FlexGrid vs. HFlexGrid problem
I'm having a peculiar problem where a VB application has been changed from the VB6 Flex Grid to the HFlex Grid. Now that the control has been changed, the application will not run on some machines; the application literally disappears when that form loads. When the form is brought up in the DE, it causes a VB Exception error.
The peculiar part is the fact that it works fine on my machine and the machine that originally did the work (another programmer's). We've checked OCX version numbers and made the changes where necessary.. but still get the error. To make it even more peculiar, this programmer has another app that has the same grid in it and it works on ALL machines without a problem.
Has anybody else run into this? And if so... were you able to fix it?
Thanks in advance.
- Michael
The peculiar part is the fact that it works fine on my machine and the machine that originally did the work (another programmer's). We've checked OCX version numbers and made the changes where necessary.. but still get the error. To make it even more peculiar, this programmer has another app that has the same grid in it and it works on ALL machines without a problem.
Has anybody else run into this? And if so... were you able to fix it?
Thanks in advance.
- Michael
ASKER
Unfortunately... installing SP3 is not a viable option... there would need to be WAY too much regression testing on WAY too many apps... there must be some other reason for this. So.. I'm resigned to just put the object back to a normal Flex Grid
ASKER
This question has a deletion request Pending
This question no longer is pending deletion
Wait a second.. this doesn't make sense. You are making program modifications, meaning that another install / setup is going to be necessary. Why not do the setup right?
MS acknowledges that there are bugs in VB by virtue of the fact that we are up to Service Pack 3. And get this.. the bulk of the world has rapidly employed the corrections. In all honesty, if you have updated to IE5 or the MS 2000 line of new products, the bulk of the fixes are already in place. Additionally, what about all the new computers you put in place? I doubt that you are backdating them to an original pristine Win95 state.
Eventually, your pristine environment is going to crumble. Distributing and Deploying software as you are presently doing, IS going to come back and bite you.. It is one thing to have a problem because of a new Microsoft bug (which fortunately there are few of.. or no one would ever upgrade).. but it is a whole different story when you insist on deploying software that is known to be buggy and is out of date as well.
Regression testing is no excuse for your organization's actions.. it only shows how much your organization fears change, rather than embraces it. And in this case, not applying a Service Pack to your compiler is totally ludicrous and foolhardy.. and is very shortsighted. Shame on you and your organization.
Update your compiler to Service Pack 3 and deploy your application strategically (if you must), and I think you will find that you have made a big fuss over nothing. As to your other applications, who says you have to recompile them now?.. One by one cut them over, for in the future you will to do the same anyhow.
If you can't do that, then the first thing I suggest you do is go over to the other programmer's (that you mentioned in your question) compiler and BACKDATE their machine into the stone ages with yours. My gawd.. who needs software that works, and just think of all the regression testing misery they are now causing. Whoever they are, they should be fired !!!
All in all, shame on you for deleting this question.. particularily since you were given an answer that works.. <smile>.
MS acknowledges that there are bugs in VB by virtue of the fact that we are up to Service Pack 3. And get this.. the bulk of the world has rapidly employed the corrections. In all honesty, if you have updated to IE5 or the MS 2000 line of new products, the bulk of the fixes are already in place. Additionally, what about all the new computers you put in place? I doubt that you are backdating them to an original pristine Win95 state.
Eventually, your pristine environment is going to crumble. Distributing and Deploying software as you are presently doing, IS going to come back and bite you.. It is one thing to have a problem because of a new Microsoft bug (which fortunately there are few of.. or no one would ever upgrade).. but it is a whole different story when you insist on deploying software that is known to be buggy and is out of date as well.
Regression testing is no excuse for your organization's actions.. it only shows how much your organization fears change, rather than embraces it. And in this case, not applying a Service Pack to your compiler is totally ludicrous and foolhardy.. and is very shortsighted. Shame on you and your organization.
Update your compiler to Service Pack 3 and deploy your application strategically (if you must), and I think you will find that you have made a big fuss over nothing. As to your other applications, who says you have to recompile them now?.. One by one cut them over, for in the future you will to do the same anyhow.
If you can't do that, then the first thing I suggest you do is go over to the other programmer's (that you mentioned in your question) compiler and BACKDATE their machine into the stone ages with yours. My gawd.. who needs software that works, and just think of all the regression testing misery they are now causing. Whoever they are, they should be fired !!!
All in all, shame on you for deleting this question.. particularily since you were given an answer that works.. <smile>.
ASKER CERTIFIED SOLUTION
membership
This solution is only available to members.
