What is the EOM?
EOM Stands for Extensibility Object Model. You might ask what is extensibility?
Extensibility is the capability to extend, stretch, the functionality of different
development tools, specifically, Microsoft Integrated development environment
(IDE). The IDE provides you with a programming interface known as the extensibility
object model, a set of powerful interfaces for customizing the environment. It
allows you to hook into the IDE to create extensions known as Add-Ins. A good
system is the one which can be extended without jeopardizing the primary functionality
of the system.
To implement extensibility features, VB offers the powerful Extensibility Object
Model. Through EOM, many core objects in VB itself are available to you at no
extra charge. EOM is not that easy to learn, this article will provide you only
the basics of Add-in creation, you will have to delve into this vast field yourself
to explore the wonders you can do using the EOM.
EOM consists of six loosely couple packages of objects with methods that implement
key services of the VB development model. These are:
- Core Objects
- Form Manipulation
- Event Response
- Add-In Management
- Project and Component Manipulation
- Code Manipulation
Core Objects
This package is the main package used in the creation of Add-Ins. It has the
following objects:
- The root object
- The IDTExtensibility Interface object
- The Visual Basic instance variable
The Root Object
VBE is the root object in Visual Basic. The VBE object is the base object for
every extensibility object and collection in Visual Basic. Each object and collection
owns a reference to the VBE property. The collections owned by the VBE object
include the following:
- VBProjects
- Windows
- CodePanes
- CommandBars