C# to C++ process with WM_COPYDATA passing struct with strings

Question

From a c# program I want to use WM_COPYDATA with SendMessage to communicate with a legacy c++/cli MFC application.

I want to pass a managed struct containing string obje

Answer 1

I have it working.

A simple approach is to serialize the struct to a single string and transfer a string. The swhistlesoft blog was helpful http://www.swhistlesoft.com/blog/2011/11/19/1636-wm_copydata-with-net-and-c

This may be enough to provide the simple messaging. The struct can be re-constructed at the other end if necessary.

If a struct with any number of strings is to be marshalled as-is then it must be a fixed size, that's the main thing I wasn't getting. The

MarshalAs(System.Runtime.InteropServices.UnmanagedType.ByValTStr, SizeConst = 9)

basically sets the size to match the c++ size which in our case is a TCHAR szTest[ 9 ];

In order to transfer a .Net struct via WM_COPYDATA from c# to c++(/cli) I had to do as follows:

[System.Runtime.InteropServices.DllImport("user32.dll", CharSet = System.Runtime.InteropServices.CharSet.Auto)]
    static extern IntPtr SendMessage(IntPtr hWnd, UInt32 Msg, IntPtr wParam, IntPtr lParam);

    [System.Runtime.InteropServices.DllImport("user32.dll", CharSet = System.Runtime.InteropServices.CharSet.Auto)]
    static extern bool SetForegroundWindow(IntPtr hWnd);

public static uint WM_COPYDATA = 74;

//from swhistlesoft
public static IntPtr IntPtrAlloc(T param)
    { 
        IntPtr retval = System.Runtime.InteropServices.Marshal.AllocHGlobal(System.Runtime.InteropServices.Marshal.SizeOf(param)); 
        System.Runtime.InteropServices.Marshal.StructureToPtr(param, retval, false); 
        return (retval); 
    }

//from swhistlesoft
    public static void IntPtrFree(IntPtr preAllocated) 
    { 
        if (IntPtr.Zero == preAllocated) throw (new Exception("Go Home")); 
        System.Runtime.InteropServices.Marshal.FreeHGlobal(preAllocated); 
        preAllocated = IntPtr.Zero; 
    }

    [System.Runtime.InteropServices.StructLayout(System.Runtime.InteropServices.LayoutKind.Sequential)]
    struct COPYDATASTRUCT
    {
        public uint dwData;
        public int cbData;
        public IntPtr lpData;
    }

    /// 

    /// Dot net version of AppInfo structure. Any changes to the structure needs reflecting here.
    /// struct must be a fixed size for marshalling to work, hence the SizeConst entries
    /// 
    [System.Runtime.InteropServices.StructLayout(System.Runtime.InteropServices.LayoutKind.Sequential, Pack = 1)]
    struct AppInfoDotNet
    {
        public int   nVersion;            

        [System.Runtime.InteropServices.MarshalAs(System.Runtime.InteropServices.UnmanagedType.ByValTStr, SizeConst = 9)]
        public string test;
    };

To send a string:

    COPYDATASTRUCT cd = new COPYDATASTRUCT();
    cd.dwData = 2;

    cd.cbData = parameters.Length + 1;
    cd.lpData = System.Runtime.InteropServices.Marshal.StringToHGlobalAnsi(parameters);

    IntPtr cdBuffer = IntPtrAlloc(cd);

    messageReceived = ((int)SendMessage(targetProcess.MainWindowHandle, WM_COPYDATA, IntPtr.Zero, cdBuffer)) != 0;

To receive string in c++:

else if(pCDS->dwData == 2)
    {
        //copydata message
        CString csMessage = (LPCTSTR)pCDS->lpData;
        OutputDebugString("Copydata message received: " + csMessage);
    }

To send struct:

            AppInfoDotNet appInfo = new AppInfoDotNet();
            appInfo.test = "a test";

            COPYDATASTRUCT cds3;
            cds3.dwData = 1;
            cds3.cbData = System.Runtime.InteropServices.Marshal.SizeOf(appInfo);

            IntPtr structPtr = System.Runtime.InteropServices.Marshal.AllocCoTaskMem(System.Runtime.InteropServices.Marshal.SizeOf(appInfo));
            System.Runtime.InteropServices.Marshal.StructureToPtr(appInfo, structPtr, false);

            cds3.lpData = structPtr;

            IntPtr iPtr = System.Runtime.InteropServices.Marshal.AllocCoTaskMem(System.Runtime.InteropServices.Marshal.SizeOf(cds3));
            System.Runtime.InteropServices.Marshal.StructureToPtr(cds3, iPtr, false);

            messageReceived = ((int)SendMessage(targetProcess.MainWindowHandle, WM_COPYDATA, IntPtr.Zero, iPtr)) != 0;

            System.Runtime.InteropServices.Marshal.FreeCoTaskMem(iPtr);
            System.Runtime.InteropServices.Marshal.FreeCoTaskMem(structPtr);

To receive struct in c++:

LRESULT CMainFrame::OnCopyData( WPARAM wParam, LPARAM lParam )
{
    LRESULT lResult = FALSE;

    COPYDATASTRUCT *pCDS = (COPYDATASTRUCT*)lParam;

    //Matching message type for struct
    if(pCDS->dwData == 1)
    {
        AppInfo *pAppInfo = (AppInfo*)pCDS->lpData
        lResult = true;
    }

Please note this is demo code and needs work in terms of styling, exception handling etc, etc...