I can set up a link to excel from an oscilloscope very easily by just pasting the data from the scope to the spreadsheet and selecting paste special - paste as link. This sets up a DDE link to the scope that updates the information each time the scope updates.

How do I do it in Access?

There seems to be the facility for setting up DDE links to other applications, but I cant work out how. Access help is deficient. If I search on DDE it comes up with how to change OLE/DDE preferences or how to insert an OLE.

I can link a table to an excel spreadsheet or existing text file but that isnt what i want, I dont have a file to link to! I found some guidace on the web that said I need to paste a link into a datasheet form, but when I go into the datasheet and try to paste, the checkbox for "paste link" is not available.

Help? anyone? Please? Surely setting up a DDE link must be straightforward?

Nick

Solved my own question.

Programmatically open a DDE link using DDEInitiate, read the info into a variable and write to a table using SQL.

If anyone knows any better methods please le me know

Nick