Nubie Question? What are COM Objects?

Nubie Question? What are COM Objects?

I've read very little about them and they seem to be very important?

Anyone?

Thanks ahead a time. :p

COM objects, or Component Object Models, were developed, by Microsoft for Windows platforms to provide useful pre-packaged functionality. Microsoft also built their development platforms to provide programmers with the ability to build their own COM objects.


This is a good introduction to COM tutorial for beginners by Karl Moore.

Thanks...

what are some examples of the most common.. COM objects?

Everything that was an object in VB6 was a COM object.

Classes
UserControls
Forms

They all implement the IUknown interface, which makes them COM objects.

AAA.... ok.

Thanks.

Some of the most commonly used COM objects in .NET apps are the Microsoft Office applications. Also any ActiveX controls like the old AxWebBrowser, AxWindowsMediaPlayer, etc. are also COM objects. When you use COM objects in a .NET app an Interop wrapper assembly is created so that your app communicates with the .NET Interop assembly, which then communicates with the actual COM object. This allows you to treat COM objects virtually the same as any .NET type.