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2.4 Getting Help about an Object

To use a COM object, the first thing one must know is its interface, that is, its set of methods and properties. This information normally is available in the documentation of the object, but sometimes one do not have access to this documentation. LuaCOM can offer some help if the object has type information. If the object has an associated help file, LuaCOM can launch it using the method ShowHelp:
  word = luacom.CreateObject("Word.Application")
  assert(word)
  luacom.ShowHelp(word)
If the object has an associated type library, LuaCOM can generate and display an HTML file describing it. This information can also be read using other type library browsers, as OleView. The method DumpTypeInfo can be used in console applications to list the methods and properties of the interface. It does not give much information, but can be helpful when playing with an object.

Fabio Mascarenhas de Queiroz 2005-06-06