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Reading properties from TwinCAT function blocks using c#

We are using a C# application to read variables from a Beckhoff PLC through TwinCAT ADS v.3. If we attempt to utilize the same code to read properties the code fails with an exception.
FUNCTION_BLOCK FB_Sample
VAR
SomeVariable : INT;
END_VAR
PROPERTY SomeProp : INT // declared in a separate file
// Code used to read variable (symbol)
var handle = client.CreateVariableHandle("sampleProgram.Source.SomeVariable");
var result = client.ReadAny(handle, typeof(int));
client.DeleteVariableHandle(handle);
// Adapted code used to read property (not a symbol)
var handle = client.CreateVariableHandle("sampleProgram.Source.SomeProp"); // This fails
var result = client.ReadAny(handle, typeof(int));
client.DeleteVariableHandle(handle);
When trying to create a variable handle using the above code, we receive TwinCAT.Ads.AdsErrorException: 'Ads-Error 0x710 : Symbol could not be found.'.
Since we knew that METHOD must be marked with {attribute 'TcRpcEnable'} so it can be called with this code:
client.InvokeRpcMethod("{symbolPath}", "{methodName}", {parameters} });
We attempted to use that attribute {attribute 'TcRpcEnable'} on the property as well. Using TcAdsClient.CreateSymbolLoader and looping over all available symbols we discovered that the getter/setter of the property were then marked as rpc-methods.
Console.WriteLine($"Name: {rpcMethod.Name}; Parameters.Count: {rpcMethod.Parameters.Count}; ReturnType: {rpcMethod.ReturnType};");
RpcMethods: 2
Name: __setSomeProp; Parameters.Count: 1; ReturnType: ;
Name: __getSomeProp; Parameters.Count: 0; ReturnType: INT;
But try as we might, we cannot invoke the rpc method:
var propertyResult = client.InvokeRpcMethod("sampleProgram.Source", "__getSomeProp", Array.Empty<object>());
// Throws: TwinCAT.Ads.AdsErrorException: 'Ads-Error 0x710 : Symbol could not be found.'
var propertyResult = client.InvokeRpcMethod("sampleProgram.Source", "__get{SomeProp}", Array.Empty<object>());
// Throws: TwinCAT.Ads.RpcMethodNotSupportedException: 'The RPC method '__get{SomeProp}' is not supported on symbol 'sampleProgram.Source!'
var propertyResult = client.InvokeRpcMethod("sampleProgram.Source", "get{SomeProp}", Array.Empty<object>());
// Throws: TwinCAT.Ads.RpcMethodNotSupportedException: 'The RPC method 'get{SomeProp}' is not supported on symbol 'sampleProgram.Source!'
var propertyResult = client.InvokeRpcMethod("sampleProgram.Source.SomeProp", "get", Array.Empty<object>());
// Throws: System.ArgumentNullException: 'Value cannot be null.
// Parameter name: symbol'
Any suggestion on how we can read/write variables defined as properties on function blocks?

When you define a new property you automatically create a get and a set for that property.
You normally use properties to read or write variables that are in the VAR section of the function block.
All variables that are in the VAR section are private thus the need of properties to access those VARs from outside the Function Block.
Properties in theory should not do any complex calculations or run any logic unlike Methods.
The point I want to make is that you do not need and should not call properties via ADS.
You have access to all private VARs via ADS anyway so there is no need to call properties through ADS in the first place.
#Edit
I'm still of the opinion that properties should not contain any logic and therefor there is no need to call them via ADS.
Nevertheless there are always exceptions.
Be aware that according to the Beckhoff documentation, only simple data types and pointers will work, not structures.
Moreover "Function monitoring is not possible in the compact runtime system".
Here my working example after experimenting with the {attribute 'monitoring' := 'call'} attribute
In Twincat:
{attribute 'monitoring' := 'call'}
PROPERTY RemoteCall : INT
GET:
RemoteCall := buffer;
SET:
buffer := buffer + RemoteCall;
In C#
class Program
{
static TcAdsClient tcClient;
static void Main(string[] args)
{
tcClient = new TcAdsClient();
tcClient.Connect(851);
AdsStream dataStream = new AdsStream(2);
int iHandle = tcClient.CreateVariableHandle("MAIN.fbTest.RemoteCall");
tcClient.Read(iHandle, dataStream);
Console.WriteLine("Remote Var before property call: " + BitConverter.ToInt16(dataStream.ToArray(), 0));
tcClient.WriteAny(iHandle,Convert.ToInt16(2));
tcClient.Read(iHandle, dataStream);
Console.WriteLine("Remote Var after property call: " + BitConverter.ToInt16(dataStream.ToArray(), 0));
Console.WriteLine();
Console.ReadLine();
}
}

