Unicode for strings

[Edwin Knoppert]

I am writing me a com dll and to be sure i am asking if the methods should accept unicode strings or ansi code.
To my knowledge it should handle unicode strings.
I am currently converting every parameter internally to ansicode, outgoing strings i convert to unicode.
I wonder what happens if i specify this interface as dual?

The idea is that this dll works for any language and not only for PB users.

[José Roca]

String parameters must be unicode. PB and C++ can use ansi strings with COM, but automation languages don't.

[Edwin Knoppert]

Will the dual option conflict with my internal unicode to ansicode conversion?
I can try of course.

[José Roca]

What you do internally is your business.

[Charles Pegge]

I'm interested in Unicode support for the OxygenBasic compiler. And I wondered how far it should go. Automatic type conversion when Functions with string parameters are called. This is an obvious one, but should this facility also be extended to all string manipulation functions, or perhaps concatenating strings of mixed type?

Another question: what is the best notation to use for unicode string literals (quoted strings I mean).

Charles

[Edwin Knoppert]

Here is what i have tested, for some reason PB seems to understand UNI and ANSI bstrings when passed to the dispatch interface.
Odd is the last call in this example which appends the strings not with a CRLF but with a ?

Code Select Expand


Function PBMain

    Local d As Dispatch
    Local vIn As Variant
    Local vOut As Variant
    Local i As Interface1
   
    i = Class "Class1"
    d = i
   
    ? ACode$( i.TestUNI( UCode$( "Direct UNI" ) ) )
    ? i.TestANSI( "Direct ANSI" )
   
    vIn ="Dispatch UNI"
    Object Call d.TestUNI( vIn ) To vOut
    ? Variant$( vOut )
    vIn ="Dispatch ANSI"
    Object Call d.TestANSI( vIn ) To vOut
    ? Variant$( vOut )
   
End Function


Class Class1

    Interface Interface1: Inherit Dual

        Method TestUNI( ByVal x As String ) As String
            x = ACode$( x )
            x = x & $CrLf & x
            Method = UCode$( x )       
        End Method

        Method TestANSI( ByVal x As String ) As String
            x = x & $CrLf & x
            Method = x
        End Method

    End Interface

End Class



This may be another reason to abandon ansicode in com objects(?)

[José Roca]

Here is what i have tested, for some reason PB seems to understand UNI and ANSI bstrings when passed to the dispatch interface.
Odd is the last call in this example which appends the strings not with a CRLF but with a ?

No it doesn't. What you call TestANSI doesn't receive an ansi string, but an unicode one.

Change:

Code Select Expand


        Method TestANSI( ByVal x As String ) As String
            x = x & $CrLf & x
            Method = x
        End Method


to:

Code Select Expand


        Method TestANSI( ByVal x As String ) As String
            x = x & UCODE$($CrLf) & x
            Method = x
        End Method


[José Roca]

This may be another reason to abandon ansicode in com objects(?)

Ansi should be abandoned in everything, including the Windows API. PB should implement native unicode support and we switch to use the "W" api functions. If done right, we could work as now, transparently, using wide strings and wide null terminated strings, e.g. AS WSTRING and as WASCIIZ, instead of AS STRING and AS ASCIIZ. No more need for ACODE$/UCODE$ and STRPTRs.

[Edwin Knoppert]

>No it doesn't. What you call TestANSI doesn't receive an ansi string, but an unicode one.
Hah, of course, Variant$() converts it as well of course, i was confused.


Conclusion is that we should implement com stuff meant for exported use in unicode.
(I will not use it for internal use, to much overhead)

[Edwin Knoppert]

>PB should implement native unicode support and we switch to use the "W" api functions.
Sure but to late for me.
I am working on my 'last' project, then an unlimited holiday from 'outside the office' hours

[Theo Gottwald]

, then an unlimited holiday from 'outside the office' hours

Did you win in the Lottery?