Word supports several ways of communicating and sharing information with other applications. The simplest is through the Clipboard, using the standard Cut, Copy, and Paste commands (Edit menu). A more useful technique for WordBasic macros is dynamic data exchange (DDE), a protocol your macro can use to extract information from other applications, automatically update them with new information, and even send commands or keystrokes to manipulate them by remote control.
Word also offers limited support for object linking and embedding (OLE) Automation. OLE Automation is the successor to DDE and offers additional capabilities. An application such as Microsoft Excel can use OLE Automation to control Word and request information.
In Windows, you can use the messaging application programming interface (MAPI) to integrate Word with applications that support MAPI, such as Microsoft Mail. On the Macintosh, you can use built-in WordBasic statements and functions that support Apple Open Collaboration Environment (AOCE) messaging.
In this chapter: