Q168428: HOWTO: Test Your ActiveX Documents (.VBD)
Article: Q168428
Product(s): Microsoft Visual Basic for Windows
Version(s): WINDOWS:5.0
Operating System(s):
Keyword(s): kbcode kbDownload kbVBp500 kbCodeDownload kbGrpDSVB kbFAQ kbDSupport kbhowto kbieFAQ
Last Modified: 24-JUL-2001
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The information in this article applies to:
- Microsoft Visual Basic Control Creation Edition for Windows, version 5.0
- Microsoft Visual Basic Professional Edition for Windows, version 5.0
- Microsoft Visual Basic Enterprise Edition for Windows, version 5.0
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SUMMARY
=======
Visual Basic 5.0 introduces the ability to create ActiveX documents (.VBD files)
for use with Internet browsers. This article will walk you step-by-step through
creating a simple ActiveX document, show you how to test it while within the
Visual Basic 5.0 development environment, then test it outside of the Visual
Basic 5.0 development environment.
The power of the Internet is that potential users from all of the world will be
able to hit and view your page. (The same applies to the Intranet, although on a
smaller scale; users all over your corporation may be able to hit and view your
web page). With this in mind, different users will have different configurations
and different software installed on their PC's. When your ActiveX page is hit by
an Internet user, Internet Explorer searches the local PC for all of the files
required by the document. If a required file is present and has a version equal
to or greater than the version you require, it uses it. If a file is missing or
is older than the version required, Internet Explorer prompts the user to
install the file and will proceed to do so.
While testing an ActiveX document, a problem occurs for developers because all of
the required files are already installed onto the development machine. So how do
you simulate a client's machine, one which has not been exposed to Visual Basic
and the components you are using or which you've created? This article will also
describe how to simulate such an environment.
MORE INFORMATION
================
To begin, you need to create a simple ActiveX document for testing purposes. If
you already have an ActiveX document to test, proceed to the section "Testing
Your Document Using Visual Basic 5.0" later in this article.
Creating a Simple ActiveX Document
----------------------------------
1. Start Visual Basic 5.0, or select New Project from the File menu if Visual
Basic 5.0 is already running. In the New Project dialog, select ActiveX
Document EXE and click OK.
2. From the Project Window, open the User Documents folder and select
UserDocument1. This User Document is created by default. View the properties
for UserDocument1, change the (Name) property to MyTestDocument.
3. Add some intrinsic controls to MyTestDocument, such as a CommandButton, a
Text Box, and a Label. You may modify the properties or add code to these
controls as desired. These controls will be used so you can verify that the
download of your ActiveX document succeeded.
4. From the Project menu, choose Project1 Properties. Change the Project Name to
MyActiveXDocument. Click OK.
5. Save the Project. Save the user document MyTestDocument.Dob and also save the
Project MyActiveXDocument.VBP.
Testing Your Document Using Visual Basic 5.0
--------------------------------------------
The following steps assume you have Microsoft Internet Explorer version 3.00 or
later installed onto your system. To obtain the latest version of Internet
Explorer be sure to visit the following Web site:
http://www.microsoft.com/ie
1. If you created the simple ActiveX document above, keep the project open. If
you are working with your own ActiveX document, open the desired project.
2. Click the Start button on the Visual Basic toolbar, or choose Start from the
Run menu.
At this point, your document is ready to view with Internet Explorer. For
testing purposes, Visual Basic 5.0 has created a .VBD file in the current
working directory. This directory is usually where Visual Basic is installed.
This file can now be viewed with Internet Explorer.
3. Open Internet Explorer.
4. In the Address box, type in the path to the .VBD file, which will have the
same name as your project. For example, to open the simple ActiveX document
created above, type the following:
C:\Program Files\DevStudio\Visual Basic\MyTestDocument.VBD
NOTE: Your path to the .VBD file may be different, so modify the line above as
appropriate.
The .VBD file should open in Internet Explorer, displaying any controls you
added to the document and executing any code you've added to the project, as
appropriate.
If this test worked, you can modify the project as desired, adding code,
adding controls, etc. You may then continue to test the VBD file with
Internet Explorer simply by running the project and viewing the VBD file with
Internet Explorer.
