IE 9 IDOMNodeIterator interface

Sam Hobbs

IE 9 has the IDOMNodeIterator interface to iterate text nodes. I am trying to use it in C# but I cannot. Ideally someone can figure out why not but if someone can duplicate the problems I have encountered then it will help me to know that I am not overlooking something. I have a reference for mshtml.tlb. The Object Browser shows that IDOMNodeIterator is in the mshtml namespace but the compiler does not see it; Intellisense does not see it and I get compile errors when I try to compile. The following shows one way I have tried but I have tried many other possibilities.

int ulWhatToShow = 0;
mshtml.IHTMLDocument2 Document = new mshtml.HTMLDocumentClass();
//
// I load the document here
//
//mshtml.IDOMNodeIterator = ((mshtmlv9.IDocumentTraversal)Document).createNodeIterator(Document.body, ulWhatToShow, null, false);
mshtml.IDOMNodeIterator = ((mshtml.HTMLDocumentClass)Document).createNodeIterator(Document.body, ulWhatToShow, null, false);

I sure don't understand why the IDE and the compiler do not see IDOMNodeIterator when the Object Browser does. The compiler says that IDOMNodeIterator is not in the namespace and Intellisense indicates that also. Does that happen to you too?
There are a couple of ways to iterate text nodes in IE versions prior to 9 but I want to be able to use the IE 9 IDOMNodeIterator interface if possible.

4 Replies

Know the answer? Post it — somebody with the same question will find it here.

Charles15y ago
Accepted answer
You are welcome. Please see a more detailed reply at the MSHTML.IDOMNodeIterator link you reference.

Also, you can use the .idl file to create a .tlb file, but you can skip this step since you already have it. Sometimes the .tlb file is not provided.
Sam Hobbs15y ago
Yes, that did it, thank you.

You should write an article for this web site about the need for and the procedure for creating a reference for IE 9. I know it will be appreciated.
Sam Hobbs15y ago
Thank you Charles and welcome to C# Corner.

Do you know why the interop for mshtml v9 is not provided? What says that it is not?

The mshtml.dll file in my C:\Windows\System32 have a file and product version of 9.0.8112.16434; does that mean that it is for IE 9?

Can you explain why the Object Browser shows IDOMNodeIterator but the compiler does not see it?

Note that in the code I posted here, I left in some commented code. I did not realize that part of the commented code has mshtmlv9 instead of mshtml. It has mshtmlv9 because I have already created a mshtmlv9.dll using:

tlbimp mshtml.tlb /out: mshtmlv9.dll

I referenced that DLL and used the namespace mshtmlv9 in my code but I was unable to get the program to compile.

Note that in the thread that you referenced, it says "the mshtml.tlb file should be in C:\Windows\System32 and/or C:\Windows\SysWOW64 after installing IE9". I see no explanation for why the DLL is not for IE9 if it is not. The MSDN forum thread refers to the Stackoverflow thread asking how to compile the idl. It is my understanding that we do not need to compile the idl; that the type library is already provided. Microsft certainly did not suggest that I compile the idl; see MSHTML.IDOMNodeIterator.

Have you been successful at getting IDOMNodeIterator to work? If so then I will do everything I can to use your help. Otherwise the thing I am asking for is for someone to attempt to do it and then simply duplicate the problem.

Also, Yi Feng Li of Microsoft and you are saying to create a mshtml.dll file from the tlb. Yet when I try to add a reference for the C:\Windows\System32\mshtml.dll file, that does not work. I am using the tlb file, so I don't understand how it would make any difference if I generate a dll from the tlb file.
Charles15y ago
You need the interop for mshtml v9. It's not provided, so you need to build it and reference it.

tlbimp mshtml.tlb /out:Microsoft.mshtml.dll /namespace:mshtml /asmversion:9.0

The mshtml.tlb file should be in C:\Windows\System32 and/or C:\Windows\SysWOW64 after installing IE9.

See the following for details:
http://social.msdn.microsoft.com/Forums/en-US/clr/thread/b6512b8d-e53e-4959-a917-0cae731827b2/#2ff37862-ccb1-4f57-bc58-646daf4953ce