DDE MS Word

Word bookmarks

The target Word document must have Bookmarks set up to receive the data inserted by the PowerBuilder app. To view existing:

Tools>Options>select View Bookmarks

Example:Form letter

The following uses MS Word to generate a form letter. The style is not so hot, but it has a examples of many functions to open MS Word, select the correct document, and populate several fields.

// n_cst_dde_word1:of_Seed_letter_info(datastore ads_seed_letter_info)

boolean lb_set_remote_ok, lb_execremote_fileopen
integer li_value, li_msgbox, li_fileopen, li_rc, li_run, li_ctr
long ll_rowcount, ll_len, ll_ddehandleword, ll_ddehandledoc, i
string ls_sd_id, ls_fname, ls_lname, ls_street, ls_street1, ls_street2, ls_city, ls_state, ls_zip, &
ls_word_exe_arr[], ls_word_exe, ls_named, ls_docname

// determine what Word exe to call 4/20/2006 dlmuench
ls_word_exe_arr[1] = “C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Office10\WINWORD.EXE”
ls_word_exe_arr[2] = “C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Office11\WINWORD.EXE”

FOR li_ctr = 1 TO UpperBound(ls_word_exe_arr)
IF FileExists(ls_word_exe_arr[li_ctr] ) THEN
ls_word_exe = ls_word_exe_arr[li_ctr]
EXIT
END IF
NEXT

lb_set_remote_ok = TRUE
lb_execremote_fileopen = FALSE

li_value = GetFileOpenName(“Select Seed Letter Document to Print”, + ls_docname, ls_named, “DOC”, + “Doc Files (*.DOC),*.DOC” )
IF li_value > 0 THEN //user opens a file

//try to open a channel to Word
ll_ddehandleword = OpenChannel(“WinWord”, “System” )
IF ll_ddehandleword < 0 THEN //if open channel fails, run the Word application li_run = Run(ls_word_exe, Minimized! ) IF li_run < 0 THEN RETURN -1 END IF END IF IF li_value = 1 THEN li_msgbox = MessageBox("Attention", & "The file that you have chosen is" + " " + ls_docname + " " + & ".~nDo you want to print the contents of this file?", & Information!, OkCancel!, 2) END IF //if the previous open channel failed IF ll_ddehandleword < 0 THEN ll_ddehandleword = OpenChannel("WinWord", "System" ) IF ll_ddehandleword < 0 THEN RETURN -1 END IF END IF IF li_msgbox = 1 THEN//if OK to print //try to open a channel to the word document first ll_ddehandledoc = OpenChannel("WinWord", ls_docname) IF ll_ddehandledoc < 0 THEN//if the open channel fails then the word document has to be opened lb_execremote_fileopen = TRUE //Send a FileOpen command to the Word application to open a document li_rc = ExecRemote("[FileOpen.Name =" + "~"" + ls_docname + "~"" + "]", ll_ddehandleword) IF li_rc < 0 THEN RETURN -1 END IF //Open a channel to Word document and establish a warm link ll_ddehandledoc = OpenChannel("WinWord", ls_docname) IF ll_ddehandledoc ll_rowcount ls_sd_id = Trim(ads_seed_letter_info.GetItemString(i, "sd_id" )) ls_fname = ads_seed_letter_info.GetItemString(i, "fst_nm" ) ls_lname = ads_seed_letter_info.GetItemString(i, "last_nm" ) ll_len = len(ls_lname) ls_lname = Left(ls_lname, 1) + Lower(Right(ls_lname, ll_len - 1)) ls_street = "" ls_street1 = ads_seed_letter_info.GetItemString(i, "addr_1_txt" ) IF IsNull(ls_street1) = TRUE THEN ls_street1 = "" END IF ls_street2 = ads_seed_letter_info.GetItemString(i, "addr_2_txt" ) IF IsNull(ls_street2) = TRUE THEN ls_street2 = "" END IF ls_street = ls_street1 + ls_street2 ls_city = ads_seed_letter_info.GetItemString(i, "cty_nm" ) ls_state = ads_seed_letter_info.GetItemString(i, "st_cd" ) ls_zip = ads_seed_letter_info.GetItemString(i, "zip_cd" ) ll_len = len(ls_zip) IF ll_len <= 6 THEN ls_zip = left(ls_zip, 5) ELSE ls_zip = left(ls_zip, 5) + '-' + right(ls_zip, ll_len - 5) END IF //Ask the DDE server application to accept data to be stored in the specified location li_rc = SetRemote("fname", ls_fname, ll_ddehandledoc) IF li_rc < 0 THEN lb_set_remote_ok = FALSE END IF IF lb_set_remote_ok = TRUE THEN li_rc = SetRemote("lname", ls_lname, ll_ddehandledoc) IF li_rc < 0 THEN lb_set_remote_ok = FALSE END IF END IF IF lb_set_remote_ok = TRUE THEN li_rc = SetRemote("street", ls_street, ll_ddehandledoc) IF li_rc < 0 THEN lb_set_remote_ok = FALSE END IF END IF IF lb_set_remote_ok = TRUE THEN li_rc = SetRemote("city", ls_city, ll_ddehandledoc) IF li_rc < 0 THEN lb_set_remote_ok = FALSE END IF END IF IF lb_set_remote_ok = TRUE THEN li_rc = SetRemote("state", ls_state, ll_ddehandledoc) IF li_rc < 0 THEN lb_set_remote_ok = FALSE END IF END IF IF lb_set_remote_ok = TRUE THEN li_rc = SetRemote("zip", ls_zip, ll_ddehandledoc) IF li_rc < 0 THEN lb_set_remote_ok = FALSE END IF END IF IF lb_set_remote_ok = TRUE THEN li_rc = SetRemote("fname2", ls_fname, ll_ddehandledoc) IF li_rc < 0 THEN lb_set_remote_ok = FALSE END IF END IF IF lb_set_remote_ok = TRUE THEN IF ls_sd_id "" THEN li_rc = SetRemote("sd_id", ls_sd_id, ll_ddehandledoc) END IF END IF //if setremotes were successful then only do we want to print the document and save it IF lb_set_remote_ok = TRUE THEN //Send a FilePrint command to the Word document to print the document li_rc = ExecRemote("[FilePrint]", ll_ddehandledoc) IF li_rc < 0 THEN RETURN -1 END IF END IF i++ LOOP //Send a FileSave command to the Word document to save the changes li_rc = ExecRemote("[FileSave]", ll_ddehandledoc) IF li_rc < 0 THEN RETURN -1 END IF //closes the channel to the word document li_rc = CloseChannel(ll_ddehandledoc) IF li_rc < 0 THEN RETURN -1 END IF IF lb_execremote_fileopen = TRUE THEN //if execremote used to open the file then we have to close it //Send a single FileClose command to the word DDE server application (cold link) li_rc = ExecRemote("[FileClose()]", "WinWord", ls_docname) IF li_rc < 0 THEN RETURN -1 END IF END IF END IF//if OK to print //closes the channel to the Word application li_rc = CloseChannel(ll_ddehandleword) IF li_rc 0 THEN//if 'Run' was used to start Word, we want to exit the Word application //Send a single FileExit command to the word DDE server application (cold link) li_rc = ExecRemote("[FileExit()]", "WinWord", "System" ) IF li_rc < 0 THEN RETURN -1 END IF END IF END IF//user opens a file IF li_msgbox = 2 THEN RETURN 2 END IF IF lb_set_remote_ok = FALSE THEN RETURN -1 END IF RETURN 1[/sourcecode]

