Can 32bit dll with Form/Frame be used in 64 bit project?

[Mike Torrettinni 198]

This is just a theory, concept question, just to see if it makes sense to explore: I have an activex charting control and I only have 32 bit version, old control that can't be replaced, yet. This is one of the things preventing me to move project to 64 bit.

I was thinking of wrapping this control into 32 bit dll with Form/Frame and then I can move the project to 64 bit and integrate the Form/Frame from the dll.

 

I have no experience with dll that can show visual controls, Forms/Frames. Right now I have this charting control attached to the PageControl Tab, I assume I can a show the same chart from dll.

 

Is this worth exploring or 32 bit dll with form/frame can't be used in 64bit project?

 

 

[David Heffernan 2345]

"Can 32bit dll with Form/Frame be used in 64 bit project?"

 

No. You can't mix different bitness modules in the same process. 

[Mike Torrettinni 198]

Thanks!

[Remy Lebeau 1396]

3 hours ago, Mike Torrettinni said:

I was thinking of wrapping this control into 32 bit dll with Form/Frame and then I can move the project to 64 bit and integrate the Form/Frame from the dll.

Right idea, but wrong solution.  A DLL Surrogate can be registered to act as a proxy, allowing a 32bit DLL server to be accessible to a 64bit process.  Not sure if this will work for your ActiveX control since it uses a UI, but it might be worth investigating.

3 hours ago, Mike Torrettinni said:

I have no experience with dll that can show visual controls, Forms/Frames.

For that to work correctly, you would need to make a BPL package, not a plain DLL.  But the same 32bit/64bit restriction applies to packages, too.

3 hours ago, Mike Torrettinni said:

Is this worth exploring or 32 bit dll with form/frame can't be used in 64bit project?

No, a 32bit DLL/BPL cannot be used directly in a 64bit process.  If the above doesn't work for your control, you may have to separate out your UI into its own 32bit program, and have your main 64bit program communicate with it using an IPC mechanism.

[FPiette 383]

Long time ago, I wrote an application which hosted forms from another application, both are exe files. The host application run the child application and find the handle of the form to be embedded, then it change his parent. Windows will make the child window appear in the host application as child!

 

In your case, you write both applications. The host is 64 bit and the child is 32 bit wrapping the 32 bit ActiveX. You can even ease the communication between the two instead of using API to enumerate process and windows to find what you need and transfer data between the two applications.

[David Heffernan 2345]

Cross process window parent relationships are something that in principle can be done, but in practise seldom work out. 

 

In reality the shortest route to your goal is almost certainly to replace the charting code. With an added benefit of also being the long term solution. 

[Mike Torrettinni 198]

5 hours ago, FPiette said:

Long time ago, I wrote an application which hosted forms from another application, both are exe files. The host application run the child application and find the handle of the form to be embedded, then it change his parent. Windows will make the child window appear in the host application as child!

Interesting, Do you remember any big issues or was it as easy as you describing it?

6 hours ago, FPiette said:

You can even ease the communication between the two instead of using API to enumerate process and windows to find what you need and transfer data between the two applications.

Can you rephrase this, please... I'm not sure you are suggesting to use API or NOT to use API? Could WM_COPYDATA be used for communication?

[Mike Torrettinni 198]

3 hours ago, David Heffernan said:

In reality the shortest route to your goal is almost certainly to replace the charting code. With an added benefit of also being the long term solution. 

Yes, I agree, that is long term plan. All the charting components I looked at would require some customization for same results. So, no good replacement/solution has been found, yet.

[FPiette 383]

23 minutes ago, Mike Torrettinni said:

Do you remember any big issues or was it as easy as you describing it?

It was easy except for tabbing where I had some difficulties to have tabbing working as usual in the host application form having embedded a form from the child process. The goal was to has what the user see (two forms actually) acting like a single form.

[FPiette 383]

26 minutes ago, Mike Torrettinni said:

an you rephrase this, please... I'm not sure you are suggesting to use API or NOT to use API? Could WM_COPYDATA be used for communication?

I mean since you write both application, you may use any inter-process communication to pass data between the two application (for example form's handle). If you like WM_COPYDATA, you can use it, or you can use a pipe or a socket or shared memory. You have the choice.

[Mike Torrettinni 198]

Just now, FPiette said:

I mean since you write both application, you may use any inter-process communication to pass data between the two application (for example form's handle). If you like WM_COPYDATA, you can use it, or you can use a pipe or a socket or shared memory. You have the choice.

Aha, thanks. I used WM_COPYDATA before, so if it works, I will try this and not to go too far into the unknown.

[Mike Torrettinni 198]

11 hours ago, Remy Lebeau said:

If the above doesn't work for your control, you may have to separate out your UI into its own 32bit program, and have your main 64bit program communicate with it using an IPC mechanism.

Hm, not sure this would be acceptable for users. Or perhaps they might just accept it, if the feature works and is useful for them, they might accept the fact that it shows up in another program.

 

Will think about it. Thanks!

[David Heffernan 2345]

Absolute insanity to attempt cross process window parent / child relationships. Not supported by MS amongst many many problems. Read what Raymond Chen has to say on the matter.

 

It blows my mind that people keep on suggesting this. 

[FPiette 383]

Is it legal to have a cross-process parent/child or owner/owned window relationship?