Problem in OLE Automation

Hello,
I want a help/program on how to insert an image(jpg/bmp) into a MS WORD file through ABAP.
Kindly help me ASAP.
Regards,
G Kishore.

Hi,
Take a look at trn DWDM for example programs on OLE integration. You can additionally search the ABAP forum for OLE integration. A lot of discussion has already been carried out on this topic. If you still need assistance, please get back with more details on what problem are you facing?
Regards

Similar Messages

OLE Automation , date formatting

Hi everybody,
i have a problem with OLE automation for "date" formatting.
The cell value is correct ( DD/MM/YYYY) , but in some cases the cell option is "Date" ( this is the correct option ) and in other cases the cell option is "General". This last option is wrong because the value is left-justified, meanwhile the "Date" option is right-justified.
I wish to have the "Date" cell option always. (right-justified)
Is it possible to set this option with statement "SET PROPERTY OF..." ?
Thanks in advance.
Best regards.
Dario.

Hi,
you can use this:
SET PROPERTY OF H_CELL 'NumberFormat' =
'dd\/mm\/yyyy'.
SET PROPERTY OF H_CELL 'Value' = '01/01/2012'.
Regards, Dieter

Re: OLE Automation

Venkat,
We have also had problems with OLE automation. In our case, we were trying
to open Lotus WordPro from our Forte Application. There are definitely
some issues with Forte releasing system resources, particularly if you are
working across tasks. In our case, one task was requesting a session which
then got started from another task. This meant that when we were finished,
Forte incorrectly kept the count of apps using the session > 0, and the
session never ended. I suspect if you check the task manager you will see
multiple sessions of Impromptu running. This quickly eats up memory, which
in turn leads to the less than gracious OLE_RESOURCE crash you describe.
Even after restricting all related calls to one task, the WordPro session
never goes away completely. We did manage to reconnect to any first
session started rather than eating up system resources with multiple
sessions.
Hope this helps.
Sioban Keane
NAC Re
We communicate between Forte and our Reporting tool, Impromptu, through
OLE.
Our clients run on all three Microsoft OS. Our version of Impromptu is 16
bit.
We notice this problem predominantly in Win 95 and 3.11, sometimes on NT
4.0. When we run a report in Impromptu that has considerable data (
~30-50k), Impromptu fails to respond to Forte. Forte thinks that it is not
started Impromptu yet. We have code in place to retry for 10 times before
giving up. Forte gives up after 10 times, even though Impromptu is up. The
next time we run this report on the same machine, without restarting, we
get
a OLE_RESOURCE exception from Forte, and the application crashes.
Has any one noticed this problem? Is there a way from Forte, to control OLE
resources?
Any help will be appreciated.
Venkat Kodumudi
Price Waterhouse LLP
Internet: [email protected]
Internet2: [email protected]

Hi Joaquin,
For inserting many lines you should better use the OO technique instead of OLE. Check the help on Desktop Office Integration (e.g. for 4.6C):"
http://help.sap.com/saphelp_46c/helpdata/en/e9/0bee9f408e11d1893b0000e8323c4f/frameset.htm
Regards,
John.

OLE Automation is not working in Portal

Hi Experts,
We have one report where OLE automation technique is used to upload the data from multiple worksheets (single excel).
But when we try to execute it from Portal using IView then it doesn't run and give problem in CREATE OBJECT excel "EXCEL.APPLICATION" statement. But when we run it from SAP GUI, it run successfully.
Please suggest if you have any idea.
Also let me know if some more information required because i am new to this kind of issue.
regards
Subir

Hi,
Are you using SAP GUI for HTML??? There are several issues and limitations with OLE using HTML.
Look this OSS: 314568
Hope this helps,
Iván.

