Matt,

Check your Task Manager to see if the DLL is left open as a process when you run your macro.

I did some experiments with Excel using Word as my "createobject". I found that I had to actively quit Word with "oTest.quit" before WinWord disappeared from my Task Manager. Otherwise every time I ran the macro I got another copy of WinWord running. Not visible on the Application tab (hadn't used oTest.show) but visible in processes.

Static oTest As Object

Set oTest = CreateObject("word.application")

oTest.Quit
Set oTest = Nothing

Maybe you could try a VFP Release command? Sorry I didn't have a VFP DLL to try out, but I could repeat the 'nonrelease' of the "Set oTest = Nothing" command.

I also found that I had to issue the "Quit" command before setting the object to "Nothing" (got an error otherwise) which confirmed your finding that the value WAS changed.

HTH
Barbara


>I have written a DLL using VFP 6.0 SP4. The DLL operates fine in VFP, but I'd like to also use it in, for example, Excel 97.
>
>
>The code I use in VFP to use the DLL is:
>
>oTest = CreateObject("refgen.ref_finder")
>cName = oTest.getref("substanc", "numb", "AZZZD", 1)
>Release oTest
>MessageBox(cName)
>
>The above code runs with no problems, and can be run multiple times without problems.
>
>The code for my macro in Excel is as follows:
>
>Dim oTest As Object
>Set oTest = CreateObject("refgen.ref_finder")
>cName$ = oTest.getref("substanc", "numb", "AZZZD", 1)
>Set oTest = Nothing
>MsgBox (cName)
>
>This works fine when I run it once. However, if I run the same macro a second time I get the following error.
>
>Run-time error '-2147467259 (80004005)':
>
>Automation error
>Unspecified error
>
>The error occurs at the CreateObject line. To get the dll to work again, I have to shutdown and restart Excel.
>
>Does anyone have any idea what this means ? I thought that maybe the object wasn't being destroyed properly, but it seems OK in VFP, and the debugger in Excel shows the value of oTest as being "Nothing".