FIX: Enums in Public Procedures Cause Binary Compatibility Error (171522)



The information in this article applies to:

  • Microsoft Visual Basic Control Creation Edition for Windows 5.0
  • Microsoft Visual Basic Learning Edition for Windows 5.0
  • Microsoft Visual Basic Professional Edition for Windows 5.0
  • Microsoft Visual Basic Enterprise Edition for Windows 5.0

This article was previously published under Q171522

SYMPTOMS

Using Enums as parameters/arguments in class module methods may result in binary compatibility errors.

STATUS

Microsoft has confirmed this to be a bug in the Microsoft products listed at the beginning of this article. This bug has been fixed in Visual Studio 97 Service Pack 2.

For more information on the Visual Studio 97 Service Pack 2, please see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

170365 : INFO: Visual Studio 97 Service Packs - What, Where,and Why


For a list of the Visual Basic 5.0 bugs that were fixed in the Visual Studio 97 Service Pack 2, please see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

171554 : INFO: Visual Basic 5.0 Fixes in Visual Studio 97 Service Pack 2

MORE INFORMATION

If you use Enum statements in class modules, they may cause adverse behavior to your application when compiling and running if compatibility is set to "Binary Compatibility." This seems to occur most frequently when enums are used as parameters within a class's Method declaration in an ActiveX control or DLL. Adverse behavior in your program may include "type mismatches" between arguments and parameters even though they are correct. Compiler problems include Visual Basic thinking the compatibility has been broken when it hasn't, and linker errors during compilation.

To reproduce a compiling error (linker error):
  1. Create a new ActiveX Control.
  2. Add a new Class Module, and paste in the following code:
          Property Let Name(Effect As Stooge)
                   Msgbox "You Changed The Name"
          End Property
    
    						
  3. Add the following to the Control's General Declarations section:
          Public Enum Stooge
                 Larry
                 Curly
                 Moe
          End Enum
    
    						
  4. Compile the Control.
  5. Under Project -> Project Properties -> Components, change the compatibility to "Binary Compatibility."
  6. Recompile the Control. You will get the following error message from the linker:
    "Unexpected error in code generator or linker - View error messages?"

Modification Type:MajorLast Reviewed:12/10/2003
Keywords:kbbug kbfix kbvbp500sp2fix kbVS97sp2fix KB171522