According to Stefan Hennecken on his Blog the property has to be decorated with a pragma to enable this:
{attribute ‘monitoring’ := ‘call’}
PROPERTY PUBLIC nProp : BYTE
Then it can be read/written with this code sample:
using (AdsClient client = new AdsClient())
{
byte valuePlc;
client.Connect(AmsNetId.Local, 851);
valuePlc = (byte)client.ReadValue(“MAIN.fbFoo.nProp”, typeof(byte));
client.WriteValue(“MAIN.fbFoo.nProp”, ++valuePlc);
}

COM+ activation on a remote server with partitions in C#

I want to access partitioned COM+ applications on a remote server.
I have tried this:
using COMAdmin
using System.Runtime.InteropServices;
_serverName = myRemoteServer;
_partionName = myPartionName;
_message = myMessage;
ICOMAdminCatalog2 catalog = new COMAdminCatalog();
catalog.Connect(_serverName);
string moniker = string.Empty;
string MsgInClassId = "E3BD1489-30DD-4380-856A-12B959502BFD";
//we are using partitions
if (!string.IsNullOrEmpty(_partitionName))
{
COMAdminCatalogCollection partitions = catalog.GetCollection("Partitions");
partitions.Populate();
string partitionId = string.Empty;
foreach (ICatalogObject item in partitions)
{
if (item.Name == _partitionName)
{
partitionId = item.Key;
break;
}
}
if (!string.IsNullOrEmpty(partitionId) )
{
moniker = $"partition:{partitionId}/new:{new Guid(MsgInClassId)}";
try
{
var M = (IMsgInManager)Marshal.BindToMoniker(moniker);
M.AddMsg(_message);
}
catch (Exception ex)
{
throw new Exception($"We can not use: {_partitionName} with Id {partitionId}. {ex.ToString()}");
}
}
else
{
throw;
}
}
else
//we don't have partitions and this will work
{
Type T = Type.GetTypeFromCLSID(new Guid(MsgInClassId), _serverName, true);
var M = (IMsgInManager)Activator.CreateInstance(T);
M.AddMsg(_message);
}
}
So when we are local on the (remote) machine, partitions are working with the moniker and Marshal.BindToMoniker.
But when I try do the same remotely from my machine, I get an error from
Marshal.BindToMoniker that Partitons is not enabled. Because on my machine partitions is not enabled.
Message = "COM+ partitions are currently disabled. (Exception from HRESULT: 0x80110824)"
How can I use Marshal.BindToMoniker to run on the remote server.
Is it something I can add to the moniker string i.e.
moniker = $"server:_server/partition:{partitionId}/new:{new Guid(MsgInClassId)}"
My questions is very simular to this:
COM+ object activation in a different partition

