What’s new in VBUC 4.0?

The default behavior fo VB6 is that, unless explicitly qualified, parameters are passed by reference. As a result most parameters will end up as “ByRef” unless explicitly qualified as “ByVal”. When converting to C#, previous versions of the VBUC created temporary variables to pass in reference parameters when necessary, such as when a literal was being passed to a method. The VBUC 4.0 now thoroughly analyzes the source code to determine if a parameter can be safely converted from ByRef to ByVal. In typical code, this change reduces the amount of temporary variables generated because of this by approximately 70%. The generated code is now more readable and maintainable.

Read more Technical Details for “ByRef / ByVal improved conversion” at VBtoNet.com

With VBUC 4.0 all API declarations will be converted to a single declaration in just one place of the code. Calls to these APIs will be redirected to this single declaration, and for each unsafe API declaration the VBUC creates a wrapper function that calls the API function. This refactoring functionality will also result in a more readable and maintainable code.

Read more Technical Details for “Advanced Windows APIs conversion with refactoring” at VBtoNet.com

Additional support to the conversion of the VB6 function TypeName was added in version 4.0. The TypeName function is converted to the operator Is when it’s used in a conditional statement. The string that contains the name of the Type is changed to the corresponding type in .NET.

Read more Technical Details for “TypeName and TypeOf migration” at VBtoNet.com

The VBUC contains a helper class and an optional migration feature designed to resolve several late binding issues that are not solved by the typing mechanism. However, in some cases this solution doesn’t work properly because the name of the property in .NET is different. Version 4.0 includes several improvements that increase the effectiveness of this feature.

Read more Technical Details for “Enhanced Default Property resolution” at VBtoNet.com

In .NET this memory is released in a different time than VB6, and this could cause different behaviors. For example, in some cases ADO Connections will remain Open for more time than in VB6. This optional feature in VBUC 4.0 will generate explicit code to achieve the same behavior.

Read more Technical Details for “Automated COM Objects Memory Management” at VBtoNet.com

• MSFlexGrid to .NET Extended DataGrid
• TrueDBGrid to .NET Extended DataGrid
• VBUC 4.0 has a new mapping mechanism called “alias” that allows applying existing mappings to other versions of the same control in an easy way. This new mapping method is used to add support for most of the TrueDBGrid and VSFlexGrid versions.

In assessment mode, VBUC 4.0 now generates automatic EWIs for non-supported members. Previous versions generated EWIs for members that didn’t have an equivalent in .NET only if there was a specific rule in the VBUC indicating that.

This information is very useful to determine more precisely the manual effort required to migrate an application.

Read more Technical Details for “Improved assessment capability” at VBtoNet.com

The UI and all messages, including EWIs, can now be displayed in German and Japanese, besides the standard English. The user is able to select the appropriate language when the setup is executed.

VBUC 4.0 introduces a new streamlined license registration mechanism that allows the user to enter a new VBUC license file (VBUC.lic) with the help of a friendly wizard. This registration wizard is displayed when the VBUC does not detect a license or if the current one is invalid. The VBUC also provides feedback about the current status of the license while the user is working with the product.

Also, VBUC 4.0 only requires administration rights to be installed, but this user role is not mandatory to execute and convert code. And Visual Studio .NET is no longer an installation requirement.

Finally, the VBUC and all its components were signed with a VeriSign secure certificate, so when the users execute the Setup the ArtinSoft name and the Certificate will appear.

VBUC 4.0 is able to generate solutions (.sln) files compatible with Visual Studio 2010. And unlike previous versions, the user is now able to select the Visual Studio target from a dropdown menu.

Version 4.0 executes perfectly on Windows 7, Windows Vista and 64-bits operative systems.