How to invoke VB DLL from java

[bhargav reddy]

Hi,
I have a requirement where i have to invoke VisualBasic DLL from java.

Any information in this direction would be helpful.

Thanks,
Bhargav

[Stephan van Hulst]

You will have to use Java Native Interface. Look around for JNI.

[Rob Spoor]

Check out JNI. It's unusual to use a Visual Basic DLL (C or C++ are more common) but I don't think it's impossible.

[bhargav reddy]

Hi,
Thanks for the replays.

JNI --- its only for C++ DLLs, i tried loading VB DLLs using system.load and trying to invoke the method.
But i get exceptions.

--Bhargav

[Paul Clapham]

Yes, you would have to write a wrapper for the DLL. That's quite often the case even if the DLL you have was written in C++; a DLL suitable for JNI has to be written in a certain way, to map the data types correctly.

You could look into JNA. I have no experience with it, but its home page looks pretty good to me.

[Rob Spoor]

bhargav reddy wrote:JNI --- its only for C++ DLLs, i tried loading VB DLLs using system.load and trying to invoke the method.

No it isn't. I've used Delphi to write JNI code. But as Paul said, you can't load any non-JNI DLL directly.

[bhargav reddy]

Thanks Paul and Rob, let me try with JNA and update the thread.

Bhargav