OLE Automation for Word. EditGoto with Word 97

I found a solution. Instead EditGoto, use WW7_EditGoto.
Example:
.- A Word Template whith two bookmarks
(Texto1, Tabla1). A normal bookmark
(Texto1) and a bookmark into a Word
Table (Tabla1).
In the Word Table, is posible change
cell o create a new row with the same
command (NextCell).
The word table has two columns an two
rows.
The first row is the Header.
The second row the first column contain
a bookmark (Tabla1).
.- A Form whit two blocks:
First block with two items:
nombre_doc
texto1
Secod Block (multirecord) whit two items
col1
col2
with a When-Button-Pressed:
DECLARE
application OLE2.OBJ_TYPE;
args OLE2.LIST_TYPE;
BEGIN
-- Start WordBasic and make Word visible
application:=OLE2.CREATE_OBJ('Word.Basic');
OLE2.INVOKE(application, 'AppShow');
-- Open a Word document
args := OLE2.CREATE_ARGLIST;
OLE2.ADD_ARG(args,'Plantilla.dot');
OLE2.INVOKE(application, 'FileOpen', args);
OLE2.DESTROY_ARGLIST(args);
-- Put Text in the first bookmark
args := OLE2.CREATE_ARGLIST;
OLE2.ADD_ARG(args,'Texto1');
OLE2.INVOKE(application, 'WW7_EditGoto', args);
OLE2.DESTROY_ARGLIST(args);
args := OLE2.CREATE_ARGLIST;
OLE2.ADD_ARG(args,:Texto1);
OLE2.INVOKE(application, 'Insert', args);
OLE2.DESTROY_ARGLIST(args);
-- Send data from Multirecord Block to Word Table
GO_BLOCK('MULTI');
FIRST_RECORD;
IF :SYSTEM.RECORD_STATUS != 'NEW' THEN
args := OLE2.CREATE_ARGLIST;
OLE2.ADD_ARG(args,'Tabla1');
OLE2.INVOKE(application, 'WW7_EditGoto', args);
OLE2.DESTROY_ARGLIST(args);
LOOP
IF :col1 IS NOT NULL THEN
args := OLE2.CREATE_ARGLIST;
OLE2.ADD_ARG(args,:col1);
OLE2.INVOKE(application, 'Insert', args);
OLE2.DESTROY_ARGLIST(args);
END IF;
OLE2.INVOKE(application, 'NextCell');
IF :col2 IS NOT NULL THEN
args := OLE2.CREATE_ARGLIST;
OLE2.ADD_ARG(args,:col2);
OLE2.INVOKE(application, 'Insert', args);
OLE2.DESTROY_ARGLIST(args);
END IF;
EXIT WHEN :SYSTEM.LAST_RECORD = 'TRUE';
NEXT_RECORD;
OLE2.INVOKE(application, 'NextCell');
END LOOP;
-- Save a Word document
args := OLE2.CREATE_ARGLIST;
OLE2.ADD_ARG(args,:nombre_doc);
OLE2.INVOKE(application, 'FileSaveas', args);
OLE2.DESTROY_ARGLIST(args);
--Release the OLE object
OLE2.RELEASE_OBJ(application);
END;
Sorry by the sintax, but i don't speak English.
I hope it solves this problem.

Hello,
I am also trying to use the OLE2 package for OLE Automation. But
difference being that I am not using Word but am using an
invisible control for Mail services, using the objects
MAPISession, MAPImessages. If anyone out there had already done
this do please give me a code snippet.
Thanx in advance
Anup Mistry,
Programmer/Analyst,
IIS,Inc
Vasile (guest) wrote:
: Hi Daniel,
: I used OLE with forms 5 ,but now it work without problems in
: forms 6, too.
: A procedure that save doc. look like that:
: procedure filesaveas (fname in varchar2) is
: arglist ole2.list_type;
: begin
: arglist := ole2.create_arglist;
: ole2.add_arg (arglist, fname);
: ole2.invoke (obj_hnd, 'filesaveas', arglist);
: ole2.destroy_arglist (arglist);
: end;
: I hope this help you.
: Vasile
: Daniel Fox (guest) wrote:
: : I am using Forms 6.0
: : Can anyone help with OLE automation using OLE2.
: : I can open Word, document stored in long raw, even insert
data
: : from other form field into the Word Document (only at the
: : beginning of the Document, though).
: : All the File commands, such as FileSaveAs, EditGoTo, etc..
: don't
: : work. They are simply ignored - no error messages, nothing.
: : Does anyone use Word Automation through Forms 6.0?
: : Please, HELP....
: : Thanks in advance,
: : Desperate Daniel.
null

RE: Ole Automation with forte.

Tran,
Here is a piece of code(using Forte Version 3OF2 & Word 97) that we've
used to determine if there is already an instance of Word running:
// Create an instance of a Word Application and activate it.
// If an a Word application exists, just activate it.
if ( aTasks <> NIL and aTasks.Exists(aWordApplication.Name) )
then
aWordApplication.visible = TRUE;
aWordApplication.Activate();
else
aWordApplication = new();
aTasks = new();
aWordApplication.CreateUsingProgID( 'word.application'
aWordApplication.visible = TRUE;
aWordApplication.Activate();
aTasks is an attribute of type Tasks on our window & aWordApplication is
an attribute of type _Application on our window. This code will work if
there already is an instance of Word that was started from a Forte
applicaiton. It doesn't recognize a instance of Word that was started
outside of a Forte app. Hope this helps!!
From: Quy Tran[SMTP:[email protected]]
Sent: Wednesday, May 20, 1998 11:17 PM
To: [email protected]
Subject: Ole Automation with forte.
Good Day forte users,
I'm trying to invoke MSWord from a forte application.
I set the objectreference using CreateUsingProgId(This is the only way
that I could get it to work).
The problem is when using CreateUsingProgId, forte will create another
instance of Word. Is there a way to know if the instance already
exists
and retrieve the objectreference of that instance?
Any help would be appreciated.
Thanks
Quy Tran
Lumley Technology
Analyst/Programmer
[email protected]
Ph : 612 93186722
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If you are not the intended recipient, please notify the Sender.
Non-business opinions may not reflect opinions of Piper Jaffray

Hi Aurang
You can call almost all methods using OLE. What is required is to know how to interpret a script to ABAP OLE call. This is explained in the tutorial<a href="https://www.sdn.sap.comhttp://www.sdn.sap.comhttp://www.sdn.sap.com/irj/servlet/prt/portal/prtroot/docs/library/uuid/c1d54348-0601-0010-3e98-bd2a2dcd9e6c">"An Easy Reference For OLE Automation"</a>
Regards
*--Serdar <a href="https://www.sdn.sap.com:443http://www.sdn.sap.comhttp://www.sdn.sap.com/irj/servlet/prt/portal/prtroot/com.sap.sdn.businesscard.sdnbusinesscard?u=qbk%2bsag%2bjiw%3d">[ BC ]</a>

Performance in OLE Automation

Hello.
We're using OLE automation to generate formatted Excel in a client. They wanted to have data in Excel with formulas, locked cells, colors, logos, etc.
The problem is that we're having performance issues when we work with more than 1.000 records. We're having timeouts and low memory.
I'm wondering if someone who worked with that could tell me if there's a limit of records to work with this approach or if there's a way to improve performance for OLE automation??.
If we're working with too many records, is there another way to generate formatted excel from R3??.