tl;dr
According to MS documentation there is a way to do this by setting the pServerInfo in BIND_OPTS2 structure for binding the moniker. Unfortunately this is not working for the COM class moniker.
see:
https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/windows/desktop/ms694513(v=vs.85).aspx
where it says for *pServerInfo:
COM's new class moniker does not currently honor the pServerInfo flag.
But maybe just try your scenario and at some future time it might be supported (or already is and documentation is wrong).
also see:
http://thrysoee.dk/InsideCOM+/ch11c.htm
where it also says in the footnote it does not work for class moniker: http://thrysoee.dk/InsideCOM+/footnotes.htm#CH1104
Theory and suggested solution if it was supported in c#
Disclaimer: I couldn't test the code as I don't have a test setup. This is off the top of my head. A bit pseudo code.
To do this you would have to code the COM/Moniker calls yourself. For this you could look at the source of microsofts implementation as a starting point.
There BindToMoniker is implemented like:
public static Object BindToMoniker(String monikerName)
{
Object obj = null;
IBindCtx bindctx = null;
CreateBindCtx(0, out bindctx);
UInt32 cbEaten;
IMoniker pmoniker = null;
MkParseDisplayName(bindctx, monikerName, out cbEaten, out pmoniker);
BindMoniker(pmoniker, 0, ref IID_IUnknown, out obj);
return obj;
}
CreateBindCtx, MkParseDisplayName and BindMoniker are OLE32.dll functions.
IBindCtx has methods to change the binding context. For this you call IBindCtx.GetBindContext(out BIND_OPTS2) and change the settings to what you need. Then set the new binding context with IBindCtx.SetBindContext(BIND_OPTS2). So essentially your own version of code would look something like this (pseudo code):
public static Object BindToMoniker(String monikerName)
{
Object obj = null;
IBindCtx bindctx = null;
CreateBindCtx(0, out bindctx);
BIND_OPTS2 bindOpts;
bindOpts.cbStruct = Marshal.SizeOf(BIND_OPTS2);
bindctx.GetBindOptions(ref bindOpts);
// Make your settings that you need. For example:
bindOpts.dwClassContext = CLSCTX_REMOTE_SERVER;
// Anything else ?
bindOpts.pServerInfo = new COSERVERINFO{pwszName = "serverName"};
bindctx.SetBindOptions(ref bindOpts);
UInt32 cbEaten;
IMoniker pmoniker = null;
MkParseDisplayName(bindctx, monikerName, out cbEaten, out pmoniker);
BindMoniker(pmoniker, 0, ref IID_IUnknown, out obj);
return obj;
}
As said, unfortunately this code is not possible to write in C# out of the box. Even the OLE32.dll method declarations CreateBindCtx, MkParseDisplayName and BindMoniker are privately declared in Marshal.cs so you will have to declare them in your project again.
But we are lucky with the IBindCtx declaration using a BIND_OPTS2 and the BIND_OPTS2 structure definition itself. They are declared in Microsoft.VisualStudio.OLE.Interop (interesting declarations in this namespace anyway). So you can try using them because inside the Marshal object and marshal.cs only the BIND_OPTS structure is used. I don't know if this is part of the framework and redistributable (I doubt it) but for testing this should be good enough. If it works these things can be declared again in your own solution.
Some Info on the used functions:
BindMoniker
CreateBindCtx
MkParseDisplayName
BIND_OPTS2

The remote COM needs to be accessed by Queue or DCOM. You need to export the application proxy on the server when accessing by DCOM. And install the proxy in the client PC.
The COM activation type must be configured as "Server Application" to export application proxy.
After installing application proxy, the client can directly call
moniker = $"new:{new Guid(MsgInClassId)}";
try
{
var M = Marshal.BindToMoniker(moniker);
}
For the partition, it's designed to show each user with own application set. If the current partition is associated to the user, the partition needs not to be written in codes.

