Importing .NET External Component Libraries
The selection phase of the .NET Import Wizard enables you to specify the appropriate JADE names to the items being imported.
When using .NET external component libraries:
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The import process can optionally import the super‑classes referred to by classes in the assembly when the super‑classes are in other assemblies.
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Re-importing an assembly deletes entities that are no longer defined in the assembly.
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If a class is re-parented in the assembly, the re‑import process moves the existing class to the new parent.
When including superclasses in other assemblies, note the following.
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Moving a class to a new parent is possible only under strict rules.
If the moving of a class fails, the jommsg log will contain a description of the reason for the failure. To achieve the move, it may be necessary to change the existing system before the move can be performed; for example, if the method definition of the manually added method clashes with a method in the new parent hierarchy.
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When an assembly is re‑imported and the previous import used a different import philosophy of superclass classes (that is, JADE 2016 and earlier releases effectively used a check box value of false), you may need to change existing JADE logic.
A change in the import style means that method signatures can be different for parameters and return types. The method may be renamed and existing application logic may not compile because the method has been removed (and re‑added under another name), or parameters or return types are different.
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If two different imported assemblies refer to the same superclasses from another assembly, each import will have its own set of differently named superclasses.
They are not shared between the two assembly hierarchies; the shared structure is not possible to achieve because the root class for the assembly holds global constants for the assembly.
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When importing classes from the System:Windows:Forms assembly, the classes are split into two separate parts in the hierarchy: JadeDotNetType and JadeDotNetVisualComponent, according to whether or not the class is a control.
The superclasses of System.Windows.Forms.Control (System::MarshalByRefObject and System.Windows.Forms.Component) are not included in the JADE control hierarchy because the classes are not controls. However, the properties and methods for these classes are also added to the Control class, so they are available.
When you have imported the .NET assembly, JADE classes, methods, properties, and constants are generated for the items selected from the assembly. For details about the abstract grouping class names, see "
The .NET Import Wizard is a wizard-style dialog that consists of five steps, each represented by a sheet of the dialog. Use the Next > and < Back buttons to navigate forwards or backwards through the steps. No step is enabled until the previous step has been completed.
.NET objects are generated as subclasses of the non-GUI
To import a .NET assembly
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Select the .NET command from the Components menu. The .NET submenu is then displayed.
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Select the Import command from the .NET submenu of the Components menu.
The .NET Import Wizard, which is then displayed, systematically guides you through the import process. When all of the information has been gathered, the wizard generates all of the required classes, properties, and methods that you need to access the .NET object from JADE.
