Re: Unable to initialize COM in VC Dll when invoked via C# application

From:
"Igor Tandetnik" <itandetnik@mvps.org>
Newsgroups:
microsoft.public.dotnet.languages.csharp,microsoft.public.win32.programmer.ole,microsoft.public.vc.language
Date:
Mon, 19 May 2008 13:45:08 -0400
Message-ID:
<#08iVgduIHA.4260@TK2MSFTNGP05.phx.gbl>
Ashutosh Bhawasinka <smbs-msdn@nospam.nospam> wrote:

I have a C++ DLL, it exports some some plain C style functions. This
functions internally initializes COM and then MAPI. This works fine
if I use the DLL from a C++ application (I tested with a C++ Win32
console application).

But, when I call/invoke those functions from a C# .Net application
using PInvoke, COM initialization fails in the DLL.


Chances are high the C# application has already initialized COM, and you
are getting S_FALSE or RPC_E_CHANGED_MODE depending on whether you are
trying to join the same or different kind of apartment the calling
thread has joined. You would get the same problem in a C++ application
if that application has initialized COM for whatever reason.

In general, a DLL should not try to initialize COM on a calling thread.
It can (and should) do so on threads that it iself explicitly creates.
--
With best wishes,
    Igor Tandetnik

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necessarily a good idea. It is hard to be sure where they are going to
land, and it could be dangerous sitting under them as they fly
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