Re: WinINET API... Yay or Nay?

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Date: Tue, 10 Aug 2004 23:38:54 -0700

Hi TJ,

Thank you for your sharing your experience. Your comments made me raise some
additional concerns :)

A quick check on the Microsoft DLL Help Database shows that WinInet.dll
version 4.72.3110.0 shipped with Windows 98 (we will not support any OS
below Win98). If that is the case, how is it possible that a user would not
have WinInet installed on his/her machine? I thought that Internet Explorer
was bundled with Windows since Win98. Is it possible for users to remove it
manually? If so, I probably need to look into a different solution, because
I need the process to be as reliable as possible.

Also, now that I know the base version of WinInet that shipped with Windows
98, how can I check whether a specific function I want to use was supported
un that specific version?

Thanks again for your help!

Regards,

GSM

"TJ" <X_CentralWare@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:%23T38PH0fEHA.1764@TK2MSFTNGP10.phx.gbl...
> Dear GSM,
>
> Just an opinion, mind you:
> From my experience using iNet, you may want to consider doing a
> file-check to ensure msinet is even installed (98% of the time it will be
> since IE is in) however you will want to also do version checking of the
> files to ensure they comply to the functions you're trying to access
within
> them. (I don't know the Win98/SE minimum versions off the top of my
head -
> it wouldn't be too difficult to extract them from the old 98 CDRom.)
> Once you verify iNet is installed and it meets or exceeds your needs,
> run a WinSock test to ensure 2.x is installed. This mainly applies to
> Win95A, B and C however early releases of Memphis are affected as well
since
> sockets v2.x were still in the makings.
>
> When you're testing - be sure that your API declares have a home in a
> CLASS that can be called instead of in a module to prevent errors before
you
> even go to access the iNet API. (In VB - some can be trapped beforehand,
> MOST however once the declares are already called will GPF the VB
> application.)
> Call example:
>
> function TestMyPC() as Boolean
> if(TestINet) = false then exit function
> if(TestWinsock) = false then exit function
> TestMyPC = true
> end function
>
> Call TestMyPC from the MAIN() startup module - if successful, then
continue
> loading otherwise show a message box.
> In your iNet related form(s) simply create an instance of the API class
such
> as:
>
> Dim MyAPI as new clsINetAPI or
> Dim Withevents MyAPI as new clsINetAPI depending on weather or not your
> class has events.
>
> Hope this helps!
>
> TJ
>
> "GSM" <gsm00@hotmail.com> wrote in message
> news:%23WMW5jzfEHA.1048@tk2msftngp13.phx.gbl...
> > Hi,
> >
> > A few years ago, I looked into accessing files over the internet (HTTP
and
> > FTP protocols, specifically) using the WinInet API functions. However,
> after
> > looking into this for a while (and reading a few horror stories), I
> > determined that the WinInet API was too unstable and unreliable to use.
> > Eventually, the project was dropped.
> >
> > Fast-forward to three years later (now) I need to write an application
> that
> > will download files over HTTP and FTP. Is the WinINet API still
considered
> > buggy, or is it pretty reliable?
> >
> > One difference is that this time around, we will not support Windows 95.
> > Windows 98 or later will be required. If I remember correctly, a good
> number
> > of problems with WinInet occurred on machines running Windows 95...
> >
> > This brings me to my second question, regarding deployment. The other
> reason
> > that using WinInet posed a problem three years ago is that it would have
> > made the deployment of our app a real nightmare. Because we will only be
> > supporting Windows 98 (which I believe ships with Internet Explorer 4.0)
> and
> > up, would this still be an issue? would we need to redistribute any
DLL's
> > (or anything else) with our app if we went the WinInet route this time
> > around?
> >
> > Thanks so much for your help. I appreciate any advice/pointers you can
> give
> > or experiences you can share.
> >
> > Best regards,
> >
> > GSM
> >
> >
>
>

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