Checking safety of Delphi DLL to use in C# - c#

I have a DLL which takes care of custom drawing for some special glass effects. I'm putting it in a DLL for three reasons: 1) So it can be easily re-used and distributed of course without weighing its host app down, 2) So I can distribute it to developers without them knowing how it works, and 3) So it can be used from C#. It currently works in Delphi, but I know I will need to do many changes to make it support C#. For example, the main DLL function includes 1 parameter (a Record) which contains a number of types I know won't work in C# (like String, and maybe TColor). Project isn't quite 100% done yet, but is working.
I need someone to point out the easiest approach to accomplishing this. The code is too large to post it all here, so here it is at Pastebin.
Here's what I need to know:
Should I keep using Records as I am, or use something else like Packed Record?
Any tricks to use something other than String or PChar in these Records?
How would I wrap this DLL in C#? (I know very little C# by the way)
How to define equivalent records to pass to DLL function?
How to define equivalent constants in C#? (C# version of JDGlassCommon.pas)
How to get canvas handle (HDC) and parent handle (HWND) to send to DLL?
What would be equivalent to TColor?
Is it safe to pass types such as TColor in the Records?
Do you foresee any other issues in my code?
File List:
Library: JDGlassLib.dll *
Unit: JDGlassCommon.pas *
Package: JDLib.bpl
Unit: JDGlassCommon.pas *
Unit: JDGlass.pas *
Program: JDLibTestApplicationD7.exe
Form: JDLibTestAppD7.dfm *
Unit: JDLibTestAppD7.pas *
(* = code is included in above link)
(JDGlassCommon.pas is shared in both DLL and Component)
Should look something like this:
NOTE: I'm not asking for a re-write, although you're more than welcome to. I just need some tips on how to approach this.
PS: Original glass drawing code credited to "NGLN" of StackOverflow answering a prior question of mine: Delphi custom drawing - glowing glass

Should I keep using Records as I am, or use something else
like Packed Record?
Records are good for interop. Don't pack them, that just makes interop harder.
Any tricks to use something other than String or PChar in
these Records?
Don't use string. That's Delphi only and even specific to Delphi versions. PChar is fine for interop. Sometimes it can be simplest to use fixed length inline char arrays in records. It depends on the use.
How would I wrap this DLL in C#?
Call it from C# using p/invoke.
Is it safe to pass types such as TColor in the Records?
Yes that's easy to work with. Make sure it's a true RGB color rather than a special color like clWindow.
Do you foresee any other issues in my code?
The glass rendering may well be incompatible with the rendering used by the C# libraries. It could very well depend on whether or not your C# code uses WinForms or WPF. In fact you may well find that the C# developers would find it easier to use native C# code. I expect glass rendering is well supported in the common C# GUI frameworks.

Related

How to use MATLAB buildin functions in C#

I want to apply 2D-DCT on the array of data collected from image pixels.
tried Accord.Math which is too slow to work with and also values vary from 50 to 100 as compared to matlab generated values which i think does not sounds good because i also have to apply LSB to these values.
MATLAB was applying DCT pretty fast so i want to use its dct2() method..
I have read some posts but mostly are about deploying m file as dll in C#..now the problem is dct2() depends on dct() which in turn depends in FFT()..and other checking functions too..
Now what should i use??? Deployment looks better option but how to include all dependencies??
and if any other suggestion please a little help or links so i can implement easily..actually I'm new in C# and also languages interfacing thing.
I think that you should use
deploytool and create an external library for your .m files ans use this in C#, I have linux so I do not have dotnet available, I have for java and C/C++ ,also you can investigate mcc, that compiles matlab code to create a dll like here enter image description here

Is it possible to call c# scripts from MATLAB?

I have a script in MATLAB that writes a CSV, the CSV is read by a c# script which writes a few more CSVs that I go back and read in MATLAB.
Is there any way to automate this so I don't have to call the c# code by hand each time?
It's very easy to call into .net from Matlab. The official documentation is at http://www.mathworks.co.uk/help/matlab/matlab_external/load-a-global-net-assembly.html You should be aware that Matlab is case-sensitive (even when it comes to specifying the assembly path) and that it is also limited in the kinds of objects it can pass back and forth across the boundary.
If you pass an array into your C# dll from Matlab, it will appear to be an array of bare objects rather than an array of numbers. In Matlab, you may need to use the char and cell methods to convert strings and arrays back into the form you are expecting.
To answer the title question, e.g. "Is it possible to call C# functions from MATLAB": yes, it is. Mathworks provides decent documentation on calling .NET assemblies from MATLAB on their website. Of course, there are limitations and some awkward quirks to take into account but basically you can create instances of .NET classes and interact with .NET applications from MATLAB.
To advise on automating this process, you could perhaps dive into the MATLAB COM Automation Service?
In the extension of this: it's also possible to call MATLAB functions in a .NET application. The other way around, sort of speak. This will be no problem with basic data types, but when it gets a bit more advances it can put you through some gnarly COM challenges, though.

