AutoCAD® ActiveX® enables you to manipulate AutoCAD programmatically from within or outside the product.
It does this by exposing objects to the “outside world.” Once these objects are exposed, they can be accessed by many different programming languages and environments and by other applications such as Microsoft® Word VBA or Excel VBA.
Note: AutoCAD LT can internally utilize the AutoCAD ActiveX type library with AutoLISP, but itself cannot be accessed or manipulated by external applications such as such as Microsoft® Word VBA or Excel VBA. AutoCAD LT also cannot access third-party ActiveX type libraries; you must use AutoCAD or an AutoCAD-based for Windows program to fully utilize ActiveX.
An object is the main building block of any ActiveX application. Each exposed object represents a precise part of AutoCAD. There are many different types of objects in the AutoCAD ActiveX interface. For example:
- Graphical objects such as lines, arcs, text, and dimensions are objects.
- Style settings such as linetypes and dimension styles are objects.
- Organizational structures such as layers, groups, and blocks are objects.
- The drawing displays such as view and viewport are objects.
- Even the drawing and the AutoCAD application are considered objects.
Advantages of the ActiveX Interface (AutoCAD Only)
There are two advantages to implementing an ActiveX interface for AutoCAD:
- Programmatic access to AutoCAD drawings is opened up to many more programming environments. Before ActiveX Automation, developers were limited to an AutoLISP®, C++, or Managed .NET interface.
- Sharing data with other Windows® applications, such as Microsoft Excel and Word, is made dramatically easier.