How to...

The Glue42 COM library allows you to Glue42 enable your MS Office VBA apps and integrate them with other Glue42 enabled apps in Glue42 Enterprise. You can use Glue42 functionality in your VBA apps for Excel, Outlook, Word, etc. The Glue42 COM library support the 32-bit and 64-bit versions of MS Office 2013 and up.

To access Glue42 functionalities in your VBA app, you have to reference and initialize the Glue42 COM library. The Glue42 COM library is distributed as a DLL file which is a part of the SDK bundle of Glue42 Enterprise located in the %LocalAppData%\Tick42\GlueSDK\GlueCOM folder.

In the Glue42 VBA Concepts section below you will find general concepts that apply when using the Glue42 COM library in VBA. The COM/VBA Reference section provides reference documentation specific to using the Glue42 COM library in VBA apps.

Referencing

The Glue42 COM library is available as a package in NuGet which you can include in your projects. The Glue42 COM library is also distributed with Glue42 Enterprise and is usually located in the %LocalAppData%\Tick42\GlueSDK\GlueCOMv2 folder.

To reference the Glue42 COM library, open the Microsoft VBA Editor and go to Tools > References. Click "Browse" find and select the GlueCOM.dll file. In the list of available references you should now see "Tick42 Glue for COM":

Initialization

To initialize the Glue42 COM library, import the library and create an instance of the Glue42 class. You can use this instance to access all Glue42 functionality. Finally, register your app.

Below is an example of a subroutine which initializes Glue42, exposing the app instance under the name "My VBA App":

Dim Glue As Glue42

Public Sub InitializeGlue()
    If Glue Is Nothing Then
        Set Glue = New Glue42
        ' Connecting to Glue42 and registering the app instance.
        Glue.StartWithAppName ("My VBA App")
    End If
End Sub

Once the Glue42 COM library has been initialized, your app has access to all Glue42 functionalities. For more detailed information on the different Glue42 concepts and APIs, see:

• Shared Contexts
• Channels
• Interop
• Window Management

The following sections explain concepts related to using the Glue42 COM library.

Composite Values

All Glue42 functionality related to receiving and sending data works with composite data values (structures). The Glue42 COM library for VBA provides a mechanism based on the GlueDynamicValue class to dynamically build composite values and to access individual fields within the composite structure.

Building Composite Values

• use CreateGlueValues to get an empty dynamic value representing the root of the composite data structure;
• use chained indexing to set individual fields within the data structure (see Indexing);

The following shows how to build a sample composite value which can be used as an argument when invoking an Interop method:

' Creating an empty root value.
Dim MyVal
Set MyVal = Glue.CreateGlueValues

' Setting a field with a string value.
MyVal("operation") = "AddSub"

' Setting a field with an array of integers as a value.
Dim OperandsArray(0 To 1) As Integer
OperandsArray(0) = 5
OperandsArray(1) = 3
MyVal("operands") = OperandsArray

' Setting a string field nested in another composite value.
MyVal("metadata")("reason") = "testing"

As a result, MyVal will contain the following composite value (represented as a JSON object):

{
    "operation": "AddSub",
    "operands": [5, 3],
    "metadata": {
        "reason": "testing"
    }
}

Indexing

You can use named indexing with instances of GlueDynamicValue to access child nodes by name.

For example:

Dim MyValue
MyValue = DynamicValue("ChildNodeName")

Depending on whether "ChildNodeName" exists and its type, the return value from the named indexing can be:

• Variant/GlueDynamicValue if "ChildNodeName" represents a composite value. If "ChildNodeName" doesn't exist, it will be automatically created as an empty composite value.
• Variant/<some native type> if "ChildNodeName" represents an elementary field.

As indexing can return another instance of GlueDynamicValue, this allows for chained indexing to access nested composite values:

Dim MyDoubleValue as Double
MyDoubleValue = DynamicValue("CompositeLevel_0")("CompositeLevel_1")("ElementaryDoubleField")

Note that using indexing is recommended only when accessing fields within a composite value with a known structure.

Accessing Composite Value Fields

• use the GetReflectData method of a data provider instance passing an empty string as an argument to get the root of the composite value;
• the data provider is typically passed as an argument to callback/event handler subroutines which are invoked when Glue42 sends data to the app;

The example below uses the same data structure from the previous example and shows how to access fields in a composite value. The invocationRequest data provider is passed as an argument to the handler subroutine:

' Declaring the native variables.
Dim Operation As String
Dim Operand1, Operand2 As Integer
Dim Reason As String
Dim Error As Integer

' Getting the root of the composite value from the data provider.
Dim Args
Set Args = invocationRequest.GetReflectData("")

' Extracting the elementary fields from the composite value:

' Accessing a string value.
Operation = Args("operation")
' Accessing integer values in an array.
Operand1 = Args("operands")(0)
Operand2 = Args("operands")(1)
' Access a string value inside a composite value.
Reason = Args("metadata")("reason")
' This will raise a "Type Mismatch" exception: "metadata" is a composite value which can't be cast to "Integer".
Error = Args("metadata")

Elementary fields are automatically cast to the compatible native type. Trying to assign to an incompatible type will raise an exception. Array elements can be accessed by their numeric index. Arrays can't be directly cast to a native array type. Accessing a field which doesn't exist will return an empty GlueDynamicValue.

You can also store a lower-level composite value or array in a temporary variable and use it to access its fields. This helps avoid unnecessary repetitions of the path to deeper nested composite values and extra calls to the Glue42 COM library:

Dim OperArr
' Storing an array from a composite data structure in a variable.
OperArr = Args("operands")
' Accessing array elements from the temporary variable.
Operand1 = OperArr(0)
Operand2 = OperArr(1)

Another possibility for accessing a lower-level value in a composite structure directly from the data provider is to specify a path to the value when invoking GetReflectData. This can be useful when handling complex composite values where only part of the value structure is of interest:

' Accessing directly a lower-level value by providing a path as an argument.
Reason = invocationRequest.GetReflectData("metadata.reason")

Traversing Composite Values with Unknown or Dynamic Structure

To traverse and get information about the fields of a composite value with unknown or dynamic structure, use the Count, Names and Values properties of a GlueDynamicValue instance and its Contains method.