NOTE: The VBD file is temporary; Visual Basic will delete the file when the
project stops executing.
Creating Your Internet Download Setup
-------------------------------------
The following steps take you through the creation of your Internet download
setup. If you have created your own ActiveX document (rather that using the
example created above), substitute your ActiveX document name where necessary.
1. From the File menu, choose Make MyActiveXDocument.Exe. Create the executable
file in the desired location.
NOTE: The executable file created is designed to execute as an ActiveX
document within Internet Explorer. The file cannot be executed successfully
by itself.
2. Exit Visual Basic 5.0.
3. Run the Application Setup Wizard. This Setup Wizard should be available from
the Start menu, under Programs\Visual Basic 5.0.
If you are prompted with the "Setup Wizard - Introduction," click Next.
4. From the "Select Project and Options" step, click the Browse button to locate
your ActiveX document project. If you created the example provided with this
article, locate MyActiveXDocument.vbp.
5. Under "Options," choose to "Create Internet Download Setup." Click Next.
6. On the "Internet Distribution Location" step, select the location where you
would like to place the files for Internet download and click Next. For
testing purposes, "SWSETUP" may be sufficient.
NOTE: It is important to note that the folder must be accessible, with at
least read-only access, from other machines on your network in order to test.
In future deployments, you may wish to place the files created onto a web
server.
7. For the "Internet Package" step, choose "Download from the Microsoft Web
site."
NOTE: With this option selected, when a user hits your ActiveX document with
Internet Explorer and needs a component installed, IE will go to the
Microsoft Web site to install the latest version. If you would like
information on how to use an alternate location, refer to the chapter on
"Distributing Your Applications" in the Visual Basic 5.0 Programmer's Guide.
You may desire to use an alternate location if you are developing an ActiveX
document for an intranet where potential users may not have access to the
World Wide Web.
8. For the remaining steps in the Setup Wizard, go with the defaults, clicking
Next until you reach the final step.
9. On the final step, you may save the template if you prefer. When you are
done, click Finish.
The Visual Basic Setup Wizard creates all of the files necessary for an Internet
download. The next section of this article describes how to test the page.
Testing the Internet Download
-----------------------------
As a developer, you may want to test the Internet Download from your own machine
first. Remember, however, that because Visual Basic 5 is already installed on
your machine, you know all of the necessary files are installed and the ActiveX
document should load without incident. To test the document from the development
machine, locate the Internet download files the Setup Wizard created. In the
setup folder there will be an HTM file; if you created the example above this
file will be named MyActiveXDocument.HTM. Simply double-click the file or locate
it with Internet Explorer to open it.
The second test you should apply to your ActiveX document is testing it from a
machine without Visual Basic 5.0 installed. If you do not have such a machine
available to you for testing, refer to the "Simulating a Clean Machine" section
of this article.
From a machine that does not have Visual Basic 5.0 installed, use Internet
Explorer to locate and open the HTM file created by the Setup Wizard.
IMPORTANT NOTE: Before testing the ActiveX document, be sure the safety level in
Internet Explorer is set to Medium or None. If the safety level is set to High,
the required files will not get downloaded and the ActiveX document will not
load. To check the security level in Internet Explorer, choose Options from the
View menu. From the Options window, select the Security tab, and then click the
Safety Level button.
If you set the Safety Level to None, all of the missing components will be
installed without warning. If the Safety Level is set to Medium, the following
warnings will occur:
First, you will be warned that an attempt to install the CAB file is being made
if you created the example above you will be prompted to install
MyActiveDocument.CAB. If you respond Yes, the MyActiveXDocument.Exe and
MyActiveXDocument.INF will be installed onto the client machine in the
Windows\OCCache folder.
Second, you will be asked if you wish to install Microsoft Automation. The
Authenticode screen will display information about this component. If you
respond Yes, a similar screen will warn you that the Microsoft Visual Basic 5.0
Run-time Library is going to be installed. Both of these components will be
installed from the Microsoft Web site into the Windows\System folder
(Windows\System32 folder on Windows NT).
Third, a script warning will appear warning the user that the HTM file contains
scripting code. This code is necessary in order to view your ActiveX document.
