Takeshi wrote:
> Hi All,
>
> I am impressed with the aesthetic (UI) appeal of DotNet, but not by
> much else, like it's new fangled languages etc... I have a legacy C++
> 3tier application, which uses C++ DLLs. I would like to use the DotNet
> frontend (e.g. the PL provided by infragistics). However, I don't want
> to start messing about with Managed C++ etc. Is there anyway I can use
> my C++ DLLs (and C++ code of my application) and "bind" them to a
> DotNet UI?
>
> Any ideas/suggestions will be very much appreciated.

Takeshi wrote:
> Hi Edward,
>
> Thanks for the prompt response. Don't want to use MC++. What about if
> I "extern C" my C++ DLLS (i.e. convert them to regular Win32 DLLs) and
> then write the GUI logic in VB (calling the functions from VB) ?

>
> Will that work?
>
> Tks
>
> Edward Diener wrote:
>
>> Takeshi wrote:
>>
>>> Hi All,
>>>
>>> I am impressed with the aesthetic (UI) appeal of DotNet, but not by
>>> much else, like it's new fangled languages etc... I have a legacy
>>> C++ 3tier application, which uses C++ DLLs. I would like to use the
>>> DotNet frontend (e.g. the PL provided by infragistics). However, I
>>> don't want to start messing about with Managed C++ etc. Is there
>>> anyway I can use my C++ DLLs (and C++ code of my application) and
>>> "bind" them to a DotNet UI?
>>>
>>> Any ideas/suggestions will be very much appreciated.
>>
>>
>> You can use Interop from any .NET language to use your DLL as long
>> as they are straight functions. But you will have to use some .NET
>> language to implement your .NET front end. Even Interop this way may
>> have some marshalling issues if the .NET types and the DLL function
>> signature types are different, which will require some .NET
>> marshalling attributes to get things right. If you use MC++, you
>> don't need to use Interop as IJW ( It Just Works ) makes it
>> unnecessary.
>>
>> However if your DLL is C++ classes, you need to use MC++. You can
>> then: 1) Recompile your DLL as an unmanaged DLL and add DLL
>> functions which create an object and a return a pointer and delete
>> the object, all from within your DLL. You will use this creation and
>> deletion rather than 'new' and 'delete'. Then you can have a pure
>> MC++ front end operating with an unmanaged C++ back end.
>> or
>> 2) Create a mixed mode MC++ front end assembly which uses your DLL (
>> DLL still needs to be compiled as unmanaged C++ DLL with whatever
>> version of VC++ you are using ). There are a number of things you
>> need to do in order to implement your mixed mode MC++ assembly, all
>> documented in MSDN under "Converting Managed Extensions for C++
>> Projects from Pure Intermediate Language to Mixed Mode".

Edward Diener wrote:

> Takeshi wrote:
>
>>Hi All,
>>
>>I am impressed with the aesthetic (UI) appeal of DotNet, but not by
>>much else, like it's new fangled languages etc... I have a legacy C++
>>3tier application, which uses C++ DLLs. I would like to use the DotNet
>>frontend (e.g. the PL provided by infragistics). However, I don't want
>>to start messing about with Managed C++ etc. Is there anyway I can use
>>my C++ DLLs (and C++ code of my application) and "bind" them to a
>>DotNet UI?
>>
>>Any ideas/suggestions will be very much appreciated.
>
>
> You can use Interop from any .NET language to use your DLL as long as they
> are straight functions. But you will have to use some .NET language to
> implement your .NET front end. Even Interop this way may have some
> marshalling issues if the .NET types and the DLL function signature types
> are different, which will require some .NET marshalling attributes to get
> things right. If you use MC++, you don't need to use Interop as IJW ( It
> Just Works ) makes it unnecessary.
>
> However if your DLL is C++ classes, you need to use MC++. You can then:
> 1) Recompile your DLL as an unmanaged DLL and add DLL functions which create
> an object and a return a pointer and delete the object, all from within your
> DLL. You will use this creation and deletion rather than 'new' and 'delete'.
> Then you can have a pure MC++ front end operating with an unmanaged C++ back
> end.
> or
> 2) Create a mixed mode MC++ front end assembly which uses your DLL ( DLL
> still needs to be compiled as unmanaged C++ DLL with whatever version of
> VC++ you are using ). There are a number of things you need to do in order
> to implement your mixed mode MC++ assembly, all documented in MSDN under
> "Converting Managed Extensions for C++ Projects from Pure Intermediate
> Language to Mixed Mode".
>
>