Glue42 Time

Glue42 time is essentially a Unix timestamp: the number of milliseconds since the Unix epoch, i.e. 1970-01-01 00:00:00 UTC, ignoring leap seconds. To convert from Glue42 time to VBA Date, you can use the following formula:

VBADate = CDate(GlueTime / 86400 + 25569)

• 86400 is the number of seconds in one day (60 * 60 * 24);
• 25569 is the VBA numeric representation of 1970-01-01 00:00:00;

Note that the resulting Date timestamp will also be in UTC, and not in local time.

Helper Functions

The VBA samples use a helper function which simplifies the use of the Glue42 COM library and/or provides functionality not directly available in VBA.

GetFormHwnd

This helper function is used to retrieve the window handle (HWND) of a VBA UserForm.

Implementation:

Private Declare PtrSafe Function FindWindowA _
    Lib "user32.dll" ( _
    ByVal lpClassName As String, _
    ByVal lpWindowName As String) As LongPtr

Public Function GetFormHwnd(Form As Variant) As Long
    Dim strCaption As String
    Dim strClass As String

    ' Class name changed in Office 2000.
    If Val(Application.Version) >= 9 Then
        strClass = "ThunderDFrame"
    Else
        strClass = "ThunderXFrame"
    End If

    Randomize
    ' Saving the caption.
    strCaption = Form.Caption
    Form.Caption = "FindMe#" + CStr(Rnd)

    GetFormHwnd = CLng(FindWindowA(strClass, Form.Caption))
    'Restoring the caption.
    Form.Caption = strCaption
End Function

This reference describes the components in the Glue42 COM library relevant to VBA.

Note that the library also contains components that aren't intended to be directly used by VBA apps.

GlueMethodFlags

Enumeration of the possible flags associated with a Glue42 method.

Name	Value	Hex	Binary
GlueMethodFlags_None	0	00	00000000
GlueMethodFlags_ReturnsResult	1	01	00000001
GlueMethodFlags_IsGuiOperation	2	02	00000010
GlueMethodFlags_IsUserSpecific	4	04	00000100
GlueMethodFlags_IsMachineSpecific	8	08	00001000
GlueMethodFlags_OutsideDomain	16	10	00010000
GlueMethodFlags_SupportsStreaming	32	20	00100000

GlueMethodInvocationStatus

Enumeration of the possible values for the status of a Glue42 method invocation.

Name	Value
GlueMethodInvocationStatus_Succeeded	0
GlueMethodInvocationStatus_Failed	1
GlueMethodInvocationStatus_TimedOut	2
GlueMethodInvocationStatus_NotAvailable	3
GlueMethodInvocationStatus_Started	4

GlueStreamState

Enumeration of the possible values for the status of a Glue42 stream subscription.

Name	Value
GlueStreamState_Pending	0
GlueStreamState_Stale	1
GlueStreamState_Opened	2
GlueStreamState_Closed	3
GlueStreamState_SubscriptionRejected	4
GlueStreamState_SubscriptionFailed	5

GlueWindowEventType

Enumeration of the possible values for the event type passed to HandleWindowEvent

Note that not all event types are applicable to VBA apps.

Name	Value	Hex
GlueWindowEventType_Unknown	0	00
GlueWindowEventType_Snapshot	1	01
GlueWindowEventType_WindowFrameAdded	2	02
GlueWindowEventType_WindowFrameRemoved	3	03
GlueWindowEventType_WindowFrameChanged	4	04
GlueWindowEventType_ButtonClicked	5	05
GlueWindowEventType_ButtonRemoved	6	06
GlueWindowEventType_ButtonAdded	7	07
GlueWindowEventType_GroupHeaderVisibilityChanged	8	08
GlueWindowEventType_CompositionChanged	9	09
GlueWindowEventType_FrameColorChanged	10	0A
GlueWindowEventType_Created	11	0B
GlueWindowEventType_Closed	12	0C
GlueWindowEventType_UrlChanged	13	0D
GlueWindowEventType_ContextChanged	14	0E
GlueWindowEventType_VisibilityChanged	15	0F
GlueWindowEventType_BoundsChanged	16	10
GlueWindowEventType_StateChanged	17	11
GlueWindowEventType_FocusChanged	18	12
GlueWindowEventType_TitleChanged	19	13
GlueWindowEventType_WindowCanvasWindowChanged	20	14
GlueWindowEventType_TabHeaderVisibilityChanged	21	15
GlueWindowEventType_FrameSelectionChanged	22	16
GlueWindowEventType_ShowFlydownBoundsRequested	23	17
GlueWindowEventType_WindowZoomFactorChanged	24	18
GlueWindowEventType_FrameIsLockedChanged	25	19
GlueWindowEventType_DOMReady	26	1A
GlueWindowEventType_Hibernated	27	1B
GlueWindowEventType_Resumed	28	1C

GlueContext

This type is used to store information about a Glue42 context.

Properties

Name	Type	Description
Id	String	Identifier of the context within Glue42.
Name	String	Name of the context.

VBGlueInstance

This type is used to store information about a Glue42 app instance.

Properties

Name	Type	Description
ApplicationName	String	Name of the app.
Environment	String	Glue42 environment in which the app instance is running.
InstanceId	String	Identifier assigned to the app instance by Glue42.
MachineName	String	Hostname of the machine where the app instance is running.
Metadata	GlueDynamicValue	Additional optional information about the app instance represented as a composite value.
MetricsRepositoryId	String	Identifier of the metrics repository used by the app instance (if any).
ProcessId	Long	Identifier of the process (PID) in which the app instance is running.
ProcessStartTime	Double	Number representing the Glue42 Time when the process was started.
Region	String	Glue42 region in which the app instance is running.
ServiceName	String	Service name under which the app instance is running.
UserName	String	Username under which the app instance is running.
Version	String	Glue42 client version.

VBGlueMethod

This type is used to store information about a Glue42 method or stream.

Properties

Name	Type	Description
Flags	GlueMethodFlags	Contains various flags associated with the method.
Input	String	String representation of the method arguments signature as provided during the method registration.
Instance	VBGlueInstance	Contains information about the Glue42 appistance that has registered the method.
Name	String	Method name.
ObjectTypes	String()	Optional array of strings specifying the types of objects that the method works with (e.g., Instrument, Client, etc.)
Output	String	String representation of the method return value signature as provided during the method registration.
RegistrationCookie	String	Unique identifier assigned to the method during registration.

VBGlueResult

This type is used to store information about the result that a Glue42 Interop method will return when invoked.

