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Asked: 2026-05-29T05:07:57+00:00

I have a custom control written in C# that I would like to port

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I have a custom control written in C# that I would like to port to C++ because it is too slow, and also because I would like to use it in a C++ program as well as C# programs.

I’ve looked at MFC Active X, ATL Active X, and .NET C++. They all seem needlessly complicated. I’d really like to avoid .NET C++ because involving .NET in a C++ program just seems pointless.

Also there don’t seem to be any good tutorials on writing active X controls that aren’t a decade old.

Do you guys know of any decent ActiveX tutorials that target Visual Studio 2008?

Is there any other way that I can accomplish my goals without having to write a COM component. Can I just write a normal control in C++ and stick it in a DLL and have it be usable by both C++ and C# programs? I don’t care about compatibility with GUI form designers.

Thanks!

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1 Answer

  1. Editorial Team

    My original answer was as follows. I will leave it here for people in similar situations.

    If C# is slower than C++ for anything other than complex mathematics, you are doing something wrong. It should be near equal in speed, if not faster.

    C++ inherently means making a GUI is going to involve lots of complexity, reinventing of the wheel, and old documentation. There is no avoiding it.

    The fact that “involving .NET in a C++ program seems pointless” indicates to me that you know very little about the technologies with which you are working.

    My answer: stick with C#, or you will be in over your head. Focus on optimizing what you have, not reinventing the wheel.

    Edit: As Jeff Mercado said, if you do decide to take a native route, I wish you luck with your interop ventures.

    Based on your comment, I am still concerned that you don’t understand the role that .NET C++ (recently replaced by C++/CLI) plays. I think that might just be the perfect solution for you. It allows you to, say, write an ActiveX control in C++ (which is what I would recommend at this point), and then immediately write a .NET wrapper for it without leaving C++, but instead using a rather large C++ extension.

    Yet another addition: Use Visual Studio 2010 if at all possible. C++/CLI is a huge improvement over its predecessors. As for ActiveX, don’t worry if the guides are old. It hasn’t changed much in the past decade.

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