There is an unmanaged C++ app written from years ago. Regfree COM wasn't an option then but today it might be since I don't think we target pre XP anymore.
The .net com components basically act as plugins for this old C++ app. The application seems to find the plugins at runtime by looking for registered com components that have this implemented category. I'm not an expert here, but from what I'm reading this is a bastardization of what implemented categories are supposed to be for. ( design time use not runtime use ). I was doing some more reading on the subject and I came across a thread from Phil Wilson where it was stated that it's a known fact that regasm /regfile won't execute user code. This seems like a really bad design to me if it's true. It seems like .NET should have a strongly typed way of describing the implemented categories and that regasm could reflect it. Oh well, thanks all and if there is more useful knowledge to gain, I'll keep on reading. Christopher Painter, Author of Deployment Engineering Blog Have a hot tip, know a secret or read a really good thread that deserves attention? E-Mail Me --- On Tue, 8/11/09, Neil Sleightholm <n...@x2systems.com> wrote: > From: Neil Sleightholm <n...@x2systems.com> > Subject: RE: [WiX-users] Regasm Question > To: chr...@deploymentengineering.com, "General discussion for Windows > Installer XML toolset." <wix-users@lists.sourceforge.net> > Date: Tuesday, August 11, 2009, 2:33 AM > I have had a similar problem with COM > objects in VB, I found that all > the implemented categories that VB COM added were part of > the VB runtime > and didn't need adding, in fact it was dangerous if you did > as my MSI > could break VB (this is why I added the -svb6 option to > heat). > > I don't know if it is appropriate but I have stopped > registering .NET > COM assemblies and am relying on RegFree COM for them. > > Which implemented categories are being added? > > Neil > > -----Original Message----- > From: Christopher Painter [mailto:chr...@deploymentengineering.com] > > Sent: 11 August 2009 04:00 > To: General discussion for Windows Installer XML toolset. > Subject: [WiX-users] Regasm Question > > I'm hoping to find a .NET/COM interop expert for a general > installer > question... > > I recently came across a .NET assembly that when I call it > with regasm > /codebase /regfile it generates a regfile that includes a > registry > subkey called Implemented Catagories with a GUID that > google tells me > represnts a generic implemented in .NET type. > > But what's really special about this assembly is if I run > regasm > /codebase without the /regfile and monitor the registry, it > actually > implements another registry subkey of Implemented > Catagories that has > special meaning in the context of the system. > > I was using InstallShields .NET COM = Yes functionality but > the > developers were complaining that it wasn't > registered. They would then > assume it's an installer problem because if they run regasm > on the > deployed machine the expected functionality would stat > working. > > Anyone ever see anything like this and what would be jacked > in .NET to > cause it? It almost sounds like some of the hell I > used to see in the > COM ATL days. I can do static extraction but I'm > worried it could be > fragile in the future if the details ever change. > > > Christopher Painter, Author of Deployment Engineering Blog > Have a hot tip, know a secret or read a really good thread > that deserves > attention? E-Mail Me > > > > > ------------------------------------------------------------------------ > ------ > Let Crystal Reports handle the reporting - Free Crystal > Reports 2008 > 30-Day > trial. Simplify your report design, integration and > deployment - and > focus on > what you do best, core application coding. Discover what's > new with > Crystal Reports now. http://p.sf.net/sfu/bobj-july > _______________________________________________ > WiX-users mailing list > WiX-users@lists.sourceforge.net > https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/wix-users > ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Let Crystal Reports handle the reporting - Free Crystal Reports 2008 30-Day trial. Simplify your report design, integration and deployment - and focus on what you do best, core application coding. Discover what's new with Crystal Reports now. http://p.sf.net/sfu/bobj-july _______________________________________________ WiX-users mailing list WiX-users@lists.sourceforge.net https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/wix-users