SSIS Custom Data Flow Component - Redirect error rows

I have created a SSIS custom data flow component that performs the simple task of converting dates from a COBOL mainframe date types, that are in the format of CYYMMDD, to a SQL Server supported format of YYYYMMDD. There are error rows because the incoming COBOL formatted dates can be invalid dates (i.e., 2-29-2015, 4-31-2016, 9-31-2010, etc). These bad dates are from user derived input fields that do not have a date mask on them and I cannot add a date mask because the application belongs to a 3rd party data vendor.
My problem:
The custom component will not re-direct error rows. I found a posting on MSDN that explains how to re-direct error rows:
https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms136009.aspx
I used this code as a guide and modified it to suit my needs of being able to execute over multiple selected input columns (MS's example only contemplates one input column). When I execute the process, I get the following two errors:
[ConvertCobolDates [2]] Error: System.ArgumentException: Value does not fall within the expected range.
at Microsoft.SqlServer.Dts.Pipeline.Wrapper.IDTSBuffer100.DirectErrorRow(Int32 hRow, Int32 lOutputID, Int32 lErrorCode, Int32 lErrorColumn)
at Microsoft.SqlServer.Dts.Pipeline.PipelineBuffer.DirectErrorRow(Int32 outputID, Int32 errorCode, Int32 errorColumn)
at SSIS.Convert.CobolDate.DataFlow.ConvertCobolDateDataFlow.ProcessInput(Int32 inputID, PipelineBuffer buffer)
at Microsoft.SqlServer.Dts.Pipeline.ManagedComponentHost.HostProcessInput(IDTSManagedComponentWrapper100 wrapper, Int32 inputID, IDTSBuffer100 pDTSBuffer, IntPtr bufferWirePacket)
[SSIS.Pipeline] Error: SSIS Error Code DTS_E_PROCESSINPUTFAILED. The ProcessInput method on component "ConvertCobolDates" (2) failed with error code 0x80070057 while processing input "Input" (4). The identified component returned an error from the ProcessInput method. The error is specific to the component, but the error is fatal and will cause the Data Flow task to stop running. There may be error messages posted before this with more information about the failure.
Also, I don't know if I am missing code to specifically redirect the output or if the error handling is being done incorrectly - it does not show up in the Configure Error Output screen. Any assistance is greatly appreciated!
enter image description here
Note: I suspect the error is in one of the following places: ProvideComponentProperties or ProcessInput.
public override void ProvideComponentProperties()
{
try
{
// Perform the base class' method
base.ProvideComponentProperties();
// Start out clean, remove anything put on by the base class
base.RemoveAllInputsOutputsAndCustomProperties();
// Set component information
ComponentMetaData.Name = "ConvertCobolDates";
ComponentMetaData.Description = "Data Flow task that converts COBOL date types into SQL Server Date types for each row flowing through the component.";
ComponentMetaData.ContactInfo = "Contact Info.";
ComponentMetaData.UsesDispositions = true; // As a rule, components should support error dispositions - they make it easier to troubleshoot problems with the data
// Create input objects. This allows the custom component to have a 'Success' input data flow line
IDTSInput100 input = ComponentMetaData.InputCollection.New();
input.Name = "Input";
input.ErrorRowDisposition = DTSRowDisposition.RD_RedirectRow; // Use RD_RedirectRow is ComponentMetaData.UsesDispositions = true. Otherwise, use RD_NotUsed
input.ErrorOrTruncationOperation = "Either a bad date has been detected or an input column(s) has been selected that does not contain dates.";
// Create output objects. This allows the custom component to have a 'Success' output data flow line
IDTSOutput100 output = ComponentMetaData.OutputCollection.New();
output.Name = "Output";
output.SynchronousInputID = input.ID; //Synchronous transformation
output.ExclusionGroup = 1;
// Create output objects. This allows the custom component to have a 'Error' output data flow line
IDTSOutput100 errorOutput = ComponentMetaData.OutputCollection.New();
errorOutput.IsErrorOut = true;
errorOutput.Name = "ErrorOutput";
errorOutput.SynchronousInputID = input.ID;
errorOutput.ExclusionGroup = 1;
}
catch (Exception ex)
{
bool bolCancel = false;
ComponentMetaData.FireError(0, ComponentMetaData.Name, ex.Message, "", 0, out bolCancel);
throw;
}
}
public override void ProcessInput(int inputID, PipelineBuffer buffer)
{
IDTSInput100 input = ComponentMetaData.InputCollection.GetObjectByID(inputID);
// This code assumes the component has two outputs, one the default,
// the other the error output. If the intErrorOutputIndex returned from GetErrorOutputInfo
// is 0, then the default output is the second output in the collection.
int intDefaultOutputID = -1;
int intErrorOutputID = -1;
int intErrorOutputIndex = -1;
int intErrorColumnIndex = -1;
bool bolValidDate = false;
GetErrorOutputInfo(ref intErrorOutputID, ref intErrorOutputIndex);
if (intErrorOutputIndex == 0)
intDefaultOutputID = ComponentMetaData.OutputCollection[1].ID;
else
intDefaultOutputID = ComponentMetaData.OutputCollection[0].ID;
// Process each incoming row
while (buffer.NextRow())
{
try
{
for (int i = 0; i < inputBufferColumnIndex.Length; i++)
{
if (!buffer.IsNull(inputBufferColumnIndex[i]))
{
// Get the name of the current column that is being processed
string strColName = this.ComponentMetaData.InputCollection[0].InputColumnCollection[i].Name;
// Get the current row number that is being processed
int intCurRow = buffer.CurrentRow + 2; // Buffer.CurrentRow is zero bounded and the first row is a header row, which is skipped. Adjust by two to account for this
// Ideally, your code should detect potential exceptions before they occur, rather
// than having a generic try/catch block such as this. However, because the error or truncation implementation is specific to each component,
// this sample focuses on actually directing the row, and not a single error or truncation.
// Get the ID of the PipelineBuffer column that may cause an error. This is required for redirecting error rows
intErrorColumnIndex = this.ComponentMetaData.InputCollection[0].InputColumnCollection[i].ID;
string strCobolDate = buffer.GetString(inputBufferColumnIndex[i]);
string strConvertedCobolDate = ConvertCobolDate(strCobolDate, strColName, intCurRow);
DateTime dtConvertedSQLDate;
// Validate that the date is correct. This detects bad dates (e.g., 2-30-2016, 4-31-2015, etc.) that are inputted from the user
// Throw an error if the date is bad
bolValidDate = DateTime.TryParse(strConvertedCobolDate, out dtConvertedSQLDate);
if (!bolValidDate)
{
// Validation failed, throw an exception and redirect the error row
throw new Exception();
}
else if (bolValidDate)
{
// validation passed. Direct the column back to its corresponding row within the pipeline buffer
buffer[inputBufferColumnIndex[i]] = dtConvertedSQLDate.ToShortDateString();
}
}
}
// Unless an exception occurs, direct the row to the default
buffer.DirectRow(intDefaultOutputID);
}
catch(Exception)
{
// Has the user specified to redirect the row?
if (input.ErrorRowDisposition == DTSRowDisposition.RD_RedirectRow)
{
// Yes, direct the row to the error output.
buffer.DirectErrorRow(intErrorOutputID, 0, intErrorColumnIndex);
}
else if (input.ErrorRowDisposition == DTSRowDisposition.RD_FailComponent || input.ErrorRowDisposition == DTSRowDisposition.RD_NotUsed)
{
// No, the user specified to fail the component, or the error row disposition was not set.
throw new Exception("An error occurred, and the DTSRowDisposition is either not set, or is set to fail component.");
}
else
{
// No, the user specified to ignore the failure so direct the row to the default output.
buffer.DirectRow(intDefaultOutputID);
}
}
}
}

