Trying to return a string from PB Compiled DLL to Excel

[naw]

This is so frustrating, returning a number is easy, but I seem to be banging my head against a wall. Is it my PB Code or my Excel VBA?

PB Code:

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  Global RETSTR$
  
  ProcedureDLL.s PBTest(MYSTR.s)
    RETSTR$ = "Hello "+ MYSTR
    MessageRequester("PB Test", RETSTR$)
    ProcedureReturn RETSTR$
  EndProcedure

Excel VBA - Module1 - just returns a long number - presumably because I defined as "Long":

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Public Declare Function PBTest Lib "pbtest.dll" (ByVal TXT As String) As Long

If I define as a "String" Excel Crashes...

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Public Declare Function PBTest Lib "pbtest.dll" (ByVal TXT As String) As String

... Pleeeeease help ...

[ts-soft]

Use this:

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ProcedureDLL.l PBTest(MYSTR.s)
  RETSTR$ = "Hello "+ MYSTR
  MessageRequester("PB Test", RETSTR$)
  ProcedureReturn SysAllocString_(RETSTR$)
EndProcedure 

I think, UNICODE is recommend

[naw]

@ts-soft

thanks - XL doesnt crash anymore - but now it returns this:

效汬N敧慗敬

When I Call the PB Function as an Excel Formula - eg:

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=PBTest("NAW")

But if I call the function from a VBA Button, then the output is fine - eg:

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Private Sub CommandButton1_Click()
  RET = PBTest("NAW")
  MsgBox RET
  Range("A1").Value = RET
End Sub

[naw]

Ok - Now Solved - But I dont know why...


If I call PBTest from a formula direcectly, it produces Chinese.
If I call PBTest from myPBTest, it works fine.

eg:

This returns "效汬TW"

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=PBTest("This produces chinese")

But This returns "Hello World"

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=myPBTest("World")

New VBA:

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Public Declare Function PBTest Lib _
       "c:\pbtest.dll" _
       (ByVal TXT As String) As String
       
Public Function myPBTest(ByVal TXT As String)
  myPBTest = PBTest(TXT)
End Function
[code]

[Edwin Knoppert]

Search for BSTR over here.

[HarryO]

Maybe this will help, here is what I had to do:

PB DLL Code:

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ProcedureDLL Get_2_Stuff()
	
	Z_String_01 = "Some Fun Now."
	
	ProcedureReturn @Z_String_01

EndProcedure

For the VBA portion (in Excel):

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Public Declare Function Get_2_Stuff Lib "Quotes_3_Lib01.dll" () As Long

Public Declare Function LStrCpy Lib "kernel32.dll" Alias "lstrcpy" (ByVal MyString As String, ByVal MyLong As Long) As Long

Public Target_String                'defined as variant
Public Tmp_String  As String * 99

Target_String = Space(99)       'adjust as necessary
Z_String_ptr = Get_2_Stuff()
Tmp_out = LStrCpy(Tmp_String, Z_String_ptr)
Z_String_Len = Len(Trim(Tmp_String))
Target_String = Left(Trim(Tmp_String), Z_String_Len - 1)

What I have found out (through this forum) is that PB will only return a long from a procedure.

Or more correctly, I have a pointer to be returned.
So what is returned is a pointer to the string.

This was originally compiled under 3.94 of PB and Excel 2000.
Still compiles and works under Excel 2003.

Hope this helps!

Harry0