Wednesday, June 20, 2007

Listing All Registered ActiveXControls / COM object based on there category

//Initialise COM libraries
CoInitialize (NULL);

//The Component Category Manager implemented by System implements
//this interface
ICatInformation *pCatInfo=NULL;

//Create an instance of standard Component Category Manager
HRESULT hr=CoCreateInstance (CLSID_StdComponentCategoriesMgr ,
NULL,
CLSCTX_INPROC_SERVER,
IID_ICatInformation ,
(void **)&pCatInfo);

//Increase ref count on interface
pCatInfo->AddRef ();

//IEnumGUID interface provides enumerator for enumerating through
//the collection of COM objects
IEnumGUID *pEnumGUID=NULL;

//We are intersted in finding out only controls so put CATID_Control
//in the array
CATID pcatidImpl[1];
CATID pcatidReqd[1];
// Want only my Plugin Category
pcatidImpl[0]=CATID_MyPlugin;
pcatidReqd[1]=CATID_MyPlugin;

// Want all Active X Control
//pcatidImpl[0]=CATID_Control;







//Now enumerate the classes i.e. COM objects of this type.
pCatInfo->EnumClassesOfCategories (1,
pcatidImpl,
0,
pcatidReqd ,
&pEnumGUID);

//Enumerate as long as you get S_OK
CLSID clsid;

while( (hr= pEnumGUID->Next( 1, &clsid, NULL ))==S_OK )
{
BSTR bstrClassName; //Get the information of class

//This is what MSDN says about the parameters
/*-----------------------------------------------
USERCLASSTYPE_FULL The full type name of the class.
USERCLASSTYPE_SHORT A short name (maximum of 15 characters) that
is used for popup menus and the Links dialog
box.
USERCLASSTYPE_APPNAME The name of the application servicing the class
and is used in the Result text in dialog boxes.
-----------------------------------------------*/
OleRegGetUserType (clsid,USERCLASSTYPE_FULL,&bstrClassName);
CString strControlName(bstrClassName);
//Add string in our listbox
m_list1.AddString (strControlName);
}

//we are done so now release the interface ptr
pCatInfo->Release ();

CoUninitialize ();

Waiting for the Prj2make# Visual Studio Add-in For Mono

Right now Novell provide a command line utility to migrate a Microsoft Prj
to Mono.

http://forge.novell.com/modules/xfcontent/downloads.php/prj2make-sharp

Looking forward to see this project.

I have completed a Visual Studio Doxygen Add On if the author want
to contact me.

http://www.mfconsulting.com/product/gtks-inst4win/vsprj2make_Proposal.html

Tuesday, June 19, 2007

java to c# and c# to java

Microsoft has the Java Language Conversion Assistant (JLCA) that enables
developers to migrate their existing Java code to C# on the .NET Framework.
It can be found at:


