PRB: IE Reports Unknown Type .VBD for ActiveX Document
ID: Q167380
|
The information in this article applies to:
-
Microsoft Visual Basic Professional and Enterprise Editions for Windows, versions 5.0, 6.0
-
Microsoft Internet Explorer, versions 3.0, 3.01, 3.02, 4.0, 4.01
SYMPTOMS
There are problems with ActiveX Documents that will be used on a web
server. The ActiveX Document works fine on the development computer but
fails on computers that try to access it over the Internet. The following
message sometimes appears:
"Internet Explorer is opening file of unknown type:
<Name of Document>.VBD from"
CAUSE
This problem behavior can occur because:
- You are using the wrong .VBD file.
- You are using an out-dated .VBD file.
- The Actxprxy.dll is missing or is not registered properly.
- The ActiveX EXE/DLL is not registered properly.
- Visual Basic Run-time is not installed or on the path.
- The ActiveX Document may not be signed or safe for scripting.
- Runtime error in initialization code of ActiveX Document.
- Dependent files are not being downloaded.
- Other problems that occur.
RESOLUTION
Using the wrong .VBD file
Use the xxx.vbd that is created for you by the Visual Basic Setup
Wizard. The Setup Wizard will create a directory of all the files needed
for a successful Internet download. Use the files created by Setup
Wizard. Do not mix and match these files from other versions on your
machine because you will run compatibility issues.
Using an out-dated .VBD file
The CLSID must be same in the xxx.vbd, xxx.htm (if used), and xxx.exe
files of your ActiveX Document project. CLSIDs getting out of
synchronization is one of the most common sources of errors for Visual
Basic ActiveX Documents. By default, Visual Basic 5.0 creates a new
CLSID (and new registry entries) every time you remake your project.
Most likely, you will not want this to occur. To preserve the CLSID
across builds, do the following:
- Select the Project menu and the Project Properties items.
- Select the component tab and select Binary Compatibility, under
version compatibility.
- In the text box below that selection, put the DocObject (the .exe or
.dll, depending upon the ActiveX Document) file name of your project.
If you didn't set Binary Compatibility and rebuild (or directed SetupWiz
to rebuild) the project, Visual Basic generated a new CLSID for the same
ProgID. When downloading, if Internet Explorer on the client machine
sees it is trying to register a different CLSID for the same ProgID, it
will create a conflict.X directory under Occache or "Downloaded Program
Files" directory. To avoid this problem of the conflict.X directory
being created, you need to set Binary Compatibility on your ActiveX
Document project unless the project is not backwards compatible.
The Actxprxy.dll Is Missing or Is Not Registered Properly
If ActiveX DLL works but ActiveX EXE does not, then actxprxy.dll is
probably missing or not registered properly. This file is installed by
IE3.0X and should be registered. If not, use regsvr32 to register
actxprxy.dll.
ActiveX EXE/DLL Is Not Properly Registered
If your ActiveX Document does not show up if you add the .VBD file to
Office Binder by selecting the menu item "Section," then item "Add from
File," then there is a registry problem or the DocObject can't
instantiate. If you can add the .VBD file to Binder, then the .VBD file
has the wrong CLSID. Try recompiling and using the .VBD file that is
created.
Visual Basic Run-Time Is Not Installed Or Is Not on the Path
Make sure MSVBVM50.DLL is correctly installed on your machine.
The ActiveX Document May Not Be Signed
Changing the securitys in Internet Explorer may resolve this problem. If
your server is not signed, you will need Medial level safety for
Internet Explorer 3.x and Low for 4.x and above. Check Internet
Explorers Online help for more details.
Run-Time Error in Initialization Code of ActiveX Document
Make sure you do Run-time error checking in your ActiveX Document
project. You will have problems if you have a Run-time error in either
of the following routines. If a run-time error occurs while in this
routines, Internet Explorer will display the above-mentioned error
message rather than the actual error message in your code:
- Private Sub UserDocument_Initialize()
- Private Sub UserDocument_InitProperties()
It is recommended that you do not use the Initialize event because it
can fire multiple times under Internet Explorer. Additionally, when the
Initialize event is fired, the document is not fully sited in Internet
Explorer. It is recommended that you use the Show event.
Dependent files are not being downloaded.
The inability to download dependent files could also cause this error.
Visual Basic provides its core-dependent CAB files on the Visual Basic
5.0 CD-ROM in the tools/cabinets directory. It is important to note that
these files are not digitally signed. If users are running IE with High
security setting, the files will not be installed on their client
machine and the ActiveX Document will not run, yielding the error this
article is referring to.
The signed versions of these CAB files are available from the Microsoft
Web site specified by default in your Internet Component Download (see
the generated .INF file for exact name).
You can also download and place these CAB files on your own server. Here
is how you can accomplish that:
- Download the desired CAB file by typing the entire CAB file URL (from
the .INF file) in the address bar of Internet Explorer. Internet
Explorer will prompt you to Open or Save the CAB file. Save the CAB
file on your Web server. NOTE: Do not attempt to change file date,
time or any other attributes since doing so will invalidate the
signature.
- While creating Internet Component Setup, specify that files be
downloaded from your Web server instead of Microsoft Web site.
Other Problems that Occur
- Set the Internet Explorer security settings to allow the ActiveX
components to download.
- Turn on the version number increment in your document project and put
the version number in a field so it displays on the main form of your
downloaded page. This way you can see whether your project actually
downloaded or you are looking at an old version.
To change the version number for the Active Document project:
- Select the Project menu and the Project Properties items.
- Select the make tab.
- Under "Version Number," update the version number manually or
choose the "Auto Increment" check box.
- Always close and re-open Internet Explorer between component download
attempts to avoid caching the old page.
- For referencing remote objects, use CreateObject for debugging.
- Make your ActiveX Doc an EXE rather than a DLL for debugging.
- Make sure you are using the latest versions of the controls and DLLs
that ship with Visual Basic in your ActiveX Document. You should
use MSFlxGrd.ocx instead of Grid32.ocx.
- Files will not be download if there is a copy of that file loaded in
the system. When you are downloading, make sure you are only running
Internet Explorer on your system. This will minimize the chances of a
File being loaded that your ActiveX Document needs to download.
STATUS
Microsoft has confirmed this to be a bug in the Microsoft products listed
at the beginning of this article.
REFERENCES
Q177269 Internet Explorer 4 Keeps Active Document Servers Running
Additional query words:
kbInetDev kbActiveX kbVBp500 kbVBp600 kbIE kbIE300 kbIE301 kbIE302 kbIE400 kbIE401
Keywords :
Version :
Platform : WINDOWS
Issue type : kbprb
Last Reviewed: June 7, 1999