I recently automated a simple VB6 desktop to web migration using the Wisej framework.
See the screen shot below
- Left: Calculator Form in VB6 designer
- Middle: Calculator Form in Wisej designer in Visual Studio
- Right: Calculator Form running in Chrome as a web application
The works much like the original even including the keyboard support.
For this sample there were only a few differences from simply letting gmStudio do a standard VB6 to WinForms upgrade:
- Using a Wisej web application csproj file rather than the one generated for a WinForms app
- Using a Wisej startup code file rather than the one generated for Winforms
- Deploying a few supporting files to the folder (default.html, default.json, web.configs)
- A number of tweaks to the code to address places where Wisej conventions differ from WinForms
For this first test, I simply used the gmPL post-editting commands make the replacements. (see “Quick and Dirty” rules below)
In an actual upgrade solution, I would create a generalized Wisej upgrade configuration that could be used with many different VBPs and code files and also develop a set of rules files to deal with third-party controls. In a project context, we would further customize the rules so that various customer-specific requirements are automated such as other Wisej/.NET standards.
My experience with Wisej is limited to only a few hours of paying around, but I find it to be an an incredibly sophisticated development and runtime framework. I would love to say more, but I certainly cannot do it justice here. Visit Wisej on the web to learn more.
“Quick and Dirty” upgrade rules to rewrite from VB6 (desktop) for Wisej/C# (web)
<Author>
<Fix host="Calculator" name="PostEdit">
<Replace name="change namespace Winforms to Wisej.Web" >
<OldBlock><![CDATA[using System.Windows.Forms;]]></OldBlock>
<NewBlock><![CDATA[using Wisej.Web;]]></NewBlock>
</Replace>
<Replace status="active" name="remove using WinForms">
<OldBlock><![CDATA[System.Windows.Forms.]]></OldBlock>
<NewBlock><![CDATA[Wisej.Web.]]></NewBlock>
</Replace>
<Replace status="active" name="remove FlatStyle">
<OldBlock><![CDATA[FlatStyle]]></OldBlock>
</Replace>
<Replace status="active" name="cleanup using System.Data">
<OldBlock><![CDATA[using System.Data;]]></OldBlock>
</Replace>
<Replace status="active" name="cleanup using System.CompilerServices">
<OldBlock><![CDATA[using Microsoft.VisualBasic.CompilerServices;]]></OldBlock>
</Replace>
<Replace name="rework old MenuStrip initialization boilerplate, not needed">
<OldBlock><![CDATA[
this.MainMenuStrip = this.mainMenu1;
this.mainMenu1.AutoSize = false;
this.MainMenuStrip.Height = 20;
this.Controls.Add(this.mainMenu1);
]]></OldBlock>
<NewBlock><![CDATA[
this.Menu = this.mainMenu1;
]]></NewBlock>
</Replace>
<Replace status="active" name="rename MenuStrip class">
<OldBlock><![CDATA[MenuStrip]]></OldBlock>
<NewBlock><![CDATA[MainMenu]]></NewBlock>
</Replace>
<Replace status="active" name="rename ToolStripMenuItem class">
<OldBlock><![CDATA[ToolStripMenuItem]]></OldBlock>
<NewBlock><![CDATA[MenuItem]]></NewBlock>
</Replace>
<Replace name="Remove hideSelection setting (default?)">
<OldBlock><![CDATA[.HideSelection = ]]></OldBlock>
</Replace>
<Replace name="Rename BorderStyle enum entry">
<OldBlock><![CDATA[.BorderStyle.Fixed3D;]]></OldBlock>
<NewBlock><![CDATA[.BorderStyle.Solid;]]></NewBlock>
</Replace>
<Replace name="Rename BorderStyle enum entry">
<OldBlock><![CDATA[.BorderStyle.FixedSingle;]]></OldBlock>
<NewBlock><![CDATA[.BorderStyle.Solid;]]></NewBlock>
</Replace>
<Replace status="active" name="rework ShortcutKeys">
<OldBlock><![CDATA[ShortcutKeys = Keys.Control | Keys.]]></OldBlock>
<NewBlock><![CDATA[Shortcut = Shortcut.Ctrl]]></NewBlock>
</Replace>
<Replace name="Change menu.Items property name">
<OldBlock><![CDATA[this.mainMenu1.Items.AddRange(new Wisej.Web.ToolStripItem]]></OldBlock>
<NewBlock><![CDATA[this.mainMenu1.MenuItems.AddRange(new Wisej.Web.MenuItem]]></NewBlock>
</Replace>
<Replace name="change menu.DropDownItems name">
<OldBlock><![CDATA[this.mnuEdit.DropDownItems.AddRange(new Wisej.Web.ToolStripItem[] {]]></OldBlock>
<NewBlock><![CDATA[this.mnuEdit.MenuItems.AddRange(new Wisej.Web.MenuItem[] {]]></NewBlock>
</Replace>
<Replace name="rename FormBorderStyle enum entry">
<OldBlock><![CDATA[.FormBorderStyle.FixedSingle;]]></OldBlock>
<NewBlock><![CDATA[.FormBorderStyle.Fixed;]]></NewBlock>
</Replace>
<ReplaceFile name="Override csproj file using Wisej.csproj"
lang="csproj"
source="Calculator.csproj"
target="..\usr\Wisej\Wisej.csproj"
/>
<ReplaceFile name="Override startup file using program.cs"
lang="csproj"
source="Calculator_StartUp.cs"
target="..\usr\Wisej\program.cs"
/>
</Fix>
</Author>