VBScript in a Nutshell, 2nd Edition

Name

CreateObject Function

Syntax

CreateObject(servername, progID [, location])

servername

Use: Required

Data Type: String

The name of application providing the object.

ProgID

Use: Required

Data Type: String

The programmatic identifier (ProgID) of the object to create, as defined in the system registry.

Location

Use: Optional

Data Type: String

The name of the server where the object is to be created.

Return Value

A reference to an ActiveX object.

Description

Creates an instance of an OLE Automation (ActiveX) object. Prior to calling the methods, functions, or properties of an object, you are required to create an instance of that object. Once an object is created, you reference it in code using the object variable you defined.

Rules at a Glance

• In order to assign the object reference to a variable, you must use the Set keyword. For example:

  Dim oDoc
  Set oDoc = CreateObject("Word.Document")

• Programmatic identifiers use a string to identify a particular COM component or COM-enabled application. They are included among the subkeys of HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT in the system registry.

• Some common programmatic identifiers are shown in the following table:

ProgID	Description
ADODB.Connection	An ActiveX Data Objects connection
ADODB.Recordset	An ActiveX Data Objects recordset
DAO.DBEngine	Data Access Objects
Excel.Application	Microsoft Excel
Excel.Chart	A Microsoft Excel chart
Excel.Sheet	A Microsoft Excel workbook
MAPI.Session	Collaborative Data Objects
Outlook.Application	Microsoft Outlook
Scripting.Dictionary	Dictionary ...