VB components

[Thai]

Hello,

I am trying to do something that I have no idea how to yet, or know if its possible. I know you can create custom controls with VB. Is it possible to make a small vb program into a component that can be called by ColdFusion and/or other development programs? I have this application that pops up a form, the form has a commondialog, one text box, and two command buttons. You use one of the command buttons to activate the commondialog, select an MDB and then hit the other button to run some routines using ADO and the Access Obj Library. I need to make it so my ColdFusion page can call this application and run it ON the server but display it on the user's end. I think my CF book says you can do it with vb components so I am curious HOW you make this into a component?

Sorry for the lengthy message, I hope I was clear enough. Please help me or point me in the right direction.

Thank you,
Thai

[Gen-X]

You can do it but it requires the component that is being called to exist on the CLIENT machine.

So you would make your stuff in VB, compile it as an ActiveX DLL and then that DLL would need to be registered on EVERY SINGLE client machine that uses it so that when your ColdFusion sent out the call the local machine would run the part of the DLL.

Bottom line is for an internet environment it won't work... people usually only do this on intranets.

I know I wouldn't like someone running code on my machine without me verifying the source... thats how viruses get out

[Thai]

Thanks for replying, so there is no way to have it run the DLL on the SERVER and just display the form to the client?

Thanks again,
Thai

[Gen-X]

Break it down and think about it...

Where is your DLL stored? On the server
Where is the definition of the form to display? In the DLL
So where is the definition kept? On the server

So how does the client know what the form looks like? He doesn't


The only way to do this is to have the form on the client (in the DLL installed on the client) that is designed to interact with the server.

[Edited by Gen-X on 08-24-2000 at 01:18 AM]