How to hook up Microsoft Forms 2.0 event handlers using JScript - enterprise-architect

Question

I'm trying to add a customized UI page to Sparx EA. It provides adding ActiveX controls via scripting. Using JScript, I've done this, but since ActiveX has to be registered on each client, I'd rather use Microsoft Forms, already installed on all clients.
I've successfully built the UI, appearance wise, by adding a "Forms.Form.1" ActiveX object, and adding text boxes, labels & buttons to the controls property of the created form.
These objects support events, but I can't figure out how to assign an event handler.
Here is the JScript code I used to get the screen layout:
function _addControl(parentControl, controlProgId, controlName, left, top, width, height){
var newControl = parentControl.controls.add(controlProgId, controlName,1);
newControl.Name=controlName;
newControl._SetLeft(left);
newControl._SetTop(top);
newControl._SetWidth(width);
newControl._SetHeight(height);
return newControl;
}
function main(){
//Create main form
var form = Repository.AddTab("ScriptedForm", "Forms.Form.1");
if (null != form){
//Add control
var textBox1 = _addControl(form, "Forms.TextBox.1","TextBox1", 18,21,94,93);
var textBox2 = _addControl(form, "Forms.TextBox.1","TextBox2", 120, 21, 91, 93);
var btnTest = _addControl(form, "Forms.CommandButton.1", "btnTest", 60, 140, 90, 30);
btnTest.Caption = "Test";
//Here's where I assign the click event, but it's unhappy.
btnTest.add_Click(this.TextBox1_Click);
}
}
function TextBox1_Click(Object){
Session.Prompt("Click", promptOK);
}
The add_Click event expects a parameter of type CommandButtonEvents_ClickEventHandler.
There's nothing I can create that could be submitted as the parameter. I tried creating a JScript class duplicating the interface, but no joy.

Answer 1

I think you are running into several problems here at once.
(1) Process Lifetime
As far as I understand your question and its context, you are somehow manually executing a JScript script. Doing this EA will internally start SScripter.exe. You see this in the Debug window:
The process is effectively terminated after the script finishes (and thus also terminating any event handlers you might have registered in your UserControl or Form object).
(2) Passing a JScript object instance as a .NET delegate
If you could somehow extend the lifetime of the script environment, and if you could pass something to your event you will realise that any object in your JScript code will be passed as a System.__ComObject to the .NET runtime inside EA. Therefore you cannot just register an event handler.
However when you evaluate the object from .NET you will find out it is not an IDispatch interface:
MemberNames:
ToString,
GetLifetimeService,
InitializeLifetimeService,
CreateObjRef,
Equals,
GetHashCode,
GetType
TargetInvocationException#mscorlib: 'COM target does not implement IDispatch.'
I did a small test with the code below:
function MyClass(name)
{
this.name = name;
}
MyClass.prototype.Invoke = function(value)
{
Session.Output("name " + value);
return true;
}
function main()
{
var myClass = new MyClass("Hotzenplotz");
myClass.Invoke("some Value");
var ctrl = new ActiveXObject("IMASE.TestUserControl2");
ctrl.Repository = Repository;
ctrl.JavaScriptObject = myClass;
}
[ProgId(Global.ADDIN_NAME + Global.DOT + "TestUserControl2")]
[Guid("87156dd9-e947-44bf-92a9-e9554a5b1844")]
[ComVisible(true)]
public partial class TestUserControl2 : ActivexControl
{
public static string TabName { get; } = Global.ADDIN_NAME;
private static readonly Lazy<string> _controlId = new Lazy<string>(() =>
{
var attribute = typeof(TestUserControl).GetCustomAttribute<ProgIdAttribute>();
return attribute.Value;
});
private Timer timer;
public static string ControlId = _controlId.Value;
public Repository Repository { get; set; }
public object JavaScriptObject { get; set; }
public TestUserControl2()
{
timer = new Timer();
timer.Elapsed += TimerEvent;
timer.Interval = 5000;
timer.Enabled = true;
timer.Start();
}
~TestUserControl2()
{
Logger.Default.TraceInformation("I'm gonna die ... " + this.GetHashCode());
}
private void OnDispose(object sender, EventArgs e)
{
timer.Dispose();
}
private void TimerEvent(object source, ElapsedEventArgs e)
{
Logger.Default.TraceInformation("I'm still alive ... " + this.GetHashCode());
if(null == JavaScriptObject) return;
try
{
var memberNames = JavaScriptObject.GetType().GetMembers(BindingFlags.Instance|BindingFlags.FlattenHierarchy|BindingFlags.Public).Select(p => p.Name);
Logger.Default.TraceInformation("memberNames: " + string.Join(", ", memberNames));
var result = JavaScriptObject.GetType().InvokeMember("Invoke", BindingFlags.InvokeMethod, null, JavaScriptObject, new object[] {"arbitraryString"});
Logger.Default.TraceInformation("result: " + result);
}
catch (Exception ex)
{
Logger.Default.TraceException(ex);
}
}
}
(3) Another approach
Create a UserControl inside your addin (using WinForm or Forms) and use ClearScript as a ScriptEngine.
Pass Session and Repository from a EA script to your control (or do it otherwise such as a menu to wprk around the lifetime problem) and have either your forms code load a script from the repository (or any other source). Then react on your event handlers to execute your JScript code as needed. I create a simple example that shows how to call a control from an EA JScript and call another JScript from inside your forms code that in turn will log to the Debug session or regular scripting output window:
function main()
{
var ctrl = new ActiveXObject("IMASE.TestUserControl2");
ctrl.Repository = Repository;
ctrl.Session = Session;
Session.Prompt("wait", promptOK);
}
main();
Inside your form code you invoke your JScript with Repository and other objects like this:
public Repository Repository { get; set; }
public object Session { get; set; }
using (var engine = new JScriptEngine())
{
engine.AddHostObject("Repository", this.Repository);
engine.AddHostObject("Session", this.Session);
engine.Execute("Session.Output('Repository.ConnectionString: ' + Repository.ConnectionString);");
}
Here is an output of the above scripting interactions:
Side note: I personally do not see the need for using forms as we can dynamically register ActiveX controls at AddIn startup. For code on doing this you can have a look at the following gist:
https://gist.github.com/dfch/6a27bb1b9320c93456cee6d5b2b9d551
In addition, if you are using ClearScript as the script host, you can directly connect to your (UI) events from your script code as described in question #16 of the ClearScript FAQtorial.