Title: VB Port Test – Visual Basic Sample Application
Date: May 17, 2001
KDB: KDB-279
Revision: 0.00
Author: Chris Dore
Distribution: External
About This KDB:
The Visual Basic (VB) sample application, VB Port Test, is an example of how to open more than 16 serial ports in VB.
The Problem:
The MSComm control that ships with VB will only allow a specified pot number to be in the range of 1 to 16.
This leads to problems for people who wish to use multi-port adapters in VB.
The Solution:
The solution to this problem is to use the Windows Application Programming Interface (API). This allows a programmer to access all of windows standard system calls. This is generally done with C programs however it is also possible to do so in VB.
Information on VB .net is also available as a Microsoft KDB
If you would like some sample source from Microsoft on this please contact Technical Support.
Using the sample application:
Requirements
- A copy of the project’s files VBPT100.zip
- Microsoft Visual Basic 6 (although 5 could be used, you will have to take extra steps to convert the project’s files).
- Knowledge of how to get around and use VB (the more you know the better).
- Knowledge of Windows API’s is a definite asset.
Running the sample:
- Unzip the project files into some directory.
- Open the VBPortTest.vbp project file in VB.
- Run it (it should work, if not please email [email protected]).
Compiling the sample to an executable:
- Select “Project” Menu → “VBPortTest Properties”
- From the “Compile” tab, make sure “Compile to P-Code” is selected. For some unknown reason none of the “Compile to Native Code” options work correctly. If you wish you can try these.
- Click “OK”.
- Select “File” Menu → “Make VBPortTest.exe…”
- Select a destination directory and filename and click “OK”. This should compile and create an executable program file.
End of KDB-279