Instrumentation / ActiveX Components (ActiveX Controls, COM Objects & OLE Objects) / C++Builder

ActiveX Components (ActiveX Controls, COM Objects & OLE Objects)

Microsoft first introduced the term ActiveX in 1996 when they launched a downloadable user interface control or software component that could be used by Internet Explorer to give more interactive or active content on a Web page to the reader. ActiveX controls were a re-branded subset of OLE custom controls (OCX) or OLE controls (OCXes) that were streamlined for downloading over the Internet and that could be digitally signed for security and authentication reasons. These ActiveX downloads were also tagged or marked as being safe for scripting and safe for initialization, to help give users confidence in using them in ActiveX Internet apps, as they were less likely to start making unauthorized actions on their systems. ActiveX controls also supported threading models, such as Apartment Model Threading, to try and improve performance in a multi-user or multi-process environment.

OLE controls (OCX's) or Object Linking and Embedding controls were themselves the successor to VBX controls first introduced by Microsoft to help programmers extend the functionality and features of their Visual Basic program by buying and reusing a VBX control built by another programmer or company, with expertise in a specific area. VBXes were limited to 16 bit usage for example on Windows 3.x, OCXes were available for both 16 bit or 32 bit architectures and began being widely used as people adopted Windows 95, although most people tended to use VBXes on 16-bit systems and OCX controls or OLE components on 32-bit systems for performance reasons. OLE itself was based on earlier work by Microsoft in their Office products to allow data to be exchanged and reused as objects inside other documents or files, such as embedding an Excel spreadsheet in a Word document and updating the content of that Excel spreadsheet for display using Dynamic Data Exchange (DDE). Hence the term OLE document, that is still in use today.

OLE was part of the Microsoft COM or Component Object Model, that enabled programmers to reuse software components and services in a logical and object oriented manner. COM was extended and expanded over the years to include DCOM, the Distributed Component Object Model that allowed programmers to call OLE objects or COM objects situated on other computers or servers. COM+ was added to support transaction services using technologies such as Microsoft Transaction Server (MTS) and this first appeared when Windows 2000 was launched to better support distributed transactions in more complex applications, where higher performance and throughput was required. COM has gradually become a common term used to refer to: COM, DCOM, COM+, OLE and ActiveX technologies in general.

ActiveX components can be created in a variety of object oriented programming languages, but are most commonly created using C++ and the Microsoft Foundation Class (MFC), such as: MFC 4.0, MFC 4.2 and MFC 6.0. When VB 5 was released in became possible for a Visual Basic programmer to create an ActiveX component for reuse by other people and whilst most programmers claim that the best ActiveX components were written in Visual C++ or by utilizing the ActiveX Template Library, it did not stop some entrepreneurial developers from Janus Systems writing one of the bestselling ActiveX UI controls of all time in VB5 and VB6, called Janus GridEx, a VB6 ActiveX, that gives the look and feel of the Microsoft Outlook UI inside your app.

ActiveX components and ActiveX controls come with a variety of file extensions such as: .exe, .dll and .ocx and these denote a certain type of usage either in-process as part of your program or app (an ActiveX DLL), or out-of-process as a standalone executable (an ActiveX Exe), as an ActiveX control or OCX control mainly used as a UI control on a form or page. Downloadable ActiveX controls are also packaged as .cab files or Cabinet files. These CAB files are packages of files compressed to take up less space and hence can be downloaded more efficiently over the Internet.

In this ActiveX Component gallery you will find a variety of commercial products that are ActiveX objects or ActiveX controls that people sometime refer to as VB controls or as a VB object, as they are often used within Visual Basic. You will find ActiveX Windows components that allow you to carry out visuals tasks, such as an ActiveX UI control for displaying video or images, an ActiveX image control or a non-Visual ActiveX upload component that will allow you to push a file up onto a server over the Internet using HTTP or FTP protocols.

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1. Instrumentation ActiveX Library

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Publisher: Global Majic Software Primary Category: Instrumentation Product Type: Component / ActiveX OCX

Provide visual gauges for technical applications. Instrumentation ActiveX Library is a suite of 11 common instrumentation interface controls including Angular Gauge, Knob, LED, Linear Gauge, Numeric LED, Odometer, Percent, Selector Knob, Slider, Strip Chart, and Toggle. Each component gives you full control over instrument properties including scales, captions, tics, etc.
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2. Strip Chart

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Publisher: Global Majic Software Primary Category: Instrumentation Product Type: Component / ActiveX OCX

Perform dynamic, two-dimensional charting. Strip Chart is an ActiveX component that provides an interface for one or more streams of realtime data or as a static two-dimensional charting tool. Use it to replace or enhance the plotting utility that comes with Excel. Other possible uses include: Factory Trending or Feedback, Vertical Plotting or Drilling Operations, Static Plotting, Virtual Oscilloscope, and more.
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3. Angular Gauge

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Publisher: Global Majic Software Primary Category: Instrumentation Product Type: Component / ActiveX OCX

Monitor realtime data in a flexible gauge. Angular Gauge is an ActiveX component that enables you to display data in a graphical gauge. It includes a full library of pre-configured gauge styles to choose from and you can further customize its appearance via its extensive set of properties. Useful for: Factory Instruments/Gauges, Amperage Meter, Analog Clock, Compass, VU Meter Automobile Instruments, or any application involving display of realtime data.
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4. Global Majic LED

