Nethook won't run on new computer

[Zoffen]

I have a nethook that runs fine on my old computer with X6 Mu3.

 

I try and run the same nethook on my new system with X6 Mu3, and i get an "unknown file type" error.

 

Any ideas on how to fix this?

 

Thanks!

[rocheey1]

was the old PC running 32 bit OS, and the new PC running 64 bit OS ?

[Mick from CNC Software Inc.]

The "unknown file type" error seen when executing a NETHook often indicates there is a version difference between the NETHook and the NETHook API referenced. Can you confirm that the newly installed Mastercam is the same exact version as the previous one?

[Zoffen]

Both are 64 bit OS - Windows 7

 

The computer that it runs on is - 64 bit Windows 7 Professional (Laptop)

 

The computer that it doesn't run on - 64 bit Windows 7 Professional SP1 (Desktop)

 

Both have version 15.2.1.2

Build date: May 29, 2012

 

In the about in mastercam it says my Nethook2_0.dll for both installs: version 0.0.0.0

[Mick from CNC Software Inc.]

Do you have the NETHook project source and if so can you rebuild the NETHook on the PC that it fails to run on?

[Roger Martin from CNC Software]

Zack,

 

Does your NETHook project reference (require) any other (DLL) components (in addition to the NETHook2_0.DLL) that may not be installed on the "new" system?

[Zoffen]

So it looks like i was using .net 4.0 framework instead of 3.5.

 

This all this nethook does is launch an external program so it does not use any forms.

 

I switched it to 3.5 and now for some reason it won't compile, give me errors.

 

attached is a pic of the errors i get now

 

here's my code:

 

using System;
using System.Collections.Generic;
using System.Linq;
using System.Windows.Forms;
using Mastercam.App;
using Mastercam.App.Types;
namespace Program_Run_Nethook
{
#region class NETHOOK
public class Program_Run_Nethook : NetHook2App
{
 public override MCamReturn Run(int param)
 {
	 bool ret = true; // Assume succcess 
	 MessageBox.Show("your in!");
	 System.Diagnostics.Process.Start(@"Z:\Mastercam X6 Files\Machines\Mazak 510C-II\Tool Sequencer.exe");
	 return (ret ? MCamReturn.NoErrors : MCamReturn.ErrorOccurred);
 }
}
#endregion class NETHOOK
}

not sure whats wrong here.

 

thanks for all the help so far!

[Zoffen]

Also, when i changed the framework from 4.0 to 3.5 i got an error message saying the nethook2_0.dll has 4.0 framework dependencies, which doesn't make sense as it supposed to be used with .net 3.5.

????

[Roger Martin from CNC Software]

For X7 you do want the NET Framework v4.0, as that is the version that the NETHook2 (and NETHook3) that shipped with X7 targets.

So Visual Studio was correct in telling you that - "You're doing something wrong".

 

Even though Mastercam can be 32-bit or 64-bit, we're working in .NET here and...

We can build our NETHook AddOn using the "AnyCPU" platform.

This way the (.NET) DLL we generate can be used for either 32-bit or 64-bit Mastercam.

If you do the use the "AnyCPU" platform, you will see this warning when you build your project ->

 

Warning - There was a mismatch between the processor architecture of the project being built "MSIL"

and the processor architecture of the reference "NETHook2_0", "AMD64".

blah, blah blah...

 

If your NETHook project only references Mastercam's NETHook2_0.DLL (or NETHook3_0.DLL) you can safely ignore this warning.

If this warning really bothers you, there is a way to (manually) add a line in the .csproj (project) file that will tell Visual Studio to stop complaining about this.

 

I just built and ran this code using 64-bit Mastercam X7 (SP2) ->

*I added some input validity checking so that it won't throw an Exception just because the file doesn't exist.*

The only way I can get the "Unknown File Type" error (using this code) is if I build the project using the "X86" platform.

If I buld it using "AnyCPU" or "X64", it runs fine*.

"Fine" in that I see the error message telling me that the EXE file doesn't exist on my system.

using System.Windows.Forms;
using Mastercam.App;
using Mastercam.App.Types;

namespace Program_Run_Nethook
{
#region class NETHOOK

public class Program_Run_Nethook : NetHook2App
{
public override MCamReturn Run(int param)
{
bool ret = true; // Assume success 
MessageBox.Show("your in!");

const string exe = @"Z:\Mastercam X6 Files\Machines\Mazak 510C-II\Tool Sequencer.exe";
if (System.IO.File.Exists(exe))
{
System.Diagnostics.Process.Start(exe);
}
else
{
MessageBox.Show("File to execute was not found! ->\n" + exe, "ERROR!",
MessageBoxButtons.OK, MessageBoxIcon.Error);
ret = false;
}

return (ret ? MCamReturn.NoErrors : MCamReturn.ErrorOccurred);
}
}

#endregion class NETHOOK
}

[Zoffen]

I'm building this for X6

 

Thanks for the info i'll look into all those things.

[Zoffen]

I am using an x64 Platform target. and 4.0 platform target. Works fine on one system still,but same error on the other.

I even tried the any cpu platform target and still get the same error.

[Roger Martin from CNC Software]

I'm building this for X6

X6/X7 is the same in regards to the .NET Framework requirements.

*And you don't have the newer NETHook3 in X6.

 

Works fine on one system still,but same error on the other

Hmmmm....

Not something I'd usually go for, but maybe the v4.0 Framework is "messed up" (that's the technical term) on the non-working system?

Maybe try uninstalling / re-installing the v4 .NET Framework on the "bad" system.

[Mick from CNC Software Inc.]

I would recommend running a windows update and check the optional updates to see if there are any .NET specific updates that might need updating and let me see how many times I can say updating in a sentence

[Zoffen]

Thanks.

 

I will try reinstalling the .net components when i have some free time. whenver that is lol!

[Roger Martin from CNC Software]

Is it just that one NETHook that doesn't want to run?

Or do you have others that run, or don't run?

 

If all the other NETHooks run, you would begin to doubt that it is the .NET Framework causing the issue.

[Zoffen]

I have other nethooks that work on one computer and don't on the other.

[Roger Martin from CNC Software]

If you try to run ZIp2Go and it does not work on a system, then I'd start looking (again) at the .NET (v4) Framework install on that system.

[rocheey1]

X6/X7 is the same in regards to the .NET Framework requirements.

*And you don't have the newer NETHook3 in X6.

 

Maybe this post should be another topic - but is the NETHook2_0.dll that comes with X7 usuable in X6?

I see more functionality in that version ...

[Roger Martin from CNC Software]

but is the NETHook2_0.dll that comes with X7 usuable in X6?

 

Probably not, but I can' say for sure that I've tried this.

You could make backups of the current X6 NETHook2_0.DLL (an NETHook2_0.XML) and copy over the X7 version and try it..

No warranty of usability is expressed or implied by this posting.