To access this solution, you must be a member of Experts Exchange.
ASKER
Instead of jumping the gun and installing a Service Pack.. I'm going to try and figure out if there is another alternative. If you go back and re-read the question, you'll note that it works on some machines but not others. ALL of these machines are running VB6.0 without SP3, they are pretty much identical development environments. Something changed/got corrupted somewhere along the line and I was asking for a fix for that! Not the shotgun approach of installing a Service Pack.
I work for a rather large corporation that doesn't move at the rate that all of us would like...
I work for a rather large corporation that doesn't move at the rate that all of us would like...
If it is any consolation to you.. I can understand working for !@#$%^&.. oh nevermind (but the thought made it through the speel chegger). As of this writing, VB SP3 is hardly a shotgun approach.. as it has proven to be VERY stable, mature and effective.
On a personal level.. be careful where you are.. it doesn't take long for your skills to deteriorate.. due to shortsighted management and their abnormal fear of change. Additionally, to limit your skills, ability and toolset (I'll bet you had a good purpose in using that MSHFlexgrid).. hardly seems an effective way to employ corporate resources. Sadly, in our business, change is inevitable and always certain.. it is a shame your management chooses to fight it, rather than embrace it.
As to your aforementioned problem.. as I indicated earlier, half of the updated modules you need have already been deployed through other software means (IE Explorer, MS Office, or some other piece of software). Its obvious that through some kind of install he performed, he received the updated MSHFlexGrid Control.. while on your machine you did not. In reality, regression testing or not, this versioning thing has already started to take place.. despite the efforts of your management. To spend your time trying to figure out exactly what changed, is a thankless and fruitless waste of your efforts, particularily when you consider that VB Service Pack 3 is free.
Oh well.. such is life.. I wish you good fortune in all of your endeavors.. <smile>.
On a personal level.. be careful where you are.. it doesn't take long for your skills to deteriorate.. due to shortsighted management and their abnormal fear of change. Additionally, to limit your skills, ability and toolset (I'll bet you had a good purpose in using that MSHFlexgrid).. hardly seems an effective way to employ corporate resources. Sadly, in our business, change is inevitable and always certain.. it is a shame your management chooses to fight it, rather than embrace it.
As to your aforementioned problem.. as I indicated earlier, half of the updated modules you need have already been deployed through other software means (IE Explorer, MS Office, or some other piece of software). Its obvious that through some kind of install he performed, he received the updated MSHFlexGrid Control.. while on your machine you did not. In reality, regression testing or not, this versioning thing has already started to take place.. despite the efforts of your management. To spend your time trying to figure out exactly what changed, is a thankless and fruitless waste of your efforts, particularily when you consider that VB Service Pack 3 is free.
Oh well.. such is life.. I wish you good fortune in all of your endeavors.. <smile>.
ASKER
Well... that's the way it is with A LOT of the larger corporations that had their beginnings with the larger IBM iron. They are starting to move at a much quicker pace... but in all reality... If you're not needing any of the new enhancements of a service pack, and you are not affected by any of the current bugs... why install it? That's what R&D machines are for... I for one don't relish the thought of reformatting my drive everytime an SP does a little something "extra" to my development workstation (which I HAVE had happen before).
Big Blue, huh? I too miss the good old days.. of single platform, centralized processing.. with an operating system that worked and was extremely stable... <whistful sigh>. But then they came out with the IBM 370 line and the whole thing went to hell.. <just kidding and lol>. Suffice it to say, somewhere on my bod I have an IBM tatoo too.. <smile>.
I must confess, that like your management I fought Client/Server tooth and nail.. and in that effort I do understand and in many ways, <evil grin> even applaud them. I have seen first hand the horrific costs of converting, just so the printing is nicer and comes out on 8-1/2 x 11 bond <too bad you gotta punch your own holes and staple it.. lol>. Add to that, the hardware costs, the quadrupling in size of the system/network programming staff, user and technical staff retraining, the operating system instability (<ring> <ring>.. its 5pm.. do you know that the network crashed?).. and the endless promises that that will be fixed in the next release (even though IBM invented that line.. the PC world took it to a whole new dimension.. remember the finger cursor of blame points EVERYWHERE.. smile). Nevermind that you now have to hire help desk personnel, hire a PC hardware maintenance staff, virus scan all your files, audit computers for alien software, spidered connections, publish your reports so they look pretty when all you really need is the text, and address 35,000 compatability issues.. all in all I am amazed that we/you even have time to work on an MIS information issue.. the reason we were put there in the first place.
