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

• Microsoft Exchange Windows 95 client, versions 4.0 and 5.0
• Microsoft Exchange Windows 3.x client, versions 4.0 and 5.0
• Microsoft Exchange Windows NT client, versions 4.0 and 5.0

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.

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, of the "Application Designer's Guide."