Getting the ball rolling. Which VB6 projects are you working on?

[yereverluvinuncleber]

Come on chaps, there must be some pretty VB6 projects out there that deserve a mention and a picture or two?

[Erwin69]

OK, still work in progress, but I've been working on an update of one of my apps:

To keep it short and simple, it's the "management console" above a database that is fed with graphical plans for layouts of stores and shelves. It covers tasks like maintaining data, manage plans through lifecycles, automate tasks, and unlock information through template based reporting.

The front-end is VB6, using Krool's common control replacements and VBGrid, and the NewTab by Eduardo. Back end is SQL Server, so a certain amount of embedded SQL. Reporting through Excel and PowerPoint, linking directly to these objects, and using GDI/GDI+ and a range of Windows API's for the graphical output.

Most of the screens are "Explorer Style" with a treecontrol on the left, and a listview on the right, and with several buttons below to start specific actions on the selected business area. The app is fully Unicode compatible, and allows dynamic switching of the interface into several languages among which English, Dutch, Spanish, French, Portuguese and Korean

"Home Page / Dashboard"




"Explorer View"

[DaveDavis]

OK, still work in progress, but I've been working on an update of one of my apps:

To keep it short and simple, it's the "management console" above a database that is fed with graphical plans for layouts of stores and shelves. It covers tasks like maintaining data, manage plans through lifecycles, automate tasks, and unlock information through template based reporting.

The front-end is VB6, using Krool's common control replacements and VBGrid, and the NewTab by Eduardo. Back end is SQL Server, so a certain amount of embedded SQL. Reporting through Excel and PowerPoint, linking directly to these objects, and using GDI/GDI+ and a range of Windows API's for the graphical output.

Most of the screens are "Explorer Style" with a treecontrol on the left, and a listview on the right, and with several buttons below to start specific actions on the selected business area. The app is fully Unicode compatible, and allows dynamic switching of the interface into several languages among which English, Dutch, Spanish, French, Portuguese and Korean

"Home Page / Dashboard"

Attachment 189121


"Explorer View"

Attachment 189122

Morning, We can't see both screenshots.

[Erwin69]

Morning, We can't see both screenshots.

Not sure why they were included as attachments and not as embedded images. Any suggestion how to fix that?

[VanGoghGaming]

Edit your post, go into "Advanced mode", click the "Manage attachments" button further down the page, select the desired image and click "Insert Inline". That's how I do it and it works every time.

[Erwin69]

Edit your post, go into "Advanced mode", click the "Manage attachments" button further down the page, select the desired image and click "Insert Inline". That's how I do it and it works every time.

Thanks! That worked.

[DaveDavis]

graphical plans for layouts of stores and shelves.

Can you please give this screenshots?

[Erwin69]

planogram samples (= shelf plans)




floorplan sample (= store plan)

[yereverluvinuncleber]

Lovely stuff, can you disclose roughly how many clients use your software Erwin?

[yereverluvinuncleber]

I am just tinkering with creating a simple RC/VB6 widget based upon one of my old Yahoo widgets, little more than a glorified desktop icon really. Just a selectable image of a Victorian stamp that responds to a double-click to open an application you choose to assign, in my case Thunderbird, the email client.

This Penny red widget was originally just some desktop candy that I grew rather fond of having on my desktop.

Now I have a VB6 version.



As usual it has some help, about and configuration screens, a lot more than it really needs, all from a base template for these 'simple' one function desktop 'widgets'. I was really doing this to see how long it would take me to create a basic widget from a template. Really no longer than a few hours. I might create a few more of these simple eye candy widgets now I have proven the process to myself.

The widget is here on github: https://github.com/yereverluvinuncle...Red-VB6-Widget

[yereverluvinuncleber]

I find myself having three potential BASIC IDEs running at the same time in my VB6 dock. Shown here are the dock entries for all three, with the 'running' cog above each.



VB6 on the left, TwinB in the middle and RADBasic on the right.

[Erwin69]

Lovely stuff, can you disclose roughly how many clients use your software Erwin?

Currently approx. 400 users in 27 countries.

[yereverluvinuncleber]

Sounds like a good earner.

