Native VB 6 Replacements for Sheridan 3d controls (like ssCommand, ssCheck, etc.)

Question

I'm working on an VB6 app and I'd like to get rid of the old Sheridan controls and replace them with built in VB6 controls.

However, some of those controls have some nice properties, like the ForeGround on the ssCommand button. The standard VB6 command button doesn't have a foreground property.

I know that VB6 potentially has lots of other controls that I can enable but I'm not clear on which ones are fairly "standard" (i.e., not third party controls). I'd like to keep this app as plain vanilla as possible and not create dependencies. (Yes, I know that any components for VB6 have long sense become abandonware. I just anticipate a higher level of compatibility from a built in VB6 control since it was probably used more and thus "pounded on" more and it's flaws would be more known.

Any suggestions?

Answer 1

I have to disagree with your reasoning. One might expect better support from someone whose living depends on you being a happy customer.

It's also likely to be the case that any vendor depending on VB6 sales is likely so go broke soon.

Answer 2

I think keeping an app as 'plain vanilla' is a worthwhile goal. Certainly simplifies deployment.

I'd say the best way to find standard components for VB6 is to install VB6 (plus service packs) on a clean machine. All available components will be standard.

If you're unable to do this, for each checked Component or Reference in your project, research the file (dll, ocx, etc) referenced.

Answer 3

In this scenario, you're in for an uphill battle. Trying to eliminate dependencies on long-dead components is probably a good idea, but in a case like this, you're already on an abandoned technology. It's clear to me that rebuilding the app in more modern technology (EG, .NET) is not viable, so that leaves you with a limited set of options.

1. Replace the Sheridan controls with the existing VB6 controls which are a closest match, then update the code accordingly. This will be an intricate, difficult process, and you are correct in assuming that in many cases there won't be a match -- Sheridan (now Infragistics) built their business by providing UI capabilities which weren't in-box on VB6. In many cases, your UI will have to be seriously adapted to support this.
2. Consider writing "good enough" versions of the controls in VB6 yourself, or even .NET (the latter using advice from this StackOverflow question).
3. Consider replacing those controls with (likely long-since abandoned) open source VB6 controls. Google will be your friend here. The reason I recommend this route is that many UI elements have been represented in ActiveX over the years, as open source -- and if they're open source, you can at least "support yourself" on them.

I know you're going for a plain-vanilla out-of-box VB6 deployment, but for some UI elements, that may not be feasible. If you can rebuild your UI to #1 specs, then go for it, but you may have so much work cut out for you there that it might be time to consider going for the gusto and rebuilding on a modern, supported platform.

Answer 4

I've been through this, and you'll be long at it, and IMHO not very happy with the results.

VB6 can't be a long term solution anyway. Why not leave them in there? Yes they're abandoned, but I used them and never needed support anyway. (Plus it went to hell after the first time they were bought.) My experience was that they are pretty darn reliable. I'd just go with it, and if you have spot problems, provide spot workarounds.

Answer 5

In my opinion threed32.ocx (the Sheridan SSControls) should be dropped because it has a number of problems. It's no longer supported, all the controls grab the focus when made visible including panels and frames (!), it's hard to upgrade to VB.NET - there are more. For my company these are strong enough to outweigh the extra functionality it gives - we're droppping it from all our programs.

Some of the discussion is too pessimistic IMHO. VB6 is not abandonware yet - we're not all doomed - though no doubt we will have to upgrade the code one day. Microsoft say:

The VB6 runtime is supported for the full lifetime of Windows Vista, Windows Server 2008 and Windows 7, which is five years of mainstream support followed by five years of extended support.

Microsoft are still supporting a number of their VB6 controls. Check the online list and only use the controls that they do support. These are the standard, tested, supported controls Clay is looking for in the original question. If you want to use third-party components, check whether they are still supported by the vendor. I would agree that you should always think hard about how much benefit you're getting before you introduce dependencies, which can be a support headache. If you use special components, try to wrap them in an abstraction layer. It might save some pain later if you need to replace them. You can hide all the fancy features except the ones you really need.

A final word - don't use the ForeColor property in the SSCommand. There's no corresponding BackColor property, so you have no guarantee that your special foreground colour will contrast with the system background "button face" colour. Just like Raymond says.

Answer 6

Does anyone have Sheridan Three D Ocx Controls install disk? We have a computer running an old version and new to upgrade the computer but not the custom program.

1991-1997 Sheridan

ssspliter 2.0.1.12

Three D 20.ocx 2.0.1.15

MSCAL 10.0.0.2601