C# .net Mnemonics and use in general

I'm just starting out with C# and to me it seems like Microsoft Called their new system .Net because you have to use the Internet to look everything up to find useful functions and which class they stashed it in.
To me it seems nonsensical to require procedure/functions written and designed to stand alone ( non instantiated static objects) to have their class not also function as their namespace.
That is Why can't I use Write or WriteLine instead of Console.WriteLine ?
Then when I start to get used to the idea that the objects I am using ( like string) know how to perform operations I am used to using external functions to achieve ( like to upper, tolower, substring, etc) they change the rules with numbers, numbers don't know how to convert themselves from one numeric type to another for some reason, instead you have to invoke Convert class static functions to change a double to an int and Math class static functions to achieve rounding and truncating.. which quickly turns your simple( in other languages) statement to a gazillion character line in C#.
It also seems obsessed with strong typing which interferes somewhat with the thought process when I code. I understand that type safety reduces errors , but I think it also increases complexity, sometimes unnecessarily. It would be nice if you could choose context driven types when you wish without the explicit Casting or Converting or ToStringing that seems to be basic necessity in C# to get anything done.
So... Is it even possible to write meaningful code in notepad and use cl with out Internet access? What ref book would you use without recourse to autocomplete and Network access?
Any suggestions on smoothing the process towards grokking this language and using it more naturally?
I think you're suffering a bit from the fact that you've used to working in one way during some years, and now must take time to get yourself comfortable using / developing in a new platform.
I do not agree with you , that MS hasn't been consistent on the fact that a string knows how it should convert itself to another type, and other datatypes (like ints) do not.
This is not true, since strings do not know for themselves how they should be converted to another type as well. (You can use the Convert class to Convert types to other types).
It is however true that every type in .NET has a ToString() method, but, you should not rely on that method to convert whatever you have to a string.
I think you have never worked in an OO language before, and therefore, you're having some difficulties with the paradigm shift.
Think of it this way: it's all about responsabilities and behaviour. A class is (if it is well designed) responsible for doing one thing, and does this one thing good.
There is no excuse to use notepad to code a modern language. SharpDevelop or Visual C# Express provide the functionality to work with C# in a productive way.
And no, due to the complexity, not using the internet as a source of information is also not a good option.
You could buy a book that introduces you to the concepts of the language in a structured way, but to get up-to-date information, the internet is neccessary.
Yes, there are drawbacks in C#, like in any other language. I can only give you the advice to get used to the language. Many of the drawbacks become understandable after that, even if some of them don't become less annoying. I recommend that you ask clear, direct questions with example code if you want to know how some language constructs work or how you can solve specific problems more efficiently. That makes it easier to answer those questions.
For notepad, I have no useful advice, however I would advise you to use one of the free IDE's, Microsofts Express Editions, or Sharp Develop.
The IDE will speed the groking of the language, at which point, you can switch back to notepad.
Reading your post I was thinking that you worked mostly with C or dynamic languages previously. Maybe C# is just a wrong choice for you, there are IronPython, F# and a bunch of other languages that have necessary functionality (like functions outside of classes etc.)
I disagree with you about consistency. In fact there are small inconsistency between some components of .NET, but most part of FW is very consistent and predictable.
Strong typing is a huge factor in low defect count. Dynamic typing plays nice in small/intermediate projects (like scripts, etc). In more or less complex program dynamism can introduce a lot of complexity.
Regarding internet/autocomplete - I can hardly imagine any technology with size of .NET that doesn't require a lot of knowledge sources.
Programming in c# using notepad is like buying a ferrari to drive in dirt roads.
At least use Visual Studio Express Edition. For what you wrote I understand that you come from a non OO background, try to learn the OO concept and try to use it. You will eventually understand most design decisions made for .Net.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Object-oriented_programming
Oh boy where do i start with you(this will be a long post hahaha), well, lets go little by little:
"Microsoft called their system .NET because you have to use Intenet...", the reason why is called .NET is because the SUITE OF MICROSOFT LANGUAGUES(and now some other ones too like Phyton and Ruby, etc) CAN CALL ANY LIBRARY or DLLs, example you can "NET"(Network OR CALL) a DLL that was built in Visual Basic, F#, C++ from WITHIN C# or from any of those languagues you can also call(or ".NET") C# libraries. OK ONE DOWN!!!
NEXT ONE: "it seems nonsensical to require....to have their class not also function as their namespace", this is because a Namespace can have AS MANY CLASSES AS YOU WISH, and your question:
"That is Why can't I use Write or WriteLine instead of Console.WriteLine ?".
The reason is because: "Console"(System.Console hense the "Using" statement at the beginning of your program) Namespace is where "Write" and "WriteLine" LIVES!!(you can also FULLY qualify it (or "call It"). (all this seems to me that you need to study C# Syntax), ok NEXT:
"when I start to get used to the idea that the objects...", ok in simple words:
C# is a "Strongly Type-Safe language" so that SHOULD-MUST tell you what "you are getting in to" otherwise STAY WITH "WEAK or NO TYPE SAFE LANGUAGES" LIKE PHP or C , etc. this does NOT means is bad it just MEANS IS YOUR JOB TO MAKE SURE, as i tell my students: "IF YOU NEED AN INT THEN DEFINE AN INT INSTEAD LETTING THE COMPILER DO IT FOR YOU OTHERWISE YOU WILL HAVE A LOT OF BAD BUGS", or in other words do YOUR homework BEFORE DESIGNING A PIECE OF SOFTWARE.
Note: C# is IMPLICITY TYPE SAFE language SO IF YOU WANT YOU CAN RUN IT AS UNSAFE so from then it wiLL be your job to make sure, so dont complain later(for being lazy) when bugs arrive AT RUNTIME(and a lot of times when the customer is already using your crappy software).
...and last but not least : Whey do you wan to shoot yourself by using notepad? Studio Express is FREE, even the database SQL SERVER is FREE TOO!!, unless you work for a company I WILL ASK FOR PRO, ETC. all the "extra" stuff is for large companies, teams, etc, YOU CAN DO 99% OF THE STUFF WITH THE FREE VERSIONS(and you can still buy-update to full version once you want to scalate to Distributed Software or a Large Project, or if your software becomes a big hit, Example: if you need millions of queryes or hits PER SECOND from your database or 100 people are working on same project(code) but for the majority of times for 2 or 3 "normal" developers working at home or small office the FREE ONES ARE ENOuGH!!)
cherrsss!!! (PS: Software Developer since the 80's)

