com_get_active_object

variant com_get_active_object ( string $progid [, int $code_page ] )

Returns a handle to an already running instance of a COM object

com_get_active_object() is similar to creating a new instance of a COM 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


Please note the next behavior (Apache 2.2.8, W2K, WXP)



If Apache runs as a service, com_get_active_object() always returns MK_E_UNAVAILABLE, even when it is definitely sure that the Running Object Table contains a reference to the required object.



If Apache runs in a console, com_get_active_object()  returns the object handle as required.



This apparently is a Windows issue.