Python Pywin & OneNote COM: OneNote.Application.15 'cannot automate the makepy process'

Question

I'm interacting with OneNote's COM interop using Python on Win32.

Here's the most basic code to pull out notebook hierarchy:

import win32com.client
onObj = win32com.client.gencache.EnsureDispatch('OneNote.Application.12')
result = onObj.GetHierarchy("",win32com.client.constants.hsNotebooks)
print(result)

Note the OneNote.Application.12, this works as I'd expect.

The thing is that when I run Makepy I'm actually selecting the v15 type library:

If I change the code to be either OneNote.Application.15 or just OneNote.Application then I get an error:

TypeError: This COM object can not automate the makepy process - please run makepy manually for this object

Why is this please? I'm running:

• Python 3.3.1 (64bit)
• Pywin build 218 (AMD64)
• Win 8 x64
• Office 2013 x64

Answer 1

Check your registry record, in particular key {0EA692EE-BB50-4E3C-AEF0-356D91732725} in TypeLib section:

HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\TypeLib\{0EA692EE-BB50-4E3C-AEF0-356D91732725}

This strange bevahior is probably caused by existence of invalid subkeys. This class key have to contain only a single subkey "1.1" and nothing else.

The correct registry record for this class should look as follows:

|- {0EA692EE-BB50-4E3C-AEF0-356D91732725}
|     |- 1.1
|         |-0
|         | |- win32
|         |- FLAGDS
|         |- HELPDIR

The key "win32" have to point to OneNote executable, e.g. C:\PROGRA~1\MICROS~1\Office15\ONENOTE.EXE\3

Answer 2

In site-packages\win32com\ there was a folder F2A7EE29-8BF6-4A6D-83F1-098E366C709Cx0x1x0, this contained the v12 type library. There was also a file 0EA692EE-BB50-4E3C-AEF0-356D91732725x0x1x1.py which looks like the v15 lib.

Changing my code to:

gencache.EnsureModule('{0EA692EE-BB50-4E3C-AEF0-356D91732725}', 0, 1, 1)
onapp = win32com.client.Dispatch('OneNote.Application.15')

I get access to the v15 type library. I'm still not clear why it requires this explicit reference, though.