Hi Joaquin,
For inserting many lines you should better use the OO technique instead of OLE. Check the help on Desktop Office Integration (e.g. for 4.6C):"
http://help.sap.com/saphelp_46c/helpdata/en/e9/0bee9f408e11d1893b0000e8323c4f/frameset.htm
Regards,
John.

Call OpenOffice through OLE Automation

Hello everybody,
I am trying to open an OpenOffice Calc window (similar to Excel)
from ABAP through OLE automation. My problem with this: it
is necessary to call an automation method of OpenOffice that
has a SAFEARRAY (OLE data type) as one of its parameters.
How do I create a data type that maps to SAFEARRAY in ABAP?
I have found no example for this.
My program looks like this, the missing line is the one that
starts with #4:
REPORT ZCALC2 NO STANDARD PAGE HEADING.
INCLUDE OLE2INCL.
DATA: SERVICE_MANAGER TYPE OLE2_OBJECT,
DESKTOP TYPE OLE2_OBJECT,
DOCUMENT TYPE OLE2_OBJECT.
CREATE OBJECT SERVICE_MANAGER 'com.sun.star.ServiceManager'.
CALL METHOD OF SERVICE_MANAGER 'createInstance' = DESKTOP
EXPORTING #1 = 'com.sun.star.frame.Desktop'.
CALL METHOD OF DESKTOP 'loadComponentFromURL' = DOCUMENT
EXPORTING #1 = 'private:factory/scalc'
          #2 = '_blank'
          #3 = 0
          #4 = ''.
FREE OBJECT SERVICE_MANAGER.
When I run the program, the CALL METHOD returns SY-SUBRC code 2 and I see the following in the trace file:
<1950=(Error): CALL METHOD "loadComponentFromURL" OF [#13/0x00229C9C/402]
                    #0: STRING "private:factory/scalc"
                    #1: STRING "_blank"
                    #2: LONG "0"
                    #3: STRING ""
IDispatch::Invoke raised exceptionTypkonflikt.
<1950=(Error):                                                 Exception fire by :[automation bridge]
<1950=(Error):                                                 Exception info:conversion not possible!
<1950=(Error):                                                 Exception code:1001
<1950=(Error):                  Error occured at Verb : loadComponentFromURL
<1950=(Error):                                   Object: 13
<1950=(Error): SAPAWRFC leaving RfcFlushOle with RfcRaise(CALL_METHOD_FAILED)
See the <a href="http://api.openoffice.org/docs/common/ref/com/sun/star/frame/XComponentLoader.html">loadComponentFromURL</a> documentation for information on the parameters. Unfortunately it is in UNO IDL, which is specific to OpenOffice. However, a <a href="http://udk.openoffice.org/common/man/spec/ole_bridge.html">mapping</a> to OLE types is available.
There are many examples how to do this in other programming languages, for example <a href="http://www.oooforum.org/forum/viewtopic.phtml?t=9815">here</a>, but I could not find it in ABAP.
Thanks for your help,
Frederic.

Here is another interesting thing: it's possible to let OpenOffice open a multi selection file dialog from ABAP. It works like this:
CALL METHOD OF SERVICE_MANAGER 'createInstance' = DIALOG
EXPORTING #1 = 'com.sun.star.ui.dialogs.FilePicker'.
CALL METHOD OF DIALOG 'setTitle'
EXPORTING #1 = 'Hello from ABAP'.
CALL METHOD OF DIALOG 'setDisplayDirectory'
EXPORTING #1 = 'file:///C:'.
CALL METHOD OF DIALOG 'setMultiSelectionMode'
EXPORTING #1 = 1.
CALL METHOD OF DIALOG 'Execute'.
CALL METHOD OF DIALOG 'getFiles' = FILE_ARRAY.
According to the documentation, last line returns an empty array if no file has been selected. My hope was that I could use this as the 4th parameter of loadComponentFromURL, but I still get "conversion not possible".
I also wonder what should be the type of FILE_ARRAY - I expected OLE2_OBJECT, but if I try that, I can see in the debugger that the object is not properly initialized (HEADER and TYPE are not 'OBJH' and 'OLE2').

Ole Automation with forte.

