Windows® 98 Unleashed

Linking an Object

If you have data you'd like to share between applications, and you feel that linking is the best way to go, Windows 98 gives you two methods: linking via the Clipboard, and inserting a linked file. The next two sections discuss each method. Then I'll show you how to work with and maintain your links.

Linking via the Clipboard

You know that you can use the Clipboard's cut, copy, and paste methodology to transfer static data between applications. However, the Clipboard is no slouch when it comes to OLE data transfers. If the original application is an OLE server, a cut or copy operation passes not only the selected data to the Clipboard, but also various bits of data—known as Clipboard formats—such as Object Descriptor, Link Source, ...