Application.DDERequest method (Access)

Use the DDERequest function over an open dynamic data exchange (DDE) channel to request an item of information from a DDE server application.

Syntax

expression.DDERequest (ChanNum, Item)

expression A variable that represents an Application object.

Parameters

Name	Required/Optional	Data type	Description
ChanNum	Required	Variant	A channel number, the integer returned by the DDEInitiate function.
Item	Required	String	A string expression that's the name of a data item recognized by the application specified by the DDEInitiate function. Check the application's documentation for a list of possible items.

Return value

String

Remarks

For example, if you have an open DDE channel between Microsoft Access and Microsoft Excel, you can use the DDERequest function to transfer text from an Excel spreadsheet to an Access database.

The channum argument specifies the channel number of the desired DDE conversation, and the item argument identifies which data should be retrieved from the server application. The value of the item argument depends on the application and topic specified when the channel indicated by the channum argument is opened. For example, the item argument may be a range of cells in an Excel spreadsheet.

The DDERequest function returns a Variant as a string containing the requested information if the request was successful.

The data is requested in alphanumeric text format. Graphics or text in any other format can't be transferred.

If the channum argument isn't an integer corresponding to an open channel, or if the data requested can't be transferred, a run-time error occurs.

If you need to manipulate another application's objects from Access, you may want to consider using Automation.

Support and feedback

Have questions or feedback about Office VBA or this documentation? Please see Office VBA support and feedback for guidance about the ways you can receive support and provide feedback.