Good Day forte users,
I'm trying to invoke MSWord from a forte application.
I set the objectreference using CreateUsingProgId(This is the only way
that I could get it to work).
The problem is when using CreateUsingProgId, forte will create another
instance of Word. Is there a way to know if the instance already exists
and retrieve the objectreference of that instance?
Any help would be appreciated.
Thanks
Quy Tran
Lumley Technology
Analyst/Programmer
[email protected]
Ph : 612 93186722
To unsubscribe, email '[email protected]' with
'unsubscribe forte-users' as the body of the message.
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Hi!
I am not sure that I can give you any "golden rules" for interfacing
with OLE, but I can give you some thoughts on where to look for problems
that can result in Segmentation Violations.
I have often seen segmentation violations arise as a result of a NIL
object. You might want to try turning on the trc:lo:25 trace flag to
see if there is a NIL object exception being raise right before the seg
v. You have to be careful with the trc:lo:25 flag, though, since it
will show you every exception, no matter what, that is raised within
Forte (even if it's been handled internally). This is of greater
significance to OLE projects, since Forte tries several different ways
of starting an OLE server and uses internally handled exceptions to
notify itself if a certain method failed.
Another thing to try is just-in-time debugging. You will need Microsoft
Visual C++ installed on the machine where the OLE code is running, and
you will need to set the FORTE_NOHANDLER environment variable to TRUE.
In the MSVC development environment, go to the Tools --> Options
properties sheet, and choose the Debug tab. On that tab, make sure that
Just-In-Time Debugging is selected. Then, run the application. When
you encounter the seg v, you should get a dialog box asking if you want
to debug the application. Choosing yes (actually, I think that pressing
Cancel does this - the dialog box tells you) will bring you into the
MSVC development environment, where you can try some intense debugging.
I hope this helps!
-Katie
[email protected] wrote:
>
Has anybody used Forte to communicate with external components using
OLE
Automation? We are creating segmentation violations through some of
our
use of this interface, and need to know if there are some 'golden
rules'
that can guide developers as they use the feature.
Thank you!--
Katie Carty
Forte Consulting
4801 Woodway Drive
Suite 300E
Houston, Texas 77056
vmail: 510-986-3802
email: [email protected]
-----------------------------------------------

OLE automation access

Hello,
I'm trying to understand what the OLE automation object is, and how I can access and use the data inside.
My problem is that the OLE "clipholder" is carriyng some data of a couple of cells in an excel-spreadsheet-type document that is updated about five times pr second. And I don't know how to retrieve this data real-time with Java.
Any suggestions?
- Rendse

You make an interface to the DLL you want to use that supports the features you need--this is done via Java Native Interface and C/C++. There is a separate JNI forum.

GPF and OLE Automation with Word6

Has anyone else had a problem with GPFs when trying to use Word6 as an OLE
Automation Server? Whenever our users try to open Word6 from the
application they get a GPF in QQKN.DLL at 000C:955C. What does the QQKN.DLL
do?
Any ideas?
- Scott Splavec - MIS 8
Business Analyst
Kirke-Van Orsdel, Inc.
1776 West Lakes Parkway
West Des Moines, IA 50398
(515) 248-6472
eMail: kvi!kvidm01![email protected]

Hi Aurang
You can call almost all methods using OLE. What is required is to know how to interpret a script to ABAP OLE call. This is explained in the tutorial<a href="https://www.sdn.sap.comhttp://www.sdn.sap.comhttp://www.sdn.sap.com/irj/servlet/prt/portal/prtroot/docs/library/uuid/c1d54348-0601-0010-3e98-bd2a2dcd9e6c">"An Easy Reference For OLE Automation"</a>
Regards
*--Serdar <a href="https://www.sdn.sap.com:443http://www.sdn.sap.comhttp://www.sdn.sap.com/irj/servlet/prt/portal/prtroot/com.sap.sdn.businesscard.sdnbusinesscard?u=qbk%2bsag%2bjiw%3d">[ BC ]</a>

Reliability of Forte's OLE Automation Server

Hi Forte Users,
We are currently working on the feasibility of developing OLE interface
for our existing Forte services. In that process we are wondering about the
reliability these Forte OLE servers as compared to any other normal Forte
Servers. Has anyone have any experience of using them or any ideas about the
thing we need to concentrate before starting the development of these
servers.
Any input on this issue will be appreciated.
Thanks in advance,
Charu.
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A point worth mentioning here is about fail-over of service objects
that are configured as OLE automation servers.
If you are using Forte clients to talk to the service object,
then you really will not see any changes in automatic failover
situations.
However, in case of a non-Forte client( a.k.a. OLE client ), the
automatic failover does not happen. The non-Forte clients should be
coded to detect communication failures with the primary server. They
should have the intelligence to re-connect and retry methods on the (
new ) OLE server. This means you will have to program fail-over logic in
non-Forte clients, which you get for free with Forte clients.
I am not sure what kind of requirements is driving your process of
converting Forte services to OLE servers, but it is worth deliberating
on this problem, if you are not planning to use non-Forte clients, but
want to implement the services as OLE automation server.
Ofcourse you don't have to worry about this issue if you are not
planning to use non-Forte clients...
Good luck
Ajith Kallambella M.
Forte Consultant.
Please respond to Shi-Long Yin <[email protected]>
Subject: Re: Reliability of Forte's OLE Automation Server
Hi,
Essentially, I don't see any big differences between configuring and
exporting
the Forte service objects as normal Forte servers and DCE, Encina,
Tuxedo,
Object Broker, IIOP or OLE servers. We have already succeeded
configuring the
Forte servers as IIOP and OLE servers. Our Visual Basic client can
communicate
with the OLE server. The big difficulties are that there are two
limitations to
what elements of the service object€s class are available to an OLE
client.
First, an OLE client application can access any methods provided by that
service
object€s class, except for methods that use objects as parameters.
Second, OLE
clients can not access attributes of a Forte service object. OLE
clients can
only pass the following objects and data types as parameters and return
values:
TOOL data type Maps to OLE data type
Boolean Boolean
Cdispatch IDispatch
Cunknown IUnknown
Double Double
Float Float
Integer Long
i2 Iteger
string String
ui2 Short
ui4 Long
If a Forte service object includes methods that have object parameters
or return
values other than CUnknown and CDispatch, these methods are not included
as part
of the interface to this OLE server. Compared to the IIOP
configurations, the
limitations listed above may be too strict, especially, when you want to
export
your existing Forte services which may have interfaces with classes as
their
parameters or return types. But for IIOP, you can freely pass class
objects
(even deeply nested and derived) as method€s parameters or return
values. This
feature has significantly saved our development and maintenance time.
Other
alternatives may be to write the wrappers to overcome these limitations.
In one word, if you intend to integrate the EXISTING codes, which have
methods
with class parameters, you'd better to avoid configuring Forte service
objects
as OLE server. Try to use IIOP as much as you can because it is more
OOP
compatible and interoperable.
Shilong Yin
US West in Denver
=====================================================================
Charu wrote:
Hi Forte Users,
We are currently working on the feasibility of developing OLE interface
for our existing Forte services. In that process we are wondering about the
reliability these Forte OLE servers as compared to any other normal Forte
Servers. Has anyone have any experience of using them or any ideas about the
thing we need to concentrate before starting the development of these
servers.
Any input on this issue will be appreciated.
Thanks in advance,
Charu.
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OLE automation application load and unload in each step in the sequence of the TestStand.

