To access an ActiveX object from a file, first declare a variable in ATEasy or use a variable previously declared with the CreateObject function. Then assign the GetObject function to that variable:
obCAD = GetObject("C:\CAD\SCHEMA.CAD")
When this code is executed, the application associated with the specified pathname is started and the object in the specified file is activated.
If the pathname is a zero-length string (""), GetObject returns a new object instance of the specified type. If the pathname argument is omitted, GetObject returns a currently active object of the specified type. If no object of the specified type exists, an error occurs.
Some applications allow you to activate part of a file. When working with these applications, you can add an exclamation point (!) to the end of the filename and follow it with a string that identifies the part of the file you want to activate. For information on how to create this string, see the documentation for the application that contains the object.
For example, in a drawing application you might have multiple layers in a drawing stored in a file. You could use the following code to activate a layer within a drawing called SCHEMA.CAD:
obLayer = GetObject("C:\\CAD\\SCHEMA.CAD!Layer3")
If you do not specify the object's class, Automation determines the application to start and the object to activate based on the filename you provide. Some files, however, may support more than one class of object. For example, a drawing might support three different types of objects: an Application object, a Drawing object, and a Toolbar object, all of which are part of the same file. To specify which object in a file you want to activate, use the optional class argument. For example, you may declare a variable called obDrawing as an Object type and then assign the GetObject function to it:
obDrawing = GetObject("C:\\DRAWINGS\\SAMPLE.DRW", "FIGMENT.DRAWING")
In the example, FIGMENT is the name of a drawing application and DRAWING is one of the object types it supports. FIGMENT.DRAWING is the registered name or program ID (PROGID) that identifies the object in the Windows registry.
Once an object is activated, you reference it in code using the object variable you defined. In the preceding example, you access properties and methods of the new object using the object variable obDrawing. For example:
obDrawing.Line (9, 90)
obDrawing.InsertText (9, 100, "Hello, world.")
obDrawing.SaveAs ("C:\\DRAWINGS\\SAMPLE.DRW")
Note: Use the GetObject function when there is a current instance of the object or if you want to create the object with a file already loaded. If there is no current instance, and you do not want the object started with a file loaded, use the CreateObject function.
If an object has registered itself as a single-instance object, only one instance of the object is created, no matter how many times CreateObject is executed. With a single-instance object, GetObject always returns the same instance when called with the zero-length string ("") syntax, and it causes an error if the pathname argument is omitted. You cannot use GetObject to obtain a reference to a class created with ATEasy.
For more information, see Creating Objects and GetObject Procedure.