Mav, thanks for sharing this information - it was very helpful in understanding how to pass a command line parameter to the Installer and see that value show up on a text field. I have a question though, how can I programatically detect that I didn't get a command line parameter and populate those text fields another way? Perhaps I read the registry or a text file. I want to handle the situation where I prompted a user for something during the first install, and subsequent installs I show them the previous value and allow them to change it - unless I get a command line argument - which trumps this logic. Thanks again for sharing the information though...very helpful. -Ron

I have an existing VC6 C++ application that I'm using to post http calls into a .NET web service. One of the methods on this web service returns a DataSet object which has pretty complicated XML; including base64 encoded binary blob fields. Has anyone attempted to create a C++ class that can emulate the C# DataSet class; and be able to parse that XML and provide accessors to the rows and column values? I am going to have to do this, but thought I would first see if there was any exising code I could make use of rather than re-inventing that wheel. Thanks if anyone has a starter block of code they don't mind sharing. Ron Ward

You can change solution and project names by simply right clicking on them in the Solution Explorer of VS and selecting rename. That won't change the physical file paths though. You would have to do that manually and then when you open your solution you will get errors that some projects couldn't be loaded. Just delete the project from your solution and add it back in via Add/Existing Project. The only way I know of to change the virtual directory a solution pointing to is to open the .sln file in notepad, look for the "http://localhost/virtual/mysolution.csproj" and edit it in place. That new virtual must already exist in IIS for that to work though.

Usually when a machine has problems running web service application, I find the following command to help: C:\WINDOWS\Microsoft.NET\Framework\v1.1.4322\aspnet_regiis.exe -i That will go through all your virtual directories and assign the 1.1 framework version to be used for all the aspx extensions. This is also a pretty good article on common debugging problems with .NET http://www.gotdotnet.com/team/csharp/learn/whitepapers/howtosolvedebuggerproblems.doc If neither of those things help, then I've not run across this type of condition before.

This may be a stupid question, but I've not figured this out...so perhaps I'm stupid. But what is the best way in Visual Studio .NET to handle image updates within a WinForm application? Currently, if I drop an ImageList or a PictureBox onto a form, I can assign an image to it and pick an image from a disk file. I may use that same image on 10 different forms. Now if I want to edit that image, the only way I know to do this is to edit the disk file in paint, then update all the forms is to remove the current image from the ImageList and re-add the updated file. Is there a better way to do this? In VC6, I could have an image as an embedded resource and then have various forms reference that resource by its ID. I could even edit that image right from within VS. I'm guessing that I'm not understanding something because I wouldn't think that facility would be missing in .NET, but I haven't come across how to do it and am hoping someone can advise me. Thanks Ron Ward

Thank you Nick! This is exactly what I needed. I had heard the Reflection term thrown around, but never realized what it was. Being a Visual C++ developer, this term means something very different to me. Thank you again. :)

I'm not sure if what I'm wanting to do is possible in C# or not, but I thought I'd pose the question. In C++, we are able to create ActiveX controls and host them in a generic container. The container can read a menu system from a database and populate a tree and have an assigned GUID for the object to construct when each tree node is clicked. Can this phisophy be done in a Windows form .NET application (without ActiveX)? Can I construct a Form or a UserControl by simply reading in the form class name from a database table? I know I can create a builder class that could return a new object for a given piece of text, but that would mean I would have to update this builder class each time a new form were developed. I would like to create a container that never had to be modified...not sure if that is possible. Ron Ward

I have a couple of questions regarding a System.Windows.Forms.UserControl derived control that is to be hosted in IE. Basic functionality seems to work, but I'm unable to figure out how to EnableVisualStyles...since IE is the parent application. All buttons on the control appear flat and square. Attempting to invoke the Application.EnableVisualStyles() call within my control's Load event causes IE to GPF. Attempting to host a Form within my control that contains a button with the flat style set to System still results in flat buttons. Also, I'm not able to get keyboard hot keys to work for any buttons on the user control. The tab key works for moving focus between buttons, and the mouse key works, but if I hit alt-char to invoke the hot key...nothing. Am I limited to creating owner draw buttons and handling keyboard events at the control level? Anyone have any experience in this area? Thank you in advance. Ron Ward

I periodically have 2 odd things happening within Visual Studio 2003; both regarding the forms designer. I belive both are VS bugs, but there are no updates available for me to pull down and I was wondering if others have seen this behavior before: First, within the solution explorer, sometimes all of my form files will get their icons changed from the little blue form to a green c# class file. Once this happens, any attempt to open a form will result in only opening the code. If I simply make a tiny edit to the base class name within the class definition and then change it back (change Form to Form2 and then back to Form), the icon fixes itself and then I can edit the resource. The second odd thing I sometimes see is that a form that I had been editing 2 minutes earlier suddenly reports: An error occurred while loading the document. Fix the error, and then try loading the document again. If I simply close Visual Studio and reopen it, then I'm able to edit this form. Has anyone else seen this oddity?

Glad the workaround worked for you. I'm sorry I don't know the proper way to do this...I haven't done any shell programming at all. I did find this article on the codeguru; not that I recommend or endorse the codeguru in any way - seeing that I'm a loyal codeproject user: http://www.codeguru.com/Cpp/COM-Tech/shell/article.php/c1315/

I don't know if there's an actual API call on this or not, but you can always pluck this out of the registry. It's always in the same place on any version of Windows: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\ProgramFilesDir -OBRon

Yes, you need to purchase the Visual Studio .NET 2003 Upgrade. Microsoft has an offer right now for 29 bucks you can upgrade from 2002. http://msdn.microsoft.com/vstudio/howtobuy/upgrade/vstudio03/default.aspx I think you can either choose to upgrade the existing directory or install it to a new directory. The two versions will run side by side with no problems.

I'm not certain how do do exactly what you want, but couldn't you call GetLongPathName function once you know the short filename and convert it to the long name?

In Visual Studio, create a new project. Select a type of Setup and Deployment Projects. Then pick Setup Project or use the Setup Wizard. It's pretty self explanatory.

It sounds like the CAB file wasn't found in your codebase path, or the version in your object tag is greater than the version of the control in the cab. Your tag should look something like this:

Thank you for the article...that is a big help.

I have read articles explaining how to host a .NET Windows Form within IE and I have a general question that perhaps someone can answer and save me some research. Once a .NET control has been constructed within IE, can this control communicate back to the HTML page that is hosting it? Can I push a button within the .NET control, and have C# code find an HTML element on it's parent page and perform an operation on it (change its color or update its value)? If that's possible, is the reverse possible? Can a javascript operation on an HTML button, call a method within that .NET control that it's hosting? If these things are possible, can you point me to where I need to look to implement these behaviors? Thank you in advance for any input. -Ron Ward

We try to avoid helping people write virus software. How about using the security built into XP and removing any NTFS permissions to the programs you don't want people using.

The CRegKey class is what you want to use: // Read a DWORD from the registry DWORD dwValue = 0; CString csKEY = "Software\\Company"; CRegKey key; if ( key.Open(HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE, csKEY, KEY_READ) == ERROR_SUCCESS) { if (key.QueryDWORDValue("MyKey", dwValue) == ERROR_SUCCESS) AfxMessageBox("You read it into dwValue"); key.Close(); } // Write a DWORD to the registry DWORD dwValue = 3; CString csKEY = "Software\\Company"; CRegKey key; if ( key.Create(HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE, csKEY) == ERROR_SUCCESS) { if (key.SetDWORDValue("MyKey", dwValue) == ERROR_SUCCESS) AfxMessageBox("You wrote it"); key.Close(); }

I heard that.