I have just passed an important (for me) milestone. I have just removed VB.NET.

I previously had VB6 installed alongside VB.NET 2003?/2005, 2008 and 2010 with the intention of migrating one or more of my apps to VB.NET through the phases, simulating what it would be like to develop an app. throughout the early 2000s. I managed to successfully migrate one of my apps but did not enjoy the experience. What I learnt was what everyone had always been telling me, that there is no upgrade path from VB6 to VB.NET and that it almost always requires a rewrite.

With that in mind my interest in VB.NET waned and I have no intention of coding in VB.NET especially when I have realised the power of Olaf's RC/Cairo wrapper. VB6 is able to do whatever I want it to. With TwinBasic available to actually code now and RADBasic available to test its progress, then I realised I have no need for VB.NET at all.

First stage was to remove the VB.NET icon from my dock, second stage was to replace it with TwinBasic. Third stage was to move to a new machine and realise I don't need to reinstall VB.NET.

In my puny world I have deprecated VB.NET. VB6 is still KING, along with TwinBasic it is the twin crown.

[VanGoghGaming]

I have just removed VB.NET.

At first I've read that as "I have just moved to VB.NET" and something didn't feel quite right!

[Erwin69]

Sounds like a good earner.

Have to cover the costs of websites, development, marketing, support (1 extra person on the payroll), and share part of the revenue with business partners who handle sales in their respective countries, but I'm not complaining.

Most important thing is that I run my own business, take my own decisions, and do what I like. (E.g. spent the last month as a "digital nomad" in Panama. )

I have just removed VB.NET

I investigated VB.Net back in the days. Found it too much trouble, and preferred to stick to VB6 and spend the time that I saved using something I knew in building my business. If I remember well, another issue was that accessing a SQL Server database through ODBC was very slow.

Did one client project in 2015 or so where I hired a friend / former direct report with solid programming experience to do most of the work. Worked out OK, but...

The client was a small business with basically no changes to their processes, and happy with the software. They also struggled financially a bit at times, so OK to use what they had and no need for updates. Comes early 2023, the client's business was doing better, and some changes were asked for. The guy who did most of the development back in the days, fell victim from the nasty C disease, and passed away a few years ago. So, I look into it myself. VB.Net version it was developed in is no longer available, and the code is not compatible with the newer version, so requiring a serious amount of work to rewrite.

Discussed with the client various alternatives, but his budget was virtually non-existing, and things were put on hold. Then he ran into serious medical misery: his wife died, he himself had a severe case of meningitis and nearly died too. Decided to phase out the business, and spend some time with his young kids before it was too late.

Needless to say that there is no lost love between VB.Net and me!

RC/Cairo wrapper & TwinBasic

I'm currently wrapping up an update of the 3 apps in my portfolio, to be released Q1 2024. (Or maybe as a Christmas gift, but that probably will be pushing it.) Once that's done, I'm going to allocate some time to TwinBasic and the RC/Cairo wrapper.

[yereverluvinuncleber]

It is important to have perspective in all things. Above all, life must be fun. TwinBasic is one of my proposed directions in the new year.

[Erwin69]

It is important to have perspective in all things. Above all, life must be fun. TwinBasic is one of my proposed directions in the new year.

Wise words! And having recognized them, I'm taking a break, and off to the pool.

[Episcopal]

Getting the ball rolling. Which VB6 projects are you working on?

I was working on an Ecclesiastical Manager, updating mine (RibbonBar, CommonControls, WordProcessor), but I started a postgraduate course in Infrastructure in BIM...... and I couldn't balance my time, and I had to stop programming. Programming is a hobby. Win11's AI Copilot was helping me.

[yereverluvinuncleber]

Programming is a hobby to me in that the result of coding efforts seldom see the light of day with regard to the number of final products/users &c. However, I have had millions of downloads of my desktop .js widgets (over time) but very little financial return.

My current development underpins any technical contribution I make in my other roles as a PM, as in I don't feel capable of telling people what to do if I can't do it myself. I feel one must have a level of knowledge in order to see how little one really knows...

Also, I have managed to wheedle an actual part-time development job derived from my VB6/javascript widget programming which was unexpected and a deep surprise to me.

