Problem with Marshal class in Visual Studio 2005

[william.thorpe.b]

I have recently switched from VS2003 to VS2005 and at the same time
from V1 to V2 of the .NET Compact Framework. The target is a Windows
CE 5.0 device and an ARMV4I processor.

System.Runtime.InteropServices.Marshal.WriteInt32 used to work fine but
now is misbehaving.

I wrote some native-code (C++) alternates to some Marshal methods and
when I P/Invoke them they work fine; I can write to an address and I
read back the same value that I just wrote.

When I use Marshal.WriteInt32, the value that I read back (with either
technique) gives a bogus value. I get the same bogus value regardless
of what value I wrote to the address.

Any ideas?

Thanks,
Bill

[Nicholas Paldino [.NET/C# MVP]]

Bill,

Without seeing any code (to call Marshal, or your method, or the
implementation of your method), it would be hard to say.

Can you provide any of those things?
--
- Nicholas Paldino [.NET/C# MVP]
- mv*@spam.guard.caspershouse.com

<wi**************@bayer.com> wrote in message
news:11**********************@g47g2000cwa.googlegr oups.com...

I have recently switched from VS2003 to VS2005 and at the same time
from V1 to V2 of the .NET Compact Framework. The target is a Windows
CE 5.0 device and an ARMV4I processor.

System.Runtime.InteropServices.Marshal.WriteInt32 used to work fine but
now is misbehaving.

I wrote some native-code (C++) alternates to some Marshal methods and
when I P/Invoke them they work fine; I can write to an address and I
read back the same value that I just wrote.

When I use Marshal.WriteInt32, the value that I read back (with either
technique) gives a bogus value. I get the same bogus value regardless
of what value I wrote to the address.

Any ideas?

Thanks,
Bill

[william.thorpe.b]

Hi Nicholas,

Here is the source code. Hopefully you will see something wrong. Has
the Marshal class changed from V1 to V2? Is there now some
trick/configuration to using it properly in V2?

The C# code looks like...

[DllImport( "Marshaler.dll" )]
private static extern void MyWriteInt32( IntPtr addr, Int32 offset,
Int32 value );

[DllImport( "Marshaler.dll" )]
private static extern Int32 MyReadInt32( IntPtr addr, Int32 offset );

unsafe void Foo()
{
IntPtr ptr = new IntPtr( (void*)0xa8702004 );
Int32 regVal = 0;

// Marshal works correctly with VS2003 but not VS2005
regVal = Marshal.ReadInt32( ptr ); // reads 0x2000ffe0 (correct)
Marshal.WriteInt32( ptr, regVal ); // write save value that was
just read
regVal = Marshal.ReadInt32( ptr ); // reads 0x20002020 (wrong)
Marshal.WriteInt32( ptr, 0x2000ffe1 );
regVal = Marshal.ReadInt32( ptr ); // reads 0x20002020 (wrong)
Marshal.WriteInt32( ptr, 0x2000ffe0 );
regVal = Marshal.ReadInt32( ptr ); // reads 0x20002020 (wrong)

// Using P/Invoke to my own routines works in both VS2003 and
VS2005
regVal = MyReadInt32( ptr, 0 ); // reads 0x20002020 (wrong)
MyWriteInt32( ptr, 0, 0x2000ffe2 );
regVal = MyReadInt32( ptr, 0 ); // reads 0x2000ffe2 (correct)
MyWriteInt32( ptr, 0, 0x2000ffe0 );
regVal = MyReadInt32( ptr, 0 ); // reads 0x2000ffe0 (correct)

regVal = Marshal.ReadInt32( ptr ); // reads 0x2000ffe0 (correct)
}

// The C++ functions in Marshaler.dll look like (extern "C" in .h
file)...
__declspec(dllexport) void MyWriteInt32( void * pAddr, int offset, int
value )
{
volatile int * ptr = reinterpret_cast<int *>(pAddr) + offset;
*ptr = value;
}

__declspec(dllexport) int MyReadInt32( void * pAddr, int offset )
{
return *( reinterpret_cast<int *>(pAddr) + offset );
}

[Willy Denoyette [MVP]]

This:

IntPtr ptr = new IntPtr( (void*)0xa8702004 );

indicates that you run on 64bit windows, or you have /4GT tuning enabled,
but the question is what is ptr pointing at and how do you know it's not a
moving target, or a memory location you don't own?
I'm not clear on what you are trying to achieve, but this looks very unsafe.
Willy.