After some pain staking research, and help from a friend, the problem has been identified - the errorCode of 0 (specified on the MSDN article I previosuly posted) that is being passed into the DirectErrorRow function is incorrect [it is actually a negative number (in this case: -1071628258)]. This was a difficult bug to fix because the compiler was outputting a generic out of bounds error without specifying both the argument and value that was out of bounds (see below).
'System.ArgumentException: Value does not fall within the expected range.' ... message truncated to reduce post length
I thought that the compiler error was referring to the actual bad date that it was unable to convert and so I spent all of my time focusing on the intErrorColumnIndex, which the MSDN article lists as:
// TODO: Add code to include the intErrorColumnIndex.
I assumed that the errorCode of 0 that was provided by Microsoft was correct. On a hunch, my friend said to try retrieving the actual error code and that worked! Thus, the errorCode is probably bounded somewhere between negative infinity to -1. Microsoft's MSDN article on directing error rows needs to be corrected.
Me: 1
Microsoft: 0
The solution is as follows in the catch block:
catch(Exception)
{
// Has the user specified to redirect the row?
if (input.ErrorRowDisposition == DTSRowDisposition.RD_RedirectRow)
{
// Yes, get the error code
int DTS_E_ERRORTRIGGEREDREDIRECTION = -1;
unchecked
{
DTS_E_ERRORTRIGGEREDREDIRECTION = (int)0xC020401E;
}
// Direct the row to the error output
buffer.DirectErrorRow(intErrorOutputID, DTS_E_ERRORTRIGGEREDREDIRECTION, intErrorColumnIndex);
}
else if (input.ErrorRowDisposition == DTSRowDisposition.RD_FailComponent || input.ErrorRowDisposition == DTSRowDisposition.RD_NotUsed)
{
// No, the user specified to fail the component, or the error row disposition was not set
throw new Exception("An error occurred, and the DTSRowDisposition is either not set or is set to fail component.");
}
else
{
// No, the user specified to ignore the failure so direct the row to the default output
buffer.DirectRow(intDefaultOutputID);
}
}

