Enhanced Functionality through ActiveX Controls
ActiveX is a framework that is used to define reusable software components known as controls to perform a particular function or a set of functions in the Windows environment independently of programming languages that have been used to provide the implementation. To provide functionality a software application can be composed of a number of these ActiveX controls. There is an ActiveX control in virtually every Windows application, from the Internet Explorer, Windows Media Player to Microsoft Office among others Windows applications. These controls are used to build a rich feature-set that defines their own functionality. An ActiveX control can be embedded into other applications or even onto web pages.
One of the main applications of ActiveX controls is that they can be used as building block program codes to create distributed applications that use the internet to retrieve data, gather data, display animations or view certain kinds of files. Their use can include integration onto the web browser to provide a more seamless functionality. To understand what an ActiveX control is, consider the functionality of a Java applet. These programs were originally designed to allow web browsers to download and execute web content. However, some notable differences between the two is that while a Java applet can run on nearly any platform, an ActiveX control officially operates on only the Internet Explorer web browser from Microsoft and on Windows platforms. Another difference is that ActiveX controls can have much higher control levels over Windows than Java applets can ever achieve. This makes them both powerful but also potentially more dangerous than Java applets. This is because, it is much easier for hackers to control what is executed from malicious websites on host computers using these powerful controls. ActiveX controls can be written using C++, Visual Basic, C#, ATL, MFC or Borland Delphi. Some common ActiveX control interfaces include command buttons, dialog boxes, list boxes and the Internet Explorer browser.
In order for an ActiveX control to be executed on a web page, it needs to do either one of the following: declare itself safe for scripting, pass the blacklist of bad controls in Internet Explorer, be digitally signed as an installation package or pass other default security settings. Over the years Microsoft has developed a large number of platforms and products that use the ActiveX objects with Active Server Pages and ActiveX Streaming Format or ASF being the most popular.
ActiveX is a framework that is used to define reusable software components known as controls to perform a particular function or a set of functions in the Windows environment independently of programming languages that have been used to provide the implementation. To provide functionality a software application can be composed of a number of these ActiveX controls. There is an ActiveX control in virtually every Windows application, from the Internet Explorer, Windows Media Player to Microsoft Office among others Windows applications. These controls are used to build a rich feature-set that defines their own functionality. An ActiveX control can be embedded into other applications or even onto web pages.
One of the main applications of ActiveX controls is that they can be used as building block program codes to create distributed applications that use the internet to retrieve data, gather data, display animations or view certain kinds of files. Their use can include integration onto the web browser to provide a more seamless functionality. To understand what an ActiveX control is, consider the functionality of a Java applet. These programs were originally designed to allow web browsers to download and execute web content. However, some notable differences between the two is that while a Java applet can run on nearly any platform, an ActiveX control officially operates on only the Internet Explorer web browser from Microsoft and on Windows platforms. Another difference is that ActiveX controls can have much higher control levels over Windows than Java applets can ever achieve. This makes them both powerful but also potentially more dangerous than Java applets. This is because, it is much easier for hackers to control what is executed from malicious websites on host computers using these powerful controls. ActiveX controls can be written using C++, Visual Basic, C#, ATL, MFC or Borland Delphi. Some common ActiveX control interfaces include command buttons, dialog boxes, list boxes and the Internet Explorer browser.
In order for an ActiveX control to be executed on a web page, it needs to do either one of the following: declare itself safe for scripting, pass the blacklist of bad controls in Internet Explorer, be digitally signed as an installation package or pass other default security settings. Over the years Microsoft has developed a large number of platforms and products that use the ActiveX objects with Active Server Pages and ActiveX Streaming Format or ASF being the most popular.
No comments:
Post a Comment