Unicode strange behaviour

[Kwai chang caine]

Hello at all

Today, i have again a strange behaviour to show

I use VB6 sometime, for calling PB dll
But like now, VB is unicode only, all my VB6 program not works when i recompile the old DLL with v5.60

Apparently VB6 is UNICODE, but call library fonction in ASCII, it's the reason why all works very well with v5.40 and ASCII compilation
So i have use the UTF8() function for convert the ASCII variable from VB6, and that not works

VB6 code

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Public Declare Function FreeLibrary Lib "kernel32" (ByVal hLibModule As Long) As Long
Public Declare Function LoadLibraryA Lib "kernel32" (ByVal lpLibFileName As Any) As Long
Public Declare Function EssaiVb6 Lib "LaDll.dll" Alias "Essai" (ByVal Texte As String) As Long

Private Sub Form_Load()
 ChDir App.Path
 HwndLib = LoadLibraryA(App.Path + "\LaDll.dll")
 EssaiVb6("A que coucou les quéqués")
 FreeLibrary HwndLib
End Sub

Pb Dll

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ProcedureDLL.s Essai(Texte.s)
 *UTF8 = UTF8(Texte)
 Texte = PeekS(*UTF8, -1, #PB_UTF8)
 MessageRequester("Unicode variable", Texte)
 ProcedureReturn Texte
EndProcedure 

Since 4 hours, i have all try with VB and PB, and i have no new idea
But the worst, that works with this function "Ansi2Uni", and not with Fred UTF8() function

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Procedure.l Ansi2Uni(ansi.s)
  size.l=MultiByteToWideChar_(#CP_ACP,0,ansi,-1,0,0)
  Dim unicode.w(size)
  MultiByteToWideChar_(#CP_ACP, 0, ansi, Len(ansi) * 2, unicode(), size)
  ProcedureReturn @unicode() 
EndProcedure 

ProcedureDLL.s Essai(Texte.s)
 *pointeur = Ansi2Uni(Texte)
 Texte = PeekS(*pointeur)
 MessageRequester("Unicode variable", Texte)
 ProcedureReturn Texte
EndProcedure 

If someone understand something
Have a good day

[ts-soft]

UTF8 <> UTF16

You have to use UNICODE (UTF16) and not UNICODE (UTF8)!

[Kwai chang caine]

Hello TsSoft, the specialist in COM, OLE
Very happy to read you, since a long time

Oooook !!!! this is the reason why !!!
So i can't use the Fred function, i'm forcing to use this one ?

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Procedure.l Ansi2Uni(ansi.s)
  size.l=MultiByteToWideChar_(#CP_ACP,0,ansi,-1,0,0)
  Dim unicode.w(size)
  MultiByteToWideChar_(#CP_ACP, 0, ansi, Len(ansi) * 2, unicode(), size)
  ProcedureReturn @unicode()
EndProcedure 

[Kwai chang caine]

Believe you it's possible to forcing VB to send UTF8 ?

[Lunasole]

Hi. This should work fine ^^

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EnableExplicit


; str$	:	PB unicode string
; RETURN:	ascii string packed into PB unicode string
Procedure$ ToAscii (str$)
	Protected out$ = Space(1 + Len(str$) / 2)
	PokeS(@out$, str$, -1, #PB_Ascii)
	ProcedureReturn out$
EndProcedure
; back to unicode
Procedure$ FromAscii (str$)
	ProcedureReturn PeekS(@str$, -1, #PB_Ascii)
EndProcedure



ProcedureDLL.s Essai(Texte.s)
 texte = FromAscii(texte)
 MessageRequester("Unicode variable", texte)
 
 texte = ToAscii(texte)
 ProcedureReturn Texte
EndProcedure

I'm often using those "packed strings" as it is better than having mess with memory buffers, etc

Believe you it's possible to forcing VB to send UTF8 ?

