Your safe journey from VB 6 to REALbasic
General VB Convert! FAQ
Q. How do I contact you?
A. Click here to send us an e-mail.
Q. This is just a general FAQ. Do you have a FAQ specifically for VB Convert! use?
A. Yes, click here to view it.
Q. What is VB Convert! anyway?
A. VB Convert! is our alternative to REAL Software's current Visual Basic 6 to REALbasic converter. Many have found REAL's VBPC to be inadequate for their conversion needs, so with REAL apparently not interested in updating the VBPC, I have addressed the need with VB Convert!.
VB Convert! is a migration assistant. Its a tool...it's not a magical genie. Just like you must pick up and actually use a spanner or wrench to fix a car, you must use VB Convert! in the same way. I've never seen a wrench fix a car on its own! Expecting VB Convert! to fix every single incompatibility between VB 6 and REALbasic is an unrealistic expectation, just as opening REALbasic and expecting it to churn out a world-class application by you just thinking about it is an unrealistic expectation. There's going to be a little bit of work involved depending on the size of your VB 6 project. VB Convert! minimizes that work by doing the boring and repetitive search and replace tasks for you. But VB Convert! is much more than just a search and replace utility.
While some VB 6 users with small projects would benefit from doing a manual conversion to REALbasic, VB Convert! was created to allow VB 6 users with medium to large projects to convert the bulk of their project over with as much of the conversion performed as automatically as possible.
Most converters of any kind just can't do a 100 percent perfect job with something as complex as VB 6 to REALbasic converting, though I am working hard to get it as accurate a conversion as possible. However, there is just some VB 6 code that must be completely rewritten by hand in order to make it work. This is because there are some VB 6 concepts that have no equivalent in REALbasic, making automated conversion near-impossible.
Q. Where do I download the current alpha or beta release?
A. Official testers can download it from here. If you're not yet an official tester, please e-mail me with your request and I will take it under review. I'll be honest, I really need to know you're going to be in it for the long-haul and that you have a genuine interest in helping. If you're just trying to sign up only for the download, sorry...I don't do one-night-stands.
Q. When will VB Convert! Pro be released?
A. While VB Convert! Standard was released in September of 2007, I'm still working on Pro. When I feel that it's good enough to be released, I'll release it. One challenge at this time is that I have lost a few testers since Standard's release.
Q. Is VB Convert! available for Windows, Mac and Linux?
A. Yes! VB Convert! Standard is available on all three platforms. Please keep in mind that VB Convert! runs on systems that meet REAL's System Requirements.
Q. Why will you be selling this VB Convert! when REAL's is free?
A. Because VB Convert! is actively developed and maintained. If you look at REAL's VBPC, it does not appear to be maintained any longer, and most people would consider it a crime if asked to pay for the VBPC due to its less than spectacular quality.
I am planning on releasing two different versions of VB Convert! The 'Standard' edition, which is current available, is fairly affordable but still helps with offsetting development costs. The 'Standard' edition is much better in most areas when compared to REAL Software's current VBPC.
The two versions of VB Convert! are planned to be:
- The 'Standard' edition. This edition migrates all of the standard VB 6 controls and most code over to REALbasic. Some code cleanup happens during conversion, such as appending default values to control properties, splitting of multi-line statements, etc. Things like checking for proper variable declarations, valid references and similar are not performed by Standard.
- The 'Pro' edition. This version will do everything the 'Standard' will, but will also add any missing variable declarations, will check that for proper referencing of objects, properties and more, will have expanded support for ActiveX and objects, mapping to Einhugur controls, etc.
Q. Do you have a VB.NET to REALbasic converter?
A. At this point, I'm thinking about releasing a VB.NET to RB converter. If I do choose to develop this, development will not start until the Pro version of our VB 6 to RB converter is released. If I do release a VB.NET to RB converter, it will be available only as a Pro version.
Q. How do I get involved with alpha/beta testing this project?
A. You'll need to e-mail me with your request if you'd like to join the fun. We just don't let anyone in here
Again,
to be honest, I need to know more about you and have a good working
relationship with you if you want to be part of the testing team.
