Is an ActiveX DLL just like an external Class Module?

[Vitani]

Is an ActiveX DLL just like an external Class Module?

Can I make normal DLLs in VB6?

[Edneeis]

What is a 'normal' dll? An ActiveX DLL is a COM external class.

[daughey]

There are basically two types of DLL under windows:
1)The "normal" dlls
2)The COM dlls

The "normal" dlls are like the API dlls (kernel32.dll, gdi32.dll). These dlls are not registered in the system registry and need to be in the Path to be used (or specify the full path to access them)

You can write your own "normal" dlls in C and access them from VB by using the same Declare statement you would for API declarations. Instead, you just put the name of your DLL in the Lib part. (I don't think you can write your own "normal" dlls in VB)

COM dlls are the various activeX dlls you'll come across. These can be certain exe, dll and ocx files. The main difference is that these puppies require registation in the system registry. They do not need to reside on the Path. The function entry points are also different, which is why you can access them so easily in VB. Just add the "References..." or in case of an ocx, the "Components"

Another important difference between "normal" and "activeX" dlls is that "normal" dlls are not OO. They just provide function calls. ActiveX dlls are component based. This means that an activeX dll is not just an external class module. It is a host for external class modules.

Hope this helps
Dave