That's possible using WinAPI. Also there was function StrConv or something like it in VB6, can use it and send raw bytes array (or its pointer) to PB.
I would give you some code but don't have much wish to go back to VB

[Kwai chang caine]

Thanks a lot LUNASOLE

I would give you some code but don't have much wish to go back to VB

You have right, and i understand you very well

But my problem is other, i don't want go back to VB6 too, but just continue to keep alive several big software i have create they are long...long..long
time

And sometime i need to modify a little bit the DLL, it's for that i have this problem

So if i have good understand you, i have two choices :

1/ Spent tons of hours to adding
- A converter Ascii/Unicode at each enter of each procedure of the DLL
- A converter Unicode/Ascii at each exit of each procedure of the same DLL

2/ Spent tons of hours to adding :
- A converter like "StrConv " at each call of functions, and each return of my DLL

I think i choose the first choice.....

Again a time, thanks at all, for all your very precious help

[ts-soft]

3. Choise: No Converter, use always UNICODE, no ascii, no utf-8.

Display Unicode Strings in Visual Basic 6.0

[Lunasole]

3. Choise: No Converter, use always UNICODE, no ascii, no utf-8.

Display Unicode Strings in Visual Basic 6.0

Oh I remember similar hell stuff. Don't remember exactly, but it had some "critical flaws" making that unusable in many cases.
Probably simpler to add 4 - just use older PB compiler (5.44 or whatever) with native ASCII, though @KCC already said about it

[Kwai chang caine]

@TSSOFT

I have nothing against using UNICODE in the two side (VB6 and Pb Dll), for me, the main thing it's VB6 and PB can exchange data
But VB6 is apparently UNICODE and this donkey, send his string parameter in ASCII, translate them dynamically on the fly, and no choice for change that apparently

Furthermore, it's when even strange Fred no choose the UTF16 by default in PB, then i have read on the web the real UNICODE is the UTF16, and it's the reason why numerous program use UTF16 against UTF8.
Finally, i have create a wrapper for each call of my DLL, and replace each string by "StrConv(String)" like this, that works.... for the moment

Thank you very much MASTER for give me the tips, you save my life
Because never i thinking to that as FRED not create the #PB_UTF16 or UTF16(), and however i promise you, i have try tons of things, preferably whatever (Kcc method ) before create this post

@LUNASOLE

Your code is perfect, and works very well
It is short and powerfull, like Kcc love it
At the begining i put it everywhere in my DLL, but i have see it's too long to modify several hundred of functions
So finally i have create a wrapper in vb6, like i have say to TsSoft
But i keep it preciously, because since the Fred decision, i have alway a problem with this UNICODE of misfortune
Again thanks MASTER to your precious help

[Lunasole]

Hah, too many good words about my code ^^ Mostly I'm just too lazy to write something longer and looking "truly professional".
Anyway glad you liked it, good luck with that VB stuff (probably I'll soon play with it too, there are several large programs also made long ago with it)

[Kwai chang caine]

And again...often i don't dare writing the real words i want to write.
Since all this time, the old members, know kcc is the worst programmer of the west, and also a little bit crazy

But i have already say that so much time, to have the chance to read, write, laugh, and Furthermore sharing a part of big knowledge of this numerous MASTERS,
It's the more nice present i had in all my life.
I have this chance all the days, how much fan can do all that with his heroes, idol, gods ???

It's like that, since he are 16 years ago, kcc love programming, but the programmation not like kcc
And thanks at all masters of the pb forum, like you, and several others of this forum, kcc can when even do fully his passion...even with his little brain
Then....what style of word, kcc must use for thanking all the days his heroes ???

It's the reason why, often, members believe that kcc fulsome, overdone, with his thanks, and his words "masters", "heroes", etc ...for just a code or a help...
Never a member can understand, what the value of this help, have for kcc alone in his deskroom behind his problem...never

The master of pb give dream in a full day...it's amazing...

Again thanks, i have also sharing your code on the french forum.

[mk-soft]

I think is the DLL as Unicode is this no a problem...

Not testet

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;-TOP
; Unicode

;- Structure vbString

Structure vbString
  len.l
  text.s
EndStructure

ProcedureDLL foo(*Text.String) ; Result as vbString
  Static vbResult.vbString
  vbResult\text = ReverseString(*Text\s)
  vbResult\len = Len(vbResult\text)
  ProcedureReturn @vbResult\text
EndProcedure