These warnings are all part of the Internet Explorer's safety mechanisms. If you
do not receive all of the above warnings, do not be alarmed. You may not receive
a warning if a necessary component is already installed on the client machine or
a security level option in Internet Explorer is set to something other than the
defaults.
As part of testing, you may wish to test various Internet Explorer security
settings to be sure your document loads as expected under varying
circumstances.
Simulating a Clean Machine
--------------------------
As a developer, you should test your application on various machines with varying
configurations. However, if you do not have a "clean machine" (one that does not
have Visual Basic 5.0 or the Visual Basic 5.0 Run-time Library installed), the
steps outlined below describe how to configure a development machine so that it
behaves like a clean client. These steps may also be taken to clean a client
machine that may have been previously exposed to your ActiveX document, Visual
Basic 5.0, or the Visual Basic 5.0 Run-time Library.
WARNING: Before following the steps below to simulate a clean machine, be aware
that unregistering, renaming, and deleting any of the following files could
impact other applications installed onto your machine. For more information
about undoing the steps provided here, see the "Restoring Your Machine" section
of this article.
In order to clean a machine for testing an Internet download, you must begin by
unregistering the Visual Basic 5.0 Run-time Library. This step will require a
copy of REGSVR32.EXE. This file may be installed onto your development machine;
if it is not, it may be found on the Visual Basic 5.0 installation CD-ROM.
1. From the Start menu, choose Run.
2. In the Run dialog, type in the following command;
"<PATH>\REGSVR32.EXE /U <Path to Windows
folder>\System\MSVBVM50.DLL"
NOTE: If you are running on a Windows NT machine, the MSVBVM50.DLL is
installed into the Windows\System32 folder.
3. Next, rename or delete the Visual Basic 5.0 Run-time Library.
4. From the Start menu, choose Find, and then select Files or Folder.
5. In the Find dialog, search the entire hard drive for files named
MSVBVM50.DLL.
The file MSVBVM50.DLL may appear in more than one location; if it does, delete
or rename the file located in the Windows\System folder (System32 on Windows
NT platforms).
6. Next, the Microsoft Automation DLL must be deleted or renamed. Follow the
steps outlined above for MSVBVM50.DLL, except locate and rename ASYCFILT.DLL,
which will also be located in the Windows\System folder (System32 on Windows
NT platforms). Do not delete other versions of this file if it is found in
alternative locations.
7. Next, you must unregister and delete or rename any remaining dependency files
installed on the client machine. These files will typically be custom
controls that are used in the ActiveX document. For a list of the dependency
files used by your ActiveX document, open the INF file created by the Setup
Wizard and placed in the Support folder of the Internet Download setup.
The INF file will have a [Add.Code] section, listing the dependency files used
by your ActiveX document. For example, the MyActiveXDocument.INF file created
for the example in this article appears as follows:
[Add.Code]
MYACTIVEXDOCUMENT.EXE=MYACTIVEXDOCUMENT.EXE
ASYCFILT.DLL=ASYCFILT.DLL
MSVBVM50.DLL=MSVBVM50.DLL
The dependency files must be unregistered, if necessary, and deleted or
renamed. The MyActiveXDocument.Exe file does not need to be unregistered.
However, it will need to be deleted or renamed. Internet Explorer 3.x places
this file into the \Windows\OCCache folder. Internet Explorer 4.0 places this
file into the "\Windows\Downloaded Program Files" directory. If you are
uncertain whether a file needs to be unregistered or not, you can run
REGSVR32.EXE with the /U switch to determine whether or not it can be
unregistered. If you receive an error, the file does not need to be
unregistered.
NOTE: One file installed that is not listed in the [Add.Code] section is the
INF file which is installed into the Windows\OCCache folder for each ActiveX
document. This file will have the same name as the ActiveX EXE with an INF
extension; for example, MyActiveDocument.INF. For a truly clean machine, this
file would need to be deleted as well. However, not deleting the file will
not have any adverse affects on the setup.
