Frequently Asked Questions

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Technical Questions

In a Visual Basic application that is hosting the WebBrowser control, how do I perform certain user interface functions, such as turning off context menus and accelerator keys?

Knowledge Base article, SAMPLE: WBCustomizer.dll Implements IDocHostUIHandler for VB,

provides a sample COM object that demonstrates how to implement the IDocHostUIHandler interface for use in Visual Basic applications. If you are developing applications using the Internet Explorer 4.0x WebBrowser control, the IDocHostUIHandler interface allows you to perform certain user interface functions, such as turning off context menus and accelerator keys.

I have an MFC application that is hosting the WebBrowser control in a CView/CWnd class, and I am having trouble with keystrokes. What's wrong?

This functionality in CView and CWnd classes is by design. The CView and CWnd classes do not carry the additional overhead necessary to forward these keyboard messages to children for processing. It is necessary to add this functionality to your derived class by using PreTranslateMessage. Please refer to Knowledge Base article PRB: Keystroke Problems in CView/CWnd WebBrowser Control

for more information and a workaround to this problem.

In the WebBrowser documentation for Visual Basic developers, the Navigate and Navigate2 methods look identical. Is there a difference?

The only difference is that the URL parameter is packaged as a VARIANT in Navigate2 instead of a BSTR. (You could verify this in the WebBrowser documentation for C/C++ developers.) Unlike a C++ application, a Visual Basic application is not able to use the WebBrowser control to navigate into special folders in the shell namespace like "My Computer." Currently, the shell does not expose an object that provides a PIDL, which a Visual Basic application can then use in a Navigate2 call.

For more information on WebBrowser navigation using a PIDL from a C++ application, refer to the following Knowledge Base article: HOWTO: Web Browser Navigation Using a PIDL.

I have an application that uses the WebBrowser control. Is it possible to install just the WebBrowser control, without installing Internet Explorer 4.0?

No, there is no way to do this for both Internet Explorer 3.x and Internet Explorer 4.0. The minimal install will install the browser. Also, note that Internet Explorer 3.x and 4.0 cannot coexist on the same machine. More information on redistributing Internet Explorer can be found in the Internet Explorer Administration Kit (IEAK)

page.