Awesomnium Post Parameters

currently i am working with Awsomnium 1.7 in the C# environment.
I'm just using the Core and trying to define custom post parameters.
Now, i googled a lot and i even posted at the awsomnium forums, but there was no answer.
I understand the concept, but the recent changes just dropped the suggested mechanic and examples.
What i found:
http://support.awesomium.com/kb/general-use/how-do-i-send-form-values-post-data
The problem with this is, that the WebView Class does not contain "OnResourceRequest" Event anymore.
So far, i have implemented the IResourceInterceptor and have the "OnRequest"-Function overwritten
public ResourceResponse OnRequest(ResourceRequest request)
is the signature, but i have no chance to reach in there in order to add request headers.
Anyone here any idea? I tried to look in the documentation, but i didn't find anything on that.....

You need to attach your IResourceInterceptor to WebCore, not WebView. Here's a working example:
Resource interceptor:
public class CustomResourceInterceptor : ResourceInterceptor
{
protected override ResourceResponse OnRequest(ResourceRequest request)
{
request.Method = "POST";
var bytes = "Appending some text to the request";
request.AppendUploadBytes(bytes, (uint) bytes.Length);
request.AppendExtraHeader("custom-header", "this is a custom header");
return null;
}
}
Main application:
public MainWindow()
{
WebCore.Started += WebCoreOnStarted;
InitializeComponent();
}
private void WebCoreOnStarted(object sender, CoreStartEventArgs coreStartEventArgs)
{
var interceptor = new CustomResourceInterceptor();
WebCore.ResourceInterceptor = interceptor;
//webView is a WebControl on my UI, but you should be able to create your own WebView off WebCore
webView.Source = new Uri("http://www.google.com");
}

