About VBVoiceComposite Controls

Composite controls allow you to encapsulate modules of VBVoicecall-flow into your own controls to be later used as building blocks for a complete application. This concept is somewhat similar to subroutine. However, it allows more flexibility with packaging because Composite controls may be compiled into separate DLLs or even EXEs, running out of the main VB process.

The composite controls are created in Visual Basic using VBVoicecontrols. Once created and compiled, they can be invoked by your application using the SubStart control. The composite specifies an icon, an entry point, and multiple exit points.

The host SubStart control will modify its display to show the outputs, control name, and icon defined by the composite, will add the composite's custom property page to its own property pages, and will add the composite's greetings to the Greetings property page.

Features of composite controls include:

• Flowchart connectivity

• Custom properties and methods

• Custom property pages (created in VB) that are added to the SubStart standard property pages

• Custom greetings which are added to the Greetings property page of the SubStart control

• Custom icon

• Compilation into an in-process DLL or an EXE

• Run time selection of the actual composite to invoke (EXE only)

• Multiple exit nodes

• Local handling of global events

• Nested invocation (composite controls can themselves invoke other composite controls)

When should you use composite controls?

Composite controls are very useful when you need to:

• Load applications and modules of applications at run-time on demand, rather than running them all the time.

• Allow update of applications without system shutdown (software hot-swapping).

• Provide some customization ability to the end customer, including the modification of greetings, without providing full source code.

• Build a library of building block to be reused on different projects