Properties

Name	Type	Description
GlueData	GlueData	Represents the data contained in the result.
LogDetails	String	Additional optional information about the result.
Message	String	Optional message associated with the result.
method	VBGlueMethod	Information about the Glue42 method providing the result.
Status	GlueMethodInvocationStatus	Enumeration value representing the method invocation status.

Glue42

This class is used as the main entry point for using any Glue42 functionality.

Properties

This class has no properties which can be used in VBA.

Methods

CreateDefaultVBGlueWindowSettings

Creates an instance of GlueWindowSettings which can be used to initiate window registration with specific settings. See also RegisterGlueWindowWithSettings

Signature:

Function CreateDefaultVBGlueWindowSettings() As GlueWindowSettings

Parameters: None

Return value: GlueWindowSettings

CreateGlueData

Creates an instance of GlueData containing a composite value. The returned instance can be used to initialize the GlueData property of VBGlueResult

Signature:

Function CreateGlueData(data) As GlueData

Parameters:

Name	Type	Description
data	Variant	An instance of GlueDynamicValue representing the root of the composite value.

Return value: GlueData

CreateGlueValues

Creates an instance of GlueDynamicValue which can represent a root node in a composite value.

Signature:

Function CreateGlueValues() as Variant

Parameters: None

Return value: Variant/GlueDynamicValue

CreateMethodInvocator

Creates an instance of GlueMethodInvocator which can serve as a proxy for invoking Glue42 methods and receiving results from method invocations.

Signature:

Function CreateMethodInvocator() As GlueMethodInvocator

Parameters: None

Return value: GlueMethodInvocator

CreateServerMethod

Creates an instance of GlueServerMethod which can be used to register a Glue42 method and handle the server-side interaction with Glue42.

Signature:

Function CreateServerMethod(methodName As String, Input As String, Output As String, objectTypesCSV As String) As GlueServerMethod

Parameters:

Name	Type	Description
methodName	String	Name of the method to create.
Input	String	Optional string representation of the method input arguments signature.
Output	String	Optional string representation of the method return value signature.
objectTypesCSV	String	Optional string of comma-separated values specifying the types of objects that the method works with (e.g., Instrument, Client, etc.)

Return value: GlueServerMethod

CreateServerStream

Creates an instance of GlueServerStream which can be used to register a Glue42 stream and handle the server-side interaction with Glue42.

Signature:

Function CreateServerStream(streamName As String, Input As String, Output As String, objectTypesCSV As String) As GlueServerStream

Parameters:

Name	Type	Description
streamName	String	Name of the stream to create.
Input	String	Optional string representation of the stream subscription request arguments.
Output	String	Optional string representation of the published stream data structure.
objectTypesCSV	String	Optional string of comma-separated values specifying the types of objects that the stream method works with (e.g., Instrument, Client, etc.)

Return value: GlueServerStream

CreateStreamConsumer

Creates an instance of GlueStreamConsumer which can be used to subscribe to Glue42 streams and handle the client-side interaction with Glue42.

Signature:

Function CreateStreamConsumer() As GlueStreamConsumer

Parameters: None

Return value: GlueStreamConsumer

GetChannels

Obtains the names of all available Glue42 Channels.

Signature:

Function GetChannels() As String()

Parameters: None

Return value: String()

GetGlueContext

Creates an instance of GlueContextManager which can later be linked to a Glue42 context with the Open method.

Signature:

Function GetGlueContext(contextName As String) As GlueContextManager

Parameters:

Name	Type	Description
contextName	String	Name of the context.

Return value: GlueContextManager

GetKnownContexts

Obtains a list of all currently available Glue42 contexts.

Signature:

Function GetKnwonContexts() As GlueContext()`

Parameters: None

Return value: GlueContext() - GlueContext array containing information about the currently available Glue42 contexts.

GetMethodNamesForTarget

Obtains the names of all Glue42 methods or streams exposed by the specified apps.

Signature:

Function GetMethodNamesForTarget(targetRegex As String) As String()

Parameters:

Name	Type	Description
targetRegex	String	Optional regular expression pattern which allows selecting for which target apps to retrieve the registered Interop methods/streams. If provided, only methods and streams exposed by apps with names matching the regular expression will be returned. An empty string or Nothing will match all app names.

Return value: String()

GetTargets

Obtains the names of all Glue42 apps currently exposing methods or streams.

Signature:

Function GetTargets() As String()

Parameters: None

Return value: String()

Log

Outputs a message to the Glue42 log.

Signature:

Sub Log(level As Byte, Message As String)

Parameters:

Name	Type	Description
level	Byte	Log level. The following values are accepted: 0 (trace), 1 (debug), 2 (info), 3 (warn), 4 (error), 5 (fatal)
Message	String	The message to log.

Return value: None

RegisterGlueWindow

Initiates the registration of a VBA UserForm as a Glue42 Window with default settings.

Signature:

Function RegisterGlueWindow(hwnd As Long, windowEventHandler As IGlueWindowEventHandler) As GlueWindow

Parameters:

Name	Type	Description
hwnd	Long	Handle (HWND) to the VBA UserForm window. It can be obtained with the helper function GetFormHwnd.
windowEventHandler	IGlueWindowEventHandler	Nothing must be provided in VBA.

Return value: GlueWindow

Note that the returned instance of GlueWindow shouldn't be used to interact with the Glue42 Window until the HandleWindowReady event has been raised (i.e., the window registration is complete).

RegisterGlueWindowWithSettings

Initiates the registration of a VBA UserForm as a Glue42 Window with custom settings.

Signature:

Function RegisterGlueWindowWithSettings(hwnd As Long, settings As GlueWindowSettings, windowEventHandler As IGlueWindowEventHandler) As GlueWindow

Parameters:

Name	Type	Description
hwnd	Long	Handle (HWND) to the VBA UserForm window. It can be obtained with the helper function GetFormHwnd.
settings	GlueWindowSettings	An instance of GlueWindowSettings containing the settings to use during the window registration. You need to obtain an instance by using CreateDefaultVBGlueWindowSettings first, and then modify the property values as needed.
windowEventHandler	IGlueWindowEventHandler	Nothing must be provided in VBA.

Return value: GlueWindow

Note that the returned instance of GlueWindow shouldn't be used to interact with the Glue42 Window until the HandleWindowReady event has been raised (i.e., the window registration is complete).