I program in VB6 still in some part because it is nice to be able to prove that VB6 is NOT DEAD. The fact that it has a future somehow proves me to be right - which I like.

[yereverluvinuncleber]

I'm taking a break, and off to the pool.

Lucky bugger!

[Dry Bone]

I have a confession to make.

I'm a huge VB6 fan, and I think this language is a model for how a real high-level and advanced language should be.

Having said that...

I am working on a customized media player.
The hard work is done by C dll (demuxing, decoding, a/v threads etc) , and the GUI is in VB6.
At some point, I've decided to try and develop the GUI from scratch in MSVC Win32 (No MFC garbage).
It was tough, it was ugly, it was FRUSTRATING at times, but I managed to build an identical GUI in pure Win32.
Now, comparing the two projects has left me very confused..
In win32:
* Easy multithreading,, inline asm
* Native unicode controls and unicode EVERYTHING
* All Win32 API's are available - no need for function declares (and then tweaking the parameters), structs, constant, enums, unions(?) - all ready to use
* Subclassing is natural
* VERY stable IDE...
* Overall feel of control over the program
* Efficiency is incomparable (string manipulation, bits manipulation, deref, no Variant...)
* The executable - 3 times smaller and high compatibility (low dependencies)

In VB6:
(You know this one)
On Error, Immediate Window, run-time code editing, Collection(!), COM - to name a few...

All of the above have solutions/workarounds in VB6, but my conclusion is, we pay a very big price for the ease-of-use of VB6
A price that sometimes outweigh the advantages!

[Erwin69]

Programming is a hobby to me

To an extend it is for me. I always say that got my degree in a period the business people didn't understand IT/technology, and IT people could only talk in ones and zeroes.

I was trained to be the "translator" in the middle. So, I learned about computer architecture, assembler, Cobol, relational databases, etc. But also business administration, commercial, marketing, psychology and sociology. In the end I decided that the business end was more my thing than the pure technology side, so I ended up in sales & marketing roles, consulting and product and project management. But it has been very beneficial to have a solid technological background. Discussions with nasty IT-staff at clients who always tend to say that it's not their problem and try to overpower the non-IT people with technical jargon are cut very short when you start talking back to them in the same way. (I have many good stories to tell about this from when I was an account manager. ) And translating functional needs into software features without stepping on the toes of the development team is also a lot easier, as is calling them out on BS excuses when they try to wiggle out of a task they don't want to do.

When I started my own business back in 2006, I decided to use my experience to combine those all, and on occasions hire freelancers to fill the gaps. Over time some 20 business partners around the world joined my "virtual team", primarily to drive sales in their areas. This year I focus a bit more on product strategy and development, hence I'm around here more often. I still enjoy "rolling up the sleeves and getting my hands dirty" by translating my product ideas into software myself, even though it means that at times I almost feel embarrassed for the questions I have to ask. But most people on the forum are great in helping out!

I have a confession to make

Almost sounds like the start of an AA-session...

I hear what you are saying about the price to pay for the ease-of-use of VB6. In my simplified way of thinking, I compare it with using the macro-recorder in Excel. Easy to apply, but the amount of code that is generated vs. when you write it yourself is crazy. I guess that this is why there are still a lot of people out there (and in this forum) who dream of a "VB7". The challenge is that if you put 10 people together, you get 15 opinions on priorities, and maybe even more on how to get there.

In many cases technology, image, trends, etc. play a big role in what people ask for, completely forgetting to look at functionality and what applications are used for. Browsing the internet on a tablet requires something different than using office tools to create and update documents, spreadsheets, presentations, etc. I regularly get the question if my software works on mobile devices like smartphones. Yeah sure, you're going to create and update a visualization of a 3 meter / 12 foot section with 400 products on a 6" screen, dragging the images around with your finger... (See post #688 for some examples.)

So, in my case cross platform is a lower priority, yet moving from the desktop to a more cloud-based architecture likely will become more and more important. Unicode support was very important to properly support the UI in languages like Russian, Thai and Korean. Not sure if 64-bit will make a difference, yes for image no for functionality I guess, but with a lot of calculations going on behind the scenes, I guess that multi-threading and being able to use a GPU in addition to the CPU could be very beneficial. Time will tell.