http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/vstudio/aa718346.aspx

However, the reverse, a C# to Java is more difficlut to achieve

http://jsc.sourceforge.net/

Thursday, June 14, 2007

Direct Show Filters Rules

APE Source Filter: DirectShow audio decoder filter used to decode Monkey's Audio files (APE files)
AC3 Filter: DirectShow audio decoder and processor filter used to decode audio tracks in movies (DVD, MPEG4 and others)
AVI Splitter: Replacement for DirectShow's default Audio Video Interleave (AVI) Splitter (It can open many broken files and can reindex when needed)
CDDA Reader Filter: DirectShow audio decoder capable of reading Audio CDs
CDXA Reader Filter: DirectShow video decoder capable of reading (S)VCDs and XCDs
CoreAAC Filter: Advanced Audio Coding (AAC) DirectShow audio decoder capable of reading AAC files
CoreFlac Decoder: DirectShow audio decoder for the Flac audio codec
FFDShow: DirectShow decoding filter for decompressing DivX, XviD, H.264, FLV1, WMV, MPEG-1 and MPEG-2, MPEG-4 and various other audio and video formats. It uses libavcodec from ffmpeg project for video decompression, postprocessing code from mplayer to enhance visual quality of low bitrate movies, and is based on original DirectShow filter from XviD, which is GPL'ed educational implementation of MPEG4 encoder
FLV Splitter: Capable of splitting Flash Video files (FLV) and decoding On2 VP62 Video streams (notable users of the FLV format include YouTube, Google Video, Reuters.com, Yahoo! Video and MySpace.)
OGG Splitter: DirectShow OGG Splitter capable of splitting OGG and OGM file(s) and enables to play / create .ogm wrapped video
GPL MPEG-1/2 Decoder: DirectShow MPEG decoder filter can be used to play MPEG-1 and MPEG-2 streams
MOD Source Filter: DirectShow filter decoder capable of decoding Tracker files (MO3, IT, XM, S3M, MTM, MOD and UMX)
MPEG Splitter: DirectShow splitter capable of splitting MPEG1/MPEG2 files (MP(E)G, VOB, DAT, TS, TP, etc.)
MPV Decoder: DirectShow decoder capable of decoding MPEG1/MPEG2 Video streams, and DVDs
MPA Splitter: DirectShow Splitter capable of splitting MPEG Audio files (MP3) and MPEG4 Audio files (AAC)
MPC Source Filter: DirectShow decoder filter capable of decoding MusePack Audio files (MPC).
MP4 Splitter: DirectShow Splitter capable of splitting MP4, M4A, 3GP and HD-MOV files
Matroska Splitter: DirectShow splitter capable of splitting Matroska files (MKV and MKA)
Media Player Classic: an open source media player that looks just like Windows Media Player, but has many additional features. It has a built in DVD player with real-time zoom, support for AVI subtitles, QuickTime and RealVideo support
OFR Source Filter: DirectShow filter decoder capable of decoding OptimFROG Audio files (OFR)
RealMedia Splitter: DirectShow splitter that allows you to play RealNetworks audio/video files.
SHOUTcast Source Filter: DirectShow decoder filter capable of handling internet radio stations streams (http://www.shoutcast.com)
WV Splitter / Decoder: DirectShow WV Splitter and decoder capable of splitting and decoding WavPack Audio files (WV)
VobSub Filter: DirectShow Vob Subtitles filter capable of displaying (embedded) Subtitle files (SRT, SUB, IDX, etc)

Friday, June 08, 2007

Manifest hell

I thought Manifests were an end to DLL hell - but it just seems that now we have manifest hell


A solution to two references to different versions of CRT, MFC, ATL in one application manifest file
I have received several questions about a case when developers find two or more references to different versions of CRT or MFC or ALT libraries in application manifest. Usually application manifest would look similar to the following:



Notice underlined version of assembly. This manifest tells Windows loader to load two different versions of the same assembly. The loader is going to do what it is told to. But the problem arises when it can only find one version (50608) of them. There are two cases when this may happen:
1) The oldest version of VC++ library is installed in WinSxS folder. For example, author of the application may have redistributed VS2005 RTM version of CRT library using MSMs or VCRedist.EXE, but ones parts of application were rebuilt with VS2005 SP1 and deployed to the same machine, SP1 versions of MSMs or VCRedist.EXE were not deployed to the same machine.
2) It is not possible to have two versions of a private assembly in one folder. For example, an author of an application has deployed the RTM version of CRT library as a private assembly in application’s local folder. After application is rebuilt with SP1, the author faces a challenge of having two copies of same files/folders in application local folder. If she keeps RTM version, Windows loader is going to complain about SP1 version missing. If she keeps SP1 version, Windows loaders is going to fail to find RTM version. Windows shows a message box which says :”The application has failed to start because of side-by-side configuration is incorrect,” and event viewer shows error details similar to “Activation context generation failed for "…\foo.exe".Error in manifest or policy file. A component version required by the application conflicts with another component version already active.” Bottom line, application does not start.
The root cause of the issue is that not all parts of application’s source code are built with the same version of VC++ libraries and tools. The linker catches some cases and reports errors when it tries to link objects and libraries built with different versions of compiler. However it is still possible to get pass the linker and an application may get these two dependencies in its manifest.
There is one solution to the problem and two workarounds.
The solution. To fix the problem, you must rebuild all parts of your code with the newest toolset and libraries. Make sure you have cleaned up all binaries built by the old toolset and started full rebuild of the whole source base. Also check that old versions of headers and import libraries for VC++ libraries are not on INCLUDE and LIB path and they are not used during the build.
If you cannot rebuild all your code and use one version of VC libraries, there are two ways to work around this problem:
Workaround#1: Install the newer version (8.0.50727.762 in this case) of VC++ MSMs or VCRedist.EXE on a machine where your application is going to run. Once policy for VC++ assemblies is installed on that machine they are going to redirect all loads of older versions (8.0.50608.0) to the newest version available on the machine.
Workaround#2: If you are redistributing VC++ libraries in application’s local folder, you need to add an application configuration file that redirects an attempt to load 8.0.50608.0 version to 8.0.50727.762 version. Configuration file has to have same name as the exe plus .config extension and has to be right next to exe or embedded into the EXE. Here is an example of a configuration file that one would use to resolve issue with the manifest from above:
inferior and superior char have been replace by { and } because google blogs text editor is retarded

