ID: Q126157
1.00 2.00 WINDOWS
The information in this article applies to:
OLE is a set of implemented services, mechanisms to customize these services, and mechanisms to install custom services according to various protocols. Every OLE API function and every currently-defined interface (that is, those found in shipping OLE technologies) have a purpose in this framework. Listed below are API functions and interfaces along with their purposes, categorized in the following functional groups:
The following list helps illustrate why the various APIs and interfaces exist and includes the following information:
Functions: <List of OLE API Functions and Interfaces>
Purpose: <Purpose Description>
Functions: IUnknown
Purpose: Control of object lifetime, interface negotiation. Ubiquitous
for any component regardless of implementation. QueryInterface
exposes incoming interfaces.
Purpose: Enumeration of various types of lists. Used in many cases
throughout OLE.
Purpose: Expose the type information about an object's incoming and
outgoing interfaces.
IConnectionPoint, IEnumConnections
Purpose: Expose an object's outgoing interfaces.
Functions: CoBuildVersion, OleBuildVersion
Purpose: Check OLE library version numbers.
Purpose: Task memory allocation.
Purpose: Initialize/Uninitialize COM/OLE libraries and installs an OLE-
provided task allocator (most OLE implementations also allow
installation of a custom allocator