Why do I have to serialize objects to share them between processes?

When sending objects from one process to another, all references become invalid in the new process. This is because each process has its own protected memory space. This is why an interprocess communications component such as Mini-Comm is necessary to share data between processes.

So, to share data between processes, the data needs to be converted into a format that can be properly re-created in another process. This is similar to when data is stored on disk: the data is converted into binary or text format so that it can be stored on disk and then read into another process at a later time.

Mini-Comm can exchange data in text or binary (Stream) format. Which means you can send your data (text, objects, and/or collections of objects) in text or binary format (whichever you prefer). Common text formats to use for objects are .NET serialization and XML. Serialization also provides a binary format.

The Mini-Comm Sample Objects program demonstrates the use of both .NET serialization and XML to share objects across processes and includes sample C# source code. Also consult the Mini-Comm help file for more information and code.

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Can Mini-Comm share data across the Internet?

No. Mini-Comm has been optimized for interprocess communications on the same PC. Please contact us if you would like to use Mini-Comm to communicate over the Internet.

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Can Mini-Comm be used in a windows service or console application?

No. Mini-Comm uses Windows messaging for its communications, which has the advantage of being very fast and efficient, but also requires that Mini-Comm is used in a Windows Forms application.

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