{configuration}
{windows}
{assemblybinding xmlns="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:asm.v1"}
{dependentassembly}
{assemblyidentity publickeytoken="1fc8b3b9a1e18e3b" processorarchitecture="x86" name="Microsoft.VC80.CRT" type="win32"}{/assemblyidentity}
{bindingredirect newversion="8.0.50727.762" oldversion="8.0.41204.256-8.0.50727.762"}
{/dependentassembly}
{/assemblybinding}
{/windows}
{/configuration}
This file basically redirects attempts to load any version of VC CRT greater or equal to 8.0.41204.256 (VS2005 Beta 1) and less than 8.0.50727.762(VS2005 SP1) to load VS2005 SP1 version of VC CRT. It is similar to what the policy file does for a case when CRT is installed into WinSxS folder.
Overall my recommendation is to never use static libraries for which you do not have a source code. Using a static library without its source always puts a set of restrictions on build configuration of a binary that consumes it. There are ways to build a “clean” static library, but they are not well known among developers and it is very rare to find a static library that can be consumed in a code built with different versions of compiler, linker and libraries. If source code is not provided, I would only take a dependency on a DLL and only if its APIs are cleanly designed to obey rules of data exchange across DLL boundary. COM and .Net class assemblies are designed to address this problem and they are the easiest technologies to use in this scenario.


http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/library/aa374182.aspx

Visual Studio 2005 SP1
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/thankyou.aspx?familyId=bb4a75ab-e2d4-4c96-b39d-37baf6b5b1dc&displayLang=en

VCRedist x86
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?familyid=32bc1bee-a3f9-4c13-9c99-220b62a191ee&displaylang=en

Visual Studio 2005 SP1

Installation fails on Windows Server 2003 editions with Windows Server 2003 SP1 Installed:
loadTOCNode(3, 'moreinformation');
The error reported is
Error 1718. File Filename was rejected by digital signature policy.This problem occurs when the computer has insufficient contiguous memory for Windows Server 2003 or Windows XP to verify that the .msi package or the .msp package is correctly signed.To resolve this issue:

Refer to KB article 925336 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/925336).

VS2005 SP1 and Microsoft.VC80.CRT in applocal mode

problem running some of our applications in "applocal" mode since we have upgraded to SP1.
We use some external libraries (we don't have the source code) that were compiled with the original VS2005.
The following manifest is therefore generated:













The application runs fine when the CRT in present in WinSxS (the Policy does the correct redirection). However, if you want to use the "applocal" mode for this particular application.

When running "app.exe" if you get this message: "This application has failed to start because the application configuration is incorrect. Reinstalling the application may fix this problem.

Choose external manifest

_USE_RTM_VERSION is newly introduced in SP1 (and previously also in hotfix 919280). It is found in crtassem.h and crtdefs.h. If you use _USE_RTM_VERSION - it must be done in all EXEs and DLLs the app uses. The _USE_RTM_VERSION define determines which CRT version is placed in your manifest file. If it is defined, then the old version number is put in.

If not defined, then it puts the new version in (what ever version ends up shipping with SP1)And no, using _USE_RTM_VERSION does not avoid the runtime rebinding to the new version. The fact is, it only gives the apps the ability to use the originals, but if the new ones are there on the machine in WinSxS, then it uses the new ones instead. Without _USE_RTM_VERSION, if the originals are there and the new ones aren't, then the app doesn't even run.Without using WinSxS, even if you install applocal and if same or newer versions exist in WinSxS, then those in WinSxS will be used instead. However, there is one way to trick the system into never using the new ones from WinSxS, and only using your applocal (original) ones.

For more info see http://blog.kalmbachnet.de/?postid=80

I know of no way to force an app to use a specific version out of WinSxS, if a redirection policy has been installed.