Other dependency files may include OCX files for custom controls or DLLs for
various components. For example, if you used any of the Windows Common
Controls in your application ,the Add.Code section of your INF file may
appear as follows;
[Add.Code]
MYACTIVEXDOCUMENT.EXE=MYACTIVEXDOCUMENT.EXE
ASYCFILT.DLL=ASYCFILT.DLL
MSVBVM50.DLL=MSVBVM50.DLL
COMCTL32.OCX=COMCTL32.OCX
In order to remove the COMCTL32.OCX file from the system, run:
REGSVR32.EXE /U <PATH>\System\COMCTL32.OCX
This will unregister the control, then locate the file and either delete or
rename it. Most of the custom controls that ship with Visual Basic 5.0 will
install themselves into the Windows\System folder. Internet Explorer,
however, will install some custom controls into the Windows\OCCache folder.
You will need to be sure the path to the desired OCX is correct when using
REGSVR32.EXE or else an error will occur.
This same procedure must be followed for every dependency file used by your
ActiveX document.
Once all of the dependency files have been unregistered and renamed or
deleted, open Internet Explorer and view your HTM page. When you view the HTM
page, all of the missing components will automatically be downloaded and
installed onto the user's machine.
Restoring Your Machine
----------------------
Opening the HTM file as described in the last step of the previous section of
this article will restore your machine to its original configuration. Internet
Explorer will download and register each required file for you. However, if
something should go wrong during the Internet download setup, you can reverse
the changes made by restoring all of the original files and registering the
necessary components.
Any file deleted or renamed would need to be renamed back to its original name or
restored from the Windows Recycle Bin. If a file cannot be restored from the
Windows Recycle Bin, an original may be found on the Visual Basic 5.0 CD-ROM
(unless the file was provided by a third party, in which case you will need to
restore the file from the appropriate location). Once the necessary files have
been restored, you can run REGSVR32.EXE to register those files that were
initially unregistered. For example, to register the Visual Basic 5.0 Run-time
Library, execute the following command from the run dialog:
REGSVR32 <Path to Windows>\System\MSVBVM32.DLL
Troubleshooting
---------------
This section addresses some of the problems you might encounter during the
Internet Download setup.
Problem 1:
You receive one of the following error messages when you try to delete or rename
the Visual Basic 5.0 Run-time Library:
Cannot delete MSVBVM50.DLL: Access is denied.
Cannot rename MSVBVM50.DLL: Access is denied.
Resolution 1:
You cannot delete a file while it is in use because Visual Basic 5.0 uses this
file while it is running. Be sure Visual Basic 5.0 is not running when you
attempt to delete this file. This error may also occur if Internet Explorer is
currently or has recently viewed a Visual Basic 5.0 ActiveX Document. In this
case, close Internet Explorer before attempting to delete the file.
Problem 2:
You receive the following error message:
The dynamic link library could not be found in the specified path...
Resolution 2:
The ActiveX document file is still present on the machine. Delete or rename the
ActiveX document file found in the Windows\OCCache folder and refresh the page.
If you built the ActiveX document example in this article, the file would be
named MyActiveXDocument.Exe.
Problem 3:
You receive the following error message:
An error has occurred copying MSVBVM50.DLL. Ensure the location
specified below is correct...C:\TEMP\ICD10E.TMP
The exact file names and paths may vary.
Resolution 3:
There is insufficient disk space on the target machine. Free up some disk space
on the target machine and refresh the page.
Problem 4:
A dialog box with the following messages appear in Internet Explorer:
Opening file <ActiveX Document>.VBD
What would you like to do with this file?
Open it or Save it to disk.
Resolution 4:
This error occurs because the Visual Basic 5.0 Run-time Library (MSVBVM50.DLL) is
not installed. This will most likely occur if the Internet Explorer safety level
is set to High. Set the Internet Explorer safety level to Medium or None.
REFERENCES
==========
Visual Basic 5.0 Component Tools Guide, Chapter 5 "Creating an ActiveX
Document"
Visual Basic 5.0 Programmer's Guide, Chapter 17 "Distributing Your Applications"
For more information, see the following Webcast:
How Does Internet Component Download Work?
Additional query words:
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Keywords : kbcode kbDownload kbVBp500 kbCodeDownload kbGrpDSVB kbFAQ kbDSupport kbhowto kbieFAQ
Technology : kbVBSearch kbAudDeveloper kbZNotKeyword6 kbZNotKeyword2 kbVB500Search kbVBA500Search kbVB500 kbZNotKeyword3
Version : WINDOWS:5.0
Issue type : kbhowto
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