com_get_active_object Returns a handle to an already running instance of a COM object &reftitle.description; variantcom_get_active_object stringprogid intcode_page com_get_active_object is similar to creating a new instance of a object, except that it will only return an object to your script if the object is already running. OLE applications use something known as the Running Object Table to allow well-known applications to be launched only once; this function exposes the COM library function GetActiveObject() to get a handle on a running instance. &reftitle.parameters; progid progid must be either the ProgID or CLSID for the object that you want to access (for example Word.Application). code_page Acts in precisely the same way that it does for the class. &reftitle.returnvalues; If the requested object is running, it will be returned to your script just like any other COM object. &reftitle.errors; There are a variety of reasons why this function might fail, the most common being that the object is not already running. In that situation, the exception error code will be MK_E_UNAVAILABLE; you can use the getCode method of the exception object to check the exception code. &reftitle.notes; Using com_get_active_object in a web server context is not always a smart idea. Most COM/OLE applications are not designed to handle more than one client concurrently, even (or especially!) Microsoft Office. You should read Considerations for Server-Side Automation of Office for more information on the general issues involved.