>I am trying to use DDEInitiate() with MS Excel 95 but cannot get it to work. I'm running VFP 5 and Win 95.
>
>If I just issue a basic call to DDEInitiate from the command window as follows:
>
>nChann = DDEInitiate( "EXCEL", "System" )
>
>nChann is always -1. This is always the case regardless if:
>Excel is closed OR open.
>The topic is "Sheet1", "Book1", "Book1:Sheet1", etc, etc.
>

I found the answer to this two minutes after I wrote the message!

I found these on the Microsoft Developer Network CD in discussions about using DDE from WordBasic. The same generally applies to using DDE and Excel from within any application:

"You cannot initiate a DDE link if the formula bar in Microsoft Excel is active. If you try to initiate a link when the formula bar is active, WordBasic will display an error message saying that the application does not respond."

"Microsoft Excel includes an option to prevent other applications from initiating DDE conversations with it. To check the setting of this option, choose Options from the Tools menu in Microsoft Excel, and select the General tab. If the Ignore Other Applications check box is selected, you cannot initiate a DDE conversation. If you try to initiate a conversation when the Ignore Other Applications check box is selected, Word will display a message saying that the “remote data” is not accessible and will ask if you want to start another instance of Microsoft Excel. To initiate a DDE conversation successfully at that point, you must first clear the Ignore Other Applications check box in Microsoft Excel."