VB3 VB & DDE/OLE with Other Windows-Based Applications

 Last reviewed: January 9, 1997
Article ID: Q76562
The information in this article applies to:
  • Standard and Professional Editions of Microsoft Visual Basic for Windows, versions 2.0 and 3.0
  • Microsoft Visual Basic programming system for Windows, version 1.0

SUMMARY

Microsoft Visual Basic for Windows can link to a number of Windows applications through dynamic data exchange (DDE). Visual Basic can also, through the addition of custom controls, link to other Windows-based applications through OLE. Custom controls for OLE support are provided with Microsoft Professional Toolkit for Visual Basic, available from Microsoft End User Sales and Service or from your nearest dealer of Microsoft products.

MORE INFORMATION

Visual Basic has built-in support for DDE. Visual Basic can link and share information with any other Windows-based application that also supports DDE.

Additional articles in this Knowledge Base discuss exactly how to establish a DDE link between Visual Basic and the following applications:

  • Another Visual Basic application
  • Microsoft Word for Windows
  • Microsoft Excel for Windows
  • Q+E (shipped with Microsoft Excel)

To locate these articles, query on the following words: 

   Visual and Basic and DDE
A Visual Basic application can also use OLE to link with any other Windows application that supports OLE.

OLE controls are not built into Visual Basic itself, but are readily available through the Microsoft Professional Toolkit for Visual Basic, available from Microsoft End User Sales and Service or your nearest Microsoft dealer.

A more challenging approach to obtain OLE support is to write your own custom control. With the Visual Basic Control Development Kit (CDK), along with either the Microsoft Windows Software Development Kit (SDK) and Microsoft C or Microsoft QuickC for Windows, you can create a custom control that supports OLE and add it to your Visual Basic application. The Visual Basic CDK is shipped as part of Microsoft Professional Toolkit for Microsoft Visual Basic version 1.0 for Windows.

Below is a list of applications for Microsoft Windows and their abilities to support DDE and/or OLE: 

   Product             Version    Supports DDE?   OLE Version
   -------             -------    -------------   -----------

   Access              2.0        Yes             2.0
   Publisher           2.0        No              1.0
   Visual Basic        3.0        Yes             2.0*
   Excel               4.0        Yes             1.0
   Excel               5.0        Yes             2.0
   PowerPoint          4.0        No              2.0
   Project             4.0        No              2.0
   Word                2.0        Yes             1.0
   Word                6.0        Yes             2.0
   Works               3.0        No              2.0
* OLE Automation support is built into the language, but OLE linking and 
  embedding is only supported through the use of a custom control.

Additional reference words: 1.00 2.00 3.00
KBCategory: kbole kbinterop kbprg
KBSubcategory: IAPOLE IAPDDE

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Last reviewed: January 9, 1997
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