Make the API Viewer show up as an available add-in [RESOLVED]

[BruceG]

... how do I do that? At one time, on one PC somewhere that I working on, the VB 6 API Viewer would show up as an available add-in, but now it does not. The API loader and all that stuff is where it should be under Program Files\Microsoft Visual Studio\blah blah.

[Keithuk]

I had this problem once. I uninstalled and reinstalled VB, but it still wasn't there. So I made a short-cut for Apiload.exe and put it in the VB menu. I later formatted and rebuilt.

Doesn't it show in the Add-In Manager list? VB 6 API Viewer

I presume you know how to add the viewer to Add-In Manager?

[BruceG]

Thanks for the reply. Formatting/rebuilding is not an option on the PC in question. If the API Viewer showed up as an available add-in under the add-in manager, I would be able to take it from there. It's getting it to show up that is the issue.

[RobDog888]

Yes Bruce I too have it as an Add-In fr VB6 on one of my systems
for the API Viewer 2003. I havent upgraded this system to 2004
yet, but have it on my other system with .NET.

All I can say it that with 2003 it adds a line in the c:\winnt\vbaddin.ini file
like this...

ApiViewer2003vb5.Connect=0

Maybe if you change it in yours to reflect 2004 it will show up in the add
in manager list.

HTH

[BruceG]

RobDog,
Where would such an entry show up? Is there a VB ini file or registry setting for this? (Again this is for VB6, not .NET).

[Bruce Fox]

Originally posted by BruceG
RobDog,
Where would such an entry show up? Is there a VB ini file ....

Yeppers, in the Windows Directory (I just had alook myself




Bruce.

[RobDog888]

Originally posted by RobDog888
...with 2003 it adds a line in the c:\winnt\vbaddin.ini file
like this...

There is a vbaddin.ini and a vb.ini file.

[BruceG]

Thanks for the info, guys. Sorry, RobDog, I didn't realize at the time that you had answered the question about the ini file in your original reply (Duh ...).

Anyway, I still don't see a connection between the contents of that file and what I see in the add-in manager. For example, in my home setup (where everything DOES appear in the add-in manager) the contents of the vbaddin.ini file are:

[Add-Ins32]
MTxAddIn2.RegRefresh=3
RVBAddInMenus.Connector=0
RVBAddIn.Connector=0

and when I look at the add-in manager from VB, I have a "full set" of items - not only the API Viewer, but the PDW, Data Form Wizard, Property Page Wizard, etc. (I've attached a .jpg screen shot of it.)

I will have to compare this to the ini file on the work PC, which is the one in question.

[BruceG]

OK, got to the bottom of it. This explains why I couldn't see it at work, but could at home. First, there is a bug reported by MS that:
"Add-Ins Only Visible to the User Who Installs VB". See this link:

http://support.microsoft.com/default...NoWebContent=1

OK, so I see what's going on - an admin set up my PC before I started the job, but then of course I log on as myself and hence the issue.

So I'm looking at the MS article (the linked one above) and - nothing about the API Viewer! Well, the regsvr32 method is fine for OCX's and DLL's, but APILOAD is an EXE.

So I had to use the following command to get the thing working (in the Start/Run box) :
"C:\Program Files\Microsoft Visual Studio\Common\Tools\Winapi\apiload.exe" /regserver

Now the thing is showing up in the add-in manager and everything is just peachy-keen.

[RobDog888]

Cool, Bruce. I will use the fix too now.

Thanks.

[Keithuk]

Reading the article you posted from Microsoft you don't register Apiload.exe you register Microsoft Visual Studio\Vb98\Wizards\PDWizard\Pdaddin.dll with Regsvr32.exe. There are no properties for this dll.

Visual Basic retrieves available Add-Ins based on the CurrentUser Settings in the Registry. When a user logs on to a machine and launches Visual Basic, Visual Basic determines which Add-ins to load by checking on the CurrentUser keys. Because users who log on to the system have their individual settings, Visual Basic will load Add-Ins differently for different users.

RESOLUTION
To resolve the issue the Add-Ins need to be registered for each user. There are two possible ways to update the registry with the necessary information:

Manually register each Add-In for each user using the Regsvr32.exe utility. For example, the following command line shows how to register the Package and Deployment Wizard Add-In:

<Path to regsvr32.exe>\regsvr32.exe <Path to Add-In>\pdaddin.dll

NOTE: The above line should be modified to reflect the correct path information.

This workaround would have to be done by each user and for each Add-In the user requires. For a list of available Add-Ins and where they are located please see the "More Information" section in this article.
Export the necessary registry entries and import them into the registry while logged in as the appropriate user. The steps below describe how to do this:

[DjJazzy1967]

Hi,
First time on this Forum.
I have a quick solution if anybody needs it.

copy the Boldtext below and paste into Notepad, save and name the extension as .REG
Double click the newly created registry file, click Yes on UAC and Yes to Continue to add the contents to the registry. This will add the 'API Viewer' to the Add-In Manager. You may have to do this for each user.

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Visual Basic\6.0\Addins\APIDeclarationLoader.AddInDesigner]
"FriendlyName"="#353"
"Description"="#354"
"SatelliteDllName"="apiload.exe"
"LoadBehavior"=dword:00000000
"CommandLineSafe"=dword:00000000

Hope this works for All.