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2006-11-22 11:41:31 PM
delphi198
Is there a way I can use an ActiveX ocx file that I have imported without
having to have it registered?
The users of my program have a need to run my program and will not have the
ability to install anything.
I was using MSDE but switched to Firebird and successfully replaced the
database stuff, but I have one last piece to resolve. My app will use
TWebBrowser to display a file that requires an activex plugin. (happens to
be iPix image).
I could probably use the ActiveX directly and skip the browser bit if I
could just make calls into it without having to have it registered.
Anybody have any suggestions? Thanks.
 

Oliver Townshend
 

 

mtiede writes:
call DllGetClassObject for the ocx directly after loading it. The MSDN
documentation says you shouldn't, but theoretically it could work.
HTH,
Patrick
 

Of course - registry free COM
(msdn.microsoft.com/msdnmag/issues/05/04/RegFreeCOM/default.aspx).
You just need to modify your app's manifest file appropriately (this has
nothing to do with .Net) to tell COM where you want some particular COM
objects to come from.
Or you can just directly call DllGetClassObject etc COM functions exported
by the COM dll the way COM system itself does it.
Dmitry Streblechenko (MVP)
www.dimastr.com/
OutlookSpy - Outlook, CDO
and MAPI Developer Tool
"mtiede" <XXXX@XXXXX.COM>writes

The ActiveX does not have anything else that will do what it does. (happens
to be iPix images activex control)
"Oliver Townshend" <oliveratzipdotcomdotau>writes

Dmitry,
Thanks, that sounds very promising. I will take a look.
"Dmitry Streblechenko" <XXXX@XXXXX.COM>writes

I was successfully able to create a manifest for my program and dynamically
call my activex (TOleControl) without it being registered. All was fine
until I closed the application. Then it goes through Tapplication.Destroy
that does this:
if FPopupControlWnd <>0 then
Classes.DeallocateHWnd(FPopupControlWnd);
This causes an access violation.
I'm guessing the handle is invalid, but don't know why or what to do about
it.
I tried a few things. I tried to just put the instance of the object on the
form at design time. I tried to create the instance at runtime. I tried to
do a CreateParented. I tried creating it with no owner. Nothing I have tried
so far has been successful.
Here is the manifest file:
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8" standalone="yes"?>
<assembly xmlns="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:asm.v1" manifestVersion="1.0">
<file name="ipixx.ocx">
<comClass description="IpixX ActiveX Control module"
clsid="{11260943-421B-11D0-8EAC-0000C07D88CF}"
progid="IPIXXLib.IpixX"
threadingModel="apartment" />
</file></assembly>
What am I missing?
Delphi version: Delphi 2005
 

So there isn't a VCL Control for it.
Oliver Townshend
 

Okay, 2 more odd points.
1. If I just add a webbrowser object to the form, it doesn't blow up on exit
anymore.
I thought it might be the units that were sucked in, but if I delete the
webbrowser object, the error reoccurs. (perhaps the smart linker is linking
out whatever it was bringing in from those units anyway)
2. If I run it on anyone else's machine, it doesn't blow up.
I am worried that if I give it to customers, it WILL blow up for them
like it did for me because I don't know what is causing the blowup on my
machine.
I suspect that Delphi 2005 has put its debugger into the system and
perhaps that is causing it to catch some sort of error that isn't normally
caught, but I don't really believe that since others using Delphi 7 and its
debugger don't have problems running the program.
Any ideas anyone?
 

mtiede writes:
"Windows XP introduces a new COM activation model called registration-free
COM, or Reg-Free COM for short. "
So, no XP, no fun with this solution.
HTH,
Patrick
 

If you need to use the COM object in question directly in your code, nothing
prevents you from doing what COM itself does - call DllGetClassObject
function exported by the COM dll, etc.
Dmitry Streblechenko (MVP)
www.dimastr.com/
OutlookSpy - Outlook, CDO
and MAPI Developer Tool
"Patrick Kursawe" <XXXX@XXXXX.COM>writes