HC96925: CATVBA: COMPILE ERROR MSG: FUNCTION OR INTERFACE MARKED AS RESTRICTED, ETC ...

APAR status

• Closed as Permanent restriction.

Error description

• DESCRIPTION:
  You are not able to define your variables  with proper types
  in VB/VBA as soon as you are using a method, which requires
  a CATSafeArrayVariant parameter.
  Having object handles dimensioned with a type for the
  objects containing such methods will lead to a compile error
  message:
  > Function or interface marked as restricted, or the
  function uses an Automation type not supported in Visual
  Basic
  We discovered this problem for the CreateSpline2D of the
  Factory2D object as well as for the AddComponentFromFiles
  method of the Product object.
  .
  FURTHER INFORMATION:
  As you have to either define all object variables with a
  correct type or none of them in VB/VBA, you are forced to
  not define any types in any application, which has just one
  such method called.
  Hereby you loose many of the advantages in developing your
  applications in VB i.e the type-ahead, and the build time
  type checking.
  .
  REPRODUCTION:
  Scenario (V5R8)
  1.Tools/Macro/Macroes./Add macro Library-select the provided
  catvba file
  2.Run contained macro: CreateSpline
  3.Press button 'Create Spline OK' (has untyped variables).
  Works OK
  4.Press button 'Create Spline Not OK' (has typed variables).
  ==> Fails as described.
  

Local fix

Problem summary

• CATVBA: COMPILE ERROR MSG: FUNCTION OR INTERFACE MARKED AS
  RESTRICTED ETC ....
  

Problem conclusion

• THIS PROBLEM IS PERMANENT RESTRICTION IN CATIA
  
   INCIDENT DIAGNOSIS:
  catvba: Compile Error msg: Function or interface marked as
  restricted etc...
  
   TECHNICAL EXPLANATION FOR THE RESTRICTION:
  We are well aware of the problem.
  It comes from a design error at a very early stage of V5 which
  makes C++ signatures for SafeArray not completely compatible
  with Automation.
  Fixing it would cause a migration of all our C++ implementations
  (SafeArrays are not well supported anyway, see MSDN for the
  various problems related to them in Automation).
  The workaround is not as bad as you say though.
  
   BY-PASS:
  The workaround is not as bad as you say though.
  One can use the following technique (also used by the V5 Macro
  Recorder in VBA) so that one does not have to untype all his
  variables:
  .
  Dim myXXXX As XXXX
  Set myXXXX = myYYYY.getMyXXXX
  Dim myArray(1)
  myArray(0) = 1
  myArray(1) = 2
  ' This will not work in VBA
  ' myXXXX.mySafeArrayMethod myArray
  ' Do this instead
  Dim myXXXXVar
  set myXXXXVar = myXXXX
  myXXXXVar.mySafeArrayMethod myArray
  .
  We are currently evaluating corrections of the early design
  error to see if we can come up with a bypass at our IDL
  compiler level, bypassing the migration.
  However, that would be R11 at the earliest.
  

Temporary fix

Comments

APAR Information

• APAR is sysrouted FROM one or more of the following:

• APAR is sysrouted TO one or more of the following:

Fix information

Applicable component levels