basic COM useage

[colmag]

I'm trying to use some COM objects, and have spent days
getting nowhere.

Does anyone know of any good tutorials on USING non-MS
COM objects (i've found loads of tut's on automating
office), rather than the hundreds of tutorials on making
COM objects that i've found!

I've got the "help" file for the API in question, but
can't work out which objects to use (and how) to achieve
particular results.

[Scott M.]

You haven't really asked a specific question here. What exactly do you want
to know about using a COM object?
"colmag" <an*******@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:00****************************@phx.gbl...

I'm trying to use some COM objects, and have spent days
getting nowhere.

Does anyone know of any good tutorials on USING non-MS
COM objects (i've found loads of tut's on automating
office), rather than the hundreds of tutorials on making
COM objects that i've found!

I've got the "help" file for the API in question, but
can't work out which objects to use (and how) to achieve
particular results.

[colmag]

I can't ask a specific question, because although i have
a specific task in mind, i've realised how clueless I am
at the moment! lol.

I've installed an API, and want to use it to retrieve
information from a bunch of files related to the API's
parent application, but the API has got dozens of objects
and methods, some of which seem to duplicate things (to
me, anyway).

I've been getting messages about lack of instances etc.,
so i tried using ctype and createobject, but then got
messages saying the activex control couldn't be created
(or something along those lines). I also need to relate
some of the objects to each other, as one object has a
load method, another has objects with the properties i
need. I think i need ctype for this...

Basically, I'm looking for some guidance on general
principles of picking up someone else' poorly documented
API and using it (they give the API away for free, but
charge a developers licence for documentation. After
paying thousands to be able to create these files, i'm
bu**red if i'm paying more to disect them again). I've
got a couple of books, which is where i got the ctype
stuff from, but everything seems centred around
automating office, which i'm not interested in.

-----Original Message-----
You haven't really asked a specific question here. What exactly do you wantto know about using a COM object?
"colmag" <an*******@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in messagenews:00****************************@phx.gbl...

I'm trying to use some COM objects, and have spent days
getting nowhere.

Does anyone know of any good tutorials on USING non-MS
COM objects (i've found loads of tut's on automating
office), rather than the hundreds of tutorials on making COM objects that i've found!

I've got the "help" file for the API in question, but
can't work out which objects to use (and how) to achieve particular results.

.

[Scott M.]

Let's start at the beginning...Have you made a COM reference to your
component?

If so, then just go into Visual Studio's Object Browser (hit F2). Now, from
the top/left drop down box, you can filter what the Object Brower is showing
you, so filter it to just the component you now have a reference to.

This will at least give you an understanding of what object, properties,
methods and events are in the API, what data types are expected as input and
return values, etc.

There's really not much anyone else could do to help you, since this is a
custom component.

Good luck!
"colmag" <an*******@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:05****************************@phx.gbl...

I can't ask a specific question, because although i have
a specific task in mind, i've realised how clueless I am
at the moment! lol.

I've installed an API, and want to use it to retrieve
information from a bunch of files related to the API's
parent application, but the API has got dozens of objects
and methods, some of which seem to duplicate things (to
me, anyway).

I've been getting messages about lack of instances etc.,
so i tried using ctype and createobject, but then got
messages saying the activex control couldn't be created
(or something along those lines). I also need to relate
some of the objects to each other, as one object has a
load method, another has objects with the properties i
need. I think i need ctype for this...

Basically, I'm looking for some guidance on general
principles of picking up someone else' poorly documented
API and using it (they give the API away for free, but
charge a developers licence for documentation. After
paying thousands to be able to create these files, i'm
bu**red if i'm paying more to disect them again). I've
got a couple of books, which is where i got the ctype
stuff from, but everything seems centred around
automating office, which i'm not interested in.

-----Original Message-----
You haven't really asked a specific question here. What

exactly do you want

to know about using a COM object?
"colmag" <an*******@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in

message

news:00****************************@phx.gbl...

I'm trying to use some COM objects, and have spent days
getting nowhere.

Does anyone know of any good tutorials on USING non-MS
COM objects (i've found loads of tut's on automating
office), rather than the hundreds of tutorials on making COM objects that i've found!

I've got the "help" file for the API in question, but
can't work out which objects to use (and how) to achieve particular results.

.

[colmag]

Scott,

thanks for the input. As it happens, i've referenced all
of the required components (as per the API readme). I've
had a look through the objects and have drawn a bit of a
blank. I can make it load a document, but what i'm
struggling with is "linking" the objects together (which
is where i think ctype comes in), to get other object
properties from the loaded doc.

Cheers,

Col.

-----Original Message-----
Let's start at the beginning...Have you made a COM reference to yourcomponent?

If so, then just go into Visual Studio's Object Browser (hit F2). Now, fromthe top/left drop down box, you can filter what the Object Brower is showingyou, so filter it to just the component you now have a reference to.
This will at least give you an understanding of what object, properties,methods and events are in the API, what data types are expected as input andreturn values, etc.

There's really not much anyone else could do to help you, since this is acustom component.

Good luck!

[Scott M.]

There's really not anything anyone here can do to help beyond this. We
would really need to be able to see and use the components (since they are
custom).

Again, I usually find the Object Browser very helpful for learning about an
object model (API as you call it).

"colmag" <an*******@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:00****************************@phx.gbl...

Scott,

thanks for the input. As it happens, i've referenced all
of the required components (as per the API readme). I've
had a look through the objects and have drawn a bit of a
blank. I can make it load a document, but what i'm
struggling with is "linking" the objects together (which
is where i think ctype comes in), to get other object
properties from the loaded doc.

Cheers,

Col.

-----Original Message-----
Let's start at the beginning...Have you made a COM

reference to your

component?

If so, then just go into Visual Studio's Object Browser

(hit F2). Now, from

the top/left drop down box, you can filter what the

Object Brower is showing

you, so filter it to just the component you now have a

reference to.

This will at least give you an understanding of what

object, properties,

methods and events are in the API, what data types are

expected as input and

return values, etc.

There's really not much anyone else could do to help

you, since this is a

custom component.

Good luck!