what i need to configure for it unloading after step ? Changes in the RunOptions of the step doesnt help .
I need work with unique application during this test in all sequences .
Thanks , wait for your answer ASAP TestStand version 1.02
OLE automation made in the VC++ 6.0
I am used by ActiveX Automation Adapter

I think the problem might be with COM. You will need to make your sequence release your reference before COM can unload it. To do that in TestStand, you set the reference to nothing (nothing is a keyword in TestStand). This will cause TestStand to release reference to your object and then COM will unload the object.
Please give us an update if that worked.
Anand Jain
Applications Engineer
National Instruments
http://www.ni.com/ask

PICTURE MTHOD in OLE AUTOMATION

Hi,
Can anyone send me information for the "picture" method using OLE AUTOMATION for Excel Objects.
Thanks and Regards
AK

hi
good
go through the following links i hope this will help you to solve your problem.
Re: OLE Automation with Excel
http://www.sap-img.com/abap/download-to-excel-with-format-border-color-cell-etc.htm
http://sap.ittoolbox.com/code/archives.asp?d=3027&a=s&i=10
thanks
mrutyun

[b]Tutorial:[/b] Simplify Developing OLE Automation Code Using VBA

INTRODUCTION
Automating Office applications from Oracle Forms can be a tedious, frustrating, and time-consuming process. Because the OLE2 and CLIENT_OLE2 built-ins do not validate the automation commands that they relay, code that compiles without errors often dies at runtime with a not-so-helpful error code. This tutorial will demonstrate how to simplify the development of automation code using a tool that ships with all Microsoft Office editions -- the Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) IDE.
The VBA IDE, a core Office component, is a full-fledged development environment featuring code completion, basic syntax highlighting, context-driven help and a runtime debugger. Its Object Browser provides a convenient means of browsing the Word object model, as well as searching by keyword.
For those who may not interested in following this tutorial in detail, I would like to stress the usefulness of the Object Browser as a tool for inspecting the functions supported by OLE server applications and, perhaps more importantly, valid values for function arguments. Whether/not anyone buys the assertion that starting with VBA prototypes is far more productive than pounding out OLE2 code from the very start, they will find the Object Browser invaluable as a reference -- I rely on it exclusively for this sort of documentation.
A BRIEF INTRODUCTION TO THE VBA IDE & THE OBJECT BROWSER UTILITY
Try this:
1. Open Word
2. Launch the VBA IDE by pressing <Alt><F11>
3. Open the Object Browser by pressing <F2>
The Object Browser allows you to visually navigate Word's class hierarchy. Its user interface is a bit crowded, so controls are unlabeled. Hovering the mouse cursor above a control will display a tooltip explaining that control's purpose. The browser's scope can be narrowed by using the Project/Library combo. Typing a keyword or substring in the Search Text combo and clicking on the Search button will cause all classes/members whose name contains the specified search text to be listed in the Search Results pane. Selecting an item from this list will update the two panes below it, showing the selected class, and its members. Beneath the Classes and Members panes is an untitled pane, gray in color, which displays details for the selected class/member, including hyperlinks to relevant information such as arguments, their types and allowable values. If Visual Basic Help is installed, pressing <F1> will display help on a selected class/member. (This feature can be installed from your Office install CD, if necessary.)
NOTE: While it is possible to cut-and-paste the code examples that follow, I highly recommend that they be typed in by hand. Doing so will provide a better understanding of how the IDE's code completion behaves. Use code completion most efficiently by not using the mouse or <Enter> key when selecting from completion lists. Instead, just type enough letters to select the desired list element, then continue along as if you had typed the entire element, typing the next operator in your statement. It really is slick!
HELLO WORLD - VBA-STYLE
1. Open Word
2. Launch the VBA IDE by pressing <Alt><F11>
3. Select Module from the Insert menu.
4. In the blank area that appears, enter the following code:
Public Sub HelloWorld()
      Documents.Add
      Selection.TypeText ("Hello, world!")
End Sub5. Press <F5> to run the code.
If you switch back to Word by pressing <Alt><F11>, there should appear a newly-created document containing the text Hello, world!.
A MORE AMBITIOUS EXAMPLE
In this example, we will launch Word, type some text, and alter its formatting. For the purposes of this tutorial, consider it the process we wish to automate from within Forms.
1. If Word is running, close it.
