64-bit OCX Grid
by Igor Katenov, the lead developer at 10Tec
According to statistical reports, the vast majority of modern Windows users use its 64-bit version. And no wonder - 64-bit operating systems allow us to use all the benefits of modern 64-bit CPUs. Software developers should also meet the expectations of end users and provide them with quality 64-bit applications. A grid component is an essential part of most user interfaces, and thus many developers are searching for a good 64-bit OCX grid.
We are often asked whether our iGrid OCX grid can be used for 64-bit application development. The thing is, the first version of 10Tec iGrid was developed in Visual Basic 6 in far 2000, and VB6 can produce only 32-bit executable code. Indeed, for a long time there was only a 32-bit version of iGrid OCX that could only be used in 32-bit applications - although they worked well in compatibility mode in 64-bit versions of Windows. But the situation has changed dramatically with the advent of a new software development environment called twinBASIC that provides backward compatibility with VB6 and VBA code and can compile it to true native 64-bit executable code.
The VB6 source code of iGrid was converted to the twinBASIC project format and adapted to support both the 32-bit and 64-bit CPU architectures. We needed to convert and test declarations and calls for more than 200 Windows API functions and COM interfaces, and this work has been successfully done. twinBASIC with constant support of Wayne Phillips, the developer of this IDE, allowed us to compile the new version of iGrid for 32 and 64 bits!
iGrid OCX is constantly being supported by us. We are always testing it in every new release of Microsoft Windows, especially in its 64-bit editions. Our customers and we can prove that this OCX grid works without any problems in all modern 64-bit versions of Windows including Windows 7, Windows 10 and 11:
While supporting iGrid, we check not only its compatibility with 64-bit versions of the OS, but we try to keep its interface and functionality modern too. For instance, the latest versions of Microsoft Windows provide us with good interface enhancements like visual styles. Our OCX grid control automatically uses the OS visual styles in its constituent elements like column headers and scroll bars, so you have the same look-and-feel of the standard OS applications like the Windows Explorer. If you compare iGrid to other well-known grid controls like Microsoft FlexGrid OCX, you will see that those controls were abandoned many years ago and they do not support these advanced OS features.
Special mention should be made of such a popular application development environment as Microsoft Office VBA. The 64-bit edition of Microsoft Office is installed by default. End users working in Microsoft Office also expect that all VBA applications will work in 64-bit edition of this product. iGrid OCX compiled with twinBASIC fully meets these expectations. Moreover, the enhanced registration procedure built into this OCX provides the following benefits:
- A software developer can write a Microsoft Excel, Word or Access VBA application with iGrid in a 64-bit edition of Microsoft Office and deploy it on a pc with a 32-bit edition of Microsoft Office, and the application will automatically use the 32-bit version of the OCX without any changes in the source code (and vice versa).
- Any OCX must be registered in the Windows registry before use in an application. The registration procedure built into many OCX controls require administrator rights to execute, but this is not needed for iGrid OCX. It can be registered in the registry with non-elevated privileges, and most VBA application developers welcome it.
To wrap up, here is a brief summary regarding iGrid as a true 64-bit OCX grid control. Now we have a first-class OCX grid control that can be used in both 32-bit and 64-bit editions of Windows, in 32-bit and 64-bit applications including Microsoft Office.