Send a command to another application (Execute External Command)

Important

Starting with Windows Vista, Microsoft does not support DDE on a network anymore. However, you can create DDE links on a local computer.

You can send commands to another application, if the application can accept them. For example, from Minitab, you can open a Microsoft Word file or run an Excel macro.

  1. Choose Edit > Worksheet Links > Execute External Command.
  2. In Application, enter the name of the application that you are linking to. Usually, the application name is the name of the EXE file that starts the program, without the .exe extension.
  3. In Command, type a command in the application's command language. For example, if the macro sheet MACRO1.XLM is open in Microsoft Excel, the command [RUN("MACRO1.XLM!Record1",FALSE)] starts the macro. Refer to the application's documentation for details.
  4. Click OK.