Calling vb component resides on windows from java on unix

[Atul Agarwal]

Hi,

I would like to ask what could be the possible approaches to call from java a vb dll that incorporates an active x component which links to another(third party) application. The reason I am doing this is because I haven't got the API of that application in Java so I have to go round it using the VB activex.

So eventually the vb dll will incorporate the third party active x and the
calls to that active x together with functions and properties for the java
application which will return data to java for processing.

If anyone know how to do this or something similar with a VB dll and java I
will appreciate it if he/she contacts me.

VB dll is on windows machine and the java program would be on Unix.

Thanks for your time
Atul

[William Brogden]

One approach would be for some VB code to listen on a socket for data transmitted by the Java app. This would probably involve a lot of manipulation of data at the byte[] level.

A higher level approach would be to have the VB expose a SOAP or XML-RPC service that the Java app could communicate with.

How complex is the data you are getting back via the VB connection?

Bill

[Peter Chase]

Apparently, you can do CORBA with Visual Basic. See here. Java does CORBA, too, so this could be a way to make the two communicate.

[Mr. C Lamont Gilbert]

I would think CORBA would be the best way. Of course you can always install Java on the windows box and call java from the unix box to the windows box. and let the local windows app invoke the DLL.