StartWithAppName

Connects to the Glue42 Gateway and announces the app instance. Connection to the Glue42 Gateway is required for using any Glue42 functionality.

Signature:

Sub StartWithAppName(ApplicationName As String)

Parameters:

Name	Type	Description
ApplicationName	String	Name under which the app will be registered in Glue42.

Return value: None

Stop

Disconnects from the Glue42 Gateway, shutting down all communication:

• The app instance will no longer receive any notifications from Glue42, no event handlers will be invoked.
• All stream subscriptions will be terminated.
• All methods and streams published by the app will be automatically unregistered.
• The app instance will no longer be visible/discoverable.
• Glue42 context data (including Glue42 Channel data) set by the app will persist until overwritten by other apps.

Signature:

Sub Stop()

Parameters: None

Return value: None

GlueContextManager

This class is used for interaction with Glue42 contexts. Interface: IGlueContext.

Properties

This class has no properties.

Methods

Close

Closes an open Glue42 context. The context is unlinked from the GlueContextManager which can no longer be used to interact with the context. The associated event handler will no longer be executed when the context data changes.

Signature:

Sub Close()

Parameters: None

Return value: None

GetContextInfo

Obtains a GlueContext containing information about the linked context.

Signature:

Function GetContextInfo() As GlueContext

Parameters: None

Return value: GlueContext

GetDataAsJson

Gets a composite value or an elementary field in JSON format.

Signature:

Function GetDataAsJson(fieldPath As String) As String

Parameters:

Name	Type	Description
fieldPath	String	Path to the field in the composite value structure. An empty string refers to the root of the composite value structure.

Return value: String

GetReflectData

Gets a composite value or an elementary field from the associated composite value structure.

Signature:

Function GetReflectData(fieldPath As String) as Variant

Parameters:

Name	Type	Description
fieldPath	String	Path to the field in the composite value structure. An empty string refers to the root of the composite value structure.

Return value:

• Variant/GlueDynamicValue if fieldPath refers to a composite value;
• Variant/<some native type> if fieldPath refers to an elementary field;
• Variant/Empty if the specified fieldPath doesn't exist;

Open

Opens a Glue42 context. If the context doesn't exist, it is automatically created with an empty data value.

Signature:

Sub Open()

Parameters: None

Return value: None

Remove

Removes a shared context value.

Signature:

Sub Remove(fieldPath As String)

Parameters:

Name	Type	Description
fieldPath	String	Path to the composite value or field in the composite value structure to remove.

Return value: None

SetValue

Sets or updates a context value.

Signature:

Sub SetValue(fieldPath As String, Value)

Parameters:

Name	Type	Description
fieldPath	String	Path to the composite value or field in the composite value structure. Non-existent elements in the path are automatically created as composite values. If any of the path elements (apart from the last one) exist but aren't composite values, the call will fail.
Value	Variant	An instance of GlueDynamicValue to which the composite value or field will be set. See Building Composite Values for details about obtaining and initializing a GlueDynamicValue.

Return value: None

UpdateContextDataJson

Updates a composite value or an elementary field in the shared context.

Signature:

Sub UpdateContextDataJson(fieldPath As String, jsonEncodedData As String)

Parameters:

Name	Type	Description
fieldPath	String	Path to the composite value or field in the composite value structure. Non-existent elements in the path are automatically created as composite values. If any of the path elements (apart from the last one) exist but aren't composite values, the call will fail.
jsonEncodedData	String	String representation of the new value in JSON format.

Return value: None

Nonapplicable Methods

The following methods aren't intended to be used in VBA:

• BuildAndSetContextData
• BuildAndUpdateContextData
• GetData
• IsLaunchedByGD
• JsonToVariant
• SetContextData
• SetContextDataOnFieldPath
• UpdateContextData

Events

HandleContextUpdate

The handler for this event is executed when the linked context data has been updated or when a context has been linked with the Open method.

Handler signature:

Sub GlueContextManager_HandleContextUpdate(ByVal contextUpdate As IGlueContextUpdate)

Parameters:

Name	Type	Description
contextUpdate	IGlueContextUpdate	An instance of GlueContextUpdate which can be used to access the context data.

Nonapplicable events

The following events aren't intended to be used in VBA:

• HandleContext

GlueContextUpdate

An instance of this class is passed by Glue42 to the HandleContextUpdate event handler. Interface: IGlueContextUpdate.

Properties

This class has no properties.

Methods

GetContext

Obtains an instance of GlueContextManager linked to the Glue42 context that has been updated.

Signature:

Function GetContext() As GlueContextManager

Parameters: None

Return value: GlueContextManager

GlueData

This class is used to store composite data values. Interface: IGlueData.

Properties

This class has no properties.

Methods

GetReflectData

Gets a composite value or an elementary field from the associated composite value structure.

Signature:

Function GetReflectData(fieldPath As String) as Variant

Parameters:

Name	Type	Description
fieldPath	String	Path to the field in the composite value structure. An empty string refers to the root of the composite value structure.

Return value:

• Variant/GlueDynamicValue if fieldPath refers to a composite value;
• Variant/<some native type> if fieldPath refers to an elementary field;
• Variant/Empty if the specified fieldPath doesn't exist;

GlueDynamicValue

An instance of this class represents a node in a composite value. Composite values are passed to and returned by various Glue42 COM methods involving data exchange between apps. See also Building Composite Values and Accessing Composite Value Fields.

Properties

Name	Type	Description
Count	Long	Contains the number of child nodes.
Names	String()	Array of Strings containing the child node names.
Values	Variants()	Array of Variants representing the child nodes. A Variant can contain another GlueDynamicValue (if the node has children, i.e. the node is a nested composite value) or a native type.

Methods

Contains

Checks if a child node with the specified name exists.

Signature:

Function Contains(Name As String) As Boolean

Parameters:

Name	Type	Description
Name	String	Name of the child node to check whether it exists.

Return value: Boolean

Nonapplicable Methods

The following methods aren't intended to be used in VBA:

• GetEnumerator

GlueInvocationRequest

This class is used by apps when providing a Glue42 method implementation. An instance of this class is passed by Glue42 to the HandleInvocationRequest event handler. Interface: IGlueInvocationRequest.

Properties

Name	Type	Description
Caller	VBGlueInstance	Information about the app instance that has invoked the method.
method	VBGlueMethod	Information about the method being invoked.

