ActiveX Component SAP.Functions with Export Parameter String

I use a VBS program with the SAP ActiveX components to connect to an SAP system and to execute a FM. Here the function module:

FUNCTION ZRFCINTERFACETEST.
*"----------------------------------------------------------------------
*"*"Local Interface:
*"  EXPORTING
*"     VALUE(E_RETURN) TYPE  STRING
*"----------------------------------------------------------------------

  E_RETURN = 'This is a test'.

ENDFUNCTION.

The function module has one export parameter from the type string. Here the VBS program:

'-Begin-----------------------------------------------------------------

  '-Directives----------------------------------------------------------
    Option Explicit

  '-Variables-----------------------------------------------------------
    Dim rfcFunc, rfcCon, Func

  '-Sub Main------------------------------------------------------------
    Sub Main()

      Set rfcFunc = CreateObject("SAP.Functions")
      'Set rfcFunc = CreateObject("SAP.Functions.Unicode")
      If Not IsObject(rfcFunc) Then
        Exit Sub
      End If

      Set rfcCon = rfcFunc.Connection

      rfcCon.ApplicationServer = "BCP"
      rfcCon.System = "BCP"
      rfcCon.SystemNumber = "65"
      rfcCon.User = "HUGO"
      rfcCon.Client = "099"
      rfcCon.Language = "EN"

      If Not rfcCon.Logon(0, False) Then
        Exit Sub
      End If

      Set Func = rfcFunc.Add("ZRFCINTERFACETEST")
      '-Error here: SAP data type not supported

      If Func.Call Then
        MsgBox Func.Imports("E_RETURN")
      Else
        MsgBox Func.Exception
      End If

      rfcCon.Logoff

      Set rfcCon = Nothing

    End Sub

  '-Main----------------------------------------------------------------
    Main

'-End-------------------------------------------------------------------

If the interpreter reaches the line Set Func = rfcFunc.Add(“ZRFCINTERFACETEST”) I get the following error:

The SAP ActiveX components doesn’t support string parameters. Also it doesn’t support table parameters – look here. I think the ActiveX components are phased out. You can find an unanswered question about the future of ActiveX components here.

With the COM Connector (CCo) it works perfect without any errors:

'-Begin-----------------------------------------------------------------

  '-Directives----------------------------------------------------------
    Option Explicit

  '-Constants-----------------------------------------------------------
    Const RFC_OK = 0

  '-Variables-----------------------------------------------------------
    Dim SAP, hRFC, rc, hFuncDesc, hFunc, charBuffer, strLen

  '-Main----------------------------------------------------------------
    Set SAP = CreateObject("COMNWRFC")
    If IsObject(SAP) Then
      hRFC = SAP.RfcOpenConnection("ASHOST=ABAP, SYSNR=00, " & _
        "CLIENT=001, USER=BCUSER")
      If hRFC Then
        hFuncDesc = SAP.RfcGetFunctionDesc(hRFC, "ZRFCINTERFACETEST")
        If hFuncDesc Then
          hFunc = SAP.RfcCreateFunction(hFuncDesc)
          If hFunc Then
            If SAP.RfcInvoke(hRFC, hFunc) = RFC_OK Then
              rc = SAP.RfcGetString(hFunc, "E_RETURN", charBuffer, _
                255, strLen)
              MsgBox charBuffer
            End If
          rc = SAP.RfcDestroyFunction(hFunc)
          End If
        End If
        rc = SAP.RfcCloseConnection(hRFC)
      End If
      Set SAP = Nothing
    End If

'-End-------------------------------------------------------------------

 Good scripting.