Where would you use C# Runtime Compilation?

I happened upon a brief discussion recently on another site about C# runtime compilation recently while searching for something else and thought the idea was interesting. Have you ever used this? I'm trying to determine how/when one might use this and what problem it solves. I'd be very interested in hearing how you've used it or in what context it makes sense.
Thanks much.
Typically, I see this used in cases where you are currently using Reflection and need to optimize for performance.
For example, instead of using reflection to call method X, you generate a Dynamic Method at runtime to do this for you.
You can use this to add scripting support to your application. For examples look here or here.
It is quite easily possible to publish parts of your internal object framework to the scripting part, so you could with relative ease add something to your application that has the same effect as for example VBA for Office.
I've seen this (runtime compilation / use of System.Reflection.Emit classes) in generating dynamic proxies ( Code project sample ) or other means of optimizing reflection calls (time-wise).
At least one case you might use it is when generating dynamic code. For example, the framework is using this internally to generate XML serializers on the fly. After looking into a class at runtime, it can generate the code to serialize / deserialize the class. It then compiles that code and users it as needed.
In the same way you can generate code to handle arbitrary DB tables etc. and then compile and load the generated assembly.
Well, all C# code is run-time compiled, since it's a JIT (just-in-time) compiler. I assume you are referring to Reflection.Emit to create classes etc. on the fly. Here's an example I have seen recently in the Xml-Rpc.Net library.
I create a C# interface that has the same signature as an XML-RPC service's method calls, e.g.
IMyProxy : IXmlRpcProxy
{
[XmlRpcMethod]
int Add(int a, int b);
}
Then in my code I call something like
IMyProxy proxy = (IMyProxy)XmlRcpFactory.Create(typeof(IMyProxy));
This uses run-time code generation to create a fully functional proxy for me, so I can use it like this:
int result = proxy.Add(1, 2);
This then handles the XML-RPC call for me. Pretty cool.
I used runtime compiler services from .NET in my diploma thesis. Basically, it was about visually creating some graphical component for a process visualization, which is generated as C# code, compiled into an assembly and can then be used on the target system without being interpreted, to make it faster and more compact. And, as a bonus, the generated images could be packaged into the very same assembly as resources.
The other use of that was in Java. I had an application that had to plot a potentially expensive function using some numerical algorithm (was back at university) the user could enter. I put the entered function into a class, compiled and loaded it and it was then available for relatively fast execution.
So, these are my two experiences where runtime code generation was a good thing.
something I used it for was for allowing C# and VB code to bu run by the user ad-hoc. They could type in a line of code (or a couple lines) and it would be compiled, loaded into an app domain, and executed, and then unloaded. This probably isnt the best example of its usage, but an example of it none-the-less

