How do I create an ActiveX controller for OpenOffice.org Writer

[AEDL]

I have been using MS Word to generate reports using ActiveX from CVI but keep having compatibility problems with newer versions of Word, so now I want to use OpenOffice instead. I know how to use the CVI Wizard for creating an ActiveX controller for a simple DLL but I have no idea how how to go about this for OpenOffice Writer. Has anyone done this?

[Chris_G.]

Hello AEDL,

Thank you for posting on the NI Discussion Forums.  When you launch the ActiveX Controller Wizard (Tools » Create ActiveX Controller…), it shows you a list of all the ActiveX servers registered on your system.  If OpenOffice is a registered ActiveX server on your machine, then it will appear in this list, and you can create the controller for it the same way you did for Word.  These steps are also detailed in the KnowledgeBase article Using the ActiveX Controller Wizard to Generate Code in LabWindows/CVI.  If OpenOffice is not a registered ActiveX server (i.e. does not appear in the list), then you can try following the steps in the KnowledgeBase article How Do I Manually Register Type Libraries, ActiveX Controls, and ActiveX Servers? to register the application as an ActiveX server first.

Also, you mentioned that you were generating reports in Word, but you have been experiencing compatibility problems with newer versions.  Could it be because you created the ActiveX Controller for an older version of Word?  Since there are changes between versions, the libraries most likely have added/obsolete functionality between versions as well, which may cause the issue you are seeing.  Try creating a new ActiveX Controller for the most recent version of Word that you have on your machine (which should definitely appear in the list of ActiveX servers), and see if that helps.