Q. What version(s) of REALbasic can I use VB Convert!-converted projects with?
A. VB Convert! has been tested with, and is recommended for use with, REALbasic 2007r1, with 2007r4 as a distant follow-up. At the time of this writing, 2007r2 and upwards seem to have varying issues with parsing the .RBVCP project format. While I've regularly used RB 2007r4 to work with VB Convert! converted projects, there have been issues with shapes and other objects not being positioned correctly, though they are fine in 2007r1. This is REAL's issue and not the fault of VB Convert!. While it is my desire to have converted projects work with the newer REALbasic releases, REAL doesn't seem able to keep their RBVCP project parsing in a consistent state. If and when that settles down, then I'll consider targeting newer RB releases.
To users of REALbasic 5.5.5 and lower, sorry, this converter won't work for you. VB Convert! converts VB 6 projects to the RBVCP format, not XML and not the native RBP (or RB) project formats. While we don't knock developers who still use RB 5.5.5, newer versions of RB make things a lot easier in many respects. So you'll need a version of REALbasic that supports the Version Control RBVCP format in order to use the code from VB Convert!, and the version of RB you use will need to support things such as Structures and Enums.
Q. Why doesn't VB Convert! convert to RBP or XML formats instead of the RBVCP format?
A. The RBVCP project format, from a conversion standpoint, is much easier to work with than RBP or XML. Working with RBP or XML formats would have added a lot more work and would have delayed VB Convert! Standard's release. While I can understand why some folks might get irritated by having to use RBVCP project files, you have to understand that REAL Software needs to stabilize how RB parses this format. For developers like me who depend on RBVCP projects being parsed correctly are basically trying to hit a 'moving target' due to the differences in each new REALbasic release. While I am sympathetic to those users who don't have RB 2007r1, this is something REALbasic users need to take up with REAL Software.
Q. So I should be able to run my VB 6 project through your converter and the converted project will run just fine, right off the bat?
Um, the answer might be 'yes' or 'maybe' if your VB 6 project is extremely simple, but there are always little things that need to be addressed that the converter will either not convert purposely or because there is no direct equivalent in REALbasic. See the technical FAQ for more information.
Take VB 6's generic 'Close' statement. It will close all open file handles in one fell swoop. As far as I know, there is no similar method in REALbasic. Sure, you can do a '.Close' on individual text or binary streams, but short of your stream going out of scope or the app closing, you have to explicitly close each individual stream in RB. There's just no direct conversion of the 'Close' statement to REALbasic. Because of this, you'll have to write some extra code to emulate this functionality...something that's beyond the scope of VB Convert!'s functionality.
Other examples of dead-end VB 6 concepts are 'GoSub...Return', 'On Error...GoTo', etc. These are just some of many examples where some blocks of code will require a complete re-write, even after being converted by VB Convert!.
Q. If I don't want to mess with a converter, will you convert my project for me? Will you charge me?
A. If you have ten lines of code you want me to convert, maybe you should try it first. Nearly anyone should be able to manually convert ten lines of code from VB 6 to RB. If you have a very small project that needs converting, I may convert it for you, but I may charge you. If you have a medium to large VB 6 project that needs converting but you'd rather leave it for me to do, please contact me for a quote.
Q. Why don't you just open-source this project so the REALbasic community can benefit without paying for it?
A. Because I've worked hard on this project, using time that could have been used for other paying projects or customers. Don't get me wrong, I use software from and often support open-source projects, but, to be completely honest, I truly need every single dollar I can get. My family, which includes someone else's young special-needs child, depends on me and my business to bring food to the table and pay bills. Lately, we've just barely been surviving, and if I know that selling a copy of software will buy another pack of hot-dogs, ramen noodles, juice, make a small payment to child-support or buy diapers (for the child, not for me
), that makes me feel like more of a man. So, long story short...if I
was in a better situation, if there was free food for all and my
landlord wouldn't kick us out for not paying rent, then I'll
open-source VB Convert!.