2. Open any Office application except Word, such as Excel, Outlook or PowerPoint
3. Launch the VBA IDE by pressing <Alt><F11>.
4. Select References from the Tools menu -- a dialog should pop up.
5. From within this dialog, locate and select Microsoft Word <version> Object Library, then click OK.
6. Select Module from the Insert menu.
7. In the blank area that appears, enter the following code:
Public Sub LaunchWord()
    Dim app As Word.Application
    Set app = CreateObject("Word.Application")
    app.Visible = True                          '!!! IMPORTANT !!!
    app.Documents.Add
    With app.Selection
        .TypeText "This is paragraph 1."
        .TypeParagraph
        .TypeText "This is paragraph 2."
        .TypeParagraph
        .TypeText "This is paragraph 3."
    End With
    With ActiveDocument
        .Paragraphs(1).Range.Words(3).Bold = True
        .Paragraphs(2).Range.Words(3).Italic = True
        .Paragraphs(3).Range.Words(3).Underline = True
    End With
End Sub8. Press <F5> to run the code.
A new Word session should have been launched. Switch to it, to view the results of our handiwork!
TAILORING VBA CODE INTENDED FOR OLE2 CONVERSION
Now, things get a bit uglier. The code listed above gives a good idea of how concise VBA code can be, but With blocks and chained object references do not translate readily into OLE2 code. Here's the same process, rewritten in a more OLE2-friendly style. Note the numerous intermediate object references that have been declared.
Public Sub LaunchWord()
    Dim app As Word.Application
    Dim doc As Word.Document
    Dim docs As Word.Documents
    Dim pars As Word.Paragraphs
    Dim par As Word.Paragraph
    Dim wrds As Word.Words
    Dim sel As Word.Selection
    Dim rng As Word.Range
    Set app = CreateObject("Word.Application")
    app.Visible = True                          '!!! IMPORTANT !!!
    Set doc = app.Documents.Add
    Set sel = app.Selection
    sel.TypeText "This is paragraph 1."
    sel.TypeParagraph
    sel.TypeText "This is paragraph 2."
    sel.TypeParagraph
    sel.TypeText "This is paragraph 3."
    Set pars = doc.Paragraphs
    'select third word of first paragraph and make it bold
    Set par = pars.Item(1)
    Set rng = par.Range
    Set wrds = rng.Words
    Set rng = wrds.Item(3)
    rng.Bold = True
    'select third word of second paragraph and italicize it
    Set par = pars.Item(2)
    Set rng = par.Range
    Set wrds = rng.Words
    Set rng = wrds.Item(3)
    rng.Italic = True
    'select third word of second paragraph and underline it
    Set par = pars.Item(3)
    Set rng = par.Range
    Set wrds = rng.Words
    Set rng = wrds.Item(3)
    rng.Underline = True
End Sub
TRANSFORMATION: CONVERTING VBA CODE INTO PL/SQL
Here is the PL/SQL counterpart to our previous VBA routine. Compare printouts of the two and note their similarities. Notice the need for argument lists -- this causes the code to fluff up quite a bit, and really interferes with readability.
PROCEDURE LAUNCH_WORD IS
v_app OLE2.OBJ_TYPE;     -- Application
v_doc OLE2.OBJ_TYPE;     -- Document
v_docs OLE2.OBJ_TYPE;    -- Documents collection
v_pars OLE2.OBJ_TYPE;    -- Paragraphs collection
v_par OLE2.OBJ_TYPE;     -- Paragraph
v_wrds OLE2.OBJ_TYPE;    -- Words collection
v_sel OLE2.OBJ_TYPE;     -- Selection
v_rng OLE2.OBJ_TYPE;     -- Range
v_args OLE2.LIST_TYPE;   -- OLE2 argument list
BEGIN
/* launch Word and MAKE IT VISIBLE!!! */
    v_app := OLE2.CREATE_OBJ('Word.Application');
    OLE2.SET_PROPERTY(v_app, 'Visible', TRUE);
/* initialize key object references */
    v_docs := OLE2.GET_OBJ_PROPERTY(v_app, 'Documents');
    v_doc := OLE2.INVOKE_OBJ(v_docs, 'Add');
    v_sel := OLE2.GET_OBJ_PROPERTY(v_app, 'Selection');
/* type first paragraph */
    v_args := OLE2.CREATE_ARGLIST;
    OLE2.ADD_ARG(v_args, 'This is paragraph 1.');
    OLE2.INVOKE(v_sel, 'TypeText', v_args);
    OLE2.DESTROY_ARGLIST(v_args);
    OLE2.INVOKE(v_sel, 'TypeParagraph');
/* type second paragraph */
    v_args := OLE2.CREATE_ARGLIST;
    OLE2.ADD_ARG(v_args, 'This is paragraph 2.');
    OLE2.INVOKE(v_sel, 'TypeText', v_args);
    OLE2.DESTROY_ARGLIST(v_args);
    OLE2.INVOKE(v_sel, 'TypeParagraph');
/* type third paragraph */
    v_args := OLE2.CREATE_ARGLIST;
    OLE2.ADD_ARG(v_args, 'This is paragraph 3.');
    OLE2.INVOKE(v_sel, 'TypeText', v_args);
    OLE2.DESTROY_ARGLIST(v_args);
/* set reference to Paragraphs collection */
    v_pars := OLE2.GET_OBJ_PROPERTY(v_doc, 'Paragraphs');
/* select third word of first paragraph and make it bold */
    v_args := OLE2.CREATE_ARGLIST;
    OLE2.ADD_ARG(v_args, 1);
    v_par := OLE2.INVOKE_OBJ(v_pars, 'Item', v_args);
    OLE2.DESTROY_ARGLIST(v_args);
    v_rng := OLE2.GET_OBJ_PROPERTY(v_par, 'Range');
    v_wrds := OLE2.GET_OBJ_PROPERTY(v_rng, 'Words');
    v_args := OLE2.CREATE_ARGLIST;
    OLE2.ADD_ARG(v_args, 3);
    v_rng := OLE2.INVOKE_OBJ(v_wrds, 'Item', v_args);
    OLE2.SET_PROPERTY(v_rng, 'Bold', TRUE);
/* select third word of second paragraph and italicize it */
