What is ActiveX?
ActiveX is a set of technologies developed by Microsoft,
which uses the Component Object Model (COM) and Distributed COM (DCOM)
standards, allowing developers to build and use components that enable
interactive content for the World Wide Web.
ActiveX objects and components are self-contained
code that can be built to execute on both client and server machines. Through
ActiveX, Web sites use multimedia effects,
interactive objects, and sophisticated applications to create an interactive
user experience. [1]
Server-side components used by Active Server Pages (ASP) technology are
automation servers with no user interface. You can create your own automation
servers with most of the tools used to create ActiveX
controls. When activated, automation servers generate an HTML stream
that is returned to the client's browser. Automation servers can automate
access to a database, perform complex queries, and deal with data values
for use by script code. Using Active Server Pages is an easy way to talk
to server-side components via high-level script language.
Features:
-
ActiveX will be
supported on multiple operating system platform, e.g.
Macintosh, Windows and UNIX
operating systems
-
Familiar Tools from a wide assortment of tools
can be used to develop ActiveX: Visual Basic,
Visual C++, Delphi etc.
-
Many programming language vendors are now building
ActiveX controls and components. Developers can use what they know
and be productive immediately
-
Existing Inventory of ActiveX
controls available today for immediate use by Web producers
-
Industry Standards, with built-in support for
key industry and de-facto marketplace standards, including HTML, TCP/IP,
Java, COM, and others
-
ActiveX controls can be called from any other
OLE- aware application, hence, ActiveX functionality
is not limited to the browser. [2]
ActiveX Core Technologies
which includes:
-
COM and DCOM: The underlying distributed object
model for ActiveX
-
Microsoft remote
procedure call (MS-RPC): A compatible implementation of DCE/RPC. Provides
scalability, marshalling, and privacy support
-
NTLM Standard Security Provider Interface (SSPI):
Allows secure invocation of components
-
Structured Storage: Rich, transaction based,
hierarchical file format. Enables applications to share files across applications
and platforms
-
Registry: Provides a database of COM components
and their configuration information.
-
Monikers: Provides for persistent, intelligent
names
-
Automation: Allows objects to expose functionality
to high-level programming languages and scripting environments. [3]
(Macintosh reference
implementation (System 7.x)
Win32 reference
implementation
UNIX reference
source (Solaris 2.x)
They all have the above technologies available
with the ActiveX Standards process. )
Further Specifications:
1. ActiveX Template
Library (ATL)
These C++ templates
allow for development of ActiveX controls and other types of components.
ATL also provides minimal wizard support, small size and fast execution,
self-sufficient controls. To use ATL, you must have an understanding
of OLE and COM.
ActiveX and
OLE are both based on the Component Object Model (COM), but they provide
different services to developers.
COM provides the low-level object-binding
mechanism that enables objects to communicate with each other.
OLE uses COM to provide high-level
application services such as linking and embedding to enable users to create
compound documents. OLE also optimized for end-user usability and integration
of desktop applications.
ActiveX, provides a substantially "slimmed
down" infrastructure to enable controls to be embedded in Web sites and
respond interactively to events. ActiveX is
optimized for size and speed. Several innovations were also added to the
Internet, which include a substantial
(50-75%) reduction in size, support for incremental rendering and asynchronous
connections. [4]
2. ActiveX SDK
(software development kit)
It includes a variety of technologies to
facilitate development of Internet applications and content, including
tools and information to aid in the development of ActiveX
controls.
3. ActiveX handle
Internet Security
To address security concerns posed by anonymously
authored executable code distributed over the Internet, Microsoft is working
with a number of ISVs on a code signing standard, which provides the same
level of accountability to end users of Internet software as buying a shrink-wrapped
product in a store.
The Active Platform:
Microsoft Active Platform is an integrated, comprehensive set of
client and server development technologies that make it easy for developers
to integrate the connectivity of the Internet
with the power of the personal computer. Active Platform
allows developers to use the tools and components they know today to build
powerful applications easily for the Internet and intranet. The Active
Platform includes client technologies that run in an Active Client browser,
server technologies that run on the Windows NT Server network operating
system and Microsoft Internet Information Server (IIS), and ActiveX
technologies that the client and server components together across the
network and enable component-based applications to work seamlessly. [5]
Disadvantages of using
ActiveX:
-
Internet Explorer
is currently the only browser that makes wide use of ActiveX technology.
-
Although ActiveX
controls are extremely small to download, almost all controls require a
run-time library to complete their functionality. Luckily, those libraries
are included in many Microsoft applications
and operating systems.
[1] http://www.microsoft.com/activex/actx-gen/awhatis.asp
usefulness: 7
readable: 7
[2] http://www.microsoft.com/sitebuilder/columnists/starts0523.asp
usefulness: 8
readable: 9
[3] http://www.activex.org/announce/ActiveX_Core_Technologies.htm
usefulness: 6
readable: 7
[4]
http://www.microsoft.com/activex/actx-gen/faq.asp
usefulness: 8
readable: 8
[5] http://www.microsoft.com/activeplatform/default.asp
usefulness: 6
readable: 7
Conclusion
Back
To Main Page