Edit: added the correct post number for the pictures.

[yereverluvinuncleber]

I have a confession to make.

I'm a huge VB6 fan, and I think this language is a model for how a real high-level and advanced language should be.

Having said that...

I am working on a customized media player.
The hard work is done by C dll (demuxing, decoding, a/v threads etc) , and the GUI is in VB6.
At some point, I've decided to try and develop the GUI from scratch in MSVC Win32 (No MFC garbage).
It was tough, it was ugly, it was FRUSTRATING at times, but I managed to build an identical GUI in pure Win32.

Nice to hear from you. On this thread we need pictures of that. Please provide! We'd like to see pictures of the GUI before and after if that is possible.

I hear what you are saying about VB6 vs C. The joy of being able to create a VB6 form and just build our nasty code and fly compared with really knowing how it actually works under-the-bonnet.

VB6 in the form of its derivatives (TB/RB/OB) seems to be taking that middle ground and extending it upward and downward. The future might well be VB6 - for a lot more than we currently expect. Having said that, if you want to create an o/s, those C skills will always be required. Do you want to create an o/s?

I doubt it and the the trend is inexorably definitely toward higher level languages. As a result I think VB6 has a place now that is more justifiable than ever before.

[fafalone]

I have a confession to make.

I'm a huge VB6 fan, and I think this language is a model for how a real high-level and advanced language should be.

Having said that...

I am working on a customized media player.
The hard work is done by C dll (demuxing, decoding, a/v threads etc) , and the GUI is in VB6.
At some point, I've decided to try and develop the GUI from scratch in MSVC Win32 (No MFC garbage).
It was tough, it was ugly, it was FRUSTRATING at times, but I managed to build an identical GUI in pure Win32.
Now, comparing the two projects has left me very confused..
In win32:
* Easy multithreading,, inline asm
* Native unicode controls and unicode EVERYTHING
* All Win32 API's are available - no need for function declares (and then tweaking the parameters), structs, constant, enums, unions(?) - all ready to use
* Subclassing is natural
* VERY stable IDE...
* Overall feel of control over the program
* Efficiency is incomparable (string manipulation, bits manipulation, deref, no Variant...)
* The executable - 3 times smaller and high compatibility (low dependencies)

In VB6:
(You know this one)
On Error, Immediate Window, run-time code editing, Collection(!), COM - to name a few...

All of the above have solutions/workarounds in VB6, but my conclusion is, we pay a very big price for the ease-of-use of VB6
A price that sometimes outweigh the advantages!

twinBASIC is designed to address a lot of this; a backwards compatible successor that adds numerous new and modern language and IDE features. What VB classic might have been if it had been developed for the last 20 years. Easier multithreading; it's all thread-safe and you can call CreateThread with no hacks, will get simplified native syntax for this next year. Already has native Unicode controls and Unicode everything, including the editor. Subclassing isn't quite as natural as C/C++ yet but it supports AddressOf on class members natively, so a huge improvement. All the new language features and compiler options definitely give you more control, though obviously not to the same level as C/C++.
I've been doing something about the API declare situation. Have been working on a package that provides most of them... currently there's about 5,000 of the most common ones covered from all the major system DLLs, and this is on top of the thousands of COM interfaces and coclasses brought in from my VB6 project for those. All you have to do is check a reference and they're all available, no need to copy them.
Lack of union support is still a major sore spot, but it is planned. As is first class pointer support.

A couple questionable things though... you're saying C/C++ are better for string manipulation than VB? I can't agree with that. VB is fantastic with strings compared to C/C++. Variant... the situation is no different... VARIANT is absolutely a type in Windows programming in C/C++, but just like VB only if you want to use it, outside of APIs requiring it (e.g. the Ribbon UI was a recent one I worked on using Variant extensively). The difference in file size is mostly down to the GUI stuff... lots of stuff for a Forms package. But exes are so tiny in both compared to other languages. You're usually going to be relying on the C runtime, just like the VB runtime. tB is the only one of the three with truly no dependencies besides system DLLs. I'd have to say the IDEs are both rock solid too. tB... lol, yeah, it's in beta so IDE is pretty bad on stability for now.