    v_args := OLE2.CREATE_ARGLIST;
    OLE2.ADD_ARG(v_args, 2);
    v_par := OLE2.INVOKE_OBJ(v_pars, 'Item', v_args);
    OLE2.DESTROY_ARGLIST(v_args);
    v_rng := OLE2.GET_OBJ_PROPERTY(v_par, 'Range');
    v_wrds := OLE2.GET_OBJ_PROPERTY(v_rng, 'Words');
    v_args := OLE2.CREATE_ARGLIST;
    OLE2.ADD_ARG(v_args, 3);
    v_rng := OLE2.INVOKE_OBJ(v_wrds, 'Item', v_args);
    OLE2.SET_PROPERTY(v_rng, 'Italic', TRUE);
/* select third word of second paragraph and underline it */
    v_args := OLE2.CREATE_ARGLIST;
    OLE2.ADD_ARG(v_args, 3);
    v_par := OLE2.INVOKE_OBJ(v_pars, 'Item', v_args);
    OLE2.DESTROY_ARGLIST(v_args);
    v_rng := OLE2.GET_OBJ_PROPERTY(v_par, 'Range');
    v_wrds := OLE2.GET_OBJ_PROPERTY(v_rng, 'Words');
    v_args := OLE2.CREATE_ARGLIST;
    OLE2.ADD_ARG(v_args, 3);
    v_rng := OLE2.INVOKE_OBJ(v_wrds, 'Item', v_args);
    OLE2.SET_PROPERTY(v_rng, 'Underline', TRUE);
END;
REFACTORING FOR REUSABILITY AND READABILITY
While the previous procedure runs without errors, it suffers from poor readability which, in turn, makes it difficult to maintain. Here, we address those issues by moving repetetive low-level operations into separate procedures.
PROCEDURE LAUNCH_WORD IS
    v_app OLE2.OBJ_TYPE;    -- Application
    v_doc OLE2.OBJ_TYPE;    -- Document
    v_docs OLE2.OBJ_TYPE;   -- Documents collection
    v_sel OLE2.OBJ_TYPE;    -- Selection
    v_args OLE2.LIST_TYPE; -- OLE2 argument list
BEGIN
    /* launch Word and MAKE IT VISIBLE!!! */
      v_app := OLE2.CREATE_OBJ('Word.Application');
      OLE2.SET_PROPERTY(v_app, 'Visible', TRUE);
    /* create a new Word document */
      v_docs := OLE2.GET_OBJ_PROPERTY(v_app, 'Documents');
      v_doc := OLE2.INVOKE_OBJ(v_docs, 'Add');
      v_sel := OLE2.GET_OBJ_PROPERTY(v_app, 'Selection');
    /* add a few paragraphs */
      PRINT_PARAGRAPH(v_sel, 'This is paragraph 1.');
      PRINT_PARAGRAPH(v_sel, 'This is paragraph 2.');
      PRINT_PARAGRAPH(v_sel, 'This is paragraph 3.');
    /* apply formatting */
      APPLY_FORMATTING(v_doc, 1, 3, 'Bold', TRUE);
      APPLY_FORMATTING(v_doc, 2, 3, 'Italic', TRUE);
      APPLY_FORMATTING(v_doc, 3, 3, 'Underline', TRUE);
END;
PROCEDURE APPLY_FORMATTING(
    v_doc OLE2.OBJ_TYPE,
    v_paragraph_num NUMBER,
    v_word_num NUMBER,
    v_attribute VARCHAR2,
    v_value BOOLEAN) IS
    v_pars OLE2.OBJ_TYPE;   -- Paragraphs collection
    v_par OLE2.OBJ_TYPE;    -- Paragraph
    v_wrds OLE2.OBJ_TYPE;   -- Words collection
    v_rng OLE2.OBJ_TYPE;    -- Range
    v_args OLE2.LIST_TYPE; -- OLE2 argument list
BEGIN
    /* set reference to Paragraphs collection */
      v_pars := OLE2.GET_OBJ_PROPERTY(v_doc, 'Paragraphs');
    /* get specified paragraph */
      v_args := OLE2.CREATE_ARGLIST;
      OLE2.ADD_ARG(v_args, v_paragraph_num);
      v_par := OLE2.INVOKE_OBJ(v_pars, 'Item', v_args);
      OLE2.DESTROY_ARGLIST(v_args);
    /* get words for specified paragraph */
      v_rng := OLE2.GET_OBJ_PROPERTY(v_par, 'Range');
      v_wrds := OLE2.GET_OBJ_PROPERTY(v_rng, 'Words');
    /* apply formatting to word found at specified index */
      v_args := OLE2.CREATE_ARGLIST;
      OLE2.ADD_ARG(v_args, v_word_num);
      v_rng := OLE2.INVOKE_OBJ(v_wrds, 'Item', v_args);
      OLE2.SET_PROPERTY(v_rng, v_attribute, v_value);
END;
PROCEDURE PRINT_PARAGRAPH(v_sel OLE2.OBJ_TYPE, v_text VARCHAR2) IS
    v_args OLE2.LIST_TYPE;
BEGIN
    v_args := OLE2.CREATE_ARGLIST;
    OLE2.ADD_ARG(v_args, v_text);
    OLE2.INVOKE(v_sel, 'TypeText', v_args);
    OLE2.DESTROY_ARGLIST(v_args);
    OLE2.INVOKE(v_sel, 'TypeParagraph');
END;
CONCLUSION
It is my hope that this tutorial, despite it's introductory nature, has demonstrated the value of the VBA IDE, the ease with which automation processes can be prototyped using VBA, the noticeable similarity between VBA automation routines and their Forms PL/SQL counterparts, and the advantages of testing automation processes within the VBA IDE. Please feel free to follow up with any specific questions or concerns you may have.
Thanks,
Eric Adamson
Lansing, Michigan
FINAL NOTE: These examples use the OLE2 built-in, and will operate correctly when called from forms running in the Form Builder OC4J. Deploying them to an Oracle Application Server will launch Word on the server itself (if available), which is usually not the developer's intent! Automating Word client-side via web forms requires adding WebUtil support. Adapting the code for WebUtil is trivial -- just replace all instances of OLE2 with CLIENT_OLE2. Adapting forms for WebUtil and configuring OLE support into your Oracle Application Server, however, are beyond the scope of this tutorial.
REVISION HISTORY
This promises to be something of a 'living document'. I've snuck changes through without comment in the past, but in the future, I'll try to document significant changes here.
2006-08-21
  * Prefaced boring subject line with text: 'Tutorial:' to clarify purpose
  * Added emphasis on value of Object Browser as a reference

