The Dynamic Data Exchange Management Library (DDEML) provides a set of API elements that simplifies the task of adding DDE capability to a Windows application. Instead of sending, posting, and processing DDE messages directly, an application uses the functions provided by the DDEML to manage DDE conversations.
The DDEML also provides a facility for managing the strings and data that are passed among DDE applications. Applications create and exchange string handles and data handles instead of atoms and pointers to shared memory objects. A server- name service allows a server application to register the application names that it supports. The names are broadcast to other applications in the system, which can then use the names to connect to the server. The DDEML also ensures compatibility among DDE applications by forcing them to implement the DDE protocol in a consistent manner.
Following are the new DDE functions:
| Function | Description |
| DdeAbandonTransaction | Abandons an asynchronous transaction. |
| DdeAccessData | Accesses a DDE global memory object. |
| DdeAddData | Adds data to a DDE global memory object. |
| DdeClientTransaction | Begins a DDE data transaction. |
| DdeCmpStringHandles | Compares two DDE string handles. |
| DdeConnect | Establishes a conversation with a server. |
| DdeConnectList | Establishes multiple DDE conversations. |
| DdeCreateDataHandle | Creates a DDE data handle. |
| DdeCreateStringHandle | Creates a DDE string handle. |
| DdeDisconnect | Terminates a DDE conversation. |
| DdeDisconnectList | Destroys a DDE conversation list. |
| DdeEnableCallback | Enables or disables one or more DDE conversations. |
| DdeFreeDataHandle | Frees a global memory object. |
| DdeFreeStringHandle | Frees a DDE string handle. |
| DdeGetData | Copies data from a global memory object to a buffer. |
| DdeGetLastError | Returns an error value set by a DDEML function. |
| DdeInitialize | Registers an application with the DDEML. |
| DdeKeepStringHandle | Increments the use count for a string handle. |
| DdeNameService | Registers or unregisters a server application name. |
| DdePostAdvise | Prompts a server to send data to a client during an advise loop. |
| DdeQueryConvInfo | Retrieves information about a DDE conversation. |
| DdeQueryNextServer | Obtains the next handle in a conversation list. |
| DdeQueryString | Copies string-handle text to a buffer. |
| DdeSetUserHandle | Associates a user-defined handle with a transaction. |
| DdeUnaccessData | Frees a DDE global memory object. |
| DdeUninitialize | Frees an application's DDEML resources. |
The DDEML feature depends on the dynamic-link library DDEML.DLL. This is a redistributable library.