But if you're looking for backwards compatible with VB6 with tons of new language features to enable better low level work, twinBASIC is worth checking out. You get things like basic inheritance, generics, overloading, settable UDT packing alignment, 64bit support, standard DLLs + export in exe + export constants, huge improvements to Implements functionality.


Sorry I know I mention it a lot but can't help it when someone expresses a wish for new language features without being a different language


---------
Interesting related note... You can, and I have, implemented a Win32 UI from scratch in VB6/tB, just like you'd do it in C. I was porting an SDK example and wanted to make it as identical as possible, so it starts up from main, and creates it's own window class, window, and message pump. This was for my DirectComposition Demo.

[Dry Bone]

@fafalone:

I admire your tB work. It's simply an amazing effort to keep VB on a respirator...
But it is a very pretentious project, and I'm being skeptical about it. No offense.
I might be wrong, of course.
String manipulation is a very good example of the difference between C and VB.
While string manipulation in VB is very easy, it is highly inefficient
At one time, I had to concatenate a large string in a loop, and the program got stuck for a long time!
Of course you CAN use VARIANTS in win32, but you don't WANT to. Instead of the easy and fluent use in VB, which the whole point of using them, in C it's a pain in the *ss...

Bottom line, there are factors to consider to prefer one over the other, and a matter of a habit and a personal taste.
I just feel like I've discovered there is a big world beyond VB, and it's not as bad as I thought...

[Erwin69]

twinBASIC is designed to address a lot of this; a backwards compatible successor that adds numerous new and modern language and IDE features. What VB classic might have been if it had been developed for the last 20 years. Easier multithreading; it's all thread-safe and you can call CreateThread with no hacks, will get simplified native syntax for this next year. Already has native Unicode controls and Unicode everything, including the editor. Subclassing isn't quite as natural as C/C++ yet but it supports AddressOf on class members natively, so a huge improvement. All the new language features and compiler options definitely give you more control, though obviously not to the same level as C/C++.
I've been doing something about the API declare situation. Have been working on a package that provides most of them... currently there's about 5,000 of the most common ones covered from all the major system DLLs, and this is on top of the thousands of COM interfaces and coclasses brought in from my VB6 project for those. All you have to do is check a reference and they're all available, no need to copy them.
Lack of union support is still a major sore spot, but it is planned. As is first class pointer support.

This is the type of stuff that often goes waaaaay over my head. But the nerd in me still likes to read and try to learn from it.

What I have understood is that once I have completed the releases I'm currently working on, I will free up time to learn more about twinBasic.

[fafalone]

I certainly understand the sketicism after so many projects that never went anywhere, including RadBasic being essentially vaporware. Indeed I didn't pay any attention at all to tB for the first 18 months after the initial release. But development proceeded, and quickly. Right now it runs all my major VB6 projects... ucShellBrowse (as both ctl in project and ocx), cTaskDialog, my ETW Kernel Logger. Also Carles PV's Lemmings and the basicNES and NESEmu Nintendo emulators. There's a few missing features, like the Printer object, MDI forms, and ActiveX exes, and considerable bugs, but it's so far along there's little room for doubt it will get over the finish line.

It's definitely down to personal preference, but IMO anyone who loved VB6 gets a true VB7 with tB. Recapturing that RAD simplicity, with backwards compatibility, but so many modern language and compiler features.

This is the type of stuff that often goes waaaaay over my head. But the nerd in me still likes to read and try to learn from it.

What I have understood is that once I have completed the releases I'm currently working on, I will free up time to learn more about twinBasic.

Remember the whole idea is backwards compatibility, so you should be able to see the start screen, Import from VBP, select your project, and hit run. So it's just picking up more, not switching to a whole new language like MS tried to force with VB.NET

[Erwin69]

I realize the backward compatibility, where tB currently is, and where it most likely goes. All 3 elements make me anxious to start looking at it, but I have to be strict for myself, and finish the release I'm working on first. It's that famous last 10% that is least fun, but key for a successful launch...

