InteropForms

[vovan]

I downloaded and installed MS Interop Forms Toolkit.
The documentation says that this package is intended to be used to convert
an existing VB 6 project to VB 2005. I spent some time on reading and
analyzing samples.
So far I couldn't understand what is going to happen when all VB 6 forms are
replaced with their VB 2005 equivalents. I did not find in documentation any
scenario for an entire conversion process.
VB2005 forms created for a replacement are using wrapper classes. I do not
think they have to remain in the project after entire conversion. I did not
find anything about replacement the project file itself.

Is there anybody who used this toolkit and could give some scenario for a
conversion process.
From my point of view it could be much better if we had a tool allowing to
start with a new VB2005 project. Then using some wrappers to bring all VB6
forms in that project and later replace them one by one with their VB2005
equivalents.
I know I'm wrong, but I do not understand how this toolkit can help me to
upgrade my VB6 project (about 100 forms, 50 classes, 50 modules) to VB2005?

Any help please.

vovan

 

[Rick Rothstein \(MVP - VB\)]

I know I'm wrong, but I do not understand how this toolkit can help me to

upgrade my VB6 project (about 100 forms, 50 classes, 50 modules) to
VB2005?

There are so many little "gotcha" differences between VB6 and VB.NET, you
will probably be better off rewriting the entire application. Here is just
one "gotcha" that I found recently....

http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/library/wb216dct(VS.71).aspx

Unfortunately, this is not the only one. So, if you did get "something" to
translate your program, you would still have to go through it line-by-line
looking for the places where .NET used the same function/subroutine name and
syntax as VB6 did and see if the underlying functionality changed (assuming
you became familiar enough with all of these "gotcha" points in the first
place). Anyway...

Almost everybody in this newsgroup is using VB6 or lower. While you may get
a stray answer to VB.NET (including VB2003, VB2005 and VB Express which have
dropped .NET from their names) questions here, you should ask them in
newsgroups devoted exclusively to .NET programming (the languages are
different enough to warrant separate newsgroup support). Look for newsgroups
with either the word "dotnet" or "vsnet" in their name.

For the microsoft news server, try these newsgroups for Visual Basic .NET
related questions...

microsoft.public.dotnet.languages.vb
microsoft.public.dotnet.languages.vb.upgrade
microsoft.public.dotnet.languages.vb.controls
microsoft.public.dotnet.languages.vb.data

And these for more general .NET questions

microsoft.public.dotnet.general
microsoft.public.vsnet.general

Note: There are many other .NET newgroups (use the first three "fields" from
the last two as templates when searching for them), but the above ones
should get you started.

Rick

 

[Paul Clement]

¤ I downloaded and installed MS Interop Forms Toolkit.
¤ The documentation says that this package is intended to be used to convert
¤ an existing VB 6 project to VB 2005. I spent some time on reading and
¤ analyzing samples.
¤ So far I couldn't understand what is going to happen when all VB 6 forms are
¤ replaced with their VB 2005 equivalents. I did not find in documentation any
¤ scenario for an entire conversion process.
¤ VB2005 forms created for a replacement are using wrapper classes. I do not
¤ think they have to remain in the project after entire conversion. I did not
¤ find anything about replacement the project file itself.
¤
¤ Is there anybody who used this toolkit and could give some scenario for a
¤ conversion process.
¤ From my point of view it could be much better if we had a tool allowing to
¤ start with a new VB2005 project. Then using some wrappers to bring all VB6
¤ forms in that project and later replace them one by one with their VB2005
¤ equivalents.
¤ I know I'm wrong, but I do not understand how this toolkit can help me to
¤ upgrade my VB6 project (about 100 forms, 50 classes, 50 modules) to VB2005?

There is also an MSDN forum that handles questions for the Visual Basic Power Packs that you may
want to post to:

http://forums.microsoft.com/MSDN/ShowForum.aspx?ForumID=903&SiteID=1


Paul
~~~~
Microsoft MVP (Visual Basic)

 

[Ralph]

I downloaded and installed MS Interop Forms Toolkit.
The documentation says that this package is intended to be used to convert
an existing VB 6 project to VB 2005. I spent some time on reading and
analyzing samples.
So far I couldn't understand what is going to happen when all VB 6 forms are
replaced with their VB 2005 equivalents. I did not find in documentation any
scenario for an entire conversion process.
VB2005 forms created for a replacement are using wrapper classes. I do not
think they have to remain in the project after entire conversion. I did not
find anything about replacement the project file itself.

Is there anybody who used this toolkit and could give some scenario for a
conversion process.
From my point of view it could be much better if we had a tool allowing to
start with a new VB2005 project. Then using some wrappers to bring all VB6
forms in that project and later replace them one by one with their VB2005
equivalents.
I know I'm wrong, but I do not understand how this toolkit can help me to
upgrade my VB6 project (about 100 forms, 50 classes, 50 modules) to VB2005?

Any help please.

vovan

To add to the pile.

While a great deal depends on your projects and what they are doing,
everything will ultimately come down to the final resource - the programmer.
In this case it is YOU. <g>

I have seen some teams have great success with the conversion packages,
others look at the 14,000 lines of ToDo's and throw up their hands in
disgust. What will work best for you - you will have to discover on your own
within YOUR problem domain.

I can tell you that simply playing around with "test cases" ain't going to
cut it. There are just too many areas of risk, unknowns, and Gotchas. All
things you will have to work out on your own, based on your own comfort
level, skill set, and your current solutions.

The one bright spot is it is not linear. That is, while the first project
may take a month, the next will be measured in weeks, and soon it will take
days. What were major stubbling blocks in the beginning become no-brainers
near the end. That's why test cases are useless.

Camping on the outskirts of St. Louis might be useful in getting you used to
sleeping outside, but it is a poor representation of the challenges you are
going to face in crossing the desert, fighting off hostile landlords, or
dragging 2 tons of stuff over the Rocky Mountains.

You will survive. You will arrive in Oregon. The conversion will happen. Of
course, whether or not it was worth it" Is as they say, "... that's another
story". <g>

-ralph