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RAS Custom Scripting

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Developers can create a custom-scripting DLL that resides on a RAS client computer. This DLL can communicate with the server during the process of establishing a connection.

Windows NT: Custom scripting is not available.

Setting up the DLL

To set up the DLL, create a value with the name CustomScriptDllPath under the following registry key:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE
   System
      CurrentControlSet
         Services
            Rasman
               Parameters

This value should be of type REG_EXPAND_SZ. The value should contain the path to the custom-scripting DLL. Only one custom-scripting DLL is supported for each RAS client computer.

Interaction Between the Server, RAS, and the Custom-Scripting DLL

The custom scripting DLL should export a single entry point: RasCustomScriptExecute. RAS calls this function during the RASCS_Interactive state of the connection process. The RASCS_Interactive state is a paused state, which allows the user to interact with a user interface presented by the custom-scripting DLL. See RASCONNSTATE for more information about connection states.

RAS will pass as parameters to the RasCustomScriptExecute function:

  • A handle to the port on the client computer that is being used for the connection.
  • Strings that identify the phone book and entry for the connection.
  • RAS also passes in a handle to a window to enable the DLL to present a user interface.
  • A set of function pointers that the DLL can use to communicate with the server.

See RasCustomScriptExecute for more information about these parameters.

RAS passes a pointer to a RASCUSTOMSCRIPTEXTENSIONS structure as the last parameter to RasCustomScriptExecute. This structure contains a pointer to a function of type PFNRASSETCOMMSETTINGS. The custom-scripting DLL calls this function to modify the communication settings on the port being used by the connection.

RAS mediates the interaction between the server and the custom-scripting DLL. Typically, the server initiates the dialog. For example, the server may request the user name and password of the user.

When using custom-scripting to establish a connection, the server need not be running Windows NT 4.0 or Windows 2000.

Custom Scripting User Interface Must Support IDCANCEL

If the custom dialer displays a user interface, the user interface must support WM_COMMAND messages where LOWORD(wParam) equals IDCANCEL.

Configuring the Connection

The RasCustomScriptExecute entry point can be invoked from RasDialDlg or, on Windows XP, from RasDial.

To invoke RasCustomScriptExecute from RasDialDlg, set the RASEO_CustomScript option in the phone-book entry for the connection. See the dwfOptions member of RASENTRY for a description of phone-book entry options. Use the RasGetEntryProperties and RasSetEntryProperties functions to set this option programmatically.

Windows XP: To invoke RasCustomScriptExecute from RasDial, the call to RasDial must specify a RASDIALEXTENSIONS structure, and this structure must specify the RDEOPT_UseCustomScripting flag. In addition, the phone-book entry for the connection must specify the RASEO_CustomScript option as described in the preceding paragraph.

Invoking the Custom Scripting DLL

If the user activates a connection for a phone-book entry that has RASEO_CustomScript set, RAS invokes the custom-scripting DLL. In this scenario, RAS invokes the custom-scripting DLL from RasDialDlg.

To invoke the custom-scripting DLL programmatically, establish the connection using the RasDialDlg function. On Windows XP, the RasDial function also invokes the custom-scripting DLL.