Call Microstation from a VB.net program

Unknown said:

I have a line in NameSpace "imports microststionDGN"

First, get your spelling correct.  Although we humans know what you're writing about, VB.NET doesn't.  It wont be able to find microststionDGN.  Why not just copy the line from your VB.NET code and paste it here?

When you use MicroStation from a .NET language, you are referencing (a.k.a. importing) the VBA COM server.

Unknown said:

I cannot remember how to make MicroStation available

Which version of Viz Studio are you using?  There should be a Project Settings dialog with tabs, one of which lets you add references to .NET assemblies and another to COM servers.

But, as you say, that's Viz Studio stuff rather than MicroStation stuff.

Thanks Jon

spelling has improved now I have taken the boxing gloves off.  I'm using Visual Basic 2008 Express.

Patrick

Unknown said:

I'm using Visual Basic 2008 Express

I'm unfamiliar with the Express editions of Viz Studio.  Unsurprisingly, they are short on features offered by the commercial versions.  As a result, you may receive answers based on those full versions that won't work with the Express version.

Patrick,

From the title of your request it sounds like you are creating an external windows .exe to connect to MicroStation. I like to wrap the MicroStation interaction code in its own class module. The example class module below will connect a vb.net app with an open session of MicroStation. If you want your app to start MicroStation change the line.

mApp = GetObject(, APP_OBJECT) 

to 

mApp = CreateObject(APP_OBJECT)

If you are wanting to create a .dll that you load in MicroStation the connection process is different. 

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Imports Bentley.Interop.MicroStationDGN

Public Class clsMicroStationConnection
 Private Const APP_OBJECT = "MicroStationDGN.Application" 
 Private mApp As Bentley.Interop.MicroStationDGN.Application
    
 Public Function Connect() As Object
 Try
 mApp = GetObject(, APP_OBJECT)
 Connect = mApp

 Catch ex As Exception
 Connect = Nothing
 mApp = Nothing
 End Try
 End Function

End Class