You can use the DDERequest function over an open dynamic data exchange (DDE) channel to request an item of information from a DDE server application.
For example, if you have an open DDE channel between Microsoft Access and Microsoft Excel, you can use the DDERequest function to transfer text from a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet to a Microsoft Access database. In this example, Microsoft Access acts as the client application, and Microsoft Excel acts as the server application.
Syntax
DDERequest(channum, item)
The DDERequest function has the following arguments.
| Argument | Description |
|---|---|
| channum | A channel number, an integer returned by the DDEInitiate function. |
| item | A string expression that's the name of a data item recognized by the application specified by the DDEInitiate function. Check the application's documentation for a list of possible items. |
Remarks
The channum argument specifies the channel number of the desired DDE conversation, and the item argument identifies which data should be retrieved from the server application. The value of the item argument depends on the application and topic specified when the channel indicated by the channum argument is opened. For example, the item argument may be a range of cells in a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet.
The DDERequest function returns a Variant as a string containing the requested information if the request was successful.
The data is requested in alphanumeric text format. Graphics or text in any other format can't be transferred.
If the channum argument isn't an integer corresponding to an open channel, or if the data requested can't be transferred, a run-time error occurs.
Tip If you need to manipulate another application's objects from Microsoft Access, you may want to consider using Automation.