Interprocess Communication

GISDK can be expanded indefinitely by linking GISDK applications with other programs. There are a number of different ways to do this, using the following GISDK functions and ASP.NET and COM methods:

 

Function/Method	Summary
CallDllFunction()	Calls a function in a Dynamic Link Library (DLL)
CreateShortcut()	Creates a shortcut (.lnk) file pointing to a program, file or a folder
DoFunction() Method	A method for calling a GISDK function
DoMacro() Method	An ASP.NET method for calling a macro in a compiled GISDK UI Database
Function() Method	A COM method for calling a GISDK function
LaunchDocument()	Open a document, executable, or URL with the appropriate program
LaunchProgram()	Starts a Windows program
LoadLibrary()	Loads a DLL and returns a handle that can be used in function calls
Macro() Method	A COM method for calling a macro in a compiled GISDK UI Database
ParseShortcut()	Gets information from a shortcut (.lnk) file
RunProgram()	Runs a program, and waits for the program to complete
SendProgramMessage()	Sends a DDE Execute message to another Windows program
SendProgramRequest()	Sends a DDE Request message to another Windows program

 

RunProgram() lets you run any DOS or Windows program using a command line string. RunProgram() also lets you execute DOS batch files from within a GISDK application. When you use RunProgram(), the GISDK application stops and waits until the program is complete before proceeding.

 

LaunchProgram() starts up a Windows application that runs side-by-side with the GISDK platform. Maptitude uses LaunchProgram() from time to time to pop up a file in the Windows Notepad. When you use LaunchProgram(), execution of the GISDK application continues immediately after the other application is launched. LaunchDocument() uses Windows to determine the program to use to launch the document.

 

CreateShortcut() creates a shortcut to a program and ParseShortcut() gets information from a shortcut (.lnk) file.

 

CallDllFunction() calls a function in a Dynamic Link Library (DLL), so you can call any function in any DLL to greatly expand your options for adding capabilities to your GISDK application. LoadLibrary() is very similar.

 

DoFunction() and DoMacro() are methods for .NET applications by calling GISDK functions directly and by calling GISDK macros in UI databases. For more information on using COM, see Accessing Maptitude from .NET.

 

Function() and Macro() are COM methods for creating map servers by calling GISDK functions directly and by calling GISDK macros in UI databases. For more information on using COM, see Accessing Maptitude as a COM Object.

 

Finally, SendProgramMessage() and SendProgramRequest() are used to build applications that communicate with legacy client applications using dynamic data exchange (DDE). For backward compatibility, GISDK still supports Windows DDE messaging.

 

You can also copy data to and get data from the clipboard, and use the clipboard and OLE to move maps, figures, and layouts to other programs:

 

GISDK Function	Summary
CopyToClipboard()	Copies data to the Windows clipboard
CopyFigureToClipboard()	Copies a figure to the Windows clipboard
CopyLayoutToClipboard()	Copies a layout to the Windows clipboard
CopyMapToClipboard()	Copies a map object and map picture to the Windows clipboard
CopyMapToOLE()	Updates an embedded OLE map
DragMapToOLE()	Allows the user to drag and drop a map object to an OLE container application
GetClipboardData()	Gets data from the Windows clipboard