# Re: COM Interop Problem

**URL:** <https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/re-com-interop-problem/183759>\
**Category:** IronRuby\
**Created:** [February 19, 2010, 5:11pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/re-com-interop-problem/183759 "2010-02-19T17:11:10Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![raker\_t](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/r/ecae2f/32.png) [@raker\_t](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/raker_t)\
**Post date:** [February 19, 2010, 5:11pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/re-com-interop-problem/183759/1 "2010-02-19T17:11:10Z")

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Just so you know, the WIN32OLE library wraps the COM initialization and  
removes the need for to\_clr\_string.

Require ‘win32ole’  
WIN32OLE.new ‘Excel.Application’

This will also be cross compatible with MRI.

Tomas: Can we make Shane’s case work without requiring the cast to CLR  
string?

JD

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![raker\_t](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/r/ecae2f/32.png) [@raker\_t](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/raker_t)\
**Post date:** [February 19, 2010, 7:14pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/re-com-interop-problem/183759/2 "2010-02-19T19:14:10Z")

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Thanks, that’s really handy. Just an FYI, I figured out the  
#to\_clr\_string when going through the documentation on [IronRuby.net](http://IronRuby.net)  
which is currently reporting the following error anywhere I assume you  
mean to have code:

reference to undefined name ‘syntax’