Having said all that, we still lost the battle and sadly Client/Server is now the standard of the day. At first, like any good DP professional worth his salt, I had a hissy fit and pouted horrifically (trust me.. on this I am an Expert too). But then one day I discovered, that by using the Internet and my basement computer, I could now work quite effectively from home.. and my trips into the office could be limited (by the way, delighting all that were involved.. see previous sentence.. <j/k> and <lol>). As such, my mission now became to enable this technology, to push it to its limit, because who wants to spend two hours a day looking for parking? Progress.. it is great.. give me more.. <smile> and a <wink>.
With all that having been said..
I want you to know that the Visual Basic Service Pack 3 installed very nicely.. and from a deployment standpoint.. proved to be no problem at all. Mind you, prior to the SP3 implementation, we had just gone through an IE4 to IE5.1 conversion / upgrade / standardization on the bulk of our workstations <OUCH!!!!>.. so much of the software framework had already been laid. As of this writing, there have been no reported problems with the exception of where in the hell is WSH2 today? <j/k>.
MELeBlanc.. I wish you nothing but good fortune and fortitude through this period of change.. I know that you will prosper.. and I look forward to working with you again someday in the future.. <smile>.
By the way.. when was the last time you saw an IBM salesman? I sure do miss those free calendars, free forms rulers (the good metal ones), free printer pads, and most of all.. the occasional free lunches complete with juicy industrial gossip and pending job openings (the boring seminars, you can have).. <lol> and a <wink>. I guess those days are VAR VAR VAR long ago.. Oh well.. time marches on. Once again.. good luck in all your endeavors.. <poof>.
I must confess, that like your management I fought Client/Server tooth and nail.. and in that effort I do understand and in many ways, <evil grin> even applaud them. I have seen first hand the horrific costs of converting, just so the printing is nicer and comes out on 8-1/2 x 11 bond <too bad you gotta punch your own holes and staple it.. lol>. Add to that, the hardware costs, the quadrupling in size of the system/network programming staff, user and technical staff retraining, the operating system instability (<ring> <ring>.. its 5pm.. do you know that the network crashed?).. and the endless promises that that will be fixed in the next release (even though IBM invented that line.. the PC world took it to a whole new dimension.. remember the finger cursor of blame points EVERYWHERE.. smile). Nevermind that you now have to hire help desk personnel, hire a PC hardware maintenance staff, virus scan all your files, audit computers for alien software, spidered connections, publish your reports so they look pretty when all you really need is the text, and address 35,000 compatability issues.. all in all I am amazed that we/you even have time to work on an MIS information issue.. the reason we were put there in the first place.
Having said all that, we still lost the battle and sadly Client/Server is now the standard of the day. At first, like any good DP professional worth his salt, I had a hissy fit and pouted horrifically (trust me.. on this I am an Expert too). But then one day I discovered, that by using the Internet and my basement computer, I could now work quite effectively from home.. and my trips into the office could be limited (by the way, delighting all that were involved.. see previous sentence.. <j/k> and <lol>). As such, my mission now became to enable this technology, to push it to its limit, because who wants to spend two hours a day looking for parking? Progress.. it is great.. give me more.. <smile> and a <wink>.
With all that having been said..
I want you to know that the Visual Basic Service Pack 3 installed very nicely.. and from a deployment standpoint.. proved to be no problem at all. Mind you, prior to the SP3 implementation, we had just gone through an IE4 to IE5.1 conversion / upgrade / standardization on the bulk of our workstations <OUCH!!!!>.. so much of the software framework had already been laid. As of this writing, there have been no reported problems with the exception of where in the hell is WSH2 today? <j/k>.
MELeBlanc.. I wish you nothing but good fortune and fortitude through this period of change.. I know that you will prosper.. and I look forward to working with you again someday in the future.. <smile>.
By the way.. when was the last time you saw an IBM salesman? I sure do miss those free calendars, free forms rulers (the good metal ones), free printer pads, and most of all.. the occasional free lunches complete with juicy industrial gossip and pending job openings (the boring seminars, you can have).. <lol> and a <wink>. I guess those days are VAR VAR VAR long ago.. Oh well.. time marches on. Once again.. good luck in all your endeavors.. <poof>.
When you are through doing that.. Delete the MSHFlexGrid from your form.. and then Add a MSHFlexGrid back again.. to correct the GUID settings in your project. NOTE: Make sure you copy down all your MSHFlexGrid settings before deleting.. so that you can restore them after you readd the control.. <smile>