bitness-aware component - Add-in Express .NET forum

Leon Lai Kan

Posts: 200
Joined: 2018-12-20

Hi, Andrei

My computer uses:
* Windows 10 (64-bit)
* Visual Studio 2019 (64-bit)
* Office 2016 (32-bit)

I read your Article " Deploying Per-user Office Extensions via an MSI Installer"

https://www.add-in-express.com/creating-addins-blog/2011/02/22/deploying-peruser-office-extension-msi-installer/

It says:

If you use a 32-bit component in your Office extension (say a native-code DLL, ActiveX DLL , or .NET assembly), you have to compile it for the x86 platform. Please keep in mind that such an Office extension will work in 32-bit Office 2000-2016 only and will not work in 64-bit Office 2010-2016.

Similarly, if you use a 64-bit component, you have to compile the project for the x64 platform but your Office extension will work in 64-bit Office 2010-2016 only.

Summing up, if you use a bitness-aware component, your extension will work for Office versions of that bitness only.

MY QUESTION:

I create a simple Excel add-in: 1 Tab, 1 Group, I button.
I debug > register > start.

It loads correctly in Excel.
I tried numerous times. It works perfectly.

Then I add an About Box ( Project > Add New Item > About Box)
I debug > register > start.

It loads correctly in Excel. It works on a few occasions, then stops loading completely.

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red

Thanks
Leon

Dmitry Kostochko

Add-in Express team

Posts: 2875
Joined: 2004-04-05

Hi Leon,

Thank you for the detailed description.

Could it be that the About Box I have used is a 64-bit component, and therefore fails to load in Excel 32-bit?

I don't think so because you have added a standard .NET form. Moreover, you say "It loads correctly in Excel. It works on a few occasions, then stops loading completely.". So, it is caused by something else. Please check the contents of the adxLoader.log file, probably it contains an error.

Leon Lai Kan

Posts: 200
Joined: 2018-12-20

Hi, Dmitry

Thanks for your reply.

I don't think so because you have added a standard .NET Form

Please note that my add-in does not "crash" if there is no About Box.
If I insert the template About Box (which has an image in it), sooner or later it "crashes".

Please check the contents of the adxLoader.log file

--------------------
When I set RegisterForAllUsers = False, then Build > Register > Start,
the add-in is correctly loaded in Excel.

A log file (adxloader.log) is generated, and it shows "Success" everywhere (i.e after each task).
So, I presume there are no errors.

------------------

But if I set RegisterForAllUsers = True, then Build > Register > Start,
the add-in is neither registered in Excel (Options > Add-in) nor does it load in Excel.

Also, THERE IS NO LOG FILE (adxloader.log)

There is also no entry in HKLM in Windows Registry.

Sometimes, there is a Registry entry in HKLM, but still no adxloader.log, and still not loading in Excel
----------------------

The problem is driving me crazy for months!

blue

Is there any possibility that the software versions I am using are INCOMPATIBLE?
* Windows 10 (64-bit)
* Visual Studio 2019 (64-bit)
* Office 2016 (32-bit)
* ADX (latest version)

Leon

Dmitry Kostochko

Add-in Express team

Posts: 2875
Joined: 2004-04-05

Hi Leon,

Thank you for the additional information. What else beside switching the RegisterForAllUsers property and adding the About doalog did you change in your project? BTW, I hope that you unregister your project before updating the RegisterForAllUsers property, correct?

Also, lets check the following things:
- Do you run your VS 2019 under elevated privileges?
- Do you have UAC settings on the default level in your Windows 10?

Is there any possibility that the software versions I am using are INCOMPATIBLE?

Everything is compatible, thank you. Note, Visual Studio remains a 32 bit application:
https://developercommunity.visualstudio.com/content/problem/517541/vs-2019-downloaded-x64-version-installed-x86.html

Leon Lai Kan

Posts: 200
Joined: 2018-12-20

Dmitry,

... you unregister your project ...

Yes, I did unregister before build and register again

Elevated Privileges, UAC

NB: I have not yet reached the Setup project stage.
I just did: build > register > start Excel in Visual Studio.

Elevated Privileges:
Are you asking if I run Visual Studio as Admin? Yes, I do.

UAC:
My UAC slider is on the 2nd bar from top.
I have now pushed it to the top bar (Always notify).
Reboot computer. Still same problem.

What else did you change in your project?

Nothing.

Notice that I use a very SIMPLE add-in in order to pinpoint the problem: just 1 Tab, 1 Group, 1 button, 1 About Box, and 3 lines of code to Show the About Box when button is pressed.

I simply rebuilt with RegisterForAllUsers = T and F repeatedly to see when and where it crashes.

Mr.Andrei worked on my problem for a long time. He even witnessed the phenomenon through Teamviewer.

But I can say something:
None of my add-in EVER crashed if there are NO PICTURES.

But when I add pictures, as glyphs in my buttons, or as a picture in my About box, sooner or later, the add-in crashes.

It stops loading in Excel especially when RegisterForAllUsers = T

This is a very strange issue, and I cannot proceed in my add-in development.

If my add-in has not yet crashed, I can even PROVOKE IT AND MAKE IT CRASH: Simply by changing the picture one or more times (either in the About Screen or the Glyphs in the buttons). Then I build again. If it does not crash yet, it will crash after I build a few more times!

Sometimes, just before it crashes, I get this unhelpful message with no details:

Exception has been thrown by the target of an invocation.

I have already reformatted my computer twice and reinstalled everything many times. Same problem.

I HAVE A GUT FEELING THAT PICTURES ARE THE PROBLEM. I Use 32x32 png pictures.

COULD IT BE A CASE OF BADIMAGEFORMATEXCEPTION?

HOW CAN IMAGES PREVENT MY ADD-IN FROM LOADING IN EXCEL even though the add-in is registered in HKLM?

I also don't understand why the problem arises mainly when RegisterForAllUsers = True

Is there any way I can manually FORCE the add-in to load in Excel?

Please give me a LIST of things I could check and report back to you.

-------
Best Regards,
Leon

Andrei Smolin

Add-in Express team

Posts: 18821
Joined: 2006-05-11

Hello Leon,

Leon Lai Kan writes:
But when I add pictures, as glyphs in my buttons

Are you saying this occurs if you set an image on a Ribbon button using the Glyph property? I.e. with no About box?

I assume there's an About dialog that doesn't prevent your add-in from loading. If so, please send me two copies of the About box files from your project: 1) before and 2) after you modify the dialog so that the issue may occur.

Leon Lai Kan writes:
I HAVE A GUT FEELING THAT PICTURES ARE THE PROBLEM.

This requires a prove.

Leon Lai Kan writes:
COULD IT BE A CASE OF BADIMAGEFORMATEXCEPTION?

No. See https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/dotnet/api/system.badimageformatexception?view=netframework-4.8.

Leon Lai Kan writes:
HOW CAN IMAGES PREVENT MY ADD-IN FROM LOADING IN EXCEL even though the add-in is registered in HKLM?

We are very pessimistic about your explanation: we don't see a relation between images and ability/inability to load in Excel. Anyway, a good hypothesis must also explain why the issue occurs sometimes only.

Note that to be registered in HKLM, the add-in must have at least the three keys listed in section Locating COM Add-ins in the Registry, see the PDF file in the folder {Add-in Express}\Docs on your development PC. Do you have them? Specifically, after I register a per-machine add-in on my 64-bit Windows, I search through the registry for the ProgId of my add-in and find out these keys:
- the CLSID key in HKLM\SOFTWARE\Classes\CLSID\{Guid attribute of the add-in module class here}; the default value of the InprocServer32 subkey points to adxloader64.dll
- the ProgId key in HKLM\Classes\{ProgId attribute of the add-in module class here}
- the CLSID key in HKLM\SOFTWARE\Classes\WOW6432Node\CLSID\{Guid attribute of the add-in module class here}; the default value of the InprocServer32 subkey points to adxloader.dll
- the Add-in key in HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Office\Excel\Addins\{ProgId attribute of the add-in module class here}
- the CLSID key in HKLM\SOFTWARE\WOW6432Node\Classes\CLSID\{Guid attribute of the add-in module class here}; the default value of the InprocServer32 subkey points to adxloader.dll
- the Add-in key in HKLM\SOFTWARE\WOW6432Node\Microsoft\Office\Excel\{ProgId attribute of the add-in module class here}

Leon Lai Kan writes:
Is there any way I can manually FORCE the add-in to load in Excel?

No. This is Excel who decides whether to load the add-in or not. This is the add-in who may fail and thus break the loading process. Note that adxloader.log may have a trace of this fail. That is, once you see your add-in not loaded, check adxloader.log: if the add-in gets through the loading phases correctly, the final line in adxloader.log reads: The instance of the managed add-in class has been created successfully. When checking adxloader.log always make sure it isn't an old one.

Andrei Smolin
Add-in Express Team Leader

Leon Lai Kan

Posts: 200
Joined: 2018-12-20

Hi, Andrei

Thanks a lot for your very helpful information on Registry.

I will keep records of the 5 keys you have given me, and make frequent backups of my folders.

If my program crashes again, I will compare the keys before and after the crash, and contact you again.

Leon

Andrei Smolin

Add-in Express team

Posts: 18821
Joined: 2006-05-11

Hello Leon,

The keys are created when you register the add-in. This is the moment when you need to compare the keys. After that the keys can't be changed unless you unregister the add-in.

Leon Lai Kan writes:
... then Build > Register > Start,

I assume this means "click the Register Project Item in the Build menu (=Build | Register Project)" or "right-click the add-in project in the Solution Explorer and choose Add-in Express | Register on the context menu" . Please confirm my understanding is correct.

Andrei Smolin
Add-in Express Team Leader

Leon Lai Kan

Posts: 200
Joined: 2018-12-20

Hi, Andrei

Please confirm my understanding is correct.

On the Visual Studio Menu, I click: Build > Rebuild About200

Then, on the same menu, I click: Register Project

Then I click Start (i.e. Start Excel)

--------

My new project crashed again just now.

I created a SIMPLE Project: Just 1 Tab, 1 Group, 1 Button.

Then I added 1 About Box:
Project > Add New Item > About Box
NB: There is already a logo on that About Box.
I also added 3 lines of code in the click event of the button to display the About Box.

--------

I kept on rebuilding and registering the project many times to see at which point it crashes.
But this time I am keeping a watch on the Registry entries before and after the crash.

-------
In the Project Properties, I set RegisterForAllUsers = False.
I built the project many times. It did not crash.
I even changed the logo. It did not crash.

-------
Then I set RegisterForAllUsers = True.
I built the project many times. I changed logo. It did not crash.

--------
I have now done 40 trials!
I thought: " I can't reproduce my issue now! What happens? In the past, it crashed much earlier."

---------
Then I set RegisterForAllUsers = False AGAIN.
This time, when I built and then registered, the add-in is not loaded in Excel.
The "crash" has just occurred!

----------
Thanks to your info on Registry, I could compare the entries Before and After the "crash".

----------
This is what I notice:
Now, red in 2 of the keys you have given me. Formerly LoadBehaviour = 3

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See the 3 attached pictures.

Awaiting your instructions for further tests.

Leon

[img]https://cp.sync.com/file/1395452569/view/image[/img]

Andrei Smolin

Add-in Express team

Posts: 18821
Joined: 2006-05-11

Leon Lai Kan writes:
Now, LoadBehaviour = 0

Office doesn't do this. It sets LoadBehavior=2 if the add-in fails in some way. Make sure no COM add-ins are loaded. Also check the log of your antivirus.

I don't see the images. Please send them to the support email address.

Andrei Smolin
Add-in Express Team Leader