Monday, June 04, 2007

Including QuickTime In A Web Page

http://www.apple.com/quicktime/tutorials/embed.html

Adobe Apollo

Apollo is the code name for a cross-operating system runtime being developed by Adobe that allows developers to leverage their existing web development skills (Flash, Flex, HTML, JavaScript, Ajax) to build and deploy rich Internet applications (RIAs) to the desktop.
Apollo enables developers to create applications that combine the benefits of web applications – network and user connectivity, rich media content, ease of development, and broad reach – with the strengths of desktop applications – application interactions, local resource access, personal settings, powerful functionality, and rich interactive experiences.

http://labs.adobe.com/technologies/apollo/

Darwing Streaming Server basics

Streaming Server Setup

Introduction

The Streaming Server comes in two flavors: Darwin Streaming Server is an Open Source project from Apple. Binaries of Darwin Streaming Server are available for Mac OS X, Red Hat Linux 9, Solaris 9 and Windows 2000/2003/XP. Apple includes QuickTime Streaming Server, a commercially supported version of the server, with Mac OS X Server. QuickTime Streaming Server adds:

QTSS Publisher, content management for streaming media.
QuickTime Broadcaster, a live encoder for live streaming from video/audio sources.
Server Admin, the graphical administration tool for managing Mac OS X Server including the Streaming Server, File Services, Web Services, Mail Services, Directory Services, etc.

QuickTime Streaming Server is formally supported by Apple, while support for the Open Source version is informally provided via mailing lists and on-line resources.

Support and Documentation
Documentation on QuickTime Streaming Server in pdf format is available here (most of the documentation applies to Darwin as well).

A QuickTime/Darwin Streaming Server technology brief in pdf format is available here. Developer documentation is available here. Apple has also posted a good summary of the use and advantages streaming versus http fast-start.
Mailing list support for Darwin Streaming Server and QuickTime Streaming Server is provided informally via the streaming server mailing lists (the users list or the developers list).
Online support resources include the QuickTime section of Apple's support site, and the Streaming Server FAQ.

Download and Install

If you are using Mac OS X Server, QuickTime Streaming Server is already installed. The procedures outlined on this page use the web administration front end for QuickTime Streaming Server. To use web administration you must enable this capability using the Server Admin application in Panther Server. Select the QuickTime Streaming Service and navigate to Access-Settings. Check off "Enable web-based administration", set the password for web administration and save your settings.

If you want to use Darwin Streaming Server, it can be downloaded here. Windows does not include Perl which is required for web administration of Darwin Streaming Server. You can download Active State Perl for Windows here. Make sure to have Perl installed before running the installer on Windows.

Once the Darwin binaries are downloaded, unpack the archive and review the Read Me file, then start the server. On Mac OS X, the server will automatically start after installation. The best way to start the server on Solaris, Linux and Windows is to start up the Perl script that provides web administration:

On Solaris and Linux: /usr/local/sbin/streamingadminserver.pl

On Windows: C:\Perl\bin\perl "C:\Program Files\Darwin Streaming Server\streamingadminserver.pl"

Note: On Windows it may be necessary to reset the administrative password before running streamingserveradmin.pl, the Perl administrative server.

You can create/reset the administrative password on Windows with the following command: C:\Perl\bin\perl "C:\Program Files\Darwin Streaming Server\WinPasswdAssistant.pl"

Once the Perl process is running you can access the web administrative interface by opening your web browser on the server and opening the URL:
http://127.0.0.1:1220

The Streaming Server can reflect live Icecast/Shoutcast broadcasts if you configure a MP3 Broadcast password.

SSL certificate. The server can be administered over SSL if a valid SSL certificate installed. Usually this feature is not enabled during installation.

Media Folder.
This is the "document root" for the streaming server. Media files will be placed in this folder or subdirectories of this folder.

Port 80 Streaming.
The server can be configured to stream over Port 80. If you are not running a web server on port 80 on the same system, it is a good idea to enable this option. This will allow clients to connect to your server through most firewalls.

Once you have navigated through the setup screens, you should see the main window for web server administration on your server. The options configured during setup can be changed in the general settings and port settings panes of the administrative web interface.

Note: You can set up the streamingserveradmin.pl to automatically execute when your server is started if you always want to have the server running (i.e. by editing rc.local on Linux). On Windows 2000/2003 Server the installer adds Darwin Streaming Server as a service in the Service Manager.

Test the Server

To test your server, go to another system on your network with QuickTime installed. Open QuickTime Player and select "Open URL..." from the File Menu:
Enter the rtsp url to your server using it's IP address and the filename sample_100kbit.mov (a sample movie installed in the Movies directory on the server):
The player should open up a stream from your server. Compressed and hinted movies can now be placed in the Movies directory and streamed.