Introduction
SocketSet is an ActiveX control for developing software that uses TCP/IP, Windows Sockets and Dial Up Networking. This ActiveX control comprises components that encapsulate the Windows APIs in an easy to use interface that considerably reduces learning and development timescales. Applications can be developed using any tool that supports ActiveX controls (e.g. Visual Basic, Visual C++, Access, Delphi etc.). SocketSet is suitable for developing both client and server applications.
Developing server applications (using Visual Basic) is made much easier as SocketSet is a factory that creates components on demand. The components created are standard Visual Basic objects, NOT controls, whose references can be passed around your applications (i.e. using Set to store references and Set ObjectRef = Nothing when you have finished using an object). Components can be created and destroyed as required within forms and classes without the need to keep track of arrays of controls.
If all you require is to add Windows stream sockets functionality to your application why not have a look at NUTextSocket.
Versions
This version of SocketSet was placed on the Web on the 16th March 2000 and is version 2.01.0005. This is a minor release to correct/enhance the following:
Remove time delay when receiving continuous large volumes of data.
Sundry problems with Blocking sockets fixed.
Version 2.01.0006 was uploaded on the 20th march 2000. See the Release.txt document included with the download for details.
Version 2.01.0025 was uploaded on the 16th January 2001. See the Release.txt document included with the download for details.
Components
SocketSet consists of the following components:
- Socket - a class that encapsulates the underlying Windows Sockets Version 1.1. API enabling your application to access and use most of that functionality.
- TextSocket - a class derived from Socket specifically for handling text based connections (i.e. connections that send and receive CR/LF terminated lines of text) and block based connections (i.e. that send and receive blocks of binary data). LInes of text and blocks of binary data are echanged without fragmentation. This simplifies the task of working with many of the TCP/IP standard protocols (e.g. SMTP, POP3, FTP Control etc).
- Dialer - a class enabling the use of Windows Dial Up networking within your applications.
- VBTimer - a class for handling timeouts and scheduling.
How Does It Work
SocketSet is a standard ActiveX control that is not visible at run time. In Visual Basic you include this in your project by selecting it from the Components list displayed by the Components option on the Project menu. This adds SocketSet to the ToolBox. Once added to the ToolBox you can place an instance of SocketSet on a form (you would normally only have one control instance for a project).
Having located a SocketSet control on a form you can then use the following methods to create individual components:
- CreateSocket - to create a Socket object.
- CreateTextSocket - to create a textSocket object.
- CreateDialer - to create a Dialer object.
- CreateTimer - to create a VBTimer object.
Each of the above functions returns a reference to the newly created object which you save and subsequently use to access the object. When you have finished using the object you destroy it by setting the saved reference to Nothing.
Evaluation and Buying SocketSet
To evaluate SocketSet visit our Downloads Page and to buy a license visit our On-Line Shop or our Ordering Page.