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Publisher: Global Majic Software Primary Category: Instrumentation Product Type: Component / ActiveX OCX

Incorporate LED-like lights and indicators in your application. Global Majic LED simulates the functionality of a Light-Emitting Diode (LED). You have complete control via property pages, of the LED's size, shape, colors, and bitmaps - even at runtime. Horizontal or vertical arrays of LEDs may be used to display meter levels, DIP switch settings, or to create warning lights in monitoring applications. A built-in timer allows you to control the decay rate.
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5. Aircraft ActiveX Library  Average Review: based on 2 reviews

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Publisher: Global Majic Software  Primary Category: Instrumentation  Product Type: Component / ActiveX OCX

Create games, simulations, and/or cockpit emulations. Aircraft ActiveX Library is a bundle of four aircraft-specific custom controls including Aircraft Dynamics, Aircraft Instruments, Joystick, and Moving Map ActiveX controls. Packaged together, these components provide developers with a powerful set of tools for creating realistic cockpit and aircraft applications. Useful for private aircraft simulations, vehicle tracking, and many other uses.
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6. Aircraft Instruments

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Publisher: Global Majic Software Primary Category: Instrumentation Product Type: Component / ActiveX OCX

Build detailed instrumentation displays for your aircraft simulation application. Aircraft Instruments displays 12 small aircraft flight instruments including air speed, altimeter, artificial horizon, automatic direction finder, climb rate indicator, compass, course indicator, heading indicator, horizontal situation indicator, omni-bearing indicator, radio magnetic indicator, and turn coordinator. It utilizes dynamic property pages and is self-registering.
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7. AlphaNumeric LED

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Publisher: Global Majic Software Primary Category: Instrumentation Product Type: Component / ActiveX OCX

Create realistic alphanumeric LED-style displays. Alphanumeric LED is an ActiveX component that uses the 7-segment LED standard. It is capable of displaying alphabetic characters A through F, any numeric character, a moveable decimal point, and an optional sign value (+ or -). It is data-aware for displaying alphanumeric data from a database. Useful for Calculator displays, digital clocks, countdown timer, Time/Temperature display, and more.
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8. Global Majic Knob

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Publisher: Global Majic Software Primary Category: Instrumentation Product Type: Component / ActiveX OCX

Control data input with a configurable knob. Global Majic Knob is an ActiveX component that creates a graphical knob that you can use for interactive data input, process control, realtime adjustments, and the like. It can be controlled via property pages, even at runtime, and all changes are dynamic. Possible uses include: VCR Jogging Component, Tuning Knob, Audio or Video Mixer, Volume Knob, Input Control Knob, Aircraft or Automobile Dial, etc.
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9. Global Majic Slider

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Publisher: Global Majic Software Primary Category: Instrumentation Product Type: Component / ActiveX OCX

Add a progress slider to your applications. Global Majic Slider can be configured as a standard slider - to display file transfer progress, drive space remaining, etc. - or used as a gauge or meter, thermometer, dynamic bar chart, or even to display a pipe, tank, or vessel filling or emptying. You have full control over properties including scale, handle, fonts, captions, annulars, and tics. It is even data-aware for monitoring database activity.
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10. Linear Gauge

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Publisher: Global Majic Software Primary Category: Instrumentation Product Type: Component / ActiveX OCX

Add flexible sliding gauges and meters to your application. Linear Gauge provides the features of a standard slider component and much more. Incorporate multiple scales, tics, handles, bitmaps, shapes, digital read-outs, etc. and configure it into virtually any kind of sliding gauge, meter, or mechanism. Useful for factory/instrument gauges, thermometer, range meter, slider, tank or vessel fill indicator, multimeter, and static or dynamic bar charts, to name just a few.
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Instrumentation / ActiveX Components (ActiveX Controls, COM Objects & OLE Objects) / C++Builder

ActiveX Components (ActiveX Controls, COM Objects & OLE Objects)

Related News

Iocomp adds support for RAD Studio XE

1. Instrumentation ActiveX Library

Publisher: Global Majic Software Primary Category: Instrumentation Product Type: Component / ActiveX OCX

2. Strip Chart

Publisher: Global Majic Software Primary Category: Instrumentation Product Type: Component / ActiveX OCX

3. Angular Gauge

Publisher: Global Majic Software Primary Category: Instrumentation Product Type: Component / ActiveX OCX

4. Global Majic LED

Publisher: Global Majic Software Primary Category: Instrumentation Product Type: Component / ActiveX OCX

5. Aircraft ActiveX Library Average Review: based on 2 reviews

Publisher: Global Majic Software Primary Category: Instrumentation Product Type: Component / ActiveX OCX

6. Aircraft Instruments

Publisher: Global Majic Software Primary Category: Instrumentation Product Type: Component / ActiveX OCX

7. AlphaNumeric LED

Publisher: Global Majic Software Primary Category: Instrumentation Product Type: Component / ActiveX OCX

8. Global Majic Knob

Publisher: Global Majic Software Primary Category: Instrumentation Product Type: Component / ActiveX OCX

9. Global Majic Slider

Publisher: Global Majic Software Primary Category: Instrumentation Product Type: Component / ActiveX OCX

10. Linear Gauge

Publisher: Global Majic Software Primary Category: Instrumentation Product Type: Component / ActiveX OCX

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