Translate C++/CLI to C#

I have a small to medium project that is in C++/CLI. I really hate the syntax extensions of C++/CLI and I would prefer to work in C#. Is there a tool that does a decent job of translating one to the other?
EDIT: When I said Managed c++ before I apparently meant c++/CLI
You can only translate Managed C++ code (and C++/CLI code) to C# if the C++ code is pure managed. If it is not -- i.e. if there is native code included in the sources -- tools like .NET Reflector won't be able to translate the code for you.
If you do have native C++ code mixed in, then I'd recommend trying to move the native code into a separate DLL, replace your calls to DLL functions by easily identifiable stub functions, compile your project as a pure .NET library, then use .NET reflector to de-compile into C# code. Then you can replace the calls to the stub functions by p-invoke calls to your native DLL.
Good luck! I feel for you!
.NET Managed C++ is like a train wreck. But have you looked into C++ CLI? I think Microsoft did a great job in this field to make C++ a first class .NET citizen.
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/magazine/cc163852.aspx
I'm not sure if this will work, but try using .Net Reflector along with ReflectionEmitLanguage plug-in. The RelelectionEmitLanguage plug-in claims to convert your assembly to c# code.
It has to be done manually unfortunately, but if the code is mostly C++/CLI (not native C++) then it can actually be done pretty quickly. I managed to port around 250,000 lines of C++/CLI code into C# in less than a couple of months, and I don't even know C++ very well at all.
If preserving Git history is important, you might want to git mv your cpp file into a cs file, commit, then start porting. The reason for this is that Git will think your file is new if you modify it too much after renaming it.
This was my approach when porting large amounts of code (so that it wouldn't take forever):
Create another worktree / clone of the branch and keep it open at all times
This is extremely important as you will want to compare your C# to the old C++/CLI code
Rename cpp to cs, delete header file, commit
I chose to rename the cpp file since its git history is probably more important than the header file
Create namespace + class in cs file, add any base classes/interfaces (if abstract sealed, make static in C#)
Copy fields first, then constructors, then properties, and finally functions
Start replacing with Ctrl+H:
^ to empty
:: to .
-> to .
nullptr to null
for each to foreach
gcnew to new
L" to "
Turn on case sensitivity to avoid accidental renames (for example L"cool" should become "cool", not "coo"
Prefixes like ClassName:: to empty, so that MyClass::MyMethod becomes MyMethod
Go through the red code and port manually code that cannot be just replaced (e.g. some special C++ casts), unless you have some cool regex to do it fast
Once code compiles, go through it again, compare to C++/CLI line by line, check for errors, clean it up, move on.
If you encounter a dependency that needs to be ported, you could pause, port that, then come back. I did that, but it might not be so easy.
Properties were the most annoying to port, because I had to remove everything before and after the getters and setters. I could have maybe written a regex for it but didn't bother doing so.
Once the porting is done, it's very important that you go through the changes line by line, read the code, and compare with C++/CLI code and fix possible errors.
One problem with this approach is that you can introduce bugs in variable declarations, because in C++/CLI you can declare variables in 2 ways:
MyType^ variable; <- null
MyType variable; <- calls default constructor
In the latter case, you want to actually do MyType variable = new MyType(); but since you already removed all the ^ you have to just manually check and test which one is correct. You could of course just replace all ^'s manually, but for me it would have taken too long (plus laziness) so I just did it this way.
Other recommendations:
Have a dummy C++/CLI project and a tool like LinqPad or another C# project to test differences between C++/CLI and C# if you're unsure of a piece of ported code
Install Match Margin to help highlight similar code (helped me when porting WinForms code)
ReSharper! It helped with finding bugs and cleaning up the code a LOT. Truly worth the money.
Some gotchas that I encountered while porting:
Base classes can be called in C++/CLI like so: BaseClass->DoStuff, but in C# you would have to do base.DoStuff instead.
C++/CLI allows such statements: if (foo), but in C# this has to be explicit. In the case of integers, it would be if (foo != 0) or for objects if (foo != null).
Events in base classes can be invoked in C++/CLI, but in C# it's not possible. The solution is to create a method, like OnSomeEvent, in the base class, and inside that to invoke the event.
C++/CLI automatically generates null checks for event invocations, so in C# make sure to add an explicit null check: MyEvent?.Invoke(this, EventArgs.Empty);. Notice the question mark.
dynamic_cast is equivalent to as cast in C#, the rest can be direct casts ((int) something).
gcnew can be done without parentheses. In C# you must have them with new.
