External Interfaces/API

MATLAB ActiveX Client Support

In order to use an ActiveX component with MATLAB or with any ActiveX client, you first need to consult the documentation for that object and find out the name of the object itself (known as the ProgID), as well as the names of the interfaces, methods, properties, and events that the object uses. Once you have this information, you can integrate that object with MATLAB by using the ActiveX client support.

Using ActiveX Objects

You create an ActiveX control or server in MATLAB by creating an instance of the MATLAB activex class. Each instance represents one interface to the object.

Note    This book uses ActiveX to refer to the generic ActiveX control/server and activex to refer to the MATLAB class/object.

Creating ActiveX Objects

There are two commands used to create activex objects initially

actxcontrol	Creates an ActiveX control
actxserver	Creates an ActiveX automation server

Manipulating the Interface

Once you create an activex object that represents an interface, you can manipulate it by invoking methods on the object to perform various actions. These methods are implemented for the activex class.

Method	Description
delete	Deletes an activex object
get	Gets a property value from an interface or displays a list of properties
invoke	Invokes a method on an interface or displays a list of methods
load	Initializes an ActiveX object from a file
move	Moves and/or resizes an ActiveX control in its parent window
propedit	Asks the control to display its built-in property page
release	Releases an activex object
save	Serializes an ActiveX control object to a file
send	Displays a list of events
set	Sets a property on an interface

The creation commands, actxcontrol and actxserver, both return a MATLAB activex object, which represents the default interface for the object that was created. However, these objects may have other interfaces. It is possible (and common) for interfaces to also be obtained by invoking a method on, or getting a property from, an existing interface. The ActiveX get and invoke methods automatically create and return new activex objects to represent these additional interfaces.

When each interface is no longer needed, use the release method to release the interface. When the entire control or server is no longer needed, use the delete command to delete it. See the section, Releasing Interfaces, for more details.

MATLAB ActiveX Support Overview

ActiveX Client Reference