Visual Basic .NET Compatibility

WinWrap® Basic is an embedded macro language component available for .NET and COM 32 bit and 64 bit Windows applications. The WinWrap® Basic OCX Component is compatible with Sax Basic and Visual Basic 6.0.

The WinWrap® Basic Scripting Engine provides both end-users and developers with a complete VBNET compatibility solution.

WinWrap® Basic WWB.NET Scripting Language VB.NET Compatibility:

Support for VB.NET style scripts
Access to the ActiveX Host Application via COM interop
Access to the .NET Host Application via .NET assembly
32 Bit and 64 Bit Windows native support

Provide Users with a Complete VB.NET Scripting Development Environment

Full WinWrap® Basic VB.NET script editing
Powerful auto completion capability for WWB.NET scripts
Complete debugging capability for WWB.NET scripts
Built-in Visual Basic .NET scripting documentation

Applications including the WinWrap® Basic dll ship with a fully featured development environment including an editor and a debugger. The WinWrap® Basic software package is used in conjunction with Microsoft development tools including Visual Studio, Visual Studio.NET, Visual Studio Express, and the ActiveX scripting engines.

Basic has long been considered the best language for user scripting and user application extensions. Basic has a reputation as being the easiest language for non-developer users to understand and use.

Migrating VB5 or VB6 to .NET

If you are considering transitioning from a VB5 and VB6 host application to a .NET host application, the following code demonstrates how the legacy Sax Basic code is fully supported in both hosts by the WinWrap® Scripting Language control. The host application creates the application object and then extends the WinWrap® Basic language using the BasicIdeCtl, AddExtension, and AddExtensionWithEvents methods.

WinWrap® Basic script accessing a host application object

Sub Main ' modify .NET/COM host application object AppObject.Value = "hi" End Sub ' value changed event for .NET/COM host application object Public Sub AppObject_ValueChanged() ' display .NET/COM application object changed value MsgBox AppObject.Value End Sub

VB5 / VB6 code for COM host

AppObject class module:

Private value_ As String Public Event ValueChanged() Public Property Get Value() As String Value = value_ End Property Public Property Let Value(ByVal newValue As String) value_ = newValue RaiseEvent ValueChanged() End Property

VB.NET code for .NET host

AppObject class module:

<Microsoft.VisualBasic.ComClass(), _ System.Runtime.InteropServices.ComVisible(True)> _ Public Class AppObject Private value_ As String Public Event ValueChanged() Public Property Value() As String Get Value = value_ End Get Set(ByVal Value As String) value_ = Value Try RaiseEvent ValueChanged() Catch End Try End Set End Property End Class

.NET Host Application Developers

Utilize the .NET Host COM interop capability to provide complete compatibility for existing Sax Basic VB 6.0 legacy scripts. And, enjoy all the features of .NET in your Host Application.

COM Host Application Developers

Join the growing number of Sax Basic developers that are enjoying the new capabilities with WinWrap® Basic Scripting ActiveX Control and still have complete and compatible support for existing Sax Basic VB5 and VB 6 legacy scripts.

Summary

The WinWrap® Basic Scripting Object provides both end-users and developers with a complete Visual Basic 6 application automation and customization solution.

Whether you are migrating to .NET or are continuing to use VB6, the WinWrap® Basic Scripting Engine Version 10 will provide VB5/VB6 and Sax Basic script compatibility for your customers.

Visual Basic .NET Compatibility Articles

Upgrading Visual Basic 6.0 Applications to Visual Basic .NET and Visual Basic 2005 (VB6 Conversion) on MSDN, "This guide provides valuable information for organizations who are considering upgrading their Visual Basic 6.0-based applications and components to Visual Basic .NET. It provides proven practices to reach functional equivalence with a minimal amount of effort and cost and guidance for common advancements after the application is running on the .NET framework." MSDN article.
Visual Basic .NET (VB.NET) on Wikipedia, "Visual Basic .NET (VB.NET), formerly called Visual Basic (VB), is an object-oriented computer programming language that can be viewed as an evolution of Microsoft's Visual Basic (VB) implemented on the Microsoft .NET Framework." Wikipedia article.
Visual Basic for Applications on Wikipedia, "Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) is an implementation of Microsoft's event-driven programming language Visual Basic 6, and associated integrated development environment (IDE), which is built into most Microsoft Office applications." Wikipedia article.
Lowering the barriers to programming: A taxonomy of programming environments and languages for novice programmers by Caitlin Kelleher and Randy Pausch, "Basic was designed to teach Dartmouth's non-science students about computing through programming. The Basic (Beginners All-purpose Symbolic Instruction Code) language was designed to support a small set of instructions and remove unnecessary syntax." ACM Computing Surveys (CSUR), Volume 37, Issue 2 (June 2005), Pages: 83 - 137.