I would like to link the CAD application VectorWorks with FM so that I can find a specific record (by a unique ID).

VectorWorks can open a URL in the form file:///pathname or http://pathname with the unique ID embedded within it.

The ideal solution would be that opening the URL in VW would display the referenced record in FM.

I am completely new to the Windows environment so what mechanism should I be looking at to perform a function like this?

Many thanks,

Joel.

I don't see how this would work with a URL...

Does Vectorworks support VBA (visual basic for applications)? Or can it export itself and run an external application directly?

Wim,

Unfortunately, VW does not support VBA. Its internal programming environment is a Pascal-based system and it can be used to save files and possibly an executable with the necessary variables embedded within it.

Would VBA be the mechanism by which I can externally script a find within FM as I might with AppleScript?

From within VW I could save a text file containing the necessary variables then open a VBA executable with the URL function which would read the file and cause FM to perform a Find with the data in the file - would that work?

Joel.

No, VBA is a version of VB embedded in another application (hence the name: Visual Basic for Applications). All of the MS OFfice apps support VBA and quite a few other apps.

You can trigger a FM script through FM's ActiveX model (do a search for ActiveX in the FM help file). ActiveX can be used from a wide variety of programming environments, not sure about the one in VW.

Worst case you can write a small VBscript (think of it as applescript for windows) and have VW output the text file then have vw trigger the vbscript. The vbscript will then trigger the FM script

Thanks Wim,

It works with AppleScript so I have to work out how to do the same thing with VB and ActiveX.

Joel.