IPC between C# and VB6...

[cybertof]

Hello,

What would be the best way to make 2 applications communicate :

- one written in VB6
- the other one in C#

Typical Scenario :
The VB6 application make calls to launch the C# app with arguments.
(typically a 'shell'), unfortunately, this may 'happen' a lot of time,
and the framework will keep loading/unloading each time...

So I would like to
- load the c# app at the launch of the vb6 app
- put the c# app in a kind of 'sleep mode'
- wake-up the c# app and send him some args to work with
- once the c# app finishes its work, it goes back into 'sleep mode'
- once the vb6 app closes, it should close before the c# app.


I would need to "formalize" :
- the way the 'sleep' mode could be implemented at the vb6 part
- the way to 'wake up' the vb6 app from the c# app
- the way the VB6 & C# app would communicate together

I need a 'common' IPC method that would be easily implementend both in
C# and in VB6.

Many solutions in C# : remoting, socket, named pipes, mails slots,
filesystem watcher, etc...

Less solutions in VB6 : no support for latest technologies, and more
effort to implement the 'old' ones though API calls.


All your comments are welcome...



Regards,
Cybertof.

 

[NaraendiraKumar R. R.]

Have you considered using COM+?

It is the technology of choice for distributed apps in VB6. It is easy to
implement in .NET via the EnterpriseServices namespace.

If you go this route, you could design your application so you don't have to
solve the sleep/wake-up issue. Instead you can leverage the COM+ surrogate
exe.

-Naraen

 

[cybertof]

Hi !

Do you mean making my C# app a 'com+' app ?

Do you have any good links about COM+ with c# and vb6 ?


Cybertof.

 

[NaraendiraKumar R.R.]

Yes & here are some links that I have found useful in the past ...

http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/en-us/dnanchor/html/complus_anchor.asp
http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/en-us/dncomser/html/complus4vb.asp
http://msdn.microsoft.com/msdnmag/issues/01/10/complus/default.aspx

-Naraen

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