Asks a DDE server application to execute the specified command.
To send |
Use |
|---|---|
A single command to a DDE server application (a cold link) |
|
A command to a DDE server application after you have opened a channel (a warm link) |
Sends a single command to a DDE server application, called a cold link.
ExecRemote ( command, applname, topicname )
Argument |
Description |
|---|---|
command |
A string whose value is the command you want a DDE server application to execute. To determine the correct command format, see the documentation for the server 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 DDE application you want to use with the command. In Microsoft Excel, for example, the topic name could be system or the name of an open spreadsheet. |
Integer. Returns 1 if it succeeds. If it fails, it returns a negative integer. Possible values are:
-1 Link was not started
-2 Request denied
-3 Could not terminate server
If any argument’s value is null, ExecRemote returns null.
The DDE server application must already be running when you call a DDE function. Use the Run function to start the application if necessary.
The ExecRemote function allows you to start a cold link or use a warm link between the PowerBuilder client application and the DDE server application.
A cold link is a single DDE command and is not associated with a DDE channel. Each time you call ExecRemote without opening a channel (Syntax 1), Windows polls all running applications to find one that acknowledges the request. The is also true for the related functions GetRemote and SetRemote.
A warm link is associated with a DDE channel (see Syntax 2).
A DDE hot link, which enables automatic updating of data in the PowerBuilder client application, involves other functions. For more information, see the StartHotLink function.
This statement asks Microsoft Excel to save the active spreadsheet as file REGION.XLS. A channel is not open, so the function arguments specify the application and topic (the name of the spreadsheet):
ExecRemote("[Save()]", "Excel", "REGION.XLS")
Sends a command to a DDE server application when you have already called OpenChannel and established a warm link with the server.
ExecRemote ( command, handle {, windowhandle } )
Argument |
Description |
|---|---|
command |
A string whose value is the command you want a DDE server application to execute. The format of the command depends on the DDE application you want to execute the command. |
handle |
A long that identifies the channel to the DDE server application. The OpenChannel function returns handle when you call it to open a DDE channel. |
windowhandle (optional) |
The handle to 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. If you do not specify windowhandle, the active window acts as the DDE client. |
Integer. Returns 1 if it succeeds. If an error occurs, ExecRemote returns a negative integer. Possible values are:
-1 Link was not started
-2 Request denied
-9 Handle is null
The DDE server application must already be running when you call a DDE function. Use the Run function to start the application if necessary.
The ExecRemote function allows you start a cold link or use warm link between the PowerBuilder client application and the DDE server application.
A cold link is a single DDE command and is not associated with a DDE channel (see Syntax 1).
A warm link is associated with a DDE channel. You establish a channel for the DDE conversation with OpenChannel before sending commands with this syntax of ExecRemote. A warm link is useful when you need to send several commands to the DDE server application. Because the channel is open, ExecRemote does not need to have Windows poll all running applications again. After you have called ExecRemote or the related functions GetRemote or SetRemote, and finished the work with the DDE server, call CloseChannel to end the DDE conversation.
A DDE hot link, which enables automatic updating of data in the PowerBuilder client application, involves other functions. For more information, see the StartHotLink function.
This excerpt from a script asks the DDE channel to Microsoft Excel to save the active spreadsheet as file REGION.XLS. The OpenChannel function names the server application and the topic, so ExecRemote only needs to specify the channel handle. The script is associated with a button on a window, whose handle is specified as the last argument of OpenChannel:
long handle
handle = OpenChannel("Excel", "REGION.XLS", &
Handle(Parent))
. . . // Some processing
ExecRemote("[Save]", handle)
CloseChannel(handle, Handle(Parent))