When I mentioned way over my head, I was referring to "Subclassing", "AddressOf on class members natively", "union support", "first class pointer support", etc. I'm very pragmatic, and focus on what is needed to get the job done and what I know. If I don't know, I research, and/or ask questions, as I believe you're never too old to learn. But when the conclusion is that something is beyond my skills, or not worth the effort, I either find another way, or outsource it.

My3 apps have grown over the last decade to a total of over 230K lines of code. So backward compatibility for a new development tool is important. Having said that, I think a transition to tB will also be a good moment to rethink some things, and do some redesign work, both functionally and technologically. E.g. I feel I have to get better at breaking out modules that can be reused across the apps. There is not much overlap, but I'm sure some things can be improved.

[yereverluvinuncleber]

And another! Trying to hone the conversion process so I can convert my 'simple' javascript/XML widgets to VB6 versions. This time it is the Saturn image that has had the VB6/RC5/Cairo migration. All complete bar the help file.



The code changes take about an hour and it could be made a lot more simple. What takes the time is building a new about and one-page help panes. The help takes another 20 mins or so, the latter not yet done.

The widget is here on github: https://github.com/yereverluvinuncle...urn-VB6-Widget

[yokesee]

good job yereverluvinuncleber

[yereverluvinuncleber]

Forgive my rapid posting and diminishing interval between posts. Still trying to reduce the time it takes to make a conversion from a Yahoo widget to a VB6/RC version.

With the latest it took an hour for the code, 30 mins or so with the new imagery and about panes. The thing that took the time is bloody github desktop. It does not want to synch. folders > 100 files nor does it want to synch. a file greater than 25mb. With lots of PNGs, a heavy CHM file, the SETUP installer file can grow in size... so some rejigging is required, conversion to JPGs &c reduces the size a lot. The biggest issue is manually creating the folders and uploading to github. A pain in the proverbial arse.

Regardless, I have converted and synch'd a simple earth marble widget.



Trying to do one a day, well, perhaps one every two/three days as the process is tedious and starting to bore me.

You can see it here: https://github.com/yereverluvinuncle...rth-VB6-Widget

I'm going to hold off creating any more for a while while I investigate why the RC5 'widgets' are using up to 5% of my system's CPU where as the other versions use less than 1%. Hmmm.

P.S. Fixed that, some redundant code used a timer whose interval was then set to 0. All removed, now uses less than 0.01% - happy.

[yereverluvinuncleber]

I'm knocking them up.

My Dell E6410 with win 7 (love it !) with the planetary widgets converted to VB6 RC5 'desktop widgets'.

[yereverluvinuncleber]

I'll stop posting these planetary 'marble' widgets altogether very soon. I'm just finishing off my usual desktop trinkets and then when done, move onto the gauges. It is nice to have my standard desktop populated with VB6 'widgets' rather than the now obsolete Yahoo/Konfabulator versions.

[Vblover29]

could you please send me the final copy

[yereverluvinuncleber]

Somebody else please post something about the VB6 proj. you are working upon. A screen shot too, if you please. Even I am becoming bored of my own postings and soon I will have more to come... Let me/us see what you are up to!

[Mikle]

Somebody else please post something about the VB6 proj. you are working upon. A screen shot too, if you please. Even I am becoming bored of my own postings and soon I will have more to come... Let me/us see what you are up to!

Recently completed such a project:



Release:
https://mikletuapse.itch.io/space-skybox-generator
Sources:
https://disk.yandex.ru/d/wWw2RSnAgAIL2g

[yokesee]

Recently completed such a project:



Release:
https://mikletuapse.itch.io/space-skybox-generator
Sources:
https://disk.yandex.ru/d/wWw2RSnAgAIL2g

nice project.
I would add random movement to use as a screensaver

[yereverluvinuncleber]

Love it!

[Mikle]

nice project.
I would add random movement to use as a screensaver

This is not an art project for beauty, but a practical tool for creating textures. But I have nothing against someone making a screensaver or something similar based on this, I posted the source code.

[-Franky-]

My current project deals with integrating XAML Controls (UWP/WinRT) into VB6 via the XAML Islands. The screenshot shows a few XAML controls in VB6.