"Can not create ActiveX Component"

Harold_Wishes

Hello I am testing a VB 2008 application which will allow the user to select a PDF, add a pre-defined annotation, and save the file back to disk. That's all I want from the program at the moment. However, I get a runtime error when I try to create the AcroExch.App object so that my application can interact with Acrobat. I get the "Can not create ActiveX Component" exception handler on the screen when I try to debug or launch my application. Does anyone know what this means? I bolded the offending code below. Thanks! :)

Public Class Form1
Dim gApp As Acrobat.CAcroApp

Private Sub Form\_Load(ByVal sender As System.Object, ByVal e As System.EventArgs) Handles MyBase.Load
    **gApp = CreateObject("AcroExch.App")**
End Sub 

Private Sub Button1\_Click(ByVal sender As System.Object, ByVal e As System.EventArgs) Handles Button1.Click
    Dim pdDoc As Acrobat.CAcroPDDoc
    Dim page As Acrobat.CAcroPDPage
    Dim jso As Object
    Dim path As String
    Dim point(1) As Integer
    Dim popupRect(3) As Integer
    Dim pageRect As Object
    Dim annot As Object
    Dim props As Object

    OpenFileDialog1.ShowDialog()
    path = OpenFileDialog1.FileName

    pdDoc = CreateObject("AcroExch.PDDoc")

    If pdDoc.Open(path) Then
        jso = pdDoc.GetJSObject
        If Not jso Is Nothing Then
            ' Get size for page 0 and setup arrays
            page = pdDoc.AcquirePage(0)
            pageRect = page.GetSize
            point(0) = 0
            point(1) = pageRect.y
            popupRect(0) = 0
            popupRect(1) = pageRect.y - 100
            popupRect(2) = 200
            popupRect(3) = pageRect.y
            ' Create a new text annot
            annot = jso.AddAnnot
            props = annot.getProps
            props.Type = "Text"
            annot.setProps(props)
            ' Fill in a few fields
            props = annot.getProps
            props.page = 0
            props.point = point
            props.popupRect = popupRect
            props.author = "Rob McAfee"
            props.noteIcon = "Comment"
            props.strokeColor = jso.Color.red
            props.Contents = "I added this comment from Visual Basic!"
            annot.setProps(props)
            pdDoc.Close()
            MsgBox("Annotation added to " &

Dave Kreskowiak

Do you have either Adobe Acrobat Standard or Professional editions installed?? If not, you dead in the water.

A guide to posting questions on CodeProject[^]
Dave Kreskowiak Microsoft MVP Visual Developer - Visual Basic
2006, 2007, 2008

Harold_Wishes

Ahhh. I have only the Reader 8.0 on the machine I am testing. Thanks. :)