Methods

GetReflectData

Gets a composite value or an elementary field from the associated composite value structure. In the case of an invocation request, this is the composite value structure holding the arguments with which the request was made.

Signature:

Function GetReflectData(fieldPath As String) as Variant

Parameters:

Name	Type	Description
fieldPath	String	Path to the field in the composite value structure. An empty string refers to the root of the composite value structure.

Return value:

• Variant/GlueDynamicValue if fieldPath refers to a composite value;
• Variant/<some native type> if fieldPath refers to an elementary field;
• Variant/Empty if the specified fieldPath doesn't exist;

SendFailure

Returns a "Failed" status to the Glue42 method invocator (caller).

Signature:

Sub SendFailure(Message As String, additionalData as Variant)

Parameters:

Name	Type	Description
Message	String	Message describing the failure to be returned to the caller.
additionalData	Variant	Optional additional data to return to the caller. See details below.

The following may be provided as additionalData:

Type	Description
GlueDynamicValue	Composite value to return to the caller together with the "Failed" status.
Nothing	No additional information will be returned to the caller.

Return value: None

Invoking SendFailure is equivalent to invoking SendResult with an argument of type VBGlueResult with the following properties initialized:

• Status is set to GlueMethodInvocationStatus_Failed.
• Message is set to the Message argument.
• GlueData is initialized according to the provided additionalData argument.

SendResult

Returns a result to the Glue42 method invocator (caller).

Signature:

Sub SendResult(result as Variant)

Parameters:

Name	Type	Description
result	Variant	Optional additional data to return to the caller. See details below.

The following may be provided as result:

Type	Description
VBGlueResult	An instance of VBGlueResult fully describing the result which will be returned back to the caller. You may initialize some or all properties as needed. The method property doesn't need to be initialized (its value is ignored), it will be automatically populated by Glue42 when delivering the result to the caller.
GlueDynamicValue	Composite value to return to the caller. This is equivalent to providing a VBGlueResult with Status = GlueMethodInvocationStatus_Succeeded, GlueData initialized with the provided composite value, and all other properties initialized with empty/default values.
Nothing	No value will be returned to the caller. This is equivalent to sending a VBGlueResult with Status = GlueMethodInvocationStatus_Succeeded and all other properties initialized with empty/default values.

Return value: None

Below is an example of initializing a VBGlueResult for use with SendResult:

' Build the composite value to be returned to the caller.
Dim DynamicValue
Set DynamicValue = Glue.CreateGlueValues
DynamicValue("jobID") = "JOB#1234"

' Initialize the result.
Dim VBResult As VBGlueResult
VBResult.Message = "Background job started."
VBResult.Status = GlueMethodInvocationStatus_Started
Set VBResult.GlueData = Glue.CreateGlueData(DynamicValue)

' Send the result.
request.SendResult VBResult

GlueMethodInfo

This class is used to store information about a Glue42 streaming method. Instances of this class are passed as parameters to stream subscription event handlers. Interface: IGlueMethodInfo.

Properties

Name	Type	Description
correlationId	String	Optional user-defined string which was passed as an argument to Subscribe when the app initiated the stream subscription.
method	VBGlueMethod	Contains details about the Glue42 stream.

Methods

This class has no methods.

GlueMethodInvocator

This class is used to handle the client-side method invocation. Instances of this class can be created by using CreateMethodInvocator.

Properties

This class has no properties.

Methods

InvokeAsync

Invokes a Glue42 method asynchronously. The result is delivered via the HandleInvocationResult event.

Signature:

Sub InvokeAsync(method As String, targetRegex As String, args, all As Boolean, correlationId As String, timeoutMsecs As Long)

Parameters:

Name	Type	Description
method	String	Name of the method to invoke.
targetRegex	String	Optional regular expression pattern which allows selecting the target apps which will service the method invocation. If provided, only targets with app name matching the regular expression will be considered. An empty string or Nothing will match all app names.
args	Variant	An instance of GlueDynamicValue representing the arguments to pass to the Glue42 method being invoked (see also Building Composite Values) or Nothing in case the method accepts no arguments.
all	Boolean	Indicates whether the method invocation request should be sent to all available app targets or to one target only.
correlationId	String	Optional user-defined string which will be delivered back to the invocation result handler. This can be used to distinguish the returned results in case you make several invocations without waiting for the results to arrive first.
timeoutMsecs	Long	Specifies how long (in milliseconds) Glue42 will wait for the method invocation to complete before sending a "timed out" status to the caller.

Return value: None

InvokeSync

Invokes a Glue42 method synchronously.

Note that invoking this method will block VBA execution until the method invocation completes. As VBA code runs in a single thread, it isn't possible to synchronously invoke methods registered by the same VBA app.

Signature:

Function InvokeSync(method As String, targetRegex As String, args, all As Boolean, timeoutMsecs As Long) as VBGlueInvocationResult

Parameters:

Name	Type	Description
method	String	Name of the method to invoke.
targetRegex	String	Optional regular expression pattern which allows selecting the target apps which will service the method invocation. If provided, only targets with app name matching the regular expression will be considered. An empty string or Nothing will match all app names.
args	Variant	An instance of GlueDynamicValue representing the arguments to pass to the Glue42 method being invoked (see also Building Composite Values) or Nothing in case the method accepts no arguments.
all	Boolean	Indicates whether the method invocation request should be sent to all available app targets or to one target only.
timeoutMsecs	Long	Specifies how long (in milliseconds) Glue42 will wait for the method invocation to complete before sending a "timed out" status to the caller.

Return value: VBGlueInvocationResult - an instance of VBGlueInvocationResult containing information about the result from the method invocation.

Events

HandleInvocationResult

The handler for this event is executed when a method invocation initiated with InvokeAsync has completed.

Handler signature:

Sub GlueMethodInvocator_HandleInvocationResult(ByVal result As IGlueInvocationResult)

Parameters:

Name	Type	Description
result	IGlueInvocationResult	An instance of VBGlueInvocationResult containing information about the result from the method invocation.

GlueServerMethod

This class is used to expose Glue42 methods and handle the server-side interaction with Glue42. Instances of this class can be created with CreateServerMethod. Interface: IGlueServerMethod.

Properties

Name	Type	Description
Definition	VBGlueMethod	Contains details about the Glue42 method definition.

