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Load Vb6 DLL Function

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  • mrjjM mrjj

    Hi
    Since VB6 string is a vb type, im not sure you can use it directly.
    https://stackoverflow.com/questions/5231879/vb6-how-to-pass-strings-to-a-dll-written-in-c-through-a-tlb-file

    So it seems you should use LPSTR
    and declare the stings in VB as
    Dim file_name_in As String * 256

    kshegunovK Offline
    kshegunovK Offline
    kshegunov
    Moderators
    wrote on last edited by
    #3

    @mrjj said in Load Vb6 DLL Function:

    So it seems you should use LPSTR

    I find it hard to believe the function should return a char *, but it's certainly not impossible.

    @newbieQTDev said in Load Vb6 DLL Function:

    This is an example where the function return a int but i want return a vb6 string how i do?

    You need to find what's the function prototype exactly, i.e. what is the C-style return type you should expect. I'm not into VB, but if it's LPSTR, as @mrjj mentions, then you're not only responsible to get the return value, but also probably to clean up the memory afterwards.

    Read and abide by the Qt Code of Conduct

    1 Reply Last reply
    3
    • newbieQTDevN newbieQTDev

      Hi.
      I need to load a vb6 dll and run a function.
      This is an example where the function return a int but i want return a vb6 string how i do?

      #include <QCoreApplication>
      #include <QLibrary>
      #include <QDebug>
      
      typedef int (*call_func)();
      
      int main(int argc, char *argv[])
      {
          QCoreApplication a(argc, argv);
      
          QLibrary library( "C:\\Windows\\SysWOW64\\myDLL.dll" );
          library.load();
          if( !library.isLoaded() )
          {
              qDebug() << "Cannot load library.";
              return 0;
          }
          else qDebug()<<"I have load a library";
          call_func func = (call_func)library.resolve( "myIntFunction" );
          if( func)
          {
              qDebug()<<  func() << endl;
          } else qDebug() << "I not call function"<<endl;
      
          return a.exec();
      }
      
      

      Every help is appreciated. Thanks

      aha_1980A Offline
      aha_1980A Offline
      aha_1980
      Lifetime Qt Champion
      wrote on last edited by
      #4

      @newbieQTDev

      just to add to @mrjj and @kshegunov, the interesting thing to know is the function signature, as typically written in a C header file.

      is there any documentation for that library or did you write it yourself ?

      Qt has to stay free or it will die.

      1 Reply Last reply
      1
      • newbieQTDevN newbieQTDev

        Hi.
        I need to load a vb6 dll and run a function.
        This is an example where the function return a int but i want return a vb6 string how i do?

        #include <QCoreApplication>
        #include <QLibrary>
        #include <QDebug>
        
        typedef int (*call_func)();
        
        int main(int argc, char *argv[])
        {
            QCoreApplication a(argc, argv);
        
            QLibrary library( "C:\\Windows\\SysWOW64\\myDLL.dll" );
            library.load();
            if( !library.isLoaded() )
            {
                qDebug() << "Cannot load library.";
                return 0;
            }
            else qDebug()<<"I have load a library";
            call_func func = (call_func)library.resolve( "myIntFunction" );
            if( func)
            {
                qDebug()<<  func() << endl;
            } else qDebug() << "I not call function"<<endl;
        
            return a.exec();
        }
        
        

        Every help is appreciated. Thanks

        kshegunovK Offline
        kshegunovK Offline
        kshegunov
        Moderators
        wrote on last edited by
        #5

        Something which @aha_1980's comment reminded me of ... you could in principle decode the decorated name from the binary. I will explain how if it gets to this, however it's much simpler if you have docs or otherwise information what's the C equivalent of the VB types.

        Read and abide by the Qt Code of Conduct

        1 Reply Last reply
        1
        • newbieQTDevN Offline
          newbieQTDevN Offline
          newbieQTDev
          wrote on last edited by
          #6

          Thanks for all.
          I will try to recover the documentation of the dll. I found some information about the conversion between the vb and c ++ data types.
          The equivalent type should be BSTR.
          Unraveling Strings in Visual C++
          My work scenario is quite strange. I have to call in C ++ (QT) some functions of a dll written for vb6. I am migrating an application from vb6 to C ++ (QT). My vb6 application uses the dll. Then i will include the functionality of the dll in my C ++ application (QT)

          1 Reply Last reply
          0
          • newbieQTDevN Offline
            newbieQTDevN Offline
            newbieQTDev
            wrote on last edited by
            #7

            As suggested by kshegunov I found the prototype of the function. this is

            STDMETHOD(get_SoftwareCode)(/*[out, retval]*/ BSTR *pVal);
            

            Which is the right method for the call?
            Thanks

            kshegunovK 1 Reply Last reply
            0
            • mrjjM Offline
              mrjjM Offline
              mrjj
              Lifetime Qt Champion
              wrote on last edited by mrjj
              #8

              Hi
              Does the documentation mention who has ownership of the pVal?

