OLE information in the Browser

The system stores information about the OLE server applications and OLE custom controls installed on your computer in the registry.

PowerBuilder reads the registry and displays the registration information for all registered OLE servers and custom controls.

To view the OLE information:

Click the Browser button on the PowerBar.
Click the OLE tab in the Browser.

There are three categories of OLE object, as shown in Table 19-8.

**Table 19-8: OLE object categories**
OLE object category	Description
Insertable objects	OLE servers that can link or embed objects in OLE containers. OLE servers that support insertable objects must have a visual component.
Custom controls	ActiveX controls that can be included in an OLE container. ActiveX controls can also be insertable objects. If so, they will appear on both lists.
Programmable objects	OLE servers to which you can send automation instructions. A programmable object might not have a visual aspect, which means it supports only automation and cannot support insertable objects.

When you expand each of these categories, you see the individual OLE servers that are installed. Each OLE server can also be expanded. The information provided depends on the category.

Class information

All the categories provide class information about the OLE server. You see a list of registry keys. Some of the keys are meaningful in their own right and some have values. The values, or simply the presence or absence of keys, tell you how to find the OLE server and what it supports.

Table 19-9 lists some typical keys and what they mean.

**Table 19-9: OLE registry keys**
Registry key	Value
GUID	The global unique identifier for the OLE server.
TypeLib - GUID	The global unique identifier for the type library for an ActiveX control.
ProgID	A string that identifies the OLE server or ActiveX control. It usually includes a version number.
VersionIndependentProgID	A string that identifies the OLE server or ActiveX control, but does not include a version number.
InprocServer32	The name of the file for the 32-bit version of an ActiveX control.
ToolboxBitmap32	The name of a bitmap file for the 32-bit ActiveX control that can be used to represent the ActiveX control in toolbars or toolboxes of a development environment.
DefaultIcon	The name of an icon file or executable containing an icon to be used for an insertable icon that is being displayed as an icon.
Version	The version number of the OLE server or ActiveX control.
Insertable	No value – specifies that the entry is an OLE server that supports insertable object.
Control	No value – specifies that the entry is an ActiveX control.
Verb	No value – specifies that the entry accepts verbs as commands.

In addition to registry information, the Browser displays the properties and methods of ActiveX controls and programmable objects. To provide the information, PowerBuilder uses the registry information to query the ActiveX control for its properties and methods. The information includes arguments and datatypes.

Browser as script-writing tool

Take advantage of the Browser when writing scripts. You can find property and function names and paste them into your scripts. The Browser provides the full syntax for accessing that property.

To paste OLE information into a script:

Open the Browser.
Click the OLE tab.
Expand the list to find what you want. For example, find the ActiveX control you want and expand the list further to find a property.
Highlight the property and select Copy from the pop-up menu.
Position the insertion point in the Script view and select Paste from the pop-up menu.

The Browser inserts syntax like this into your script:
```
OLECustomControl.Object.NeedlePosition
```
After you change OLECustomControl to the actual name of your control, your script correctly accesses the NeedlePosition property.

What the Browser pastes into your script depends on what you have selected. If you select an object (a level above its properties in the hierarchy), PowerBuilder pastes the object’s ProgID. You can use the ProgID in the ConnectToNewObject function.

For more information about automation and the registry, see Chapter 20, “PowerBuilder Runtime Automation Server.”