Pay attention to virtual override keywords in the header files, you can easily forget to mark the C# methods with override keyword.
Intefaces can have implementations! In this case, you might have to rethink the architecture a bit. One option is to pull the implementation into an abstract class and derive from it
Careful when replacing casts with Convert calls in C#
Convert.ToInt32 rounds to the narest int, but casting always rounds down, so in this case we should not use the converter.
Always try casting first, and if that doesn't work, use the Convert class.
Variables in C++/CLI can be re-declared in a local scope, but in C# you get naming conflicts. Code like this easily lead to hard to find bugs if not ported carefully.
Example: An event handler can take a parameter e, but also has a try-catch like catch (Exception e) which means there are 2 e variables.
Another example:
// number is 2
int number = 2;
for (int number = 0; number < 5; number++)
{
// number is now 0, and goes up to 4
}
// number is again 2!
The above code is illegal in C#, because there is a naming conflict. Find out exactly how the code works in C++ and port it with the exact same logic, and obviously use different variable names.
In C++/CLI, it's possible to just write throw; which would create a generic C++ exception SEHException. Just replace it with a proper exception.
Be careful when porting code that uses the reference % sign, that usually means that you will have to use ref or out keywords in C#.
Similarly, pay attention to pointers * and & references. You might have to write additional code to write changes back whereas in C++ you can just modify the data pointed to by the pointer.
It's possible to call methods on null object instances in C++/CLI. Yes seriously. So inside the function you could do If (this == null) { return; }.
Port this type of code carefully. You might have to create an extension method that wraps over this type of method in order to avoid breaking the code.
Check and make sure everything in the old project file vcxproj was ported correctly. Did you miss any embedded resources?
Careful when porting directives like #ifdef, the "if not" (#ifndef) looks awfully similar but can have disastrous consequences.
C++/CLI classes automatically implement IDisposable when adding a destructor, so in C# you'll need to either implement that interface or override the Dispose method if it's available in the base class.
Other tips:
If you need to call Win32 functions, just use P/Invoke instead of creating a C++/CLI wrapper
For complex native C++ code, better create a C++/CLI project with managed wrappers
Again, pay attention to pointers. I had forgotten to do Marshal.StructureToPtr in my P/Invoke code which wasn't necessary in the C++ version since we had the actual pointer and not a copy of its data.
I have surely missed some things, but hopefully these tips will be of some help to people who are demoralized by the amount of code that needs to be ported, especially in a short period of time :)
After porting is done, use VS/ReSharper to refactor and clean up the code. Not only is it nice for readability, which is my top priority when writing code, but it also forces you to interact with the code and possibly find bugs that you otherwise would have missed.
Oh and one final FYI that could save you headaches: If you create a C++/CLI wrapper that exposes the native C++ pointer, and need to use that pointer in an external C++/CLI assembly, you MUST make the native type public by using #pragma make_public or else you'll get linker errors:
// put this at the top of the wrapper class, after includes
#pragma make_public(SomeNamespace::NativeCppClass)
If you find a bug in the C++/CLI code, keep it. You want to port the code, not fix the code, so keep things in scope!
For those wondering, we got maybe around 10 regressions after the port. Half were mistakes because I was already on autopilot mode and didn't pay attention to what I was doing.
Happy porting!
Back ~2004 Microsoft did have a tool that would convert managed C++ to C++/CLI ... sort of. We ran it on a couple of projects, but to be honest the amount of work left cleaning up the project was no less than the amount of work it would have been to do the conversion by hand in the first place. I don't think the tool ever made it out into a public release though (maybe for this reason).
I don't know which version of Visual Studio you are using, but we have managed C++ code that will not compile with Visual Studio 2005/2008 using the /clr:oldSyntax switch and we still have a relic VS 2003 around for it.
I don't know of any way of going from C++ to C# in a useful way ... you could try round tripping it through reflector :)
Such projects are often done in c++/cli because C# isn't really an elegant option for the task. e.g. if you have to interface with some native C++ libraries, or do very high performance stuff in low level C. So just make sure whoever chose c++/cli didn't have a good reason to do it before doing the switch.
Having said that, I'm highly skeptical there's something that does what you ask, for the simple reason that not all C++/cli code is translatable to C# (and probably vice versa too).

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