Integrating Other Applications

Applications that do not support COM interfaces can also be integrated with VBScript. There are several distinct techniques:

• Transfer data back and forth in text files. Use the VBScript FileSystemObject to read and write text files from Active Call Center Macros.
• Use the Windows Script Host objects to start the application and send keystrokes to the application. This is discussed later in the section on Automating Windows Tasks with VBScript Macros.
• Use a COM compliant application as an intermediary to the other application. If the other application integrates with a COM compliant application like Excel, use COM to automate Excel from the VBScript Macro, and use Excel to interface with the other application.
• Create a COM component that acts as an intermediary to the other application. Many third party applications include specific techniques for integrating with programming languages such as Visual Basic. Use Visual Basic to create an ActiveX DLL or EXE that interfaces with the other application. Let the macro communicate with the ActiveX DLL/EXE and the ActiveX DLL/EXE can communicate with the other application. Creating COM objects with Visual Basic is discussed in detail in later sections.