I have an ActiveX control (written in Delphi) which I want to host in a WPF application. When I try to load it into the toolbox to add it to the XAML at design time, it is not shown in the list of available controls. Does anyone know what filters this list and why I can't see the control to add it?
Edit
This is where I get to - the host.Child = (ax); statement gets an error (Cannot implicitly convert type 'DemoFrameControl.DemoFrameCtrl' to 'System.Windows.Forms.Control'), hope this helps clarify my problem
private void WindowLoaded(object sender, RoutedEventArgs e)
{
// Create the interop host control.
System.Windows.Forms.Integration.WindowsFormsHost host =
new System.Windows.Forms.Integration.WindowsFormsHost();
// Create the ActiveX control.
DemoFrameControl.DemoFrameCtrl ax = new DemoFrameControl.DemoFrameCtrl();
// Assign the ActiveX control as the host control's child.
host.Child = (ax);
// Add the interop host control to the Grid
// control's collection of child controls.
this.grid1.Children.Add(host);
// Play a .wav file with the ActiveX control.
//axWmp.URL = #"C:\WINDOWS\Media\Windows XP Startup.wav";
}
Thanks
Check out Walkthrough: Hosting an ActiveX Control in WPF.
Update:
How is DemoFrameCtrl defined? Like the error says, it needs to be a subclass of System.Windows.Forms.Control to use WindowsFormsHost. An ActiveX control wrapper will inherit from AxHost which inherits from Control. I think Visual Studio will generate the wrapper if you add a reference to the ActiveX library. If not, you can try using Aximp.exe (Windows Forms ActiveX Control Importer).
Related
My setup is kinda unorthodox - The CLR is hosted in a native Win32 application. Application loads and invokes a managed assembly (written in C++/CLI). Assembly creates a Windows Forms form with a WPF ElementHost. ElementHost gets populated with a stack panel that includes an image control and label control.
The managed assembly contains embedded image resources. The name of the resource file (in the project) is 'Images' and that of the particular resource in question is 'ISIconDB'.
How do I use the aforementioned resource as the image control's source?
Figured it out.
[DllImport("gdi32.dll")] int DeleteObject(IntPtr hObject);
//Drawing::Bitmap^ OrgResource;
Windows::Media::Imaging::BitmapSource^ Marshalled = nullptr;
try {
Marshalled = System::Windows::Interop::Imaging::CreateBitmapSourceFromHBitmap(OrgResource->GetHbitmap(),
IntPtr::Zero, Windows::Int32Rect::Empty, Windows::Media::Imaging::BitmapSizeOptions::FromEmptyOptions());
}
catch (...) {
Marshalled = nullptr;
}
finally {
DeleteObject(OrgResource->GetHbitmap());
}
I have a wpf usercontrol that contains an activex control housed in a windowsformhost.
I'm using an MVVM pattern that says
ViewModel1 is mapped to a Pure WPF View and
ViewModel2 is mapped to wpf content and the above usercontrol
If ViewModel2 is "Hidden" and then becomes Visible then the Activex control inside it doesn't show (Specifically I'm talking about the VLC activex control).
I've tested in a non MVVM pattern with a button and the usercontrol. The usercontrol is hidden until you press the button and the same thing happens but if I create a method in the usercontrol to re attach the activex control to the windowsformhost then it reappears. If I call this method from a viewmodel then it still remains blank. Does anyone know how I can get this to show again?
EDIT - I've just discovered it's because I have transparency on in my wpf application. It seems it's not possable to do what I want with windowsformshost and transparency enabled.
As there are no obvious answers I'll share my experience. When transparency is turned on in the wpf window then the windows form host doesn't refresh when changing from Hidden to Visable. I have found no way to make this work unless it is hosted in a new window with "Allowstransparency=false".
