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Embed ActiveX Controls (with C#)

Eylon Sirotkin
  • Updated

TerraExplorer provides the ability to embed all TerraExplorer components: the 3D Window, the Information Window (Project Tree), and external 3D windows as ActiveX components, in your custom application GUI or in a Web page. This article contains a step-by-step guide to embedding ActiveX controls in C#. The steps refer to Visual Studio 2019.

Download C# code sample >

  1. Download and install TerraExplorer. 
  2. Create a new Windows Forms application project in Visual Studio, using C#: 
    • In Visual Studio, click Create a new project.
    • Select a C# Windows Form App project. Name the project 'TerraExplorerShowcaseCSharp', and click OK.
  3. Create a new x64 solution platform and apply it to the current solution:
    • Build > Configuration Manager > Active solution platform > Create a new 64 bit platform
    • Apply the platform on the current solution.
  4. Reference TerraExplorerX and AxInterop.TerraExplorerX. From the Project menu > References > select Add References.
    • Click the COM Components tab and locate TerraExplorerX 1.0 Type Library from the available references.
    • In the Reference Manager dialog, click Browse and then add C:\Program Files\Skyline\TerraExplorer Pro\AxInterop.TerraExplorerX.dll

  5. Add the using directive for TerraExplorerX and AxTerraExplorerX namespaces in the Form1 code.

    using TerraExplorerX;
using AxTerraExplorerX;

  6. In the designer code Form1.Designer.cs, at the Form1 class, add the Panel objects:

    private System.Windows.Forms.Panel panel1;
private System.Windows.Forms.Panel panel2;

  7. In the designer code Form1.Designer.cs, at the InitializeComponent, set the form size and create Panel objects in which the ActiveX components will be stored.

    // 
// Form1
// 
this.AutoScaleDimensions = new System.Drawing.SizeF(6F, 13F);
this.AutoScaleMode = System.Windows.Forms.AutoScaleMode.Font;
this.ClientSize = new System.Drawing.Size(1097, 769);
this.Controls.Add(this.panel2);
this.Controls.Add(this.panel1);
this.Name = "Form1";
this.Text = "Form1";
this.Load += new System.EventHandler(this.Form1_Load);
this.ResumeLayout(false);
//
// add the panel to the form and instantiate it
//
this.panel1 = new System.Windows.Forms.Panel();
this.panel2 = new System.Windows.Forms.Panel();
this.SuspendLayout();
this.Controls.Add(this.panel2);
this.Controls.Add(this.panel1);
//
// panel1
// 
this.panel1.Location = new System.Drawing.Point(330, 5);
this.panel1.Name = "panel1";
this.panel1.Size = new System.Drawing.Size(762, 762);
this.panel1.TabIndex = 0;
// 
// panel2
// 
this.panel2.Location = new System.Drawing.Point(12, 5);
this.panel2.Name = "panel2";
this.panel2.Size = new System.Drawing.Size(305, 762);
this.panel2.TabIndex = 1;

  8. In the Form1 code, define a variable to hold an SGWorld object instance.
    Note: This variable is used later to access extensive TerraExplorer API.

    private SGWorld81 SGWorld;

  9. Define AxHost variables to hold the AxTE3DWindow and the AxTEInformationTree components.

    private AxHost ThreeDWindow, InfoTree;

  10. Initialize an SGWorld object in the Form1_Load event.
    Note: This object automatically finds the ActiveX controls that you have placed on the form and interacts with them.
    Note: You should initialize this object only after the ActiveX object was already created, i.e., in the Form1_Load() event.

    SGWorld = new SGWorld81();

  11. Now you can use SGWorld object to control the TerraExplorer ActiveX. The following code loads a .fly project and flies to a specific location. 

    public partial class Form1 : Form
    {
        private SGWorld81 SGWorld;
        private AxHost ThreeDWindow, InfoTree;
        public Form1()
        {
            InitializeComponent();
            ThreeDWindow = new AxTE3DWindow() { Dock = DockStyle.Fill };
            panel1.Controls.Add(ThreeDWindow);
            InfoTree = new AxTEInformationWindow() { Dock = DockStyle.Fill };
            panel2.Controls.Add(InfoTree);
        }
        private void Form1_Load(object sender, EventArgs e)
        {
            SGWorld = new SGWorld81();   
            // Register to OnLoadFinished globe event
            SGWorld.OnLoadFinished += SGWorld_OnLoadFinished;
            // Open Project in asynchronous mode
            string flyFile = "https://cloud.skylineglobe.com/SG/demos/projects/TED_Default_Demo_Project_v8";
            SGWorld.Project.Open(flyFile, true, null, null);
            MessageBox.Show("Opening project " + flyFile + " in async mode");
        }
        private void SGWorld_OnLoadFinished(bool bSuccess)
        {         
            MessageBox.Show("Received project loaded event. Click OK to fly to Washington DC.");
            IPosition81 Orlando = SGWorld.Creator.CreatePosition(-81.37504215, 28.54353898, 0, AltitudeTypeCode.ATC_TERRAIN_RELATIVE, 235.00487, -26.045611, 0, 873);
            SGWorld.Navigate.FlyTo(Orlando);
        }      
    }

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