HotN's answer above is good; in fact, it's what I based my answer on. However, I spent a week searching for this information and putting together something that will work. (The answer above has a couple of issues which, at the very least, make it unworkable with v1.7 of Awesomium.) What I was looking for was something that would work right out of the box.
And here is that solution. It needs improvement, but it suits my needs at the moment. I hope this helps someone else.
// CRI.CustomResourceInterceptor
//
// Author: Garison E Piatt
// Contact: {removed}
// Created: 11/17/14
// Version: 1.0.0
//
// Apparently, when Awesomium was first created, the programmers did not understand that someone would
// eventually want to post data from the application. So they made it incredibly difficult to upload
// POST parameters to the remote web site. We have to jump through hoops to get that done.
//
// This module provides that hoop-jumping in a simple-to-understand fashion. We hope. It overrides
// the current resource interceptor (if any), replacing both the OnRequest and OnFilterNavigation
// methods (we aren't using the latter yet).
//
// It also provides settable parameters. Once this module is attached to the WebCore, it is *always*
// attached; therefore, we can simply change the parameters before posting to the web site.
//
// File uploads are currently unhandled, and, once handled, will probably only upload one file. We
// will deal with that issue later.
//
// To incoroprate this into your application, follow these steps:
// 1. Add this file to your project. You know how to do that.
// 2. Edit your MainWindow.cs file.
// a. At the top, add:
// using CRI;
// b. inside the main class declaration, near the top, add:
// private CustomResourceInterceptor cri;
// c. In the MainWindow method, add:
// WebCore.Started += OnWebCoreOnStarted;
// cri = new CustomResourceInterceptor();
// and (set *before* you set the Source value for the Web Control):
// cri.Enabled = true;
// cri.Parameters = String.Format("login={0}&password={1}", login, pw);
// (Choose your own parameters, but format them like a GET query.)
// d. Add the following method:
// private void OnWebCoreOnStarted(object sender, CoreStartEventArgs coreStartEventArgs) {
// WebCore.ResourceInterceptor = cri;
// }
// 3. Compile your application. It should work.
using System;
using System.Runtime.InteropServices;
using System.Text;
using Awesomium.Core;
using Awesomium.Windows.Controls;
namespace CRI {
//* CustomResourceInterceptor
// This object replaces the standard Resource Interceptor (if any; we still don't know) with something
// that allows posting data to the remote web site. It overrides both the OnRequest and OnFilterNavigation
// methods. Public variables allow for run-time configuration.
public class CustomResourceInterceptor : IResourceInterceptor {
// Since the default interceptor remains overridden for the remainder of the session, we need to disable
// the methods herein unless we are actually using them. Note that both methods are disabled by default.
public bool RequestEnabled = false;
public bool FilterEnabled = false;
// These are the parameters we send to the remote site. They are empty by default; another safeguard
// against sending POST data unnecessarily. Currently, both values allow for only one string. POST
// variables can be combined (by the caller) into one string, but this limits us to only one file
// upload at a time. Someday, we will have to fix that. And make it backward-compatible.
public String Parameters = null;
public String FilePath = null;
/** OnRequest
** This ovverrides the default OnRequest method of the standard resource interceptor. It receives
** the resource request object as a parameter.
**
** It first checks whether or not it is enabled, and returns NULL if not. Next it sees if any
** parameters are defined. If so, it converst them to a byte stream and appends them to the request.
** Currently, files are not handled, but we hope to add that someday.
*/
public ResourceResponse OnRequest(ResourceRequest request) {
// We do nothing at all if we aren't enabled. This is a stopgap that prevents us from sending
// POST data with every request.
if (RequestEnabled == false) return null;
// If the Parameters are defined, convert them to a byte stream and append them to the request.
if (Parameters != null) {
var str = Encoding.Default.GetBytes(Parameters);
var bytes = Encoding.UTF8.GetString(str);
request.AppendUploadBytes(bytes, (uint)bytes.Length);
}
// If either the parameters or file path are defined, this is a POST request. Someday, we'll
// figure out how to get Awesomium to understand Multipart Form data.
if (Parameters != null || FilePath != null) {
request.Method = "POST";
request.AppendExtraHeader("Content-Type", "application/x-www-form-urlencoded"); //"multipart/form-data");
}
// Once the data has been appended to the page request, we need to disable this process. Otherwise,
// it will keep adding the data to every request, including those that come from the web site.
RequestEnabled = false;
Parameters = null;
FilePath = null;
return null;
}
/** OnFilterNavigation
** Not currently used, but needed to keep VisualStudio happy.
*/
public bool OnFilterNavigation(NavigationRequest request) {
return false;
}
}
}

How to prevent an app from being pinned in Windows 7?

