IOleInPlaceUIWindow interface

Lets an object that is active in place negotiate border space for its tools in a container’s frame or document window.

IOleInPlaceUIWindow has the interface identifier 00000115-0000-0000-C000-000000000046 and extends IOleWindow, so it also has that interface’s GetWindow and ContextSensitiveHelp methods. It is declared [OleAutomation(False)]. All four methods hide the HRESULT: a failure code raises a run-time error. Microsoft Learn describes the Windows interface: IOleInPlaceUIWindow.

The declaration is complete: it has every method of the Windows interface. IOleInPlaceFrame extends it.

The pBorderWidths parameters point to a BORDERWIDTHS structure, which is a RECT whose four fields are the widths, in pixels, needed on the left, top, right and bottom sides. An OLERECT has that layout.

Methods

GetBorder

Sub GetBorder(ByVal lpRectBorder As LongPtr)

Writes into the RECT that lpRectBorder points to the outer rectangle in which the object can place its tools, such as the address of an OLERECT.

RequestBorderSpace

Sub RequestBorderSpace(ByVal pBorderWidths As LongPtr)

Asks whether the window can give up the border widths that pBorderWidths holds. A window that supports no toolbars, or has no room, returns INPLACE_E_NOTOOLSPACE, which raises a run-time error. The space is not allocated until SetBorderSpace, so the object can negotiate before it moves its tools.

SetBorderSpace

Sub SetBorderSpace(ByVal pBorderWidths As LongPtr)

Allocates the border space that RequestBorderSpace accepted. A null pointer (0) says that the object does not need any space.

SetActiveObject

Sub SetActiveObject(ByVal pActiveObject As OLEGuids.IOleInPlaceActiveObject, ByVal lpszObjName As LongPtr)

Gives the window the IOleInPlaceActiveObject of the object, which sets up a direct channel between the two. lpszObjName is a pointer to a Unicode string that names the object for the container’s window title, or 0 when the object does not need the title changed. A deactivating object passes Nothing and 0.