I have been searching google, google groups and MSDN but haven't found any
simple examples yet. Suggestions and/or URLs would be appreciated!

I need to write some ISO C++ functions to verify data streams. (It is
expected these will also eventually be run in Linux.) The application also
needs a management GUI. For Windows I plan to write the GUI in VB .NET
2003.

How do I call C++ from VB.NET? I'm trying to start small:

bool AlwaysReturnsTrue(void)

and work up to:

bool StreamIsValid(IN ByteArray, IN Length, OUT ErrorMessage, OUT ErrorByte)


I'm uncertain about memory issues: Who allocates, etc. I'm also unclear
about internalization of the error messages.

Thanks.

-- Mark

On Mon, 28 Feb 2005 12:39:02 -0500, Mark Jerde spooled the following
warez:

> I have been searching google, google groups and MSDN but haven't found any
> simple examples yet. Suggestions and/or URLs would be appreciated!
>
> I need to write some ISO C++ functions to verify data streams. (It is
> expected these will also eventually be run in Linux.) The application also
> needs a management GUI. For Windows I plan to write the GUI in VB .NET
> 2003.

Why don't you write it in java, then you won't even have to write a
different one for linux.

>
> How do I call C++ from VB.NET? I'm trying to start small:

Use Declare.

>
> bool AlwaysReturnsTrue(void)
>
> and work up to:
>
> bool StreamIsValid(IN ByteArray, IN Length, OUT ErrorMessage, OUT ErrorByte)

Read up on System.InteropServices.Marshal et al.

>
>
> I'm uncertain about memory issues: Who allocates, etc. I'm also unclear
> about internalization of the error messages.

Caller allocates. .NET also has some 'magic' classes such as
StringBuilder that can be 'passed to be filled' without having a maximum
size pre-specified - this is done by the GC.


>
> Thanks.
>
> -- Mark

I wrote a simple C++ DLL & called it from VB.NET. Here's the sample:

http://www.gotdotnet.com/Community/U...2-ca46ef086c12

I hope this will help

bonj wrote:

>> I need to write some ISO C++ functions to verify data streams. (It
>> is expected these will also eventually be run in Linux.) The
>> application also needs a management GUI. For Windows I plan to
>> write the GUI in VB .NET 2003.
>
> Why don't you write it in java, then you won't even have to write a
> different one for linux.

I don't know Java... ;-) I installed Eclipse but couldn't get the
examples to run. I also installed Borland's free Java IDE and it works but
Java looks to have quite a learning curve. I wrote a lot of VB5/6 code and
have written a few small VB.NET programs. (Nested classes are great!) For
now I want to stay with something I (sorta) know.

-- Mark

On Tue, 01 Mar 2005 08:16:26 -0500, Mark Jerde spooled the following
warez:

> bonj wrote:
>
>>> I need to write some ISO C++ functions to verify data streams. (It
>>> is expected these will also eventually be run in Linux.) The
>>> application also needs a management GUI. For Windows I plan to
>>> write the GUI in VB .NET 2003.
>>
>> Why don't you write it in java, then you won't even have to write a
>> different one for linux.
>
> I don't know Java...


Neither do I, but it doesn't stop me ;-)

> I installed Eclipse but
couldn't get the
> examples to run. I also installed Borland's free Java IDE and it works
> but Java looks to have quite a learning curve.

Install the Java SDK from sun.java.com. There's also the netbeans IDE,
but I find it poor and don't use it. The way I see it, it's more fun
to learn what has to be learnt to get what I want done than it is to write
the same logic twice.

> I wrote a lot of VB5/6
> code and have written a few small VB.NET programs. (Nested classes are
> great!) For now I want to stay with something I (sorta) know.

Java is very similar to C#. And C# is very similar to VB.NET (sort of).
But you need to ask yourself, do you want a GUI to be able to run on
linux? If you do, and you already know a language / libraries to do that,
then you're sorted - go with your original plan. Or maybe you only need
the GUI on windows. But all I was thinking was, if it's more a case of
"I'll cross that bridge when I come to it" for the GUI on linux, then you
might end up finding that java is the best option anyway - and you'll kick
yourself if you've already spent ages writing a program in .NET on windows.

good luck with it though whatever you decide!