check if com api is still available

[Neil Hodgson]

Hermann Maier:

> i am using the com api of a program and if this program is shut down and 
> my program calls a method of the api, it crashs. that means, i need to 
> check, if the com server is still available, before i can call for it.

    The server should not shut down while clients have outstanding 
references to objects within it.

> but i would prefer a 
> solution that is more clean from the beginning. perhaps there is a 
> windows event that can tell me, wenn the other application, that hosts 
> the com server, is closed or perhaps i can do something with the guid of 
> the com server, maybe there is a call where i can check, if a certain 
> com server is available.

    All running COM servers should be in the "Running Object Table" 
(ROT). If you search the net for this term you will find code that can 
show what is in the ROT, so there must be an API.

    Neil