OLE Embedding & Linking Word for Windows Objects into VB Apps

• Microsoft Visual Basic Professional Edition for Windows, version 2.0
• Microsoft Word for Windows, version 2.0

SUMMARY

This article shows by example how to use the object linking and embedding (OLE) client custom control (OLECLIEN.VBX) with Microsoft Word for Windows. The example demonstrates both how to embed and how to link a Word for Windows document into a Visual Basic application.

NOTE: In Word for Windows, version 6.0 or 6.0a, the Bookmark menu item moved from the Insert menu to the View menu.

MORE INFORMATION

Embedding an object encapsulates the data displayed in the Visual Basic OLE client control and makes the data inaccessible to other applications, unlike the data in an linked object. In addition, embedding an object does not require that a file already exist for the object to be usable.

Linking an object, on the other hand, does require that a file already exist, and it requires a LinkItem setting. For a Word for Windows document, the LinkItem can be any bookmark within the document.

The example shown below demonstrates how to use:

• Embedded Word for Windows objects



• Linked Word for Windows objects

   Property   Value
   ----------------------------
   Class      "WordDocument"
   Protocol   "StdFileEditing" 

   Property     Value
   -------------------------------------------------------------
   SourceDoc    The full path of the document to use (such as
                 C:\OLETEST.DOC)

   SourceItem   A bookmark (OLE_Link is used in this example) 

Step One: Create the Word for Windows Document You Want to Link Or Embed

1. Start Word for Windows. Document1 is created by default.



2. Press CTRL+SHIFT+END to select to the end of the document.



3. From the Insert menu, choose Bookmark. Under Bookmark Name, type:
   
   OLE_Link
   
   and press ENTER to set a bookmark for the entire document. This bookmark functions as the LinkItem.



4. From the File menu, choose Save As, and save the document with the name C:\OLETEST.DOC. (If the path is different, change the ServerDoc property on OleClient1 to reflect the correct path.)

Step Two: Create the Visual Basic Application That Will Hold the Document

1. Start Visual Basic or from the File menu, choose New Project (ALT, F, N) if Visual Basic is already running. Form1 is created by default.



2. From the File menu, choose Add File and add OLECLIEN.VBX to the project.



3. Add the following controls to Form1, and give them the properties shown:

   
      Default Name   Caption                Name
      ----------------------------------------------------
      OleClient1     N/A                    OleClient1
      Option1        &Embed Object          OptionEmbed
      Option2        &Link Object           OptionLink
      Command1       Embed WinWord Object   Command1
    




4. Change the Value property on OptionEmbed to True.



5. Add the following code to the general declarations section of Form1:

   
      Dim fshowing As Integer
   
      Const OLE_LINKED = 0
      Const OLE_EMBEDDED = 1
      Const OLE_STATIC = 2
   
      Const OLE_CREATE = 0
      Const OLE_CREATE_FROM_FILE = 1
      Const OLE_UPDATE = 6
      Const OLE_ACTIVATE = 7
      Const OLE_DELETE = 10
    




6. Add the following code to the click event of Command1:

   
      Sub Command1_Click ()
   
         ' Unload the current object so a new object can be loaded
         If fshowing Then
            OleClient1.Action = OLE_DELETE
         End If
   
         OleClient1.Class = "WordDocument"
         OleClient1.Protocol = "StdFileEditing"
         If OptionEmbed Then
            ' Data is managed by Visual Basic
            OleClient1.ServerType = OLE_EMBEDDED
            OleClient1.Action = OLE_CREATE
         Else
            OleClient1.SourceDoc = "C:\OLETEST.DOC"
            OleClient1.SourceItem = "OLE_Link"
            OleClient1.ServerType = OLE_LINKED
            OleClient1.Action = OLE_CREATE_FROM_FILE
         End If
         OleClient1.Action = OLE_UPDATE
         fshowing = True
   
      End Sub
    




7. Add the following code to the DblClick event of OleClient1:

   
      Sub OleClient1_DblClick ()
         OleClient1.Action = OLE_ACTIVATE
      End Sub
    




8. Add the following code to the Click event of OptionEmbed:

   
      Sub OptionEmbed_Click ()
         Command1.Caption = "Embed WinWord Object"
      End Sub
    




9. Add the following code to the Click event of OptionLink:

   
      Sub OptionLink_Click ()
         Command1.Caption = "Link WinWord Object"
      End Sub
    




10. From the Run menu, choose Start (ALT+R, S) to run the program.



11. Click the Embed WinWord Object button to activate Word for Windows.



12. Type some text into the active Word document.



13. Close Word and click the Yes button when asked if you want to update the Object in OleClient1. The Word for Windows icon is painted in the OleClient1 control.



14. Double-click the OLE client control to reactivate Word and redisplay the text you entered.



15. Click OptionLink. The caption of button changes to Link WinWord Object.



16. Click the Link WinWord Object button. The Word icon remains in the OLE client control, however it is now linked to the document created in the first part of this example, not the embedded object.



17. Double-click the OLE client control to activate Word for Windows and redisplay the text you entered in the first document.

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