create activeX (ocx equivalent) for Excel - is possible?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Rich P
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R

Rich P

I used to build little activeX/ocx controls in VB6 for Excel, Access
like a VB6 form with a textbox for some purpose (probably just testing).
I would compile these as .ocx files. In .net I have created a class
library control (no gui controls) that I would compile into a dll/tlb,
and using an interface (and making it com visible) in the .Net control I
could make a reference to this non gui .Net control in Access/Excel VBA
and communicate between the control and the client/subscriber (whatever
Access/Excel is supposed to be here).

Now I need to add a form to an ActiveX control to display some non
character data results on - like a canvas. I would be using this
control in Excel - basically minnie custom graphs (which there would be
lots of). Ideally, I would like to create this activeX control in C#,
but I have not had any luck using the ways that I am familiar with -
like a Windows Form Control Library project. Excel complains when I try
to add my control as an addin that it does not contain an automation
server, and if I try to make a reference to the dll - Excel says it is
not able to create this reference.

So before I dig up my old VB6 CD, is it possible to create an ActiveX
control for Excel of the type I describe in C#(2008, or 2005, 2003 I
have em all)? I need a control with a form/background where I pass data
to the control from Excel and then draw dots on. Any articles on
creating a com winform activeX control would be great.

Thanks,

Rich
 
I found the answer to my question of "is there a .Net equivalent to
ocx?" in this article (and confirmed with related articles)

http://bytes.com/topic/c-sharp/answers/253895-creating-ocx-net

and the answer is that there is NO equivalent. Apparently, it is
possible to create non-gui .Net assemblies that can be used in a com
environment, but can't create gui .Net controls to be used in the com
environment. At least this is how I am interpreting the following
excerpt from this article:
While you can do COM-visible components in .NET, you unfortunately
cannot do OCX (ActiveX) *controls*.
<<
If your C# code is not UI-related, you can indeed compile and register
it as a COM-visible assembly, and then to create the visual part in,
say, Visual Basic 6, and to reference the C#-written COM DLL from the
VB6 project.
<<

Of course, this would be redundant. I guess I need to find my VB6 CD.

Rich
 
I found the answer to my question of "is there a .Net equivalent to
ocx?" in this article (and confirmed with related articles)

http://bytes.com/topic/c-sharp/answers/253895-creating-ocx-net

and the answer is that there is NO equivalent. Apparently, it is
possible to create non-gui .Net assemblies that can be used in a com
environment, but can't create gui .Net controls to be used in the com
environment. At least this is how I am interpreting the following
excerpt from this article:

While you can do COM-visible components in .NET, you unfortunately
cannot do OCX (ActiveX) *controls*.
<<

If your C# code is not UI-related, you can indeed compile and register
it as a COM-visible assembly, and then to create the visual part in,
say, Visual Basic 6, and to reference the C#-written COM DLL from the
VB6 project.
<<

Of course, this would be redundant. I guess I need to find my VB6 CD.

Rich
Click to expand...

While designed for VB.NET - there is the windows forms interop toolkit:

http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/...C5-DC85-4065-9327-96801E57B81D&displaylang=en

This does allow you to create forms and controls that can be used by VB6.
 
Interesting. Thanks. It sounds like this is exclusive to
VB.Net, which is OK for my purposes. I actually did start an ocx
project in VB6, and Access/Excel accepted it quite readily. But it is
the exercise of working with .net that motivates me to do it in .Net.
So, with this tool kit - I guess I need to install all 3 files? I plan
on doing that. And, does this still require using Interfaces like the
com-visible dll?

Additionally, I have been using my own homegrown guid getter string str1
= string.Format(guid).... for the interface ID

instead of regasm.exe

Any words of wisdom on this practice?

And lastly, the goal of my ocx is to display a series of dots
(circles/ellipses) in a graph like format and connected together in a
mini graph like background (the .Net form - or com form as it is in
VB6). I will be instantiating several dozen of these mini graphs in an
Excel worksheet. I think another alternative would be to display the
Excel worksheet within a .Net application and then I could use .Net
controls on that. Or I could display the Excel worksheet on an aspx
page and use aspx controls. Yes?

Rich
 
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