How are you setting up your active x control? The following Typically works for me in WPF if you are just needing it to attach to a grid. No user control required.:
//Active X Control initializer
private Ax addAxObject<Ax>(Grid container)
where Ax : System.Windows.Forms.Control, new()
{
Ax ax = new Ax();
var hoster = new System.Windows.Forms.Integration.WindowsFormsHost();
hoster.Child = (System.Windows.Forms.Control)ax;
container.Children.Add(hoster);
return ax;
}
private MyActiveXControl myActiveXControl;
public Grid InitializeActiveX(Grid grid)
{
myActiveXControl = addAxObject<myActiveXControl>(grid);
return grid;
}
Then all you do is is add it to your grid in your main window like so:
public MainWindow()
{
InitializeComponent();
//initialize Active X control
gridMain = InitializeActiveX(gridMain);
}
It shows up just fine for me. (Obviously not in the designer since it is programatically created)
The current version of the Microsoft Live Labs PivotViewer control for SilverLight 4 has no way to style the elements of the control. Looking at the control in Reflector, I can see much of the style info is set in a ResourceDictionary in the assembly (assets/defaultcolors.xaml). What I would like to do is create my own copy of this file, then replace it at runtime on the PivotViewer control.
By subclassing the PivotViewer control and overriding OnApplyTemplate I can grab the child elements and set properties such as Background. I have not had any success Clear()'ng the MergedDictionaries and adding in my own:
public override void OnApplyTemplate() {
base.OnApplyTemplate();
/* can change things this way */
CollectionViewerView cvv = ((CollectionViewerView)((Grid)this.GetTemplateChild("PART_Container")).Children[0]);
((Grid)cvv.Content).Background = new SolidColorBrush(Colors.Black);
/* can't change things this way */
CustomDictionary gd = new CustomDictionary();
cvv.Resources.MergedDictionaries.Clear();
cvv.Resources.MergedDictionaries.Add(gd);
}
I'm afraid this isn't going to work in Silverlight because it uses only Static Resources. ( Styles Don't Update )
Changing a resource dictionary only works before InitializeComponent() is called, which is called in the constructor of the PivotViewer.
I've been trying to style the PivotViewer Control too. I hope there is another way, besides searching through the Visual Tree and changing properties.
How to use a WPF user control in a windows forms application?
From the MSDN:
Use the ElementHost control to place a
WPF UIElement on your Windows Forms
control or form.
Example:
private void Form1_Load(object sender, EventArgs e)
{
// Create the ElementHost control for hosting the
// WPF UserControl.
ElementHost host = new ElementHost();
host.Dock = DockStyle.Fill;
// Create the WPF UserControl.
HostingWpfUserControlInWf.UserControl1 uc =
new HostingWpfUserControlInWf.UserControl1();
// Assign the WPF UserControl to the ElementHost control's
// Child property.
host.Child = uc;
// Add the ElementHost control to the form's
// collection of child controls.
this.Controls.Add(host);
}
Here is a nice tutorial how to do that.
The control called ElementHost is for
WPF in WinForms what the
WindowsFormsHost was for WinForms in
WPF. In the designer, you can find
this control in the Toolbox underneath
"WPF Interoperability".
I am making a Excel Addin in VS2010.
The following code work fines if I make a winforms usercontrol
private void ThisAddIn_Startup(object sender, System.EventArgs e)
{
var testControlView1 = new UserControl1();
var MyCustomPane = this.CustomTaskPanes.Add(testControlView, "Hello");
}
However I would like to make my UserControl1 be a WPF UserControl. Does anybody know how I would achieve similar functionality or an alternate approach?
As far as I can tell the CustomTaskPanes only allows Winforms Controls to be added to it.
Answer summary:
1. Add a .net winforms usercontrol
2. Add a SWF.Integration.ElementHost control to the user control.
3. Add a Wpf control to your project seperately (not to the user control).
3. Use the Hosted Content property (hostedcontentName) of the ElementHost control and set it to the wpf control.
I found this blog post that answered it great...