I am trying to prevent the user from pinning my .NET app to the taskbar. I've found some code on the Old New Thing that does just that. However, it is in C++.
#include <shellapi.h>
#include <propsys.h>
#include <propkey.h>
HRESULT MarkWindowAsUnpinnable(HWND hwnd)
{
IPropertyStore *pps;
HRESULT hr = SHGetPropertyStoreForWindow(hwnd, IID_PPV_ARGS(&pps));
if (SUCCEEDED(hr)) {
PROPVARIANT var;
var.vt = VT_BOOL;
var.boolVal = VARIANT_TRUE;
hr = pps->SetValue(PKEY_AppUserModel_PreventPinning, var);
pps->Release();
}
return hr;
}
BOOL
OnCreate(HWND hwnd, LPCREATESTRUCT lpcs)
{
MarkWindowAsUnpinnable(hwnd);
return TRUE;
}
I am having very little luck converting it to c#. Can someone help?

You can download the Windows API Code Pack which has the necessary p/invoke calls you need to translate the code in your post to C#.
Either use the library in whole or find the specific calls and definitions you require (search it for SHGetPropertyStoreForWindow and then its other dependencies).

In the question, the Old New Thing post also talks about how you can set some registry settings on per application basis that will so prevent the pinning an application to the taskbar.
All you have to do is add the value of "NoStartPage" to a key for your application under the Root\Applications. The value can be blank and of any type, if Windows just sees it is there it will not show the ability to pin the app, when the user right clicks on it in the taskbar.
Here is the documentation from Microsoft on this feature: Use Registry to prevent pinning of an application
The one caveat to this is that in Windows 7, due to UAC, you have to run as administrator to update the registry. I did this via the app.manifest.
The code to find the right and update the correct registry keys is below (hopefully it is not too verbose):
public static void Main(string[] args)
{
// Get Root
var root = Registry.ClassesRoot;
// Get the Applications key
var applicationsSubKey = root.OpenSubKey("Applications", true);
if (applicationsSubKey != null)
{
bool updateNoStartPageKey = false;
// Check to see if your application already has a key created in the Applications key
var appNameSubKey = applicationsSubKey.OpenSubKey("MyAppName.exe", true);
if (appNameSubKey != null)
{
// Check to see if the NoStartPage value has already been created
if (!appNameSubKey.GetValueNames().Contains("NoStartPage"))
{
updateNoStartPageKey = true;
}
}
else
{
// create key for your application in the Applications key under Root
appNameSubKey = applicationsSubKey.CreateSubKey("MyAppName.exe", RegistryKeyPermissionCheck.Default);
if (appNameSubKey != null)
{
updateNoStartPageKey = true;
}
}
if (updateNoStartPageKey)
{
// Create/update the value for NoStartPage so Windows will prevent the app from being pinned.
appNameSubKey.SetValue("NoStartPage", string.Empty, RegistryValueKind.String);
}
}
}

Using the WindowsAPICodePack (via NuGet) you need code resembling:
// Ensure the handle is available
new WindowInteropHelper(window).EnsureHandle();
// Prevent the window from being pinned to the task bars
var preventPinningProperty = new PropertyKey(
new Guid("9F4C2855-9F79-4B39-A8D0-E1D42DE1D5F3"), 9);
WindowProperties.SetWindowProperty(window, preventPinningProperty, "1");