Author Archives: Nicolas Riousset

When C++ Builder 6 fails to properly import COM Objects

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In Borland C++ Builder 6, the code generated to import COM objects slightly differs from the one generated by previous versions of C++ Builder.
Specifically, the VARIANT date type is used instead of TVariant. Giving up its TVariant “smart wrapper” was a good move from Borland, but it broke backward compatibility with output parameters of some COM methods, which don’t receive a value anymore.

For example, below is the code generated by C++ Builer 4 for the FarPoint TfpSpread COM object (from file FPSpreadADO_TLB.h) :
[code lang=cpp]
VARIANT_BOOL __fastcall GetText(long Col, long Row, TVariant* Var)
{
_TDispID _dispid(/* GetText */ DISPID(252));
TAutoArgs<3> _args;
_args[1] = Col /*[VT_I4:0]*/;
_args[2] = Row /*[VT_I4:0]*/;
_args[3] = Var /*[VT_VARIANT:1]*/;
OleFunction(_dispid, _args);
return _args.GetRetVariant();
}
[/code]

When generated using C++ Builder 6, the code becomes :
[code lang=cpp]
VARIANT_BOOL __fastcall GetText(long Col, long Row, VARIANT* Var)
{
_TDispID _dispid(/* GetText */ DISPID(252));
TAutoArgs<3> _args;
_args[1] = Col /*[VT_I4:0]*/;
_args[2] = Row /*[VT_I4:0]*/;
_args[3] = Var /*[VT_VARIANT:1]*/;
OleFunction(_dispid, _args);
return _args.GetRetVariant();
}
[/code]

Notice the Var parameter, whose type was changed from TVariant* to VARIANT* : that’s the source of the problem.

The issue comes from the TAutoArgs class, more specifically from its array of Variant.
The Variant assignment operator (=) behaves differently depending if its RHS is a TVariant* or a VARIANT* :

  1. Variant = TVariant* : The Variant is initialized with a reference to the TVariant* object (vt = VT_BYREF|VT_VARIANT, and pvarVal receives a pointer to the TVariant*
  2. Variant = VARIANT* : the Variant ‘=’ operator assumes the VARIANT* is a VT_BOOL. Changes to the Variant are not reflected on the VARIANT*

To fix the problem, one must explicitly set the Variant as a reference to the VARIANT*. For example, the previous example must be changed to :
[code lang=cpp]
VARIANT_BOOL __fastcall GetText(long Col, long Row, VARIANT* Var)
{
_TDispID _dispid(/* GetText */ DISPID(252));
TAutoArgs<3> _args;
_args[1] = Col /*[VT_I4:0]*/;
_args[2] = Row /*[VT_I4:0]*/;
_args[3].vt = VT_BYREF|VT_VARIANT /*[VT_VARIANT:1]*/;
_args[3].pvarVal = Var;
OleFunction(_dispid, _args);
return _args.GetRetVariant();
}
[/code]

How to compare C++ builder/Delphi DFM binary files with Tortoise SVN ?

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With antique versions of Delphi or C++ builder (<= 4), the DFM files – which define the structure of the application forms – are stored as binary files.
Binary files are a hassle because they prevent any batch processing, search, etc… But only with version control do they become a real pain in the ass. Versions can’t be compared, which makes conflict solving almost impossible. And conflicts happen often because Delphi and C++ builder modifiy DFM files for any reason (ex : moving a form around).

If you use Tortoise SVN and strugle with DFM conflicts, here is a solution to automate DFM comparison : Continue reading →

Why is “boolean val = (0 == 0 ? null : true)” causing a Java NullPointerException ?

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This would be a funny interview question : why is the following Java code compiling but throwing a NullPointerException at runtime ?
[code lang=java]
boolean val = (0 == 0 ? null : true);
[/code]

Since boolean is a primitive data type, it can’t be initialized with a null value. As a matter of fact, the compiler rejects the following code :
[code lang=java]boolean val = null;[/code]
So, one would expect the conditional/ternary operator assignement to also fail at compile time, whether because null can’t be assigned to a boolean, or because null and true don’t have the same data type, which is not allowed by the ternary operator.
That’s not the case, compilation runs fine, only at runtime do you get a NullPointerException.
Why ?

I guess this comes from Java autoboxing/autounboxing feature. Since the “then” and “else” parts of the operator must have the same type, Java autoboxes true to Boolean.TRUE, and assumes null is a Boolean. Knowing that Boolean can be autounboxed to boolean, the compiler will accept the statement.

Then, at runtime, null will be autoboxed to boolean, eventually causing the NullPointerException. Et voilà !

C++ builder EAccessViolation when calling Variant.OlePropertySet() for Excel Automation

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After migrating an application from C++ Builder 4 to C++builder 6, the excel COM automation started to crash with error EAccessViolation at address 00000800 when calling the Variant.OlePropertySet(), OlePropertyGet() or OleFunction() methods, as in the following code :

[code lang=cpp]
Variant xlApp = Variant::CreateObject(“Excel.Application”);
xlApp.OlePropertySet(“Visible”, true); // causes the EAccessViolation
Variant workbooks = xlApp.OlePropertyGet(“Workbooks”);
Variant currentWorkbook ClasseurCourant = workbooks.OleFunction(“Open”, L”C:\\MyExcelFile.xls”);
[/code]
Excel-OlePropertySet-EAccessViolation
This code was working fine with Builder 4, it was also working fine when used in a brand new application, but it always crashed in the converted app. Given that many developers reported the same error, with no known fix, and that one couldn’t expect support for a 12 years old IDE, I eventually fixed the issue by bypassing the Borland Wrappers and using directly COM.
Continue reading →