Methods

Register

Registers an Interop method in Glue42. The registered Interop method becomes visible to other Glue42 apps.

Signature:

Sub Register()

Parameters: None

Return value: None

Unregister

Unregisters an Interop method from Glue42. The unregistered Interop method is no longer available in Glue42.

Signature:

Sub Unregister()

Parameters: None

Return value: None

Events

HandleInvocationRequest

The handler for this event is executed when an app invokes a registered Glue42 method.

Handler signature:

Sub GlueServerMethod_HandleInvocationRequest(ByVal request As IGlueInvocationRequest)

Parameters:

Name	Type	Description
request	IGlueInvocationRequest	An instance of GlueInvocationRequest which can be used to send the invocation result back to the caller.

GlueServerStream

This class is used to expose Glue42 streams (streaming methods) and handle the server-side interaction with Glue42. Instances of this class can be created with CreateServerStream. Interface: IGlueServerStream.

Properties

Name	Type	Description
Definition	VBGlueMethod	Contains details about the Glue42 streaming method definition.

Methods

CloseBranch

Closes a stream branch. This will disconnect (unsubscribe) all subscribers from the branch and remove the branch from the stream.

Signature:

Sub CloseBranch(branch As String)

Parameters:

Name	Type	Description
branch	String	Name (key) of the branch to close.

Return value: None

CloseStream

Closes a stream. This will disconnect (unsubscribe) all subscribers (on all branches) from the stream. All branches will be removed from the stream.

Signature:

Sub CloseStream()

Parameters: None

Return value: None

GetBranchKeys

Gets an array containing the names of all branches of the stream.

Signature:

Function GetBranchKeys() As String()

Parameters: None

Return value: String() - an array of Strings containing the names (keys) of all stream branches.

PushVariantData

Push data to a stream or stream branch.

Signature:

Sub PushVariantData(data, branch As String)

Parameters:

Name	Type	Description
data	Variant	An instance of GlueDynamicValue representing the data to publish (see also Building Composite Values).
branch	String	Name of the branch to which to push the data. Providing an empty string will broadcast the data to all subscribers on all branches.

Return value: None

Register

Registers an Interop stream in Glue42. The registered stream becomes visible to other Glue42 apps.

Signature:

Sub Register()

Parameters: None

Return value: None

Unregister

Unregisters an Interop stream from Glue42. The unregistered stream is no longer available in Glue42.

Signature:

Sub Unregister()

Parameters: None

Return value: None

Nonapplicable Methods

The following methods aren't intended to be used in VBA:

• GatBranch
• Push

Events

HandleSubscriber

The handler for this event is executed when a new stream subscriber is accepted.

Handler signature:

Sub GlueServerStream_HandleSubscriber(ByVal subscriber As IVBGlueStreamSubscriber, ByVal requestData As IGlueData)

Parameters:

Name	Type	Description
subscriber	IVBGlueStreamSubscriber	An instance of VBGlueStreamSubscriber containing information about the new stream subscriber.
requestData	IGlueData	An instance of GlueData representing the composite value passed with the subscription request.

HandleSubscriberLost

The handler for this event is executed when an existing subscriber is unsubscribed from the stream.

Handler signature:

Sub GlueServerStream_HandleSubscriberLost(ByVal subscriber As IVBGlueStreamSubscriber)

Parameters:

Name	Type	Description
subscriber	IVBGlueStreamSubscriber	An instance of VBGlueStreamSubscriber containing information about the lost stream subscriber.

HandleSubscriptionRequest

The handler for this event is executed when an app attempts to subscribe to a stream.

Handler signature:

Sub GlueServerStream_HandleSubscriptionRequest(ByVal request As IGlueSubscriptionRequest)

Parameters:

Name	Type	Description
request	IGlueSubscriptionRequest	An instance of GlueSubscriptionRequest which can be used to accept or reject a new subscriber.

GlueStreamConsumer

This class is used to subscribe to Glue42 streams and handle the client-side interaction with Glue42. Instances of this class can be created by using CreateStreamConsumer.

Properties

This class has no properties.

Methods

Subscribe

Attempt to subscribe to a Glue42 stream by sending a subscription request.

Signature:

Sub Subscribe(stream As String, targetRegex As String, args, all As Boolean, correlationId As String, timeoutMsecs As Long)

Parameters:

Name	Type	Description
stream	String	Name of the stream to which to subscribe.
targetRegex	String	Optional regular expression pattern which allows selecting the target apps publishing the stream. If provided, only apps with name matching the regular expression will be considered. An empty string or Nothing will match all app names.
args	Variant	An instance of GlueDynamicValue representing the arguments to pass along with the subscription request (see also Building Composite Values) or Nothing if the stream publisher requires no arguments.
all	Boolean	Indicates whether the subscription request should be sent to all matching apps which publish the stream, or a single app only.
correlationId	String	Optional user-defined string which will be delivered back to the stream consumer event handlers. It can be used to distinguish subscriptions in case you use the same stream consumer for multiple subscriptions.
timeoutMsecs	Long	Specifies how long (in milliseconds) Glue42 will wait for the subscription request to be accepted or rejected before sending a "timed out" status to the caller.

Return value: None

Events

HandleStreamClosed

The handler for this event is executed when the associated stream subscription has been terminated.

Handler signature:

Sub GlueStreamConsumer_HandleStreamClosed(ByVal stream As IGlueMethodInfo)

Parameters:

Name	Type	Description
stream	IGlueMethodInfo	An instance of GlueMethodInfo containing information about the streaming method.

HandleStreamData

The handler for this event is executed when a stream publishing app pushes data to a stream.

Handler signature:

Sub GlueStreamConsumer_HandleStreamData(ByVal stream As IGlueMethodInfo, ByVal Data As IGlueData)

Parameters:

Name	Type	Description
stream	IGlueMethodInfo	An instance of GlueMethodInfo containing information about the streaming method.
Data	IGlueData	An instance of GlueData containing the latest data published to the stream.

HandleStreamStatus

The handler for this event is executed when the status of the associated stream changes.

Handler signature:

Sub GlueStreamConsumer_HandleStreamStatus(ByVal stream As IGlueMethodInfo, ByVal state As GlueStreamState, ByVal Message As String, ByVal dateTime As Double)

Parameters:

Name	Type	Description
stream	IGlueMethodInfo	An instance of GlueMethodInfo containing information about the streaming method.
state	GlueStreamState	Enumeration value representing the status of the Glue42 stream.
Message	String	Optional message describing the reason for the status change.
datetime	Double	Number representing the Glue42 Time when the stream status changed.

