This is the comprehensive and official reference documentation on OLE, revised to incorporate OLE enhancements and bring them in line with 32-bit Windows 95 and Windows NT. Volume 2 concentrates on OLE Automation, the revolutionary capability of OLE that makes it possible to manipulate an application's objects from outside the application.
If you are programming for Microsoft Windows (including Microsoft Windows NT version 3.51 and Microsoft Windows 95), you need to know how to use OLE Automation, the revolutionary capability of OLE that makes it possible to manipulate application objects from external applications. OLE Automation uses the OLE Component Object Model (COM), but it can be implemented independently by way of other OLE features. Using OLE Automation, you can build applications and programming tools that expose objects; create and manipulate objects exposed in one application from another application; and develop tools such as embedded macro languages, external programming tools, object browsers, and compilers that can access and manipulate objects. The OLE Automation Programmer's Reference provides procedural and reference information that explains how to design applications that expose and access OLE Automation objects; defines standard OLE Automation objects and provides naming guidelines; describes the IDispatch interfaces for exposing and accessing objects from within an application; provides access to data manipulation functions; indicates how to generate, read, and bind type descriptions; shows you how to create type libraries; and offers rich error-handling interfaces. OLE Automation offers significant advantages over application-specific macro languages, thus meeting the automation requirements of users across multiple applications. Tap into its power by making the OLE Automation Programmer's Reference your essential guide.