Excel: DDE Links Not Updated When Dialog Box Is Active

• Microsoft Excel for Windows 95, versions 7.0, 7.0a
• Microsoft Excel for Windows, versions 2.x, 3.0, 4.0, 4.0a, 5.0, 5.0c

SUMMARY

When you have dynamic data exchange (DDE) links established between Microsoft Excel and Microsoft Word, such that Microsoft Word is the server application and Microsoft Excel is the client application, the DDE links may not be updated when a dialog box is active in Microsoft Excel.

MORE INFORMATION

Dynamic data exchange (DDE) is a Microsoft Windows communication protocol that allows Windows applications to share data (a server application sends commands to a client application). A DDE conversation between two applications actually takes place between two windows, one for each of the participating applications. Any active dialog box (with the exception of the Help dialog boxes), such as the Open dialog box, can interrupt the DDE conversation.

So, in the above example, a dialog box will prevent Microsoft Excel from receiving updated information from Microsoft Word.