You can now save a whole class in a field of a table and call it and run it.
This code will provide the answers of how to turn a string into code that runs.
kind of like Scripting your application though much more powerfull
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Lets vote, guys 402 visits and only 4 votes? This has gotta rock some of you guys? I have been brain storming of how I could use this. One idea was to make an addin for VS.Net and just save the code to a table Then just build menu system that would pull on click the string form the table and build the Form. This way someone could just make a change at a client site to the code in the table and the next time a client clicks the button boom it's changed, kind of like Web programming. (If this comment was disrespectful, please report it.)
Wow, its just like the VBScript control in VB6. I got a question for ya, is it possible to use classes in the acutal program through the compiled code? (If this comment was disrespectful, please report it.)
Yes you can use the PM.ReferencedAssemblies.Add("PathtoD LL") as given in an example above to add it as a reference for the compiled code or in class you use you can public or private declare a class that way when it loops though all the assemblies the program class that is running the compile is using it will auto add that declared class as a reference. Then at that point you just do a Dim whatever as whateverclass
Now of course if you want to be able to be able to pass a class as a object you can setup a public passobj as new object in the string code and then after you have it compiled you can pass the object to the new compiled object and run whatever methods.
I hope I didn't get this any more confused then you are now.
Joe (If this comment was disrespectful, please report it.)
Personally I have a form designer and I use it to add custom actions to form objects placed on the form. Just like you would if you did it in the IDE. So if they place in the click event of a button they put on the form something like
msgbox("hello")
then i setup an event and compile the class pointing the event to that sub and boom they hit the button and it pops up hello.
Of course I do just one compiled string class and just have many subs auto created based on what events they selected and the code they inserted for those events. So only one compile is done.
I have been in contact with MS about why they don't have it not make a DLL but they said it will always create a DLL and this is the only process that slows things down.
Hope I helped Joe
(If this comment was disrespectful, please report it.)
I like the code. I have played with this some in a current project. I noticed that when I run the sample once Then change the code and run again it does not change the result from the first run. Is this only happing to me?
(If this comment was disrespectful, please report it.)
I have found that it will load it into memory and no mater how many times you rerun the compile it will use the one in memory untill the application closes. Sorry I can't give you the exact name, I am not at my system. it's something like load in memory = true or something like that It does have a (=true) in it.
Hope that helps.
Joe (If this comment was disrespectful, please report it.)
5/21/2003 2:16:21 AM:
Cool stuff, only drawback: if you modify the code and run it again the previous code is executed and not the new one.
Thomas (If this comment was disrespectful, please report it.)
My answer to someone eles as it's posted above your response Thomas is to commit out PM.GenerateInMemory = True and it will execute the code shown every time. (If this comment was disrespectful, please report it.)
5/21/2003 12:35:10 PM:
Quite cool job buddy. Appriciation. This is a new idea to compile and execute code at run time. With this idea, for an end user, desktop application also can behave like web application. Excelent...... from my side buddy. (If this comment was disrespectful, please report it.)
I commented out the PM.GenerateInMemory = True and it still runs the code from the first run and I also get a compile error stateing Unable to write to outputfile.
Is there a way to run the code once then change the code and run it again with the new code? (If this comment was disrespectful, please report it.)
when the app loads have it remove all contents of the file (the app running the code). Also make sure you have a folder in the root called Temp
THis was one way for me to fix the problem. I'm in contact with a MS employee about this issue. Now another way, if you don't mind using the last compile. Is to do a try catch on compiling the file and if it fails you load up the dll in the catch portan. Though this would mean that it will not be able to recompile changes untill you log out of the program and log back into it.
Also another way would be to add a dispose to your running code example so that you can dispose of the object. That way it can be free to compile again since the DLL won't be locked.
Not sure if that would work, though it sounds like it will.
Let me know (If this comment was disrespectful, please report it.)
6/30/2003 2:10:27 AM:
this is just what I was looking for, it will keep me from having to write a scripting language for my new app. thanks a lot. Great code, and well commented. (If this comment was disrespectful, please report it.)
6/30/2003 3:07:37 AM:
How can I make this load Forms with buttons and stuff? (If this comment was disrespectful, please report it.)
Well you will have to define the whole form as a string. Then use the example to compile it and then with the instance of the object you do. obj.show() You could also just read a text file. Like a vb.net form source file form1.vb and then add a namespace and compile it and show the form.
Have fune. Joe (If this comment was disrespectful, please report it.)
6/30/2003 2:43:47 PM:
how do i add a namespace ?? (If this comment was disrespectful, please report it.)
Look at the code, it's creating one when it constructs the string. There is more to it then the code you see in the textbox, you have to put that code in a class and in a namespace.
Hope that helps.
Joe (If this comment was disrespectful, please report it.)
10/28/2003 9:15:55 AM:
This code is excellant. I'm working on a project right now that I need this for. Can you reccomend a book or reference manual on the codedom compiler (VISUAL BASIC ONLY PLS) ? (If this comment was disrespectful, please report it.)
Well I'm in the proccess of getting a book proposal though. If it get's though I'm writing a book on application frameworks and this is going to be covered quite a bit. I don't know of any other book that covers this and in VB.net.
I'll let everyone know when I get it done.
Joe (If this comment was disrespectful, please report it.)
I am working on storing the form as an object to a table. What I mean when I sat form as an object is, I want to store all the controls such as textboxes,labels etc. and their properties into datatable.Later when loading the form I would just obtain the form object from table and generate the form design and layout. Can this be done using the above code (If this comment was disrespectful, please report it.)
GREAT! Now I can encrypt portions of a application with system.cryptography.Rijndaelmanaged and protect the application with a key derived with Sha512 from a password. So it will simply run the decrypted program code when correct password is specifyed. (If this comment was disrespectful, please report it.)
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