Q. How do I contact you?
A. Click here to send us an e-mail.
Q. This is just a general FAQ. Do you have a FAQ specifically for VB Convert! use?
A. Yes, click here to view it.
Q. What is VB Convert! anyway?
A. VB Convert! is our alternative to REAL Software's current Visual Basic 6 to REALbasic converter. Many have found REAL's VBPC to be inadequate for their conversion needs, so with REAL apparently not interested in updating the VBPC, I have addressed the need with VB Convert!.
VB Convert! is a migration assistant. Its a tool...it's not a magical genie. Just like you must pick up and actually use a spanner or wrench to fix a car, you must use VB Convert! in the same way. I've never seen a wrench fix a car on its own! Expecting VB Convert! to fix every single incompatibility between VB 6 and REALbasic is an unrealistic expectation, just as opening REALbasic and expecting it to churn out a world-class application by you just thinking about it is an unrealistic expectation. There's going to be a little bit of work involved depending on the size of your VB 6 project. VB Convert! minimizes that work by doing the boring and repetitive search and replace tasks for you. But VB Convert! is much more than just a search and replace utility.
While some VB 6 users with small projects would benefit from doing a manual conversion to REALbasic, VB Convert! was created to allow VB 6 users with medium to large projects to convert the bulk of their project over with as much of the conversion performed as automatically as possible.
Most converters of any kind just can't do a 100 percent perfect job with something as complex as VB 6 to REALbasic converting, though I am working hard to get it as accurate a conversion as possible. However, there is just some VB 6 code that must be completely rewritten by hand in order to make it work. This is because there are some VB 6 concepts that have no equivalent in REALbasic, making automated conversion near-impossible.
Q. Where do I download the current alpha or beta release?
A. Official testers can download it from here. If you're not yet an official tester, please e-mail me with your request and I will take it under review. I'll be honest, I really need to know you're going to be in it for the long-haul and that you have a genuine interest in helping. If you're just trying to sign up only for the download, sorry...I don't do one-night-stands.
Q. When will VB Convert! Pro be released?
A. While VB Convert! Standard was released in September of 2007, I'm still working on Pro. When I feel that it's good enough to be released, I'll release it. One challenge at this time is that I have lost a few testers since Standard's release.
Q. Is VB Convert! available for Windows, Mac and Linux?
A. Yes! VB Convert! Standard is available on all three platforms. Please keep in mind that VB Convert! runs on systems that meet REAL's System Requirements.
Q. Why will you be selling this VB Convert! when REAL's is free?
A. Because VB Convert! is actively developed and maintained. If you look at REAL's VBPC, it does not appear to be maintained any longer, and most people would consider it a crime if asked to pay for the VBPC due to its less than spectacular quality.
I am planning on releasing two different versions of VB Convert! The 'Standard' edition, which is current available, is fairly affordable but still helps with offsetting development costs. The 'Standard' edition is much better in most areas when compared to REAL Software's current VBPC.
The two versions of VB Convert! are planned to be:
- The 'Standard' edition. This edition migrates all of the standard VB 6 controls and most code over to REALbasic. Some code cleanup happens during conversion, such as appending default values to control properties, splitting of multi-line statements, etc. Things like checking for proper variable declarations, valid references and similar are not performed by Standard.
- The 'Pro' edition. This version will do everything the 'Standard' will, but will also add any missing variable declarations, will check that for proper referencing of objects, properties and more, will have expanded support for ActiveX and objects, mapping to Einhugur controls, etc.
Q. Do you have a VB.NET to REALbasic converter?
A. At this point, I'm thinking about releasing a VB.NET to RB converter. If I do choose to develop this, development will not start until the Pro version of our VB 6 to RB converter is released. If I do release a VB.NET to RB converter, it will be available only as a Pro version.
Q. How do I get involved with alpha/beta testing this project?
A. You'll need to e-mail me with your request if you'd like to join the fun. We just don't let anyone in here
Again,
to be honest, I need to know more about you and have a good working
relationship with you if you want to be part of the testing team.Q. What version(s) of REALbasic can I use VB Convert!-converted projects with?
