Question

NamedPipe Client in C# and NamedPipe Server in C++

Asked by: ChiliPequin

Can a NamedPipe client written in C# send message to a NamedPipe server written in C++?  Please show an example if this is doable.  I receive error code 2 when the NamedPipe client tries to connect to the NamedPipe server.

Thanks.

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Asked On
2009-09-01 at 14:00:02ID24699465
Tags

NamedPipe

Topic

Microsoft Visual C++

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Answers

 

by: itsmeandnobodyelsePosted on 2009-09-02 at 02:29:39ID: 25239189

>>>> Can a NamedPipe client written in C# send message to a NamedPipe server written in C++?
Yes, Named Pipe is a system resource which can be addressed by any programming language which allows to using runtime libraries or WINAPI functions.

>>>> Please show an example if this is doable.  I
Unfortunately my C# knowledge is small.

>>>> I receive error code 2 when the NamedPipe client tries to connect to the NamedPipe server.
Error 2 means" file not found". In C# strings are UNICODE (two-byte character set) while in C++ normally it is ANSI (multi-byte character set). That could be a problem for naming the pipe properly.

Can you post the code lines of both server and client where you create or open the named pipe?

 

by: ChiliPequinPosted on 2009-09-02 at 08:27:06ID: 25242071


Thank you very much for your prompt response.  

I got the sampe code for C# and C++ from the web.  They work when both client and server are in C# or when both are in C++.  When I use the C# client and the C++ server, the client fails to connect to the C++ server.  I then change the parameters of the CreateNamePipe in the C++ server to match the ones in the C# server.  Still, the connection fails!

I got the C++ sample code from the article "Simple Point to Point Communication Using Named Pipes" at Codeguru.

I got the C# sample code from the article "Inter-Process Communication in .NET Using Named Pipes" at ivanweb.com.

Thanks again for your help.
                  


Pipe Server in C++
        m_hInPipe = CreateNamedPipe(
	GetRealPipeName(true).c_str(), 
	PIPE_ACCESS_DUPLEX,            
	PIPE_TYPE_MESSAGE | PIPE_READMODE_MESSAGE | PIPE_WAIT,        
	PIPE_UNLIMITED_INSTANCES, 
	PIPE_BUF_SIZE, // set to 512 to match C# server
         PIPE_BUF_SIZE, // set to 512 to match C# server
	NMPWAIT_WAIT_FOREVER, 
	0); // NULL
 
Pipe Client in C#
 
handle.Handle = NamedPipeNative.CreateFile(
          name,
          NamedPipeNative.GENERIC_READ | PipeNative.GENERIC_WRITE, 
          0, 
          null, 
          NamedPipeNative.OPEN_EXISTING, 
          0, 
          0);
                                              
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by: itsmeandnobodyelsePosted on 2009-09-02 at 08:55:31ID: 25242390

Is the C++ UNICODE or MULTIBYTE?  

What is the GetRealPipeName(true) returning and what is the return type? If it returns string type the pipe name is an ANSI name, while the C# name definitively is a wide string.

If I am right with the above assumption, you could do in the C++

        string pipename = GetRealPipeName(true);
        wchar_t  wpipename[512] = { 0 };   // don't be stingy with buffer size
        size_t siz = mbstowcs(wpipename, pipename.c_str(), 256);  // maximum name length is 256
        if (siz == 0 || siz > 256) return;  // error
        m_hInPipe = CreateNamedPipeW(
      wpipename,
      PIPE_ACCESS_DUPLEX,            
      PIPE_TYPE_MESSAGE | PIPE_READMODE_MESSAGE | PIPE_WAIT,        
      PIPE_UNLIMITED_INSTANCES,
      PIPE_BUF_SIZE, // set to 512 to match C# server
         PIPE_BUF_SIZE, // set to 512 to match C# server
      NMPWAIT_WAIT_FOREVER,
      0); // NULL

>>>> NamedPipeNative.OPEN_EXISTING

You know that the pipe was destroyed if the last handle was freed. So your C++ server must run prior to the C# client but the C++ server must not be finished.  

If the access from C# fails nevertheless you might call the GetLastError (System.GetLastError ??) function to retrieve more detailed info why it failed.

 

by: ChiliPequinPosted on 2009-09-04 at 09:27:28ID: 31623265

Hi itsmeandnobodyelse,

Thank you very much for your help.  I can get the C# client to connect and send message to my C++ application following your advise.

Thanks again.

20120131-EE-VQP-002

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