Ah, I see. The keyword there being RUNTIME licensed. Infragistics, DevComponents, and DevExpress components are freely distributable, only the developer is licensed. I looked in my assemblies for licensing info and found none.
I wonder if having your customers develop add-ins that require runtime licensed components as COM components would solve the problem? It's certainly not elegant but might get you past the licensing issue. Otherwise, from what I read in the article you referenced, you could be out of luck. ChartFX apparently doesn't want anybody who doesn't pay running their objects, and that includes your application. As for using VB... (sigh) I at least get to do C# at home. :-) Paul Ballard [EMAIL PROTECTED] >From: Peter Zaborski <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> >Reply-To: "Moderated discussion of advanced .NET topics." ><[EMAIL PROTECTED]> >To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] >Subject: Re: [ADVANCED-DOTNET] embedding resources >Date: Mon, 3 Jun 2002 10:33:50 -0600 > >Hi Paul, > >Your code looks pretty similar to what I have in a test app I wrote to >verify the problem (although my code is C#, FWIW). I load the assembly (I >use LoadFrom instead of Load), I get the type and then >Activator.CreateInstance. Mine fails on the creation _unless_ in the EXE >project I add a licenses.licx file as an embedded resource. The licx file >contains the license information for the control I am using (it's the >ChartFX.Net control from Softwarefx). > >Perhaps you can verify a few things to make sure I am not just making this >up... > >- the third party controls you are using are actually run-time licensed, >and >if so then >- no licenses.licx file in your EXE project >- the third party controls are not installed on any non-developer machines > >.Net licensing is explained in [1]. The way I would check if the controls >you are using are run-time licensed is to create a simple form base app and >add the control via the designer. Then see if your project folder has a >licenses.licx file. Once you build the exe, use ildasm to look at the >manifest and check if there is a licenses resource (an even better way to >look at the exe is with Lutz Roeder's Reflector if you have that). I'd be >curious what you find. > >[1] - <http://www.gotdotnet.com/team/windowsforms/Licensing.aspx> > > > > > -----Original Message----- > > From: Paul Ballard [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]] > > Sent: Friday, May 31, 2002 2:43 PM > > To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > Subject: Re: [ADVANCED-DOTNET] embedding resources > > > > > > I think there may be a problem with the way they are using > > the licensed > > component or how it is installed. A third party control's > > licensing is > > handled by that control. If it is included as part of > > another assembly it > > should be able to take it's license info along for the ride > > via dependency. > > > > At my client we are using third party components from Infragistics, > > Developer Express, and ComponentOne. I have created custom > > controls using > > these third party controls in my own class library called > > AOPCCtrls.dll. I > > am then using those controls in forms that are also compiled > > into class > > libraries to be loaded dynamically via reflection by the main > > exe file. I > > have had no licensing issues, even on the production server. > > > > Here is a code snippet that shows how I am loading the assemblies > > Imports System.Reflection > > Public Class Form1 > > Inherits System.Windows.Forms.Form > > > > #Region " Windows Form Designer generated code " - Just a > > form with a button > > > > Private Sub Button1_Click(ByVal sender As System.Object, > > ByVal e As > > System.EventArgs) Handles Button1.Click > > Dim asm As [Assembly] = [Assembly].Load("AOPCCtrls") > > Dim objType As Type = asm.GetType("AOPCCtrls.DatePicker") > > Dim obj As System.Windows.Forms.Control = > > CType(Activator.CreateInstance(objType, True), > > System.Windows.Forms.Control) > > obj.Location = New Point(50, 50) > > obj.Size = New Size(66, 21) > > Me.Controls.Add(obj) > > End Sub > > End Class > > > > Is there a specific licensed control that is having a problem? > > > > Paul Ballard > > [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > > > > > >From: Peter Zaborski <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > > >Reply-To: "Moderated discussion of advanced .NET topics." > > ><[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > > >To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > >Subject: Re: [ADVANCED-DOTNET] embedding resources > > >Date: Fri, 31 May 2002 12:00:36 -0600 > > > > > >Unfortunately I don't think this will work. The add-ins > > already have the > > >required resources. Here is the more detailed description of > > what I want to > > >do. I fear I won't be able to do what I want due to .Net > > licensing policy > > >:-(... > > > > > >We have a generic container which runs our application. The > > application > > >uses > > >pluggable modules (add-ins) which are discovered at run time > > and loaded as > > >needed from satellite assemblies. The app is designed to be > > extended by > > >clients who can write their own add-ins. As long as they > > follow our rules, > > >their add-ins will appear seamlessly in our app. The add-ins > > may have a UI > > >component, usually they do, although the UI aspect is not necessarily > > >relevant. And as I mentioned originally, the add-ins get loaded via > > >reflection at run time. The problem occurs when the add-ins > > use a licensed > > >component. It seems .Net requires the _executing assembly_ > > (the generic > > >container in our case) to have the licensing information > > embedded in it > > >when > > >it tries to create an object which uses a licensed > > component. Otherwise the > > >creation fails. Even if the license info is embedded in the add-in > > >assembly, > > >that's not enough. It must also be embedded in the executing > > assembly. > > > > > >My theory is that if I could modify the container (at run > > time, obviously > > >we > > >don't know all the licensed controls clients' add-ins might > > use at compile > > >time) to some how dynamically load a license resource and > > make it appear > > >like it's embedded in the container EXE, perhaps I could enable the > > >clients' > > >add-ins to use licensed controls. All they'd have to provide > > is the license > > >resource in some format the container would use to load and embed the > > >resource in its assembly (at run time). If this is not > > possible, then the > > >concept of using run time add-ins which wrap licensed > > components will not > > >be > > >possible in a .Net app AFAIK. > > > > > >Any comments or suggestions welcome. > >You can read messages from the Advanced DOTNET archive, unsubscribe from >Advanced DOTNET, or >subscribe to other DevelopMentor lists at http://discuss.develop.com. _________________________________________________________________ Join the world’s largest e-mail service with MSN Hotmail. http://www.hotmail.com You can read messages from the Advanced DOTNET archive, unsubscribe from Advanced DOTNET, or subscribe to other DevelopMentor lists at http://discuss.develop.com.