A. VB Convert! has been tested with, and is recommended for use with, REALbasic 2007r1, with 2007r4 as a distant follow-up. At the time of this writing, 2007r2 and upwards seem to have varying issues with parsing the .RBVCP project format. While I've regularly used RB 2007r4 to work with VB Convert! converted projects, there have been issues with shapes and other objects not being positioned correctly, though they are fine in 2007r1. This is REAL's issue and not the fault of VB Convert!. While it is my desire to have converted projects work with the newer REALbasic releases, REAL doesn't seem able to keep their RBVCP project parsing in a consistent state. If and when that settles down, then I'll consider targeting newer RB releases.
To users of REALbasic 5.5.5 and lower, sorry, this converter won't work for you. VB Convert! converts VB 6 projects to the RBVCP format, not XML and not the native RBP (or RB) project formats. While we don't knock developers who still use RB 5.5.5, newer versions of RB make things a lot easier in many respects. So you'll need a version of REALbasic that supports the Version Control RBVCP format in order to use the code from VB Convert!, and the version of RB you use will need to support things such as Structures and Enums.
Q. Why doesn't VB Convert! convert to RBP or XML formats instead of the RBVCP format?
A. The RBVCP project format, from a conversion standpoint, is much easier to work with than RBP or XML. Working with RBP or XML formats would have added a lot more work and would have delayed VB Convert! Standard's release. While I can understand why some folks might get irritated by having to use RBVCP project files, you have to understand that REAL Software needs to stabilize how RB parses this format. For developers like me who depend on RBVCP projects being parsed correctly are basically trying to hit a 'moving target' due to the differences in each new REALbasic release. While I am sympathetic to those users who don't have RB 2007r1, this is something REALbasic users need to take up with REAL Software.
Q. So I should be able to run my VB 6 project through your converter and the converted project will run just fine, right off the bat?
Um, the answer might be 'yes' or 'maybe' if your VB 6 project is extremely simple, but there are always little things that need to be addressed that the converter will either not convert purposely or because there is no direct equivalent in REALbasic. See the technical FAQ for more information.
Take VB 6's generic 'Close' statement. It will close all open file handles in one fell swoop. As far as I know, there is no similar method in REALbasic. Sure, you can do a '.Close' on individual text or binary streams, but short of your stream going out of scope or the app closing, you have to explicitly close each individual stream in RB. There's just no direct conversion of the 'Close' statement to REALbasic. Because of this, you'll have to write some extra code to emulate this functionality...something that's beyond the scope of VB Convert!'s functionality.
Other examples of dead-end VB 6 concepts are 'GoSub...Return', 'On Error...GoTo', etc. These are just some of many examples where some blocks of code will require a complete re-write, even after being converted by VB Convert!.
Q. If I don't want to mess with a converter, will you convert my project for me? Will you charge me?
A. If you have ten lines of code you want me to convert, maybe you should try it first. Nearly anyone should be able to manually convert ten lines of code from VB 6 to RB. If you have a very small project that needs converting, I may convert it for you, but I may charge you. If you have a medium to large VB 6 project that needs converting but you'd rather leave it for me to do, please contact me for a quote.
Q. Why don't you just open-source this project so the REALbasic community can benefit without paying for it?
A. Because I've worked hard on this project, using time that could have been used for other paying projects or customers. Don't get me wrong, I use software from and often support open-source projects, but, to be completely honest, I truly need every single dollar I can get. My family, which includes someone else's young special-needs child, depends on me and my business to bring food to the table and pay bills. Lately, we've just barely been surviving, and if I know that selling a copy of software will buy another pack of hot-dogs, ramen noodles, juice, make a small payment to child-support or buy diapers (for the child, not for me
), that makes me feel like more of a man. So, long story short...if I
was in a better situation, if there was free food for all and my
landlord wouldn't kick us out for not paying rent, then I'll
open-source VB Convert!.
Last updated 11 January 2008
VB Convert! is not a product of REAL Software.
AYB Technical Services is in no way associated with REAL Software.