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Retrieving Objects

  • Article

Automation provides several functions to identify and retrieve the active instance of an object or application, so you can make the object available to others.

  • RegisterActiveObject — Sets the active object for an application. Use when the application starts.

  • RevokeActiveObject — Revokes the active object. Use when the application ends.

  • GetActiveObject — Retrieves a pointer to the active object. In Visual Basic, this pointer is implemented by the GetObject function.

Applications can have more than one active object at a time. To be initialized as active, an object must:

  • Have a class factory (that is, the object provides an interface for creating instances of itself).

  • Identify its class factory by a ProgID in the system registry.

  • Be registered by a call to RegisterActiveObject when the object is created, or when it becomes active.

The Application object must be registered as an active object.