100% up to date, and it is a commercial product (quite big, millions of lines)

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Thierry69

Extracting string (I found 2 labels that where not translated),

---

I don't understand what you mean.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Thierry69

gives also strings for fonts:
FontName Property: "Segoe UI"

---

Yes, it give all properties that return strings.
I already excluded "Name", now I realize that I have to also exclude "FontName" (and perhaps some other properties too).

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Thierry69

Of course :)
I am 100% up to date, and it is a commercial product (quite big, millions of lines)

---

OK.

I have found the reason, give me a few minutes to test again.
NB : Extraction of the strings gave me 18000 lines :)

The designer for forms remains opened
So when too much forms are in memory -> Out of memory

So you need to close the designer at the end of your For Next :

If (iComp.Type = vbext_ct_VBForm) Then
iComp.DesignerWindow.Close
End If

Set iComp = Nothing

Still have 1 small problem, it hangs at some times, but when running in the IDE, a resume is good enough
I tried to add some delay, but no way :(
As I need to go, I can't look anymore for the moment

Ah OK, thank you! I'll make the changes later.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Thierry69

NB : Extraction of the strings gave me 18000 lines :)

---

That's really a lot. I have two quite large programs but thy are around 4000 lines. But that now including all FontName.

deleted
deleted

Updated.

1) The designers now are unloaded so the out of memory error should have gone.
2) The strings for FontName properties are now excluded.
3) The find tool now ignores the "&" that may be in the captions.

Please test and report.

Here on a big project it works for a few forms and then just says "Canceled" with no more info on whatever happened.

Not sure if I can reproduce it as the add-in works on smaller project jus' fine. Try to instrument more error info when "Canceled" if you want me to run scan a few more times.

cheers,
</wqw>

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by wqweto

Here on a big project it works for a few forms and then just says "Canceled" with no more info on whatever happened.

Not sure if I can reproduce it as the add-in works on smaller project jus' fine. Try to instrument more error info when "Canceled" if you want me to run scan a few more times.

cheers,
</wqw>

---

That is intended to happen when you for example, close the project while the scan is running. In that case it does not matter the specific error (that can be any when accesing an object that it doesn't exist any more).

But if you are getting it in a normal situation that's not normal or intended.

Please go to Private Sub Scan and replace the 8 occurrences in that procedure of On Error GoTo ErrorExit with On Error GoTo 0, run the add-in on the IDE, scan the problematic project and report what error is happening and where. Thank you.

It should be same problem as I had

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Thierry69

It should be same problem as I had

---

I suppose he is using the updated version. But yes, if he is using the original version it can be that very probably.
BTW, was the problem fixed in the updated version? (I guess it was, but better to test with the project that was giving the error).

It's failing on this line

Set iDes = iComp.Designer

. . . with "Application-defined or object-defined error".

I changed it with this

Code:

---

            Set iDes = Nothing
            On Error Resume Next
            Set iDes = iComp.Designer
            On Error GoTo ErrorExit
            If iDes Is Nothing Then
                Set iDes = iComp.Designer
            End If

---

. . . and it seems to work now. No idea why the second time getting Designer succeeds.

cheers,
</wqw>

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by wqweto

It's failing on this line

Set iDes = iComp.Designer

. . . with "Application-defined or object-defined error".

I changed it with this

Code:

---

            Set iDes = Nothing
            On Error Resume Next
            Set iDes = iComp.Designer
            On Error GoTo ErrorExit
            If iDes Is Nothing Then
                Set iDes = iComp.Designer
            End If

---

. . . and it seems to work now. No idea why the second time getting Designer succeeds.

cheers,
</wqw>

---

Are you using the updated version? (I guess not).
I'll put more clear in the OP that it has been updated.

wqweto, during the enumaeation of forms, forms are loaded, but not unloaded.
So in big projects, an Out of Memory occurs
This is the reason of my modification

Updated.

2020-10-04c: Update:
The Copy to Clipboard feature now adds tab characters instead of spaces to facilitate pasting to Excel.
Some forms can be flagged unsaved (or changed) just opening them (without making any changes to them). It can be due to an UserControl or third party control. The Add-in opens all the forms, and in the previous version these forms were flagged as unsaved. Now that is fixed in this version, all forms remain in their original "saved/unsaved" state.
Designer windows remain in their original state (not closed if they were already open).

Updated!

2021-01-18 added some fixes for running at non-integer TwipsPerPixels DPI settings.
2021-01-17 bug fix: in some situations VBComponent.Reload raised an error.

Updated again.

2021-01-19 added more options the the 'Find controls' tab

Before the only option was to find controls (of a certain type) with some property value.
Now added two more options: list all controls of the type, and compare the value of a property to another property.

Updated: bug fix at the 'Find controls' tab, now it allows to compare to empty strings ("")

PS: I'm finding this tool very useful now that I'm working on improving a large program.

Is there a VB6 version of the operation github upload download synchronization project command?

Make a large-scale VB6 add in, open source project, some functions are independent, some are integrated together, later can develop VfB IDE (visual freebasic) project source code management plug-in.

Important bug fixes:

2021-01-27 fixed bug in the font replacement utility
2021-01-27 fixed bug that happened when compiled
2021-01-27 added better support for running on project groups

New release with some changes.

Hi Eduardo,

I'm just now finding this. I haven't really explored it in depth, but it looks like good work.

Thanks for referencing it in my font replacer thread. Rather than do anymore work on that thing, I think I'll just start referring people over here.

Best Regards,
Elroy

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Elroy

Hi Eduardo,

I'm just now finding this. I haven't really explored it in depth, but it looks like good work.

Thanks for referencing it in my font replacer thread. Rather than do anymore work on that thing, I think I'll just start referring people over here.

Best Regards,
Elroy

---

:thumb: OK Elroy.

I used it to improve a large program, to find what I had and where and to change fonts.
Perhaps I took the same time to do this than if I manually had done the changes, but it was more fun (and now it can be used with any project).

Thanks Eduardo, thanks Elroy. Your AddIns are wonderful.

They will help me with the graphic restyling of the projects.
I'll have to find the time to study them. I need to change other properties of the controls.
many thanks

Update released.
When there is an error opening a form, it tells you now with a message what form could not be loaded instead of just cancelling silently.