ActiveXcontrols

ActiveX is Microsoft's name for its object linking and embedding (OLE) technology. The idea behind the technology is to allow one application (such as a spreadsheet) to plug into another application (such as a word processor) so that the information you produce in one can be an integral part of the information you produce in the other. The result could be, for example, a spreadsheet embedded in a business plan.

While ActiveX is essentially the same technology as OLE, its intent is slightly different. ActiveX is a streamlined and simplified approach aimed at allowing developers to produce small applications, known as controls, with a highly focused purpose. For example, the Flash control for ActiveX control is designed just to play Flash animations, not to create them.

The Macromedia Control Xtra for ActiveX is a valuable addition to Authorware. Developers have created thousands of ActiveX controls, and the uses for this Xtra extension are as limitless as the variety of ActiveX controls available. Here are just a few examples:

Use the Microsoft Web Browser control to let users explore the Internet.
Create complete Windows applications with MicroHelp's extensive library of Windows controls.
Use the Microsoft Calendar control as an interface to a project log.
Let users explore virtual worlds with the InterVista VRML control.

ActiveX is not supported on the Macintosh.

For an example of what you can do with ActiveX controls in Authorware, see ActiveXcontrols.

ActiveXcontrols

See also