              Anyway, you can try
              QString string("WHATEVER");
              BSTR bstr = SysAllocString(string.utf16());
              // use...
              SysFreeString(bstr); // unless DLL owns it..

              Notice this is native API and not Qt. So you might need extra includes
              and/or link to libs.

              Note that it seems to be other way. you call the DLL and it put data in the pVal.
              In that case, you might need t know maximum it needs.

              hskoglundH 1 Reply Last reply
              2
              • mrjjM mrjj

                Hi
                Does the documentation mention who has ownership of the pVal?

                Anyway, you can try
                QString string("WHATEVER");
                BSTR bstr = SysAllocString(string.utf16());
                // use...
                SysFreeString(bstr); // unless DLL owns it..

                Notice this is native API and not Qt. So you might need extra includes
                and/or link to libs.

                Note that it seems to be other way. you call the DLL and it put data in the pVal.
                In that case, you might need t know maximum it needs.

                hskoglundH Offline
                hskoglundH Offline
                hskoglund
                wrote on last edited by
                #9

                @mrjj For an [out] COM BSTR, the caller of the function (i.e. Qt, not VB6) assumes responsibility of the memory management for the BSTR MSDN doc

                mrjjM 1 Reply Last reply
                4
                • hskoglundH hskoglund

                  @mrjj For an [out] COM BSTR, the caller of the function (i.e. Qt, not VB6) assumes responsibility of the memory management for the BSTR MSDN doc

                  mrjjM Offline
                  mrjjM Offline
                  mrjj
                  Lifetime Qt Champion
                  wrote on last edited by
                  #10

                  @hskoglund
                  haha cool you answered. i was actually thinking of you as if anyone knew what vb6 likes in 2018
                  it might be you :)
                  Yes so get_SoftwareCode wants a buffer and the caller must free it.
                  Do you know a Qt way of constructing a BSTR besides the SysAllocString ?
                  Im afraid the details escapes me after a decade ;)

                  hskoglundH 1 Reply Last reply
                  0
                  • mrjjM mrjj

                    @hskoglund
                    haha cool you answered. i was actually thinking of you as if anyone knew what vb6 likes in 2018
                    it might be you :)
                    Yes so get_SoftwareCode wants a buffer and the caller must free it.
                    Do you know a Qt way of constructing a BSTR besides the SysAllocString ?
                    Im afraid the details escapes me after a decade ;)

                    hskoglundH Offline
                    hskoglundH Offline
                    hskoglund
                    wrote on last edited by
                    #11

                    @mrjj Had a look inside Qt's sources, found this function in qt-everywhere-src-5.10.1/qtbase/src/plugins/platforms/windows/accessible/comutils.h:

                    BSTR QStringToBSTR(const QString &str)
                    {
                        return SysAllocStringLen(reinterpret_cast<const OLECHAR *>(str.unicode()), UINT(str.length()));
                    }
                    
                    mrjjM 1 Reply Last reply
                    3
                    • hskoglundH hskoglund

                      @mrjj Had a look inside Qt's sources, found this function in qt-everywhere-src-5.10.1/qtbase/src/plugins/platforms/windows/accessible/comutils.h:

                      BSTR QStringToBSTR(const QString &str)
                      {
                          return SysAllocStringLen(reinterpret_cast<const OLECHAR *>(str.unicode()), UINT(str.length()));
                      }
                      
                      mrjjM Offline
                      mrjjM Offline
                      mrjj
                      Lifetime Qt Champion
                      wrote on last edited by
                      #12

                      @hskoglund
                      Oh, good found. That should make it just work !

                      1 Reply Last reply
                      0
                      • newbieQTDevN newbieQTDev

                        As suggested by kshegunov I found the prototype of the function. this is

                        STDMETHOD(get_SoftwareCode)(/*[out, retval]*/ BSTR *pVal);
                        

                        Which is the right method for the call?
                        Thanks

                        kshegunovK Offline
                        kshegunovK Offline
                        kshegunov
                        Moderators
                        wrote on last edited by kshegunov
                        #13

                        @newbieQTDev said in Load Vb6 DLL Function:

                        STDMETHOD(get_SoftwareCode)(/*[out, retval]*/ BSTR *pVal);
                        

                        This is a method definition, according to MSDN, which means it applies to an object, so you also need to have the actual object to use it.

                        Read and abide by the Qt Code of Conduct

                        1 Reply Last reply
                        0
                        • newbieQTDevN Offline
                          newbieQTDevN Offline
                          newbieQTDev
                          wrote on last edited by
                          #14

                          Hi kshegunov.
                          I am sorry.
                          I may not have explained my problem well.
                          I'm trying to use a dll that was written using COM technology. It was written in C but to be used in VB6.
                          The signature of the function I inserted in the post is one of the many methods that the dll provides. After your consideration maybe the code I used is not appropriate to my case?

                          1 Reply Last reply
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