HandleSubscriptionActivated

The handler for this event is executed when a subscription request has been dispatched to Glue42. The main purpose for invoking this event is to provide an instance of the stream subscription which the app may later use to unsubscribe from the stream.

Handler signature:

Sub GlueStreamConsumer_HandleSubscriptionActivated(ByVal subscription As IGlueStreamSubscription, ByVal correlationId As String)

Parameters:

Name	Type	Description
subscription	IGlueStreamSubscription	An instance of GlueStreamSubscription.
correlationId	String	Optional user-defined string which was passed as a parameter to Subscribe when the app initiated the stream subscription.

Note that when this event is invoked, the subscription request hasn't yet been resolved.

GlueStreamSubscription

This class is used to represent a Glue42 stream subscription. Interface: IGlueStreamSubscription.

Properties

This class has no properties.

Methods

Close

Unsubscribes from the associated Glue42 stream.

Signature:

Sub Close()

Parameters: None

Return value: None

GlueSubscriptionRequest

This class is used by apps which expose Glue42 streams. An instance of this class is passed by Glue42 to the HandleSubscriptionRequest event handler. Interface: IGlueSubscriptionRequest.

Properties

Name	Type	Description
Requester	VBGlueInstance	Contains information about the Glue42 app instance which has sent the subscription request.
stream	VBGlueMethod	Contains details about the Glue42 streaming method.

Methods

Accept

Accepts a new subscriber on the stream.

Signature:

Function Accept(branch As String, result) As IGlueStreamBranch

Parameters:

Name	Type	Description
branch	String	Name of the branch on which to accept the new subscriber. If the branch doesn't exist, it will be automatically created. Providing an empty string will put the new subscriber on the default (unnamed) branch.
result	Variant	This parameter isn't applicable in VBA. Use Nothing when invoking the method.

Return value: IGlueStreamBranch

Note that the return value isn't intended to be used in VBA and can be ignored.

GetReflectData

Gets a composite value or an elementary field from the associated composite value structure. In the case of a subscription request, this is the composite value structure holding the arguments with which the request was made.

Signature:

Function GetReflectData(fieldPath As String) as Variant

Parameters:

Name	Type	Description
fieldPath	String	Path to the field in the composite value structure. An empty string refers to the root of the composite value structure.

Return value:

• Variant/GlueDynamicValue if fieldPath refers to a composite value;
• Variant/<some native type> if fieldPath refers to an elementary field;
• Variant/Empty if the specified fieldPath doesn't exist;

Reject

Rejects a subscription request.

Signature:

Sub Reject(result)

Parameters:

Name	Type	Description
result	Variant	Optional String containing a message to deliver back to the app which has sent the subscription request.

Return value: None

GlueWindow

This class represents a Glue42 Window. Interface: IGlueWindow.

Properties

This class has no properties.

Methods

Activate

Activates the window.

Signature:

Sub Activate()

Parameters: None

Return value: None

GetChannelContext

Obtains an instance of GlueContextManager for the Glue42 Channel selected in the window.

Signature:

Function GetChannelContext() As GlueContextManager

Parameters: None

Return value: GlueContextManager or Nothing in case no Channel is selected in the window.

GetChannelSupport

Determines whether the Glue42 Window has Channel support enabled. When Channel support is enabled, a Channel selection box will be available in the windows title bar. See also SetChannelSupport.

Signature:

Function GetChannelSupport() As Boolean

Parameters: None

Return value: Boolean

GetId

Obtains the Glue42 Window identifier. The Glue42 Window identifier is an opaque value and the app shouldn't try to interpret the contents of the value in any way.

Signature:

Function GetId() As String

Parameters: None

Return value: String

Contains the identifier that Glue42 keeps for the registered window.

GetTitle

Obtains the Glue42 Window title (caption). The Glue42 Window title is separate and independent from the the VBA form title. The initial Glue42 Window title will be set to the name with which the app was registered in Glue42. See also SetTitle.

Signature:

Function GetTitle() As String

Parameters: None

Return value: String

IsVisible

Determines whether the Glue42 Window is visible. See also SetVisible.

Signature:

Function IsVisible() As Boolean

Parameters: None

Return value: Boolean

SetChannelSupport

Enables or disables Channel support for the Glue42 Window. When Channel support is enabled, a Channel selection box will be available in the windows title bar. See also GetChannelSupport.

Signature:

Sub SetChannelSupport(showLink As Boolean)

Parameters:

Name	Type	Description
showLink	Boolean	True if Channel support is to be enabled, False if Channel support is to be disabled.

Return value: None

SetTitle

Sets the title (caption) of the Glue42 Window. See also GetTitle.

Signature:

Sub SetTitle(title As String)

Parameters:

Name	Type	Description
title	String	The new window title.

Return value: None

SetVisible

Shows or hides the Glue42 Window. See also IsVisible.

Signature:

Sub SetVisible(visible As Boolean)

Parameters:

Name	Type	Description
visible	Boolean	True to show the Glue42 Window, False to hide it.

Return value: None

Nonapplicable Methods

The following methods aren't intended to be used in VBA:

• Unregister

Events

HandleChannelChanged

The handler for this event is executed when the user changes the Channel from the Channel selection box in the window title bar.

Handler signature:

Sub GlueWindow_HandleChannelChanged(ByVal Window As IGlueWindow, ByVal Channel As IGlueContext, ByVal prevChannelName As String)

Parameters:

Name	Type	Description
Window	IGlueWindow	An instance of GlueWindow representing the window for which the Channel was changed.
Channel	IGlueContext	An instance of GlueContextManager which can be used to interact with the Glue42 context on which the new Channel is based. Nothing will be provided if no new Channel is selected, i.e. the user deselects the current Channel.
prevChannelName	String	Name of the previously selected Channel. An empty string will be provided in case no Channel was previously selected.

HandleChannelData

The handler for this event is executed in two cases:

• when the data in the selected Channel changes;
• after the HandleChannelChanged event, when the user switches to another Channel using the Channel selection box in the title bar.

