Enum values from VB6 DLL do not appear in C#

Question

We have a VB6 DLL which includes several enum definitions. We have loaded the VB6 DLL as a reference in a C# project.

In the Visual Studio 2010 object browser, all the VB6 classes are visible, as are the enum names . However, the enum values are not shown, and also are not listed when using intellisense within C# code. However the enum name does come up from intellisense, as do all the class names and class methods, properties etc. that I have tried. So only the values seem to be left out.

If I click the enum name in a code window and select Go To Definition, I get something like this:

namespace DLLName
{
    [Guid("3DD0C797-2BF0-4A7A-8E1E-83E3095CB3AE")]
    public enum EnumName
    {
    }
}

Which shows the same thing - enum exists with no values.

So the question is - where did the enum values go, and is there something we can do to get them to show up?

Note - I could modify the VB6 DLL if necessary.

Thanks

Answer 1

The enum values had spaces in the value names in VB6, and this causes them to be omitted from the enum definition in C#.

In VB6, you can declare enum values which have names with spaces in them, using a special square bracket syntax. Examples:

Public Enum TestEnumNoSpaces
    EnumA
    EnumB
    EnumC
End Enum

Public Enum TestEnumWithSpaces
    [Enum A]
    [Enum B]
    [Enum C]
End Enum

If you compile this to a DLL and load it as a reference in Visual Studio 2010, in the object browser both enums are visible. However, the enum values are not shown.

Most of the enums in the DLL I am using have enums with spaces in the names. This has been a common naming convention. But fortunately, there were a few which did not use this format and I noticed their values were showing up in C#.