BUG: Crash When Closing Application That Uses ActiveX DLL (189156)


The information in this article applies to:

  • Microsoft Visual Basic Learning Edition for Windows 5.0
  • Microsoft Visual Basic Learning Edition for Windows 6.0
  • Microsoft Visual Basic Professional Edition for Windows 5.0
  • Microsoft Visual Basic Professional Edition for Windows 6.0
  • Microsoft Visual Basic Enterprise Edition for Windows 5.0
  • Microsoft Visual Basic Enterprise Edition for Windows 6.0
This article was previously published under Q189156

SYMPTOMS

Using Visual Basic, you create one or more ActiveX DLLs and a Standard EXE (client) application to use the DLLs. The client application runs as expected within the Visual Basic (IDE) environment. However, when you compile and run the client application as an EXE, the application produces one of the following errors upon closing:
<project name> caused an invalid page fault in module MSVBVM50.DLL at 0137:0f059b41.

-or-

Exception: access violation (0xc0000005), Address: 0x0f059b41

CAUSE

This problem can occur when the objects you create in the DLL are not closed properly by the client application due to a circular reference. A circular reference occurs, for instance, in the following scenario:

A client application instantiates an object in the ActiveX DLL: the Parent object. The Parent object creates another object in the DLL: the Child object. The Parent object sets a property in the Child object that allows the Child object to have a reference to the Parent object.


This creates a circular reference between the Parent and Child objects. When the client application that created the Parent object sets its object variable to Nothing, the Parent object does not terminate because the Child object maintains a reference to the Parent object. The MORE INFORMATION section below describes a specific case for this problem and provides a solution, which is to remove the Child's reference to the Parent object before closing the Parent object.

STATUS

Microsoft is researching this problem and will post new information here in the Microsoft Knowledge Base as it becomes available.

MORE INFORMATION

The steps below illustrate two sample ActiveX DLLs and a client application to use the DLLs. By following these steps, you will see how an error can occur when you close the client application. A workaround is also provided.

Steps to Reproduce Behavior

  1. Start Visual Basic and create a new ActiveX DLL project. Class1 is created by default.
  2. Change the name of the Class1 module to GlobalMethods.
  3. Choose Properties from the Project menu, and set the Project Name to UBGlobal.
  4. Put the following code in the GlobalMethods module: 
        Option Explicit

    Public Sub gMethod1()

    End Sub

    Public Function getValidList(a As Object, b() As Collection) As Integer
    End Function
  5. Save the UBGlobal project and make UBGlobal.dll.
  6. Close the UBGlobal project and start a new ActiveX DLL project. Class1 is created by default.
  7. Choose References from the Project menu, and set a reference to UBGlobal.
  8. Choose Properties from the Project menu, and set the Project Name to UBServer.
  9. From the Project menu, add a new class module. Class2 is created.
  10. Put the following code in the Class2 module: 
          Option Explicit

      Public objGlobal As UBGlobal.GlobalMethods
      Public objParent As Class1

      Private Sub Class_Initialize()
         Set objGlobal = New UBGlobal.GlobalMethods
         objGlobal.gMethod1
      End Sub

      Private Sub Class_Terminate()
         Set objGlobal = Nothing
      End Sub
  11. Put the following code in the Class1 module: 
          Option Explicit

      Private objChild As Class2

      Private Sub Class_Initialize()
         Set objChild = New Class2
         Set objChild.objParent = Me
      End Sub

      Private Sub Class_Terminate()
         Set objChild.objParent = Nothing
         Set objChild = Nothing
      End Sub

      Public Sub CleanUp()
         Set objChild.objParent = Nothing
      End Sub
  12. Save the UBServer project and make UBServer.dll.
  13. Close the UBServer project, and start a new Standard EXE project. Form1 is created by default.
  14. Choose References from the Project menu, and set a reference to both UBGlobal and UBServer.
  15. Choose Properties from the Project menu, and set the Project Name to Client.
  16. Put a CommandButton on Form1.
  17. Put the following code in the form's code window: 
          Option Explicit

      Dim objGlobal As UBGlobal.GlobalMethods
      Dim objParent As UBServer.Class1

      Private Sub Form_Load()
         Set objGlobal = New UBGlobal.GlobalMethods
         objGlobal.gMethod1
         Set objParent = New UBServer.Class1
      End Sub

      Private Sub Command1_Click()
         ' uncomment the following line for solution:
         'objParent.CleanUp
         Set objParent = Nothing
         Set objGlobal = Nothing
         Unload Me
      End Sub
  18. Run the project. The form with the CommandButton appears.
  19. Click the CommandButton. Note that the application ends without an error.
  20. Save the Client project and compile Client.exe.
  21. Close Visual Basic.
  22. Run Client.exe. The form with the CommandButton appears.
  23. Click the CommandButton.
Result: The client application terminates with one of the errors described above.

Solution: Uncomment the objParent.CleanUp line in the client project. Recompile and run Client exe. Click the CommandButton.

Result: The application shuts down properly with no error.

The purpose of the CleanUp method in Class1 is to remove the circular reference between Class1 (parent) and Class2 (child). Until the reference to Class1 is removed, Class1 does not terminate properly when using the ActiveX DLL from a Visual Basic client EXE.

REFERENCES

For more information about circular references, refer to "Dealing with Circular References" in chapter 6, "General Principles of Component Design" in the Visual Basic Component Tools Guide.
Modification Type:MajorLast Reviewed:5/13/2003
Keywords:kbbug kbpending KB189156
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