COM and .Net (Windows)

add a note

User Contributed Notes 6 notes

up
8
acsandeep at gmail dot com
15 years ago
If you are trying to get the properties of a Word document opened via COM object, you may need to define some constants in your script like so.

<?php
define
('wdPropertyTitle', 1);
define('wdPropertySubject', 2);
define('wdPropertyAuthor', 3);
define('wdPropertyKeywords', 4);
define('wdPropertyComments', 5);
define('wdPropertyTemplate', 6);
define('wdPropertyLastAuthor', 7);

$word = new COM("word.application") or die ("Could not initialise MS Word object.");
$word->Documents->Open(realpath("Sample.doc"));
$Author = $word->ActiveDocument->BuiltInDocumentProperties(wdPropertyAuthor);

echo
$Author;
?>
up
-9
robert dot johnson at icap dot com
11 years ago
(From?) PHP 5.4.5 for Windows:

If you are seeing this in your error log:

Fatal error: Class 'COM' not found

You require this in php.ini:

[PHP_COM_DOTNET]
extension=php_com_dotnet.dll

Previously it was compiled as built-in on the Windows build. I assume this has happened because the com extension can now be built as a shared component.
up
-7
long2hu3 ATT yahoo DOTT com
15 years ago
When you work with MS Excel, Word, ... and other applications, never forget that COM doesn’t know their predefined constants, thus if you want to do sth. that would look like this in VB:

With myRange.Borders(xlEdgeBottom)
.LineStyle = xlContinuous
.Weight = xlThin
.ColorIndex = xlAutomatic
End With

you should either use numbers or define constants above, like this:

<?php

define
('xlEdgeBottom', 9);
define('xlContinuous', 1);
define('xlThin', 2);
define('xlAutomatic', -4105);

$ex = new COM("Excel.Application", NULL, CP_UTF8) or Die ("Did not instantiate Excel");
$wb = $ex->Application->Workbooks->Add();
$ws = $wb->Worksheets(1);

$xra = $ws->Range("A1:A6");

$bs = $xra->Borders(xlEdgeBottom);
$bs->LineStyle = xlContinuous;
$bs->Weight = xlThin;
$bs->ColorIndex = xlAutomatic;

?>

It is pointless to try to use text strings, i.e.

<?php

$bs
= $xra->Borders('xlEdgeBottom');
$bs->Weight = 'xlThin';

?>

this will cause an error: Unable to set property Weight of class Border ...
up
-8
Anonymous
14 years ago
Add hyperlink at a Word Document's bookmark

<?php
// Create COM instance to word
function clsMSWord($Visible = false)
{
$this->handle = new COM("word.application") or die("Unable to instanciate Word");
$this->handle->Visible = $Visible;
}

function
WriteHyperlink($Bookmark,$Path,$Text)
{
$objBookmark = $this->handle->ActiveDocument->Bookmarks($Bookmark);
$range = $objBookmark->Range;
$objHyperlink = $this->handle->ActiveDocument->Hyperlinks;
$objHyperlink->add($range,$Path,"","",$Text);

}
?>
up
-8
ilayansmano at gmail dot com
15 years ago
Extracting text from Word Documents via PHP and COM

<?php
$word
= new COM("word.application") or die ("Could not initialise MS Word object.");
$word->Documents->Open(realpath("Sample.doc"));

// Extract content.
$content = (string) $word->ActiveDocument->Content;

echo
$content;

$word->ActiveDocument->Close(false);

$word->Quit();
$word = null;
unset(
$word);
?>
up
-17
Dave Bachtel
15 years ago
Hello everybody!

Here is some helpful advice for people attempting to use COM with Microsoft MapPoint 2006 or 2009 with PHP.

If you are using apache, it MUST be running under the same credentials as a desktop user that has already installed/run mappoint or modifiy the service and select the "Allow Service to Interact with Desktop" option. Otherwise, it won't work due to the EULA popup having to be accepted. Mappoint 2004 works just fine, this only applies to 2006 and 2009.

For troubleshooting, the error that appears in the System event viewer is:
The server {31851F82-AFE6-11D2-A3C9-00C04F72F340} did not register with DCOM within the required timeout.

The error generated by PHP, if you happen to get lucky and let the COM() function timeout by cranking up set_time_limit() timeout is:
<?php

set_time_limit
(1000) ;

$mapoint = new COM("MapPoint.Application") or die("Unable to instantiate Mappoint COM object");

?>
Generates:
Fatal error: Uncaught exception 'com_exception' with message 'Failed to create COM object `MapPoint.Application': Server execution failed ' in [somefile.php]:9 Stack trace: #0 [somefile.php](9): com->com('MapPoint.Applic...') #1 {main} thrown in [somefile.php] on line 9

Also, if you have multiple versions of MapPoint installed, you will need to run:
c:\path\to\mappoint\MapPoint.exe /registerserver

(using the correct folder path) to select the right version of the com object to use. Gooood luck!
To Top