"Pausing" an MFC application while Word doc is opened.

[ahammad]

I have an MFC application that opens up a Word document for editing using automation. Is there a way to pause or freeze the MFC application while the Word doc is being edited? After the editing is done and Word is closed, I want the MFC application to regain control and continue with doing something else. It's kind of like having it take a break until Microsoft Word is closed.

How can this be implemented?

[weaknessforcats]

Edit your Word document on a separate thread by calling CreateThread().

Use the HANDLE returned by CreaateThread() as an argument to WaitForSingleOb ject().

When WaitForSingleOb ject() returns, the thread is gone meaning your edit is complete.

[ahammad]

I've never heard of this before...could you please show me an example of how to implement that with my code which uses Automation?

_Application wordAppLib;
	CString id("Word.Application");
	BOOL status = wordAppLib.CreateDispatch(id);

	_Document myDoc;
	COleVariant covTrue((short)TRUE);
	COleVariant covFalse((short)FALSE);
	COleVariant covOptional((long)DISP_E_PARAMNOTFOUND, VT_ERROR);
	Documents docs = wordAppLib.GetDocuments();
	CString ReportFileName(_T("C:\\Documents and Settings\\Sleep\\Desktop\\CPFTool Project\\CPFTool\\CPFTool\\Library.doc"));
	myDoc = docs.Open(COleVariant(ReportFileName),
		covOptional,
		covFalse,  // ReadOnly
		covOptional,
		covOptional,
		covOptional,
		covOptional,
		covOptional,
		covOptional,
		covOptional,
		covOptional,
		covOptional);


	wordAppLib.Resize((GetSystemMetrics(SM_CXSCREEN) * 0.375), GetSystemMetrics(SM_CYSCREEN));
	wordAppLib.Move(dtRect.left, dtRect.top);
	wordAppLib.SetVisible(TRUE);
	wordAppLib.Activate();


	_Application wordAppBlank;
	CString idBlank("Word.Application");
	BOOL statusBlank = wordAppBlank.CreateDispatch(idBlank);

	_Document myDocBlank;

	Documents docsBlank = wordAppBlank.GetDocuments();
	myDocBlank = docsBlank.Add(covOptional,covOptional,covOptional,covOptional);

	wordAppBlank.Resize((GetSystemMetrics(SM_CXSCREEN) * 0.375), GetSystemMetrics(SM_CYSCREEN));
	wordAppBlank.Move(((GetSystemMetrics(SM_CXSCREEN) * 0.375) + 1), 0);
	wordAppBlank.SetVisible(TRUE);
	wordAppBlank.Activate();