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Every Visual Basic programmer is familiar with the idea of an interactive designer. For example, User-Defined Forms and UserControls are created and edited using VB6's intrinsic GUI designer. The GUI designer allows the programmer to interactively edit a visual representation of the Form or UserControl and then stores most of the information in mostly text-based files (.frm/.ctl) files. In addition to its GUI designer, Visual Basic allows third party component developers to create their own interactive component designers. These Third-Party Designers (3PDs) require the installation the third-party product. They allow the programmer to interactively edit a visual representation of their components and store design-time information in mostly proprietary binary format. This is somewhat similar to, but worse generally more obscure than, the problem of complex proprietary setting third-party control information stored in for forms and controls in binary frx and ctx files.
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VB6 also has intrinsic DataReports |
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, DataEnvironments, WebDocuments, and PropertyPages all with their own custom designers using the same approach as the 3PDs. These types are rarely used in the codes we have seen so they are not fully supported by gmBasic. |
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Note: The process for converting ActiveReports dsx files to dsx.rpt files only words works for ActiveReports v2 format files. Fortunately, the vendor offers an Upsizer.
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