Thanks James, for your kind words. I do hope this information will help folks out. I honestly believe that tinkering around in the VBA IDE will prove highly gratifying for automation developers. It can be assured that learning to make Word jump through hoops is much more straight-forward in this environment. I'm not one for mottos, but if I were pressed for a cheesy motto, I would say: First, make it work. Then, make it work in Oracle!
Once the idea has sunk in, that Visual Basic routines for automating Word are exact analogs to their OLE2 counterparts, we can remove keywords like Oracle and PL/SQL from our Google searches on Word automation which, at least in this context, are the proverbial kiss of death. Suddenly we find ourselves liberated by the possibility of steal-, ahem... borrowing ideas from the Visual Basic* community!
As for links, my link of choice is invariably http://groups.google.com -- if you don't already use it at least ten times a day, you must try it. This is the venerable USENET archive, including the holdings of now-extinct DejaNews. Another possible site of interest is http://word.mvps.org/FAQs/MacrosVBA, which may serve as a good starting point for those who wish to learn how to do fancy tricks with Word using VBA.
If these links don't prove immediately helpful, please feel free to give specifics on the sort of operations you are interested in automating, and I'll see if I can post an example that addresses it.
Regards,
Eric Adamson
Lansing, Michigan
PS: I do hope, as people read my posts, with every other acronym being VBA, that they are not mistakenly hearing a call to learn Visual Basic. I say this, not because I believe learning VB would be a Bad Thing, but because I assume that few of us feel we have the time to learn a new programming language. Despite having come to the Oracle camp already knowing VB/VBA, and having acquired a fair bit of experience with automating Office applications as an Access developer, I remain confident that what I am suggesting people attempt does not rise to the level of learning a language. What I am suggesting is that they learn enough of the language to get by.
*VB vs. VBA
Just a quick word on this, as readers may wonder why I seem to use these terms interchangeably. Visual Basic (VB) can refer to either a development platform or a programming language. Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) is a language -- more precisely, it is a subset of the Visual Basic language. One purchases VB, usually quite intentionally. VBA is included with Microsoft Office, as is VBA's development environment, the VBA IDE. The key distinction between VB and VBA is that VBA cannot be used to create self-contained executables. Rather, VBA relies on VBA-enabled applications, such as Microsoft Office applications, to serve as a container for VBA code, and to provide a runtime environment for that code. For the purposes of discussing OLE Automation, VB and VBA are quite interchangeable.

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