DDE Functions

OpenChannel

Use OpenChannel to open a channel to a DDE server application and leave it open so you can efficiently execute more than one DDE request. This type of DDE conversation is called a warm link. Because you open a channel, the operating system does not have to poll all open applications every time you send or ask for data.

OpenChannel ( applname, topicname {, windowhandle } )

Argument	Description
applname	A string specifying the DDE name of the DDE server application
topicname	A string identifying the data or the instance of the application you want to use (for example, in Microsoft Excel, the topic name could be System or the name of an open spreadsheet)
windowhandle (optional)	The handle of the window that you want to act as the DDE client. Specify this parameter to control which window is acting as the DDE client when you have more than one open window

Return value: Returns the handle to the channel (a positive integer) if it succeeds, a negative if it fails.

Execute Remote

Sends a single command to a DDE server application, called a cold link..

ExecRemote ( command, applname, topicname )

SetRemote

Asks a DDE server application to accept data to be stored in the specified location without requiring an open channel. This syntax is appropriate when you will make only one or two requests of the server.

SetRemote ( location, value, applname, topicname )
<!–[if !supportLineBreakNewLine]–>
<!–[endif]–>

Argument	Description
Location	A string whose value is the location of the data in the server application that will accept the data. The format of location depends on the application that will receive the request. In Excel it is a column or cell, in Word it is a bookmark.
Value	A string whose value you want to send to the remote application
applname	A string whose value is the DDE name of the server application
topicname	A string identifying the data or the instance of the application that will accept the data (for example, in Microsoft Excel, the topic name could be the name of an open spreadsheet)

li_rc = SetRemote(“state”, ls_state, ll_ddehandledoc)

Return value

1	Success
-1	Link not started
-2	Request Denied
Null	Null argument sent