Exporting methods in Dolphin deployed DLLs

Does anyone know how to tell Dolphin to export a method/class when
deploying a DLL in Dolphin?

I'm wanting to be able to run a method from the command line via rundll32.

I can't seem to spot anything in the deployment settings, and google
doesn't seem to show anything either.

Mark

Mark,

> Does anyone know how to tell Dolphin to export a method/class when
> deploying a DLL in Dolphin?
>
> I'm wanting to be able to run a method from the command line via
> rundll32.
>
> I can't seem to spot anything in the deployment settings, and google
> doesn't seem to show anything either.

I'm afraid Dolphin doesn't support the deployment of "straight" DLLs
with functions that can be called using C/C++ calling sequences. There
are a number of reasons for this, one of them being that DLL functions
are threadless, i.e. a call takes place on the thread of the
application doing the calling. The Dolphin VM, of course needs to
manage it's own threads for garbage collection etc.

What you can do, however, is write "in-process" ActiveX controls that
are deployed to a DLL and the "functions" (really they are methods) can
then be called from another application using COM. I realise that the
documentation for this has been somewhat lacking so I've uploaded the
beta documentation from D6 here:

http://www.object-arts.com/downloads/misc/developingCOMcomponents.pdf

This will be fine for D5 too.

Best regards

Andy Bower
Dolphin Support
www.object-arts.com

Andy Bower wrote:

>What you can do, however, is write "in-process" ActiveX controls that
>are deployed to a DLL and the "functions" (really they are methods) can
>then be called from another application using COM. I realise that the
>  
>
My deployed application is already a in-process COM object ( outlook
plugin ) however, I was wanting to have a way to run part of it as a
standalone application - without having to deploy it twice. ( i.e. also
run the application from a desktop icon as well as being launched from
within outlook, or which ever app I hook into.

Maybe I'm going about things wrongly thou, what would be ideal would be
to deploy most of the app in one package/bundle, and have a small exe
and dll "load the classes and run"' in which ever manner they need.

I have a suspicion the "binary packages" I've seen mentioned might be an
avenue of solution here.

Unless I wrote a simple VB scripting host launch script that simple
created the COM control to run...  mmm

>documentation for this has been somewhat lacking so I've uploaded the
>beta documentation from D6 here:
>
>http://www.object-arts.com/downloads/misc/developingCOMcomponents.pdf
>  
>

Excellent - will go download...   whens D6 due?  I just purchased D5
earlier today and awaiting my serial codes ( I had hoped they'd be
emailed out by now actually.... ) so hopefully D6 isn't far off, or much
of an upgrade cost...

Mark

Mark,

> I just purchased D5 earlier today and awaiting my serial codes
> ( I had hoped they'd be emailed out by now actually.... )

The serial number is e-mailed off immediately after the order is
received by DigiBuy so you should have received it some time ago. We
have your e-mail order acknowledgement from DigiBuy so you should also
have received the same.

If you haven't received anything by the time you read this then please
e-mail me directly and I will send the serial number again.

Best regards
 
Andy Bower
Dolphin Support
www.object-arts.com

Andy Bower wrote:

>If you haven't received anything by the time you read this then please
>e-mail me directly and I will send the serial number again.
>  
>
Received and packages loaded up into a nicely unlocked image.  Now for
some serious hackage...