How to: Build Automation Servers
You can build an Automation server as an executable (.exe) file or as a dynamically-linked library (.dll) file.
Note
Automation servers are invoked through class instantiation; therefore, you can build an Automation server without first specifying a main file in the Project Manager.
For information about building applications, see How to: Build Applications.
To build an Automation server (.dll)
Open the project for your application.
In the Project Manager, click Build.
In the Build Options dialog box, click Single-threaded COM server (dll) or Multi-threaded COM server (dll).
Select any other options you want and click OK.
Tip
You can view and save build messages that occur during the build process. For more information, see How to: View and Save Build Messages.
In the Save As dialog box, specify a name for the file, then save the file.
For more information, see Project Manager Window and Build Options Dialog Box.
To build an Automation server programmatically
- Use the BUILD EXE, BUILD DLL, or BUILD MTDLL command.
For more information, see BUILD EXE Command, BUILD DLL Command, and BUILD MTDLL Command.
Note
You must include certain dynamic-link (.dll) libraries when distributing your Automation server. For more information, see Automation Servers in Visual FoxPro.
After you build the Automation server, the server classes are listed in the Project Information dialog box. You can also specify a help file and a Help context ID for each class. This help file can be opened from most generic object browsers. You can choose class-specific instancing values in the Project Information dialog box. For more information, see Servers Tab, Project Information Dialog Box.
Tip
For changed settings in the Servers tab to take effect, rebuild the .dll or .exe.
See Also
Tasks
How to: Create Automation Servers
How to: Register Automation Servers