Using ActiveX without Importing a Type Library

AutoCAD AutoLISP & Visual LISP

 
Using ActiveX without Importing a Type Library
 
 
 

Importing an application type library and using the resulting ActiveX wrapper functions is convenient and provides access to VLISP features such as Apropos, but it comes at a cost. Applications such as Microsoft Word and Microsoft Excel contain hundreds of methods and properties, and creating wrappers for each of these adds up to significant memory usage. Also, you may need to use an ActiveX property or method for which there is no generated AutoLISP wrapper function. In this instance, and to avoid the overhead involved in importing a type library, VLISP provides the following AutoLISP functions:

  • vlax-invoke-method
  • vlax-get-property
  • vlax-put-property