Create an ActiveX control in .Net using C#

Question

Can anybody guide me how to write an ActiveX control in C# . Pointers to any article will be useful .

Vinay Tripathi · Answer

Hi Pranab Its very late since your last mail and by now you probably had solved the problem. If you are still getting the problem as i got it first time follow the following steps: 1: Make sure you are typing the correct AssemblyName#Namespace.ClassName in classId attribute of Object Tag. 2- Copy the dll to the same directory where the web pages are. 3- In you browser security option enable the Run component not signed with authanticode or signed if you are signing the control under Tools>InternetOption>Security>Internet>CustomLevel. 4- Refresh the page. Hope fully you'll see it working Cheers Vinay Tripathi Analyst Programmer Fosters Group Australia

pranabkd · Answer

I have laced it in a virtual directory . I have set te site as a trusted one . Is that what you meant by FullTrust . If not can you please give a little more info . And it would b vry helpful if you can find the articles . Thnaks all of you for your responses . Pranab

jimteeuwen · Answer

These webcontrold are nice but they require you to a) place it ina *virtual* directory on the server with script execution rights. b) The client machine *must* mess with the .NET security profiles ans set the site where the control is at to 'Fulltrust' in order to have it execute. In the first .NET framework relewase this was the case by default but due to a new security model they changed it causing webcontrols to be ignored by default. There are some articles on this Ill have a look if I can find some.

pranabkd · Answer

Yes I have seen this article . But somehow this actually does not work . The Control does not get loaded into the web page . I am not sure whether this functionality has been taken away in .Net 1.1.

kovan · Answer

have u looked at http://www.vbdotnetheaven.com/Code/Jun2003/2067.asp??

pranabkd · Answer

The control is definitely going to be called from a non .Net code . It will be called from a JSP site . The client does not want the control  performing some specific duties  to be written in VB . Its part of the requirement to write it in either C# or VB.NET . So what ever control I write it should behave like an ActiveX control or like an applet in Java .

kovan · Answer

the only reason u would want to write a activex is so u can use it with non .NET code and if u are going this route u shoudl be either writing it in vb or c++. if the activex control is gonna be used in .NET code just write server side controls and ur set to go

pranabkd · Answer

That seems to be a good option . But can you guide me how to call a .Net control from plain HTML . I was trying the object tag in the following manner : ******************************************************************* ******************************************************************* Where ActiveXDotNet.dll is the name of the dll file which practically holds a .Net User control and ActiveXDotNet.myControl is the fully qualified name of the UserControl class . When I browsed to the page from the local Web Server  the control was actually not loaded in the page . Do you know of a way of loading a .Net control from HTML .

spgilmore · Answer

Why bother with ActiveX? C# writes .Net web controls just as well (and a lot easier) but they're not ActiveX controls. The only reason I can think of to use an ActiveX control instead of a .NET web control is that .NET requires IE6 which isn't really a huge requirement (it's free) or if you don't want to distribute the .NET runtime or the users are running Win95 or don't have internet access.

pranabkd · Answer

I have no problem installing the .Net framework on the client machines. My requirement is to write the ActiveX control in C# . I am trying to assess whether there is any way to do that .

jimteeuwen · Answer

C# cannot and will not be used as unmanaged code. anything written in C# running on the client machine *must* have access to the .NET Framework runtime.

pranabkd · Answer

Kovan  Thanks for the article link . My requirement is very specific . I need to write an ActiveX control in C# which can be called from an HTML page like any other ActiveX control in unmanaged code . Pranab

kovan · Answer

happy reading :) http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/default.asp?url=/library/en-us/dnbda/html/cominterop.asp