Everything about Activex totally explained
ActiveX is a
component object model (COM) developed by
Microsoft for
Windows platforms.
Software based on ActiveX technology is prevalent in the form of
Internet Explorer plugins and, more commonly, in
ActiveX controls, ActiveX based applications launched from web pages.
Summary
Prior to ActiveX technology, two standards were becoming prevalent in Microsoft Windows. One was
OLE (Object Linking and Embedding), and the other was
COM (Component Object Model). Both schemes were designed for software
interoperability, the former focusing on communicating and the latter focusing on implementation. In
1996, Microsoft combined the technologies and refitted them into ActiveX.
In order to be an ActiveX component, an
object must implement the
IDispatch interface.
The
Microsoft Office suite is an example of ActiveX-compliant software. Using certain
programming languages, a developer can manipulate documents and spreadsheets from code as if they were using the applications directly.
ActiveX Controls
An
ActiveX control is a reusable component which implements the IDispatch interface. Such components don't amount to an entire application, rather they provide a small building-block that can be shared by different software. The fact that
command buttons look the same in almost any program on a platform is an example of component reusability that isn't just limited to ActiveX controls.
ActiveX controls can be compared in some sense to a
Java applet, since both technologies strive to act as an
abstraction layer between the
developer and the
operating system. From there, obvious differences surface. For instance, Java applets can run on nearly any platform, while ActiveX components are only compatible with Microsoft's
Internet Explorer web browser and the
Microsoft Windows operating system. ActiveX controls are also granted a much higher level of control over Windows than Java applets, making them both more powerful and dangerous.
Malware, such as
computer viruses and
spyware, is often distributed as ActiveX applets in webpages.
ActiveX controls can be written in
MFC,
ATL,
C++,
Borland Delphi and
Visual Basic. Common examples of ActiveX controls are the
command button,
list box,
dialog boxes, and even the Internet Explorer
browser.
Other ActiveX Technologies
Microsoft has developed a large number of products and software platforms using ActiveX objects, and many are still in use today.
Further Information
Get more info on 'Activex'.
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