DDE and Launching Excel in NT (OpenInsight Specific)
At 13 DEC 1999 07:21:54PM Claude Mansutti wrote:
I've just completed a little import/export routine using the standard DDE links as shown below.
Open Excel minimised with selected file
RetVal=Utility("RUNWIN" , "C:\PROGRA~1\MICROS~1\OFFICE\EXCEL.EXE ":FileName , "2")
Set up link between Excel and OI
DDE_INFO=@WINDOW:'.DDE_INFO'
Status=Set_Property(DDE_INFO , 'DDESERVICE' , 'EXCEL') ;* Server Name
Status= Set_Property(DDE_INFO , 'DDETOPIC' , FileName) ;* File Name
Status= Set_Property(DDE_INFO , 'DDELINK' , 'HOT') ;* Link Type
It works great on my Win'95 PC but when I loaded the runtime on a NT workstation (Ver 4.00.1381) the excel.exe doesn't load.
I've checked the 8.3 path using "dir /x" as Winfile supported long file names and therefore didn't show as 8.3
The 8.3 path is definitely correct. Does anyone know if NT spits the dummy and doesn't allow OI to work with 8.3 paths? If this is the case, is there a workaround?
Is Rev Tech ever going to sort the long filename problem. I note from earlier discussions that it was hoped a solution would be provided with Ver 3.7
Regards
Claude
At 15 DEC 1999 06:35AM Oystein Reigem wrote:
Claude,
I thought that I - or some of my clients - would have noticed that problem with 8.3 names and NT. So my first thought was the cause of your problem must be something else. But I checked just to be certain, in case we've just been lucky so far. (Explanation: I develop on Win98. I have an NT computer too but I use it strictly as a web server (with an OI database). I few of my clients run NT. But I recommend all my clients to avoid long folder names in the cases were they need to run other programs from my app, i.e, install those programs in folders with short names.)
Anyway - now that I check on my NT computer (same version as yours) I cannot even get RUNWIN to work with short folder names! Could you please do me the favour and try the same? (I don't expect you to rename the "Program Files" folder, etc. And I think Excel needs some local DLLs, so it's not a good idea just to copy Excel to a different folder either. Use some other, simple program.) TIA!
- Oystein -
At 15 DEC 1999 08:51AM Claude Mansutti wrote:
Went back to the NT machine and guess what…
Yep, it started to work with the short file name as it should. God knows what happenned between then and now. I didn't change any code whatsoever…
Ain't life strange
Claude
At 16 DEC 1999 03:25AM Oystein Reigem wrote:
Claude,
Don't know if I should feel happy for you. Often things that only work some of the time are worse than those that don't work at all.
Btw - when I said I tried with short names and wanted you to do the same, I meant short original names, not the short version of long names (so-called "MS-DOS names"). But since MS-DOS names work for you now, I'm certain "real" short names do too, so there's no point in asking you to try. Thanks anyway.
- Oystein -