How To: Troubleshooting a Network DDE Link with WFWG (91197)

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To test network DDE, both machines should be running the same video driver, such as VGA (16 colors), which shipped with Windows for Workgroups.

Network DDE works like object-linking-and-embedding (OLE) over a network. There are several logical steps to troubleshoot a network DDE problem:

1. Make sure that the machines can communicate with each other. To test this, try to copy a file from one machine to another. Remember that a Windows for Workgroups machine needs to be in enhanced mode and have 4 megabytes (MB) of memory to have server functionality.
2. To make sure that the problem is not application-related, do a network DDE link using Paintbrush and Write. The steps are as follows:
   
   
   1. Open a bitmap in Paintbrush and copy it to the Clipboard.
   2. Open ClipBook. From the Edit menu, choose Paste. This brings up a dialog box that asks for a Page (Share) Name.
   3. Type test as the Page Name and choose OK. (Make sure the Share Item Now box is selected.)
   4. When the next dialog box comes up, choose Start Application On Connect.
   5. From the Client machine, open ClipBook. From the File menu, choose Connect.
   6. Select the server name from the list, then select the "test" file.
   7. From the Edit menu, choose Copy.
   8. Start Write. From the Edit menu, choose Paste Link. This should create a Network DDE link from Paintbrush on the server machine to Write on the client machine.
   9. Test the link by drawing in Paintbrush on the server and see if Write is updated on the client.

If Write isn't updated, there is a problem with Network DDE. If the above steps work, the problem is in one or both of the applications that were having the original problem.

Each of the applications can be tested with Write or Paintbrush to determine which application is at fault. Some applications may have to be upgraded to work properly with Network DDE. Check with the application vendor for more information on a specific application.