How To Use Visual Basic & DDE/OLE with Other Windows-Based Apps (142821)

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 the Microsoft Professional or Enterprise Editions of Visual Basic for Windows, 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 the Microsoft 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 in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

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 or Enterprise Editions of Visual Basic for Windows, 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 Visual C++, you can create a custom control that supports OLE and add it to your Visual Basic application.

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

   Product                 Version    Supports DDE?   OLE Version
   -------                 -------    -------------   -----------
   Microsoft Access        2.0        Yes             2.0
   Microsoft Publisher     2.0        No              1.0
   Microsoft Visual Basic  3.0        Yes             2.0*
   Microsoft Excel         4.0        Yes             1.0
   Microsoft Excel         5.0        Yes             2.0
   Microsoft PowerPoint    4.0        No              2.0
   Microsoft Project       4.0        No              2.0
   Microsoft Word          2.0        Yes             1.0
   Microsoft Word          6.0        Yes             2.0
   Microsoft 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.