CODEWITHSUNDEEP
c#.netvbaexcel
akvilas
akvilas

Reputation: 646

VBA object browser doesn't show class members in my .NET dll library

I'm trying to make a simple (no dependencies) .NET dll file that is accessible from VBA (MS Office). I'm using VS2015 Express, and make my dll the simplest way possible: Create a class library, add a simple class, and check the options "Make assembly COM-visible" as well as "Register for COM interop".

My C# code:

namespace TestLib {
    public class Hello {
        public int timestwo(int i) {
            return 2 * i;
        }
    }
}

The library is added to the Windows registry automatically on build. I can access it from Tools --> References within the MS Office VBA editor, and the following VBA code works as expected:

Sub test()
  Dim h as TestLib.Hello
  MsgBox h.timestwo(2)
End Sub

Now the funny thing is: The object browser shows my class, but with no member functions! And consequently, the autocompletion feature does not work... What is going on here?

Upvotes: 4

Views: 2110

Answers (2)

Cindy Meister
Cindy Meister

Reputation: 25673

Mmm, your description of what you did is missing a few steps, it appears to me. You need GUIDs. You need an Interface, which your class needs to implement. And you need to specify how the class should work with the Interface. It needs to be set to the Type "None" for the Intellisense, etc. to work.

Here's an extract from a .NET COM DLL of mine which does appear in the Object Browser and gives Intellisense when referenced for a VBA project.

[Guid("149F7A5F-7DAC-4426-8AA0-28975A2CE203")]
[ComVisible(true)]
public interface ITest
{
    string testLT(string FilePath, object Args);
    string RemoveListTemplates(string FilePath, object Args);
    void test(string arg);
}

[Guid("D86307C2-3FFA-4518-BABC-DA5F26ABC445")]
[ClassInterface(ClassInterfaceType.None)]
[ComVisible(true)]
public class Test : ITest

Upvotes: 3

SierraOscar
SierraOscar

Reputation: 17637

In VS, you need to add XML comments to your code:

namespace TestLib {
    public class Hello {
        /// <summary>
        /// A method to return value * 2
        /// </summary>
        /// <param name="i">An integer to multiply by two</param>
        public int timestwo(int i) {
            return 2 * i;
        }
    }
}

Then make sure the tickbox for XML Documentation File is checked and ensure the XML file has the same name as your assembly. This should supply the meta data needed to populate the IntelliSense feature.

Upvotes: 3

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