Re: MathLink and Win95
- To: mathgroup@smc.vnet.net
- Subject: [mg10888] Re: [mg10828] MathLink and Win95
- From: John Fultz <jfultz@wolfram.com>
- Date: Thu, 12 Feb 1998 20:15:20 -0500
> I'm not expecting much luck here, but does anyone know anything about > using MathLink with Visual Basic, COM or ActiveX? > > Thanks, Scott Morrison > scott@morrison.fl.net.au There is an example of using MathLink with Visual Basic in the MathLink Developer's Kit. If you've got the 3.0 Mathematica version, then look in the following subdirectory of the Mathematica directory: AddOns\MathLink\DevelopersKits\Windows\UnsupportedGoodies\vbfe32 Unfortunately, there is no real documentation on using Mathematica with Visual Basic, but the example in that directory does provide a good starting point. While the Mathematica front end provides limited support as an OLE client, you'll probably find the level of support not terribly useful for development. It does not currently support any server or automation technologies, and MathLink has no awareness of COM at all. Of course, none of this means you can't access these technologies through MathLink. As with virtually any technology, accessing COM through MathLink simply requires that you write a glue library speaks COM on one side and MathLink on the other. Doing this requires a fair knowledge of both technologies, and may be simple or complicated, depending upon what kinds of things you expect the glue library to do for you. For example, it would be a trivial matter for an experienced COM programmer to simply create a MathLink COM interface. Just create an interface which mirrors the MathLink API and voilah...you no longer have to link to the MathLink library...you just use your COM interface. Exploiting that COM interface for something useful, though, such as attempting to control the FE to make it act like an ActiveX control, may require somewhat more careful work and planning, and a knowledge of more than just MathLink (e.g., how to use front end tokens and packets). You may decide to make your glue library contain this knowledge, or your may decide to make your glue library very dumb (so it just contains the MathLink API) and rely on the counterpart technology to intelligently manipulate MathLink programs. Since you asked a very general question, I gave a very general answer. If you need more specific information, we can exchange email privately about what it is you're doing. Sincerely, John Fultz jfultz@wolfram.com Front End Group Wolfram Research, Inc.