Microsoft: Help with OLE documents...

[VBen]

Hi all.
I have an application to draw and design different documents, that supports
linking and embedding of other documents (like, for instance, Corel Draw or
Word). Then, the user can print their designs "WYSIWYG", so I load the
external document inside an OLE document container control (VB6), get a
handle to the object and invoke OleDraw with the hDC that I want the object
in.
This have been working excellent, and this application is largely
distributed among our clients.
The problem is we want to migrate to .NET (any language, VB, C#, C++, ...),
but there's no OLE container that lets me obtain a handle to an OLE
document.
I know you could import COM and ActiveX, but this particular control
(included in VB6) CANNOT BE IMPORTED NOR INSERTED in .Net.
Microsoft calls this a "migration issue" and warns us about it, but how,
then, can I draw an Ole document inside our application (let alone open,
edit, update, etc)?
Is Microsoft planning to update this component for VS.Net 2005? Or is there
an alternative?
I know I could load an OLE document "the hard way", but those are methods so
obscure, I get lost before even starting to insert the document in a
container... If this is the only solution, is there an easy (as easy as this
can be) example that can lead me to accomplish the insertion of a document
inside mine?
I know it can be done, because RTF editor lets you do it. It even lets you
open and edit the document, and "paste special", but I don't seem to
accomplish getting a handle to any of those inserted objects...
Thank you for your time,
VBen.

 

[Mike McIntyre [MVP]]

See the blog at:
http://blogs.vbcity.com/mcintyre/archive/2004/12/07/519.aspx

Be sure to read the comments too ;-0

--
Mike

Mike McIntyre
Visual Basic MVP
www.getdotnetcode.com

 

[VBen]

So, we're back at the beginning... We can't migrate until VS.net 2005 is
released, and even then, we'll have to compile an obscure sample into our
project...
Is there still the idea to "release" the ActiveDocumentHost as a sample
included in .net 2005? Will MS release eventually this control?
Have you seen this Document Host? (just curious).
I'd like to see it, and see if it will fit our needs (even in its
unsupported stage)... Is there a version I could use or compile on VS.net
2002? (we don't have the Beta, and don't plan to install it any time soon).
If so, please let me know where or how to get it...
We really can prescind of OLE support for our app, since GDI+ is much better
than GDI, and our APP will include many features not previously available,
but to support existing customers, we should include full support of
previous versions of our files (and not just files that do not have ole
elements)..... That's a really good question...
Thanks anyway, and I'll be looking forward to see if there's another
solution to our dilema.
Please, if anyone knows of some alternative solution, post here....
VBen.

 

[timpub]

We used the Microsoft dsoFramer control in VB6 and it ported fairly
easily to .Net:
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;EN-US;311765

Other people also seem to have success:
http://www.windowsforms.net/Forums/ShowPost.aspx?tabIndex=1&tabId=41&PostID=14964

We manipulate Word and Excel with it. Previously we'd tried vb6 ole
control and the webBrowser, the dsoFramer was much better for our
needs.

I suggest that you first try to upgrade your VB6 project to use the
dsoFramer rather than the ole control. If you can get that part of the
VB6 project working OK, it should transfer to dotnet pretty smoothly.

Note that generally in .dotnet you'll have an easier time working with
office documents if you only support Office XP and Office 2003 as they
have offial PIAs. We still support Office 2000 and 97 and debugging the
automation calls to those was a bit painful.

Tim

 

[timpub]

Microsoft have just updated the dsoFramer. The version we're using is
1.1.1214.0, Copyright ©1996-2001. The version for download now is
1.2.1223.0, Copyright ©1999-2004. Also the knowledge base article was
last updated January 17th 2005 and now reflects use in dotnet.

So it seems that someone at Microsoft actually cares about this
unadvertised and unsupported life saver!