Arbortext Command Language > Using the Arbortext Command Language > DDE Support
  
DDE Support
Arbortext Editor users can use Dynamic Data Exchange (DDE) to execute ACL commands and functions within a Arbortext Editor session. This DDE support is intended for integrators who wish to interface other Windows applications with Arbortext Editor.
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Consult your Windows developer documentation for details on using the DDE layer for inter-application communications.
The first instance of Arbortext Editor acts as a DDE server, and will accept connections which specify a service of adept. Arbortext Editor's DDE services support the following topics:
• system — When you connect to Arbortext Editor using the system topic, Arbortext Editor will accept execute transactions. If the message text is /exec, Arbortext Editor does nothing. This is the command used by the .sgm file association to start Arbortext Editor when you double-click an .sgm file. If the message text is /activate, Arbortext Editor will bring itself to the foreground.
• eval — When you connect to Arbortext Editor using the eval topic, Arbortext Editor will accept request transactions. The message text will be evaluated as an ACL function expression; any string resulting from the expression is returned to the sender application. This functionality is similar to executing an eval command at the Arbortext Editor command line, with the returned value being sent to the requesting application instead of being displayed in a dialog.
While the messages sent with the eval topic only support ACL functions, you can send a command by calling it with the execute ACL function.