Handler signature:

Sub GlueWindow_HandleChannelData(ByVal window As IGlueWindow, ByVal channelUpdate As IGlueContextUpdate)

Parameters:

Name	Type	Description
window	IGlueWindow	An instance of GlueWindow representing the window for which the data of the currently selected Channel has changed.
channelUpdate	IGlueContextUpdate	An instance of GlueContextUpdate which can be used to access the Channel data.

HandleWindowDestroyed

The handler for this event is executed when the Glue42 Window is being destroyed. The purpose for raising this event is to provide an opportunity for the VBA app to gracefully unload the VBA UserForm.

Handler signature:

Sub GlueWindow_HandleWindowDestroyed(ByVal window As IGlueWindow)

Parameters:

Name	Type	Description
window	IGlueWindow	The app should ignore this parameter.

HandleWindowEvent

The handler for this event is executed when various events related to the Glue42 Window are fired, e.g. when the window is activated, moved, etc.

Handler signature:

Sub GlueWindow_HandleWindowEvent(ByVal window As IGlueWindow, ByVal eventType As GlueWindowEventType, ByVal eventData As GlueDynamicValue)ndow)

Parameters:

Name	Type	Description
window	IGlueWindow	An instance of GlueWindow representing the window for which the event was fired.
eventType	GlueWindowEventType	Enumeration value representing the type of the event.
eventData	GlueDynamicValue	Additional information about the specific event, represented as a composite value.

HandleWindowReady

The handler for this event is executed when the Glue42 Window registration has completed.

Handler signature:

Sub GlueWindow_HandleWindowReady(ByVal window As IGlueWindow)

Parameters:

Name	Type	Description
window	IGlueWindow	An instance of GlueWindow representing the window that has been registered.

To interact with the Glue42 Window, the app can use either the instance of GlueWindow passed to this event handler, or the instance obtained from RegisterGlueWindow.

GlueWindowSettings

This class is used to store the settings to be used when registering a UserForm as a Glue42 Window.

Properties

Name	Type	Default	Description
AllowMove	Boolean	True	Specifies whether the window can be moved. (Currently unusable.)
AllowResize	Boolean	True	Specifies whether the window can be resized. (Currently unusable.)
AllowTabClose	Boolean	True	Specifies whether a tab window will have a "Close" button. Only applicable when the window Type is set to "Tab".
AllowUnstick	Boolean	True	Specifies whether the Glue42 Window can be separated from other Glue42 Windows once it has been stuck to another Glue42 Window or window group.
Channel	String	""	Specifies the Channel to be initially selected. No Channel is selected by default.
ChannelSupport	Boolean	True	Specifies whether the window will have Channel support enabled.
FrameColor	String	""	The color of the window frame. (Currently unusable.)
Icon	String	""	Icon for the app. (Currently unusable.)
IsSticky	Boolean	True	Specifies whether the window can be stuck to other Glue42 Windows or window groups.
MaxHeight	Long	0	Specifies the maximum height (in pixels) to which the window can be resized. A value of 0 means no limit. The height of the window title bar isn't included.
Maximizable	Boolean	True	Specifies whether the window will have a "Maximize" button.
MaxWidth	Long	0	Specifies the maximum width (in pixels) to which the window can be resized. A value of 0 means no limit.
MinHeight	Long	0	Specifies the minimum height (in pixels) to which the window can be resized. The height of the window title bar isn't included.
Minimizable	Boolean	True	Specifies whether the window will have a "Minimize" button.
MinWidth	Long	0	Specifies the minimum width (in pixels) to which the window can be resized.
ShowTaskbarIcon	Boolean	True	Specifies whether the window should have an icon in the taskbar.
StandardButtons	String	""	Optional list of comma-separated values specifying which command buttons will be available in the window title bar. See StandardButtons below.
SynchronousDestroy	Boolean	False	VBA apps must always set this value to True.
Title	String	""	Specifies the window title. If an empty string is provided, the initial window title will be set to the name of the Glue42 app registering the window.
Type	String	"Flat"	Specifies the window type. The available types are "Flat" and "Tab".

StandardButtons

The StandardButtons property specifies which command buttons will be available in the window title bar. A comma-separated list of the following values may be provided:

Value	Description
"None"	No command buttons will be shown. This is used to hide all command buttons and can't be combined with other values.
"LockUnlock"	Show the "Lock/Unlock" button.
"Extract"	Show the "Extract" button.
"Collapse"	Show the "Collapse" button.
"Minimize"	Show the "Minimize" button. Works in conjunction with the Minimizable property which must also be set to True for the button to be visible.
"Maximize"	Show the "Maximize" button. Works in conjunction with the Maximizable property which must also be set to True for the button to be visible.
"Close"	Show the "Close" button.
"Default" | ""	Equivalent to "Collapse,Minimize,Maximize,Close"

Methods

This class has no methods.

VBGlueInvocationResult

Instances of this class are returned by Glue42 when an asynchronous method invocation has completed. Interface: IGlueInvocationResult.

Properties

Name	Type	Description
correlationId	String	User-defined string which was passed as a parameter to InvokeAsync.
Results	VBGlueResult()	A VBGlueResult array containing details about the invocation result. If the invocation request was sent to multiple target apps, the array will have an element for each result returned by each app. The array will always contain at least one element even if the invoked method isn't available (e.g., the specified method isn't registered by any app).

Methods

This class has no methods.

VBGlueStreamSubscriber

This class is used to store information about a Glue42 stream subscriber app. An instance of this class is passed to event handlers of GlueServerStream (see HandleSubscriber and HandleSubscriberLost. Interface: IVBGlueStreamSubscriber.

Properties

This class has no properties.

Methods

Close

Unsubscribes (removes) a subscriber from the stream.

Signature:

Sub Close(data)

Parameters:

Name	Type	Description
data	Variant	This parameter isn't applicable in VBA. Use Nothing when invoking the method.

Return value: None

GetStream

Gets information about the streaming method to which the app is subscribing.

Signature:

Function GetStream() As VBGlueMethod

Parameters: None

Return value: VBGlueMethod

GetSubscriberInstance

Gets information about the subscriber app instance.

Signature:

Function GetSubscriberInstance() As VBGlueInstance

Parameters: None

Return value: VBGlueInstance

Push

Pushes stream data only to the associated subscriber app instance.

Signature:

Sub Push(data)

Parameters:

Name	Type	Description
data	Variant	An instance of GlueDynamicValue representing the data to publish (see also Building Composite Values).

Return value: None