Creating your own components...

[Guest]

Hi,

I'm wondering if anyone can provide me with some good reference material
(online on msdn, a book or an article) on how to create custom .NET
components. I'm not trying to make a user control for a form. I'd just like
to create a component that does some background processing that clients can
drag and drop onto their windows forms, or instatiate this component and use
it. I can't seem to find much on the internet about this topic. I found alot
of 3rd party re-sellers selling addon components for VS .NET. Any help is
appreciated. Thanks!

 

[Guest]

If there is no UI, simply create a class library project in your favorite
language. If you are primarily concerned with behavior of the object or
manipulating other objects, create methods to do the work.

Last year, Paul Sherriff (pdsa.com) did quite a few webcasts on basic
ASP.NET architecture that included refactoring to class libraries. You can
try his site, or check out the www.microsoft.com/events site and search. The
event was given many times, so it should be easy enough to find the webcasts
(of the two, part 1 is the most useful).

--
Gregory A. Beamer
MVP; MCP: +I, SE, SD, DBA

***************************
Think Outside the Box!
***************************

 

[Guest]

Thank you for the reply Gregory! As a side note, this component won't do
things with the web or ASP.NET. its for our clients who can use this
component to interface with our products. Similar to the MSComm Control
(quickest one i can think of). Can i encapsulate multiple components into a
single component? Also, is the VS .NET 2003 Pro edition good enough to create
components like these? Thanks for your time!

Rahul

 

[Guest]

Hello Rahul,

You should be able to create multiple components in the same class library
without any problems. Yes, Visual Studio 2003 Pro will work for creating
Class Libraries.

-Ken B.

 

[Guest]

Thank you Ken. Thats all I needed to know. As a side note, does the MSDN
documentation that comes with VS .NET Pro contain enough information to
create .NET components, or do you think another reference is needed? Thanks
once again.

Rahul

 

[Guest]

If you are trying to do what I think you are, then yes MSDN has enough
information to help you. Creating class libraries are fairly simple. All you
need to do is create a class library project and add multiple classes to that
project. The class library project will compile down to a dll. The dll can
then be referenced and used in your application.

Good Luck,
-Ken

 

[Dick Grier]

Yes, for use in .NET. You cannot use VB .NET to create ActiveX controls,
only .NET controls. But, you can aggregate several (as many as you need,
actually) other .NET controls in your control. And, Pro is fine.

--
Richard Grier (Microsoft Visual Basic MVP)

See www.hardandsoftware.net for contact information.

Author of Visual Basic Programmer's Guide to Serial Communications, 4th
Edition ISBN 1-890422-28-2 (391 pages) published July 2004. See
www.mabry.com/vbpgser4 to order.