Creating ActiveX

[RTollison 0]

I am needing to create an activex component. the example that i have found just is very basic to the point of not getting an understanding of how to add more features/options.

basically i purchased an activex component back around 2004, the company that sold it no longer sells the activex component. however, i have purchased their vcl component set.

its an activex grid. i can use the BDS wizard for creating an activex component starting with the grid but it doesn't have any bands, columns or any exposed functions/procedures that i can access. would like to add a memory dataset for it to have available to use and anything else that i might think is useful.

any ideas as a good example about creating an activex component and exposing some functions/procedures/whatever? (DEVEXPRESS Quantum Grid)

[Guest]

It is not easy to understand what you want to achieve. Could you be more specific? Perhaps you have a screenshot or two.

Are you trying to incorporate an old ActiveX component in you project? How is that related to DevExpress QuantumGrid?

DevExpress QuantumGrid VCL is written in Object Pascal. You should not need any ActiveX stuff in order to use that component.

 

HTH,

 

/Dany

[Lars Fosdal 1730]

What kind of app will be hosting the ActiveX component? The future of ActiveX is a bit iffy.

[RTollison 0]

i have purchased the activex of the devexpress quantum grid. when needing to get an updated version of the activex grid control, i found out they no longer support activex components.

so i purchased the dev express component suit for everything VCL.

We use the activex grid inside of acucorp acucobol. we have looked at other activex grid components on the market but that would mean we would have to change all our cobol programs to use the new activex grid component. at this point i am having some issues with registering/using the activex grid with windows 10. i get it to work correctly with use of an admin registering the component. i am concerned about it with regards to any new updates to win 10 that might cause it to not work.

i was hoping ("wishing") it would be an easy process to use something/anything from the old activex to create a new activex component with the updated vcl components. after doing some reading of an old book "Delphi Programming with COM and ACTIVEX" i finally got it thru my thick skull that skipping to the part about creating activex controls chapter is not the way to go. I am finally understanding that you have to learn how to create the vcl component with all the whistle and bells before trying to create the activex component.

so now i am reading from the beginning (how to create vcl components) and maybe i can get a better understanding of creating and activex component.

[RTollison 0]

by using the "Import Component" i can get the *_tlb.pas file and was wondering if i can use that in ANY way to help with the creation of an updated activex project?

[Guest]

I'm sorry. I read and read and i do not understand. If you have an [old?] COBOL project, then that is not enough for me to discern your needs.

You have an COBOL project (environment not understood) that uses an ActiveX-interfaced grid. Where does Delphi come in to the mix?

Please, be more specific. You post does not infer that you use Delphi at all, not do it explain how you use Dephi.

[JSPUS 0]

There are modern COBOL IDEs for Windows including COBOL VM servers most of which can be linked to various modern programming environments in the usual ways.

[RTollison 0]

1) We are not changing cobol vendors as we have over 5K cobol programs and over 1200 clients.

2) We already changing over to C# development

3) This changeover process takes time.

4) Windows is updating/changing version 10

5) ACTIVEX controls that we use in our cobol programs are from 2000 era

    a) We have already ran into some minor issues related to the ACTIVEX controls and Windows 10 and we got a workaround going

6) I would like to reproduce the ACTIVEX control using Delphi 10.2 in hopes of it not having the same issues as the current ACTIVEX does (the control was invisible until we turned DEP off, workaround)

7) We have purchased all of the devexpress vcl library with hopes of it helping to create a new ACTIVEX to replace the old one. (A BIGGER job than it first seemed)

8 ) I have imported the old REGISTERED ACTIVEX library and created a unit *_TLB.pas and was hoping i could use it in the creation of a new ACTIVEX control with ALL the same names/features. (NO REWRITING of cobol programs)

9) Apparently no easy way to create new ACTIVEX ridl from the *_TLB.pas unit created from the import.

 

[Angus Robertson 520]

Don't know anything about DEVEXPRESS components, but from reading your comments you purchased an ActiveX component from them which was written in Delphi, but which they no longer support, and you have no source code for it, but do have a similar VCL component with source? 

 

Surely the fastest solution is try and buy the ActiveX source from DEVEXPRESS so you can bring it up to date?  Perhaps even off to let them sell your new version for others in the same situation.  Recreating it 100% accurately is not a trivial task.  

 

Windows 10 generally retains compatibility with all earlier technologies, it's rare for Microsoft to obsolete APIs and stuff, but security often gets harder to implements, particularly because ActiveX was a horrible risk in MSIE. 

 

I wrote a non-visual COM object 10 years ago with a type library, for use with ASP web pages,  which was relatively easy, but a visual grid will be more complex.

 

Angus

[Guest]

Ah! So you are CREATING an ActiveX component using Delphi. Well, now i cannot help.

DevExpress do not (in my limited knowledge) maintain anything ActiveX.

Anyone using DX to write ActiveX components would have to rely on "vanilla VLC" for that part.