Launching a windows app from a web page

[Chris Green]

Here's the situation: A customer purchases a web-based content management solution to elminiate the paper-based files. However, to add the files in the first place they need to be scanned. The scanning software is a WinForm and can submit the documents via a web service back to the CMS.

On the web page, I want a link which says Scan Doc X. How would you launch the WinForm application and pass it information?

[Chris Green]

Okay, maybe not the best written explaination of what I was looking for. The solution is easy and was something I did a year ago but forgot all about. Create a c# user control compiled to a class library. Then use the <object> tag and presto an Active-X control hosted in your web page. The ID you set in the object tag allows javascript to call methods in the object.

So specifically for my problem I have a link, which in turn calls a javascript function, which in turn sets details about what document to scan to my active-x control, the script tells the object to proceed with a scan, the active-x control itself has the TWAIN code to acquire an image, the resulting graphic is then submitted to a document library via a web service. Easy peasey lemon squeezy!

[HanneSThEGreaT]

Okay, maybe not the best written explaination of what I was looking for. The solution is easy and was something I did a year ago but forgot all about. Create a c# user control compiled to a class library. Then use the <object> tag and presto an Active-X control hosted in your web page. The ID you set in the object tag allows javascript to call methods in the object.

It can be a VB User Control as well, can't it ¿

Glad you solved your problem!

[mmetzger]

Yes, you can use VB(meaning vb.net for newbies) as well. The biggest trick with these is that 1) You must use IE, 2) Depending on what it does, you'll often need to adjust the IE security controls and / or the CAS policy. The company I work for uses some massively complex versions of this and the policy is usually the most annoying part.