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Help / Developing and using .NET assemblies
  • Overview
  • Creating a .NET application from a WINDEV project
  • Creating a .NET application
  • Limitations
  • Details of operations
  • Executable general options
  • Icon of executable program
  • Executable properties
  • Version number
  • Libraries of WINDEV framework (".DLL" files) used by the executable program
WINDEV
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WEBDEV
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WINDEV Mobile
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Stored procedures
Warning
From version 23, it is no longer possible to create an "Application.NET" project configuration. If your project contains an "Application.NET" configuration, it is possible to generate this application.
Overview
The .NET technology is Microsoft's new development platform. This .NET platform simplifies the development of distributed-object applications whose modules communicate via Internet.
This help globally explains how to use the .NET technology in WINDEV. For more details, see a specific documentation.
Creating a .NET application from a WINDEV project

Creating a .NET application

To create a .NET application from a WINDEV project:
  1. Click in the quick access buttons. The wizard for generating a .NET application starts.
    Remark: If this icon is not found, it means that the selected configuration does not correspond to a .NET application. You can:
    • Select the ".NET application" configuration of your project in the project explorer.
    • Create a new configuration for your project. This configuration is automatically proposed by expanding the generation icon and by selecting "Other generations .. Generate a .NET application".
    • The wizard for creating a ".Net executable" configuration starts. The wizard asks for:
      • the name and description of the project configuration.
      • the elements included in the project configuration.
    • The wizard for generating a .NET application starts.
  2. Specify the general options of the executable: executable name, icon of executable program, name of splash screen.
  3. Specify the properties of the executable: company, description of the application and copyright.
    The "Advanced" button is used to define the additional properties specific to the .NET assembly.
  4. Specify the version number. The version of an executable is used to identify the features available (or not) in the application used by the user.
  5. Select the elements that will be included in the .NET executable. The elements found in the project configuration are proposed by default. You have the ability to add or delete some.
  6. Select the version of the .NET Framework to use as well as the WINDEV Framework (32-bit or 64-bit) that will be supplied with the .NET assembly.
    Remark: If a .NET executable must operate in 32 bits and in 64 bits, 2 .NET executables must be generated in WINDEV. The same .NET executable cannot operate in 32 bits and in 64 bits.
  7. Select the libraries of WINDEV framework (".DLL" files) used by the executable program.
    Caution: The wdxxxnet.dll DLL cannot be renamed.
  8. Enter the error message that will be displayed if a programming error occurs. This error message can be written in all the languages supported by the current project.
  9. Select the options specific to the .NET executable:
    • The "Compilation options" button is used to select a specific C# compiler and to indicate some additional compilation options.
    • The "Advanced properties" button is used to define whether the .NET executable must be accessible by a program that uses the COM technology. For more details, see Creating a .NET assembly accessible by COM.
  10. Validate the creation of the executable program. Once the executable program is created, WINDEV prompts you to run it.

Limitations

"Reports & Queries" is inactive in a .NET executable.
Details of operations

Executable general options

The main executable options are as follows:
  • the name of executable (".EXE" file). The "<ProjectName>.EXE" name is proposed by default.
  • the icon of executable program (".ICO" file). This icon can be chosen in the icon catalog of WINDEV ("Catalog"' button). For more details, see next paragraph.
  • the splash screen of executable program. This image will be displayed at runtime when initializing the application and when loading the WINDEV libraries. This image can be chosen in the image catalog provided with WINDEV.
    Remark: If the image is not in BMP format, the wdxxxpnt.dll library must be associated with the executable program.
    The following image formats are supported in Windows:
    • Bitmap (*.BMP)
    • Graphics Interchange Format (*.gif)
    • Joint Picture Experts Group (*.jpg ; *.jpeg)
    • Kodak Photo CD (*.pcd)
    • PaintBrush (*.pcx)
    • Adobe Photoshop Format (*.psd)
    • TrueVision TARGA (*.tga)
    • Tagged Image File Format (*.tif ; *.tiff)
      Remark: the "tiled tiff" option of tiff 6.0 standard is not supported. In this case, we advise you to save the image in tiff 5.0 standard.
    • Portable Network Graphics (*.png)
    • Windows MetaFiles (*.emf ; *.wmf)
    • Icons (*.ico ; *.icw)
      Remarks:
      • HQ display (High Quality) available.
      • Management of sheets in transparent BMP format (32 bits).
    • Cursors (*.cur)
    • Portable Document Format (*.pdf)
    • Scalable Vector Graphics (*.svg)
    • WINDEV images (generated by the image editor, *.WDPIC).

Icon of executable program

To associate an icon with the executable program, you can:
  • use an icon found in the icon catalog of WINDEV.
  • choose an icon file (.ICO) on your computer.
In this case, make sure that:
  • the icon file is a file in 16-color ICO format (Windows 3.x format).
  • the icon file is a file in 256 ICO format (Win32 format, used in Windows 98, Me and 2000).
  • the icon file is a file in Windows XP ICO format (used in Windows XP).
The icons in Windows 3.x or Win32 format (16 or 256 colors) have no specific features.
The icons in Windows XP format are groups of icons with different sizes and different color resolutions.
The icons in Windows XP format must comply with the following standard:
  • the icons must have been created by a tool that organizes the icons by increasing size and by increasing color resolution.
  • the icons must necessarily be classified in the following order:
    1. 16x16 pixels in 16 colors
    2. 16x16 pixels in 256 colors
    3. 16x16 pixels in 32-bit colors
    4. 32x32 pixels in 16 colors
    5. 32x32 pixels in 256 colors
    6. 32x32 pixels in 32-bit colors
    7. 48x48 pixels in 16 colors
    8. 48x48 pixels in 256 colors
    9. 48x48 pixels in 32-bit colors

Executable properties

This information will be displayed in the "Version" tab of the executable properties in the Windows explorer. This information is as follows:
  • the name of the company. For example, the name of the publisher.
  • a short description of the application purpose. For example: "Inventory management".
  • the copyright.

Version number

Two formats are available for the version numbers:
  • Format for compatibility. This format was used until version 12 for the WINDEV applications.
    Remark: All the characters (digits and letters) are allowed. For example: "1.01A".
    If "Automatically increment the version at each generation" is checked, the version number will be modified at each generation: the version number "1.01A" will become "1.01B" and the version number "A14Z" will become "A15A".
  • Standard format. This format is the standard format managed by Windows. This format corresponds to a set of 4 numbers separated by dots.
    • The first group of 4 digits corresponds to the number of major changes performed in the application.
    • The second group of 4 digits corresponds to the number of minor changes performed in the application.
    • The third group of 4 digits corresponds to the generation number.
      We advise you to automatically increment this number at each generation. This increment operation is automatically performed if the option "Automatically increment the version at each generation" is checked.
    • The last group of 4 digits corresponds to the number of reviews (branches in the SCM for example).

Libraries of WINDEV framework (".DLL" files) used by the executable program

Each group of WLanguage functions uses a specific WINDEV library. By default, the wizard for executable creation proposes to load all the WINDEV libraries required to run the application.
Special case: the dynamic compilation
If your application uses dynamic compilation functions, you must specify the mode for loading the corresponding WINDEV libraries.
Remark: To find out the WINDEV library used by a function, see the online help about the relevant function ("Component" paragraph).
For each WINDEV library proposed (".DLL" file), you can:
  • rename this library ("New name" column). If several WINDEV applications are installed on the same computer, each executable uses its own libraries.
    Remark: Don't rename the WINDEV libraries of the programs created with an external language.
  • specify the load mode of this library ("DLL" file):
    • when starting the application. In this case, the WINDEV library will be available as long as the application is used. However, the time required to start the application may increase according to the number and to the size of the WINDEV libraries to load. The amount of memory used may also increase.
    • when it is first used (recommended mode). The WINDEV library will be loaded in memory the first time a function that uses the library is called. This load mode is recommended for libraries that are rarely used. This load mode optimizes the time required to start the application and the amount of memory used.
When creating the executable, all the loaded WINDEV libraries will be automatically copied into the "EXE" sub-directory of the project.
Reminder: By default, the setup program automatically selects all the files found in the "EXE" subdirectory of a project except for the data files (".FIC", ".NDX", ".MMO"). For more details, see Setup program.
Minimum version required
  • Version 9
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Last update: 10/27/2022

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