Chapter 34. COM and ActiveX

FAQ 34.01 Who should read this chapter?

FAQ 34.02 What is the Component Object Model?

FAQ 34.03 What are ActiveX and OLE?

FAQ 34.04 What does the name Component Object Model mean?

FAQ 34.05 What is a "binary object model"?

FAQ 34.06 What are the key features of COM?

FAQ 34.07 What are GUIDs?

FAQ 34.08 Why does COM need GUIDs (and CLSIDs and IIDs)?

FAQ 34.09 What is an interface?

FAQ 34.10 What is the IUnknown interface?

FAQ 34.11 How many ways are there to specify COM interfaces?

FAQ 34.12 What are COM classes and COM objects?

FAQ 34.13 How hard is it for callers to create and use a COM object?

FAQ 34.14 How does COM provide language transparency?

FAQ 34.15 How does COM provide location transparency?

FAQ 34.16 What types of errors occur due to reference counting?

FAQ 34.17 What mechanism does COM define for error handling?

FAQ 34.18 How are interfaces versioned?

FAQ 34.19 Is COM object oriented?

FAQ 34.20 What is the biggest problem with COM?

FAQ 34.21 What are the major differences between COM and C++?

FAQ 34.22 When should a class be defined as a COM class?

FAQ 34.23 What is Automation?

FAQ 34.24 What are dispatch interfaces?

FAQ 34.25 When should a class expose a Dispatch interface?

FAQ 34.26 How does Automation work?

FAQ 34.27 How does Invoke accomplish all of this?

FAQ 34.28 What is a type library?

FAQ 34.29 What are the benefits of using type libraries?

FAQ 34.30 How do type libraries improve performance?

FAQ 34.31 What are dual interfaces?

FAQ 34.32 What limitations are there on dual interfaces?

FAQ 34.33 What are OLE custom controls and ActiveX controls?

FAQ 34.34 Why do ActiveX controls differ from OLE custom controls?

FAQ 34.35 What is a control container?

FAQ 34.36 What are component categories?

FAQ 34.37 What are events?

FAQ 34.38 What is DCOM?

FAQ 34.39 How stable is DCOM's infrastructure?

FAQ 34.40 What is COM+?