Imports information from a type library
Supported Platforms: AutoCAD for Windows only; not available in AutoCAD LT for Windows, or on Mac OS and Web
Signature
(vlax-import-type-library :tlb-filename filename [:methods-prefix mprefix :properties-prefix pprefix :constants-prefix cprefix])
- filename
-
Type: String
Name of the type library. A file can be one of the following types:
- A type library (TLB) or object library (OLB) file
- An executable (EXE) file
- A library (DLL) file containing a type library resource
- A compound document holding a type library
- Any other file format that can be understood by the LoadTypeLib API
If you omit the path from tlb-filename, AutoCAD looks for the file in the support file search path.
- mprefix
-
Type: String
Prefix to be used for method wrapper functions. For example, if the type library contains a Calculate method and the mprefix parameter is set to “cc-”, Visual LISP generates a wrapper function named cc-Calculate. This parameter defaults to “”.
- pprefix
-
Type: String
Prefix to be used for property wrapper functions. For example, if the type library contains a Width property with both read and write permissions, and pprefix is set to “cc-”, then Visual LISP generates wrapper functions named cc-get-Width and cc-put-Width. This parameter defaults to “”.
- cprefix
-
Type: String
Prefix to be used for constants contained in the type library. For example, if the type library contains a ccMaxCountOfRecords property with both read and write permissions, and cprefix is set to “cc-”, Visual LISP generates a constant named cc-ccMaxCountOfRecords. This parameter defaults to “”.
Return Values
Type: T or nil
T, if successful; otherwise, nil if the library could not be imported.
Remarks
Function wrappers created by vlax-import-type-library are available only in the context of the document vlax-import-type-library was issued from.
In the current release, vlax-import-type-library is executed at runtime, rather than at compile time. In future releases, this may change. The following practices are recommended when using vlax-import-type-library:
- If you want your code to run on different machines, avoid specifying an absolute path in the tlb-file-name parameter.
- If possible, avoid using vlax-import-type-library from inside any AutoLISP expression (that is, always call it from a top-level position).
- In your AutoLISP source file, code the vlax-import-type-library call before any code that uses method or property wrappers or constants defined in the type library.
Examples
Import a Microsoft Word type library, assigning the prefix “msw-” to methods and properties, and “mswc-” to constants:
(vlax-import-type-library :tlb-filename "C:/Program Files (x86)/Microsoft Office/root/Office16/msword.olb" :methods-prefix "msw-" :properties-prefix "msw-" :constants-prefix "mswc-") T