<wi**************@bayer.com> wrote in message
news:11**********************@g14g2000cwa.googlegr oups.com...
| Hi Nicholas,
|
| Here is the source code. Hopefully you will see something wrong. Has
| the Marshal class changed from V1 to V2? Is there now some
| trick/configuration to using it properly in V2?
|
| The C# code looks like...
|
| [DllImport( "Marshaler.dll" )]
| private static extern void MyWriteInt32( IntPtr addr, Int32 offset,
| Int32 value );
|
| [DllImport( "Marshaler.dll" )]
| private static extern Int32 MyReadInt32( IntPtr addr, Int32 offset );
|
| unsafe void Foo()
| {
| IntPtr ptr = new IntPtr( (void*)0xa8702004 );
| Int32 regVal = 0;
|
| // Marshal works correctly with VS2003 but not VS2005
| regVal = Marshal.ReadInt32( ptr ); // reads 0x2000ffe0 (correct)
| Marshal.WriteInt32( ptr, regVal ); // write save value that was
| just read
| regVal = Marshal.ReadInt32( ptr ); // reads 0x20002020 (wrong)
| Marshal.WriteInt32( ptr, 0x2000ffe1 );
| regVal = Marshal.ReadInt32( ptr ); // reads 0x20002020 (wrong)
| Marshal.WriteInt32( ptr, 0x2000ffe0 );
| regVal = Marshal.ReadInt32( ptr ); // reads 0x20002020 (wrong)
|
| // Using P/Invoke to my own routines works in both VS2003 and
| VS2005
| regVal = MyReadInt32( ptr, 0 ); // reads 0x20002020 (wrong)
| MyWriteInt32( ptr, 0, 0x2000ffe2 );
| regVal = MyReadInt32( ptr, 0 ); // reads 0x2000ffe2 (correct)
| MyWriteInt32( ptr, 0, 0x2000ffe0 );
| regVal = MyReadInt32( ptr, 0 ); // reads 0x2000ffe0 (correct)
|
| regVal = Marshal.ReadInt32( ptr ); // reads 0x2000ffe0 (correct)
| }
|
| // The C++ functions in Marshaler.dll look like (extern "C" in .h
| file)...
| __declspec(dllexport) void MyWriteInt32( void * pAddr, int offset, int
| value )
| {
| volatile int * ptr = reinterpret_cast<int *>(pAddr) + offset;
| *ptr = value;
| }
|
| __declspec(dllexport) int MyReadInt32( void * pAddr, int offset )
| {
| return *( reinterpret_cast<int *>(pAddr) + offset );
| }
|

[william.thorpe.b]

We are running on Windows CE 5.0 (32bit) and the address is definitely
valid.

Does the Marshal class in V2 of the compact framework have trouble with
a big address? It doesn't in V1.

-Bill

[Willy Denoyette [MVP]]

<wi**************@bayer.com> wrote in message
news:11**********************@g14g2000cwa.googlegr oups.com...
| We are running on Windows CE 5.0 (32bit) and the address is definitely
| valid.
|
| Does the Marshal class in V2 of the compact framework have trouble with
| a big address? It doesn't in V1.
|
| -Bill
|

Sorry, I missed this one in your original post.
Ok, the User space sits at the upper range so it could be a valid address,
but the question remains, what is this pointer pointing at? If it points to
the GC heap, I won't be supprised the contents changes when the GC compacts
the heap, it can also point to a location not owned by the process, I don't
know how user address space is laid-out in CE. Guess you might get better
answers when you post such questions to the compactframework NG.
Willy.

[william.thorpe.b]

This particular address allows us to control the chip select
configuration. It is definitely valid for me to read and write it and
I only picked this address as a test case to illustrate the bigger
problem. I have a lot of code (many addresses) that works fine under
vs2003 but not under vs2005. Something changed - maybe a V2 framework
bug?

I did post my original question to the compactframework newsgroup at
the same time I posted here but there have not been any replies yet.

Thanks,
Bill