XCLN: Distributing Third-Party OCXs & VBXs with Eform .cfg File (154473)


The information in this article applies to:

  • Microsoft Exchange Client 4.0
  • Microsoft Exchange Client 5.0
  • Microsoft Exchange Windows NT client 4.0
  • Microsoft Exchange Windows NT client 5.0
This article was previously published under Q154473

SUMMARY

If you add a custom control to a form that is not included with Visual Basic 4.0, this file has to be manually copied to the client computer. As stated in the "Application Designer's Guide" on page 302, you can distribute third-party .ocx and .vbx files by using Microsoft Systems Management Server or other network management tools. You can also accomplish this by adding the custom .ocx or .vbx file to the .cfg file of the Eform.

MORE INFORMATION

To distribute third-party .ocx and .vbx files, make an entry in the .cfg file as follows:

  1. Open the EForms's .CFG file in Notepad.
  2. If you want this control to be copied for all platforms, add the entry listed below to the [Platform.Platform1] section and use the LinkTo= entry to link all the other platforms to the first platform. Add the following entry to the platform section: 
          File#= <CustomControlFileName>.OCX

    The file number is based on how many other File entries are present.
  3. Make sure that the .ocx or the .vbx file that is referenced in the File= line is present in the .VB directory of the EForm (Eform.vb). If it is not present, you will receive an error when trying to install the Eform using the .cfg file.
  4. Save the EForm's .cfg file.
  5. Install the EForm from the client using the EForm's .cfg file.
When the user installs the EForm, the files listed on the File= lines will also be copied to the user's machine. These files will be copied to the <Windows Directory>\Forms directory, along with the form executable files.

This should be fine for most executable files, but if a custom control needs its files in the System subdirectory, they will have to be manually copied to the system directory.

This is an example: 
[Platforms]
Platform1=Platform1
Platform2=Platform2
Platform3=Platform3
Platform4=Platform4
Platform5=Platform5
Platform6=Platform6

[Platform.Platform1]
CPU=ix86
OSVersion=Win3.1
Registry1=LocalServer=%d\!4!J8N&-.EXE
File1=!4!J8N&-.EXE
File2=<CustomControlFileName>.OCX or .VBX  <- This is the Control that is
to be copied to the <Windows Directory>\Forms directory.

[Platform.Platform2]
CPU=ix386
OSVersion=WinNT3.5
Registry1=LocalServer=%d\!4!J8N&-.EXE
LinkTo=Platform1  <- With this entry, you do not have the files entries to
every platform configuration.

NOTE: These FILE= references can also be used for any other file that may need to be copied with the EForm executable files. For instance, any .ini files or any other supporting files can be added in this manner.

REFERENCES

For additional Information about the EForm Configuration File, please refer to Chapter 9, pages 297-302 and Appendix B, pages 363-371 of the Application Designer's Guide.
Modification Type:MinorLast Reviewed:8/17/2005
Keywords:kb3rdparty kbhowto kbinterop kbusage KB154473
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