Reference Statement Summary
Reference is a terminal, command statement that occurs not only in command scripts, but also as a substatement of the
Compile statement and the
Refactor statement. It explicitly loads a reference file into the current storage area. The typical reason for using this statement with VB6 project translations is that the project file does not explicitly list an external library whose members are in fact being referenced in the source code. In the case of ASP web translations, the external references are not explicitly defined; therefore, they must be supplied in the translation script using
Reference statements.
The attributes of the
Reference statement are as follows:
| Attribute | Description |
| Id | This attribute simply identifies the external library description to be loaded via its local filename like mso.dll or msword9.olb or mscomctl.ocx or msado20.tlb. The reference is then loaded using the same conventions as those used when loading an external referenced within a VBP project file. Alternatively, this Id may be the name path of the file to be loaded in either absolute form or relative to the working directory (generally the workspace\log folder). |
| Location | This attribute specifies the full pathname of an external library as opposed to its simple local name. The file is loaded directly without going through the normal search logic and without first ensuring that it has not yet already been loaded. This attribute should only be used in special utility contexts. Note that when using this attribute the Id attribute, which is used internally to identify the external must be specified as well. |
| Registry | This flag attribute, when specified as Off, requests that the normal Libname registry search not be performed on the specified Id. |
The loading of references via the
Id attribute proceeds in exactly the same manner as if they were loaded via a
VBP file. First, before any code can be compiled or external reference loaded the environment within which the compilation is to occur must be established. See the description of the
LoadEnvironment statement for details. Second, the registry is checked for a
Libname entry. This entry is used to change the id under which a given external reference is processed. Third, a check is made to see if an external with the specified id has already been loaded. If so, it is not loaded again. Fourth, the extension
xml is added to the back of the id to form a reference script filename and the file is looked for using the standard search order. That order is
target location,
local location,
system location, and
language location. Fifth, if located, the reference script is loaded. Sixth, the reference script filename is modified to be preceded by
Mig. to form the name of a possible refactoring file which would contain statements modifying the characteristics of the components in the external. If located, this file is loaded as well.