GNATCOM & Microsoft VB

GNATCOM & Microsoft VB

[Chris Miller]

We are playing with ideas here for a new GUI front end to an existing
Ada project. Many options.

However one that is interesting is to write the front end GUI part
using MS Visual Basic (or Visual Studio, which is VB + Visual
everything else), generate a COM interface to the GUI components and
then use GNATCOM to generate Ada 95 bindings to the COM object.

Result - Microsoft front end, existing Ada 95 back end. Looks like a PC
application, runs on a PC. If it needs to be distributed we move to
COM+ with minimal (?) change.

I note GNATCOM already has AdatoVB and VBtoAda samples.

Has anyone else done this ?.

Is it a good idea ?.

Environment would be PC / GNAT 3.13 / Ada 95 / MS Windows Nt4 or 2K /
GNATCOM 1.3p.

Chris Miller
chrismil at ozemail dot com dot au
15/01/2001


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Re: GNATCOM & Microsoft VB

[Ted Dennison]

In article <93tmsd$dr5$1@nnrp1.deja.com>,
  Chris Miller <chrismil@my-deja.com> wrote:
> We are playing with ideas here for a new GUI front end to an existing
> Ada project. Many options.

I'm toying with the same thing for one of my Free Software projects.
However, I don't have access to VisualBasic. The option that's looking
most promising to me right now is to build it using the resource editing
tools in VisualStudio (which I *do* have), and link the compiled
resources into my executable. For the GUI stuff that can't be handled
directly through resources, right now I'm looking at using the GWindows
part of GnatCOM ( http://www.adapower.com/gwindows/index.html ). Its
sort of pre-beta right now, but its also Free Software, so for my free
project I have no problem with that. But for a commercial product you
may prefer something you can get paid support for. CLAW might be a good
option there.

For me, the biggest detriment to my proposed approach is that the
resource source files will require some non-free software in order to
edit. If anyone knows of a good Free GUI-builder for Windows resources,
I'd like to hear about it. (If not, this is another area where perhaps
an Ada-written program could make an impact outside of the Ada community).

--
T.E.D.

http://www.telepath.com/~dennison/Ted/TED.html


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Re: GNATCOM & Microsoft VB

[David Botton]

----- Original Message -----
From: "Chris Miller" <chrismil@my-deja.com>


> However one that is interesting is to write the front end GUI part
> using MS Visual Basic (or Visual Studio, which is VB + Visual
> everything else), generate a COM interface to the GUI components and
> then use GNATCOM to generate Ada 95 bindings to the COM object.

It has certainly been done and does work. You may also consider turning your
Ada application in to a COM object and the controling it from the VB GUI,
this often (although not always) is easier to implement.

> Result - Microsoft front end, existing Ada 95 back end. Looks like a PC
> application, runs on a PC. If it needs to be distributed we move to
> COM+ with minimal (?) change.

GNATCOM fully supports COM+ and the ability to distribute your application
with no change to your code. If you choose to do the front end in VB with
the Ada program as a COM object you just run the executable created by
*-remote.adb on the client machines and your VB front end will instantly
have access to your COM object (you may need to configure permissions using
dcomcnfg on the server machine first).

> I note GNATCOM already has AdatoVB and VBtoAda samples.

Yup.

> Is it a good idea ?.

It certainly works well. BTW, GNATCOM is fully supported by ACT, Inc. if you
should choose to go forward with the project.

David Botton

Re: GNATCOM & Microsoft VB

[Hennie]

I'm doing it via Delphi.

No Dll hell of VB and funny bugs.

Delphi is close to Ada.

Tons of free components in Delphi.

Chris Miller <chrismil@my-deja.com> wrote in message
news:93tmsd$dr5$1@nnrp1.deja.com...
> We are playing with ideas here for a new GUI front end to an existing
> Ada project. Many options.
>
> However one that is interesting is to write the front end GUI part
> using MS Visual Basic (or Visual Studio, which is VB + Visual
> everything else), generate a COM interface to the GUI components and
> then use GNATCOM to generate Ada 95 bindings to the COM object.
>
> Result - Microsoft front end, existing Ada 95 back end. Looks like a PC
> application, runs on a PC. If it needs to be distributed we move to
> COM+ with minimal (?) change.
>
> I note GNATCOM already has AdatoVB and VBtoAda samples.
>
> Has anyone else done this ?.
>
> Is it a good idea ?.
>
> Environment would be PC / GNAT 3.13 / Ada 95 / MS Windows Nt4 or 2K /
> GNATCOM 1.3p.
>
> Chris Miller
> chrismil at ozemail dot com dot au
> 15/01/2001
>
>
> Sent via Deja.com
> http://www.deja.com/

Re: GNATCOM & Microsoft VB

[Chris Miller]

In article <003401c07f23$82ab4820$f8ffa8c0@dbdell2000>,
  comp.lang.ada@ada.eu.org wrote:
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Chris Miller" <chrismil@my-deja.com>
>
> > However one that is interesting is to write the front end GUI part
> > using MS Visual Basic (or Visual Studio, which is VB + Visual
> > everything else), generate a COM interface to the GUI components and
> > then use GNATCOM to generate Ada 95 bindings to the COM object.
>
> It has certainly been done and does work.
>
> David Botton
>
>

Thanks for this info.

I have been studying GNATCOM for a while now and am just beginning to
appreciate what it can do. The fact that the Ada world can now, via a
language independant COM / COM+ interface, access just about everything
ever written for a (Microsoft) PC is a huge advance for Ada.

I suspect the Ada community has yet to appreciate this product ...

Would encourage others to look into this.

Will give it a try.
Chris Miller
16/01/2001
chrismil at ozemail dot com dot au


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Re: GNATCOM & Microsoft VB

[Hennie]

I'm in week 2 learning myself ada and i'm realy enjoying this language.
Tried them all and stick to Delphi until i've discovered a book about Ada95
in a bookstore ??? !!!
One quirk is you would be able to port existing Delphi code into ada
learning curve is not to steep.
Only problem is to skip the extra features and wright Delphi code in Ada.

David Botton <David@Botton.com> wrote in message
news:mailman.979743429.25631.comp.lang.ada@ada.eu.org...
> Yes, it has been done also using GUIs written in Delphi and linked to Ada
> code (a standardized, far more feature rich and consistent language then
> Delphi's version of pascal) via GNATCOM with out a problem.
>
> If it is possible to recommend Delphi over VB in a project, it is always
> advisable.
>
> David Botton
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Hennie" <hennieodendaal@nowhere.com>
>
>
> > I'm doing it via Delphi.
> >
> > No Dll hell of VB and funny bugs.
> >
> > Delphi is close to Ada.
> >
> > Tons of free components in Delphi.
>
>
>

Re: GNATCOM & Microsoft VB

[David Botton]

Yes, it has been done also using GUIs written in Delphi and linked to Ada
code (a standardized, far more feature rich and consistent language then
Delphi's version of pascal) via GNATCOM with out a problem.

If it is possible to recommend Delphi over VB in a project, it is always
advisable.

David Botton

----- Original Message -----
From: "Hennie" <hennieodendaal@nowhere.com>


> I'm doing it via Delphi.
>
> No Dll hell of VB and funny bugs.
>
> Delphi is close to Ada.
>
> Tons of free components in Delphi.