OLE is a standard method used to share formatted, editable information between Windows applications. You can link or embed objects in a slide or drawing.
In this section, you'll learn about
linking and embedding objects
editing OLE objects
working with OLE play settings
For more information about using OLE, see "Reference: Using OLE."
Linking and embedding objects
In slide shows and drawings, you can link and embed text, charts, graphics, spreadsheets, sound clips, movie clips, or any file created by an OLE-compliant application installed on your system. When you do this, the application where the object was created is the server application, and Corel Presentations is the client application.
When you link an object, you link to an existing file source in the server application. The server application is used to create and edit the OLE object. The data for a linked object remains in the server application file. If changes are made to the source file, the OLE object updates to reflect the change. Because the object resides in the source file, any changes made to the object in the server application are automatically reflected in your document. A single source file can be linked to objects in many different documents, allowing you to keep many documents updated by editing a single file. However, links are not maintained when files are carried outside the file system in which they were created. Changing the relative path between OLE objects could break a link. There are different ways to insert a linked object. You can also view a list of the OLE links that are found in slide shows and drawings.
When you embed an object, you place a copy of the OLE object in a document without a link to the original object, allowing you to edit the object copy without altering the original. The data for an embedded object is stored in the client application file. Embedding an object is useful if, for example, you want to use the information in one document only. When you create a new object by launching a server application from Corel Presentations, the object is embedded. You can create embedded objects or embed existing objects.
The application used to create an OLE object and the application in which you want to place an OLE object must both support OLE functionality. Corel Presentations supports most OLE features, but other applications may not. If you are uncertain about an application's OLE compatibility, refer to its documentation.
To insert a linked object using the Insert menu
1 Click Insert Object.
2 Enable the Create from file option.
3 Click Browse.
4 In the Browse dialog box, choose the drive and folder where the file is stored.
5 Type a filename in the Filename box.
6 Click Insert.
7 Enable the Link check box.
If you want to display the OLE link as an icon, enable the Display as icon check box.
Note
Links are updated automatically unless you specify manual updating. For information about specifying manual updating, see "To change the update settings of an OLE link."
To insert a linked object using the Paste special command
1 Open the file in the OLE compliant application in which it was created.
2 Select the object or data.
3 Click Edit Copy.
4 Open the Corel Presentations slide show or drawing.
5 Click Edit Paste special.
6 Enable the Paste link option.
7 Choose the file type from the As list.
Note
Links are updated automatically unless you specify manual updating. For information about specifying manual updating, see "To change the update settings of an OLE link."
To list the OLE links inserted into the current slide show
Click Edit Links.
To create an embedded object with an OLE server application
1 Click Insert Object.
2 Enable the Create new option.
3 Choose an object type from the Object type list.
If you want to display the embedded object as an icon, enable the Display as icon check box.
4 Click OK.
5 Create the embedded object.
6 Close the application to return to the drawing or slide show.
To embed an object from an existing file
1 Click Insert Object.
2 Enable the Create from file option.
3 Click Browse.
4 In the Browse dialog box, choose the drive and folder where the file is stored.
5 Type a filename in the Filename box.
6 Click Insert.
If you want to display the embedded object as an icon, enable the Display as icon check box.
Editing OLE objects
You can edit embedded OLE objects using in-place editing and open editing. You can edit linked objects using the open editing method.
In-place editing allows you to edit an object without switching to a different window. The client application, in this case, Corel Presentations, adopts the functions of the server application. Buttons and menus temporarily change to work specifically with that object. When you finish editing the object, the client application's original menus are restored.
Open editing lets you launch an OLE object's server application in another window where you can edit the object's data. When you exit the server application, the OLE object is automatically updated in the document with the changes you made. Open editing provides you with more workspace, which is particularly useful when you are working with small or complex objects. It also allows you to save your drawing as a file directly from the server application.
You can also modify OLE links by changing the source of a linked object to update its location of a file that has been moved or by changing the content of the linked object. As well, you can change the update settings of an OLE link to update the link in a Corel Presentations file automatically or to allow you to update the changes manually.
If you do not want to update a linked OLE object, you can break the OLE link to its server application. Once the OLE link is broken, it becomes an embedded object and the link cannot be restored. The embedded object is displayed as it was at the time the link was broken.
To edit embedded OLE objects by using in-place editing
1 Double-click an OLE object.
2 Edit the object.
3 Click outside the OLE object.
Note
The server application must be installed on your computer to use in-place editing and the application must support this OLE feature.
Tip
You can also edit an OLE object by clicking the OLE object and clicking the Edit button on the property bar.
To edit OLE objects using open editing
1 Right-click an OLE object.
2 Click Object Open.
3 Edit the object in the server application.
4 Click File Exit.
Note
You can save the object directly in the server application.
To edit a linked OLE object
1 Click a linked object.
2 Click Edit Links.
3 Choose a link from the Links list.
4 Click Open source.
5 Edit the object in the server application.
6 Click File Exit.
Note
You can save the object directly in the server application.
To change the link source
1 Click Edit Links.
2 Choose a link from the Links list.
3 Click Change source.
4 In the Change source dialog box, choose the drive and folder where the file is stored.
5 Type a filename in the Filename box.
6 Click Open.
To change the update settings of an OLE link
1 Click Edit Links.
2 Choose a link from the Links list.
3 Enable one of the following options:
Automatic-updates the link automatically if changes are made to the source file
Manual-lets you manually update a link when changes are made to the source file
To update a manual link
1 Click Edit Links.
2 Choose a link from the Links list.
3 Click Update now.
To break a link
1 Click Edit Links.
2 Choose a link from the Links list.
3 Click Break link.
Working with OLE play settings
You can assign certain actions, such as play, open, or edit, to an OLE object. The action is performed on the OLE object when you play a slide show. For example, you can assign the play action to a video clip you want to show during a slide show. You can set a designated action to initiate in one of three ways: with a mouse click, automatically following a slide transition, or automatically after a designated number of seconds following a slide transition.
To apply OLE play settings to an OLE object
1 Click an OLE object.
2 Click Edit OLE play settings.
3 Choose one of the following from the Action list box:
Play-plays the OLE object during a slide show
Open-opens the server application in which the OLE object was created during a slide show
Edit-activates in-place editing or open editing during a slide show
4 Enable the Begin the action when the transition ends check box.
5 Type a value in the Delay action box.
This value represents the number of seconds the action is delayed after a slide transition ends.
Tips
You can make the OLE object disappear after it is finished playing by enabling the Hide OLE object while it's not playing check box.
You can improve the display of actions when applying OLE play settings to slide shows by not taking full advantage of video memory settings. For information about video memory settings, see "Working with video memory."
Reference: Using OLE
You may encounter problems with OLE linking. The following table lists an example of a possible problem, the cause, and a solution.
Problem Cause Solution
I cannot set up an OLE link. I selected the information in the other application, but the Paste link menu command is dimmed in the Corel Presentations Edit menu. The source application is not an OLE server. Use the Windows Object Packager utility to create an OLE package to embed in the drawing or slide. See the Windows documentation for information about creating and embedding an OLE package.
