# IOleObject::GetUserType

Retrieves the user-type name of an object for display in user-interface elements such as menus, list boxes, and dialog boxes.

HRESULT GetUserType(

DWORD dwFormOfType, | //Specifies form of type name
LPOLESTR *pszUserType | //Indirect pointer to storage of string
); |

Parameters

dwFormOfType
  [in] Value specifying the form of the user-type name to be presented to users. Valid values are obtained from the USERCLASSTYPE enumeration.
pszUserType
  [out] Indirect pointer to where the user-type string will be placed. The caller must free lpszUserType using the current IMalloc instance. If an error is returned, this parameter must be set to NULL.

Return Values

S_OK
  The object’s user-type name is successfully returned.
OLE_S_USEREG
  Delegate to the default handler’s implementation using the registry to provide the requested information.

Remarks

Containers call IOleObject::GetUserType in order to represent embedded objects in list boxes, menus, and dialog boxes by their normal, user-recognizable names. Examples include “Word Document,” “Excel Chart,” and “Paintbrush Object.” The information returned by IOleObject::GetUserType is the user-readable equivalent of the binary class identifier returned by IOleObject::GetUserClassID.

#### Notes to Callers

The default handler’s implementation of IOleObject::GetUserType uses the object’s class identifier (the pClsid parameter returned by IOleObject::GetUserClassID) and the dwFormOfType parameter together as a key into the registry. If an entry is found that matches the key exactly, then the user type specified by that entry is returned. If only the CLSID part of the key matches, then the lowest-numbered entry available (usually the full name) is used. If the CLSID is not found, or there are no user types registered for the class, the user type currently found in the object’s storage is used.

You should not cache the string returned from GetUserType. Instead, call this method each and every time the string is needed. This guarantees correct results when the embedded object is being converted from one type into another without the caller’s knowledge. Calling this method is inexpensive because the default handler implements it using the registry.

#### Notes to Implementers

You can use the implementation provided by the default handler by returning OLE_S_USEREG as your application’s implementation of this method. If the user type name is an empty string, the message “Unknown Object” is returned.

You can call the OLE helper function OleRegGetUserType to return the appropriate user type.

See Also

IOleObject::SetHostNames, IOleObject::GetUserClassID, OleRegGetUserType, ReadFmtUserTypeStg, USERCLASSTYPE