Using VC++.NET  for MicroStation v8 programming

 

Part of product	Research (preview)
Date	February 2003
Programming languages	VC++.NET
Published in	PenBrush's CAD III/Q 2003, pp 30-33
Description	VC++.NET offers perfect platform for developing traditional MDL application together with innovative .NET technology. This research is focused  on integration .NET Forms with MDL applications.

Download test code

see discussion on newsgroup news:N5y9V4E2CHA.2260@prdweb004.viecon.com

Intro'dust'ion

Nowadays we may here .NET everywhere. Recently I have published article on .NET and VBA interoperability where you may find basic information. However you as core MDL   programmer you would like to get something more natural to get smoothly into .NET. I mean we need direct access to MDL API without any  P/Invoke. The ultimate solution is VC++.NET.  It offers mixing managed (pure .NET code) with unmanaged (traditional native code) into one piece of code. Oh yeah ! this allows nearly miracles, specially through technology called IJW -It Just Work! In VC++.NET you are a king of .NET  as well as native code and of course of MDL API. Moreover with beta release of Visual Studio 2003 it is possible to visually design .NET Forms GUI  even for  VC++. OK, still reading ? today is not 1.April...

Designing one little .NET box

  VisualStudio.NET is very comfortable for developing VC++ application.  After visual design of dialog box, it is necessary to add some support for MicroStation native window handling and for mixing native data with managed garbage collected class:

lets create a class for handling pointers to  registered MicroStation native window and for hook

class HwndWrap

public: GuiWindowP pWindow;   // handler for MicroStation native window

public: HHOOK hHook;           // hook handler for routing messages

here is a snippet of dllForm.h - the file is originally made from visual design of GUI but here it must be slightly modified for MicroStation

#pragma once

#include "stdafx.h"

#include "windows.h"

#undef MessageBox

#define winNT

#define NO_BOOLEAN_TYPE

#include "mssystem.fdf"

#include "msnativewindow.h"

#include "HwndWrap.h"

using namespace System;

using namespace System::ComponentModel;

using namespace System::Collections;

using namespace System::Windows::Forms;

using namespace System::Data;

using namespace System::Drawing;

namespace NETDLL

public __gc class dllForm : public System::Windows::Forms::Form

public:

  dllForm(void);

...

private: System::Void button1_Click(System::Object * sender, System::EventArgs * e)

    mdlSystem_newDesignFile("nic.dgn");  //... do something from MDL on button press

}

}

let's create a storage for our form managed object

using namespace NETDLL;

__gc class ManObj

public:   static dllForm *form;

constructor and destructor of .NET form

dllForm::dllForm(void)

 wrapper = new HwndWrap();

 this->Show();

 HWND formWin = FindWindow(NULL,"DllForm"); // not perfect...

 mdlNativeWindow_initialize("NETDLL"); // init native window for MS

 mdlNativeWindow_addToWindowList(wrapper->pWindow); // add to window list in MS

 mdlNativeWindow_setAsChild(wrapper->pWindow,0,FALSE); // set parent to MS

 // set redirection for hooks ..still same old way..

delete wrapper;

finally export function for MDL and create dialog

extern "C"

__declspec(dllexport) void loadNETbox()

    ManObj::form = new dllForm();

.NET VC++ dialog box inside MicroStation v8.1

Conclusion

VC++.NET is perfect and straightforward for use in mixed environments where traditional native as well as .NET code must be used.  Transparency of native and .NET code is amazing. Even MFC is still alive, it is more or less deprecated object oriented technology so use .NET forms instead.