.NET Interface / Integration with VisualStudio

Owned by Andy Erd
Mar 30, 2022
3 min read

General

We recommend to use the OCX Interface of the DeviceAPI under .NET which is easier than using the DLL Interface. The usage of the StepOverSignatureDevice1.ocx Interface is not happen directly, instead VS is creating/using a rapper files for the OCX. This rapper files are called Interops:

 

Interop.StepOverSignatureDevice1.dll
AxInterop.StepOverSignatureDevice1.dll

 

The StepOverSignatureDevice1.ocx has 2 different Interop files, one is for using the OCX as ActiveX Element. This ActiveX Element allows you to place the Signature Box inside your Form Application and you doesn´t need to care about the rendering of the realtime signature.If you doesn´t want to use the ActiveX Element you can use the Interop.StepOverSignatureDevice1.dll instead.

Using the OCX Interface with VisualStudio

First of all you need to install the DeviceAPI set which will register the StepOverSignatureDevice1.ocx in Windows. Now you have 2 Options:

  • If you want to use the ActiveX Element you need to add the DeviceAPI to the Toolbox Elements. You can do this over the Menu:  Tools / Choose Toolbox Items. A new Windows will open, where your need to select the "COM Components" Tab, check if you find the StepOverSignatureDevice Element and select it. If not click on "Browse..." and select the installed StepOverSignatureDevice1.ocx file. 



    Now you should be see the ActiveX Element of the DeviceAPI inside your Toolbox. Then you add the Element to your Form, VS will generate the Interop Files based on the installed OCX Version. 

 

  • If you not want to use the ActiveX you can add DeviceAPI directly as Reference. Inside the Solution Explorer you need to right click on Preferences and than select "Add Preference..."



    Next click on "COM", search for the "StepOverSignatureDevice1 Bibliothek" and select it. If the "StepOverSignatureDevice1 Bibliothek" is not inside the COM List you can add the OCX with the Browse button. Confirm with OK and you should see the StepOverSignatureDevice1 as new reference inside the Solition Explorer.

Known Problems

VisualStudio is only creating the Interop files once, this means when you updating the StepOverSignatureDevice1.ocx the Interop files will might be not correctly working with the new DeviceAPI Version. To force VisualStudio to create new Interop files based on the installed OCX you need to delete the Interop files from your Project. You need to delete the Interop.StepOverSignatureDevice1.dll and AxInterop.StepOverSignatureDevice1.dll from your Release/Debug folder and from the BIN folder. Next you need to rebuild your project which will trigger VS to create new Interop files (check the created date to be sure they are fresh and not used from somewhere else inside your Project folder).