How to send an array of data from Matlab 7 to an Active X (C#) object?

Hi!

It is possible to send an array of data from Matlab (7.10.0 R2012a) to an Active X object (coded in C#)? I have tried more than a dozen different approaches but with no luck. I have concluded the following by compiling code in C# and analyze the interface in Matlab:

C# Interface           Matlab type
params byte[]     ->   SafeArray(char)
params char[]     ->   SafeArray(int16)
params int[]      ->   SafeArray(int32)
byte*             ->   char
char*             ->   int16
int*              ->   int32

Typically my method looks like this in C#:

void WriteDeviceBytes_matlab(byte wordAddress, int byteCount, params byte[] data);

In Matlab I use variants of this to call my C# method:

net = actxserver('RFFEDriver.RFFEDriverClass'); % Load the ActiveX
net.WriteDeviceBytes_matlab(char(4),4, {5 3 5 7}) % Using {}

I have tried six different types of data types in C# for the third parameter, the data array, and for each I have tried five inputs from matlab hoping to find a working combination.

With the list type “[]” I get error message: ??? Error: The parameter is incorrect. And with the pointer type I get the error message ??? No method 'WriteDeviceBytes_matlab' with matching signature found for class 'COM.RFFEDriver_RFFEDriverClass'.

A full description of my experiments follows:

I have compiled the C# code with the following commands

C:\windows\Microsoft.NET\Framework\v4.0.30319\csc /t:library RFFEDriver.cs FTD2XX_NET.cs 
C:\windows\Microsoft.NET\Framework\v4.0.30319\regasm RFFEDriver.dll /tlb /codebase

------- Test with byte[] ----------

C#

void WriteDeviceBytes_matlab(byte wordAddress, int byteCount, params byte[] data);

Matlab

>> net = actxserver('RFFEDriver.RFFEDriverClass'); % Load the ActiveX
>> methods 'COM.RFFEDriver_RFFEDriverClass' -full
Methods for class COM.RFFEDriver_RFFEDriverClass:
...
WriteDeviceBytes_matlab(handle, char, int32, SafeArray(char))
...

>> net.WriteDeviceBytes_matlab(char(4),4, {5 3 5 7}) % Using {}

??? Error: Type mismatch, argument 3

>> net.WriteDeviceBytes_matlab(char(4),4, {int16(5) char(3) char(5) char(7)})

??? Error: Type mismatch, argument 3

>> net.WriteDeviceBytes_matlab(char(4),4, [5 3 5 7]) % Using []

??? Error: Type mismatch, argument 3

>> net.WriteDeviceBytes_matlab(char(4),4, [int16(5) char(3) char(5) char(7)])

??? Error: Type mismatch, argument 3

>> Data_p = libpointer('uint8Ptr', [1 2 3 4]);  % uint8
>> net.WriteDeviceBytes_matlab(char(4),4, Data_p)

??? Error: Type mismatch, argument 3

>> Data_p = libpointer('int8Ptr', [1 2 3 4]);   % int8
>> net.WriteDeviceBytes_matlab(char(4),4, Data_p)

??? Error: The parameter is incorrect.

------- Test with char[] ----------

void WriteDeviceBytes_matlab(byte wordAddress, int byteCount, params char[] data);

>> net = actxserver('RFFEDriver.RFFEDriverClass'); % Load the ActiveX
>> methods 'COM.RFFEDriver_RFFEDriverClass' -full
Methods for class COM.RFFEDriver_RFFEDriverClass:
...
WriteDeviceBytes_matlab(handle, char, int32, SafeArray(int16))
...

>> net.WriteDeviceBytes_matlab(char(4),4, {5 3 5 7}) % Using {}

??? Error: Type mismatch, argument 3

>> net.WriteDeviceBytes_matlab(char(4),4, {int16(5) int16(3) int16(5) int16(7)})

??? Error: Type mismatch, argument 3

>> net.WriteDeviceBytes_matlab(char(4),4, [5 3 5 7]) % Using []

??? Error: Type mismatch, argument 3

>> net.WriteDeviceBytes_matlab(char(4),4, [int16(5) int16(3) int16(5) int16(7)])

??? Error: Type mismatch, argument 3

>> Data_p = libpointer('int16Ptr', [1 2 3 4]);
>> Data_p.value
ans =  1      2      3      4
>> net.WriteDeviceBytes_matlab(char(4),4, Data_p)

??? Error: The parameter is incorrect.

------- Test with int[] ----------

void WriteDeviceBytes_matlab(byte wordAddress, int byteCount, params int[] data);

>> net = actxserver('RFFEDriver.RFFEDriverClass'); % Load the ActiveX
>> methods 'COM.RFFEDriver_RFFEDriverClass' -full
Methods for class COM.RFFEDriver_RFFEDriverClass:
...
WriteDeviceBytes_matlab(handle, char, int32, SafeArray(int32))
...

>> net.WriteDeviceBytes_matlab(char(4),4, {5 3 5 7}) % Using {}

??? Error: Type mismatch, argument 3

>> net.WriteDeviceBytes_matlab(char(4),4, {int16(5) int16(3) int16(5) int16(7)})

??? Error: Type mismatch, argument 3

>> net.WriteDeviceBytes_matlab(char(4),4, [5 3 5 7]) % Using []

??? Error: Type mismatch, argument 3

>> net.WriteDeviceBytes_matlab(char(4),4, [int16(5) int16(3) int16(5) int16(7)])

??? Error: Type mismatch, argument 3

>> Data_p = libpointer('int16Ptr', [1 2 3 4]);
>> Data_p.value
ans =  1      2      3      4
>> net.WriteDeviceBytes_matlab(char(4),4, Data_p)

??? Error: The parameter is incorrect.

-------------------------------------------

Now pointers are used and the keyword “unsafe” is added when compiling and to method declarations

C:\windows\Microsoft.NET\Framework\v4.0.30319\csc /t:library RFFEDriver.cs FTD2XX_NET.cs  /unsafe
C:\windows\Microsoft.NET\Framework\v4.0.30319\regasm RFFEDriver.dll /tlb /codebase

------- Test with byte* ----------

unsafe void WriteDeviceBytes_matlab(byte wordAddress, int byteCount, byte* data);

>> net = actxserver('RFFEDriver.RFFEDriverClass'); % Load the ActiveX
>> methods 'COM.RFFEDriver_RFFEDriverClass' -full
Methods for class COM.RFFEDriver_RFFEDriverClass:
...
char WriteDeviceBytes_matlab(handle, char, int32, char)
...

>> net.WriteDeviceBytes_matlab(char(4),4, {5 3 5 7}) % Using {}

??? No method 'WriteDeviceBytes_matlab' with matching signature found for class 'COM.RFFEDriver_RFFEDriverClass'.

>> net.WriteDeviceBytes_matlab(char(4),4, {int8(5) int8(3) int8(5) int8(7)})

??? No method 'WriteDeviceBytes_matlab' with matching signature found for class 'COM.RFFEDriver_RFFEDriverClass'.

>> net.WriteDeviceBytes_matlab(char(4),4, [5 3 5 7]) % Using []

??? No method 'WriteDeviceBytes_matlab' with matching signature found for class 'COM.RFFEDriver_RFFEDriverClass'.

>> net.WriteDeviceBytes_matlab(char(4),4, [int8(5) int8(3) int8(5) int8(7)])

??? No method 'WriteDeviceBytes_matlab' with matching signature found for class 'COM.RFFEDriver_RFFEDriverClass'.

>> Data_p = libpointer('int8Ptr', [1 2 3 4]);
>> Data_p.value
ans =  1      2      3      4
>> net.WriteDeviceBytes_matlab(char(4),4, Data_p)

??? No method 'WriteDeviceBytes_matlab' with matching signature found for class 'COM.RFFEDriver_RFFEDriverClass'.

------- Test with int* ----------

unsafe void WriteDeviceBytes_matlab(byte wordAddress, int byteCount, int* data);

>> net = actxserver('RFFEDriver.RFFEDriverClass'); % Load the ActiveX
>> methods 'COM.RFFEDriver_RFFEDriverClass' -full
Methods for class COM.RFFEDriver_RFFEDriverClass:
...
int32 WriteDeviceBytes_matlab(handle, char, int32, int32)
...

>> net.WriteDeviceBytes_matlab(char(4),4, {5 3 5 7}) % Using {}

??? No method 'WriteDeviceBytes_matlab' with matching signature found for class 'COM.RFFEDriver_RFFEDriverClass'.

>> net.WriteDeviceBytes_matlab(char(4),4, {int32(5) int32(3) int32(5) int32(7)})

??? No method 'WriteDeviceBytes_matlab' with matching signature found for class 'COM.RFFEDriver_RFFEDriverClass'.

>> net.WriteDeviceBytes_matlab(char(4),4, [5 3 5 7]) % Using []

??? No method 'WriteDeviceBytes_matlab' with matching signature found for class 'COM.RFFEDriver_RFFEDriverClass'.

>> net.WriteDeviceBytes_matlab(char(4),4, [int32(5) int32(3) int32(5) int32(7)])

??? No method 'WriteDeviceBytes_matlab' with matching signature found for class 'COM.RFFEDriver_RFFEDriverClass'.

>> Data_p = libpointer('int32Ptr', [1 2 3 4]);
>> Data_p.value
ans =  1      2      3      4
>> net.WriteDeviceBytes_matlab(char(4),4, Data_p)

??? No method 'WriteDeviceBytes_matlab' with matching signature found for class 'COM.RFFEDriver_RFFEDriverClass'.

Answer 1

[Steven]

Are you calling a .net object or an activex control?

http://www.mathworks.com/help/matlab/using-com-objects-in-matlab.html

http://www.mathworks.com/help/matlab/using-net-libraries-in-matlab.html

Make sure your activex control is registered .dll and that it shows up elsewhere (call it from vb or something)

[Steven]

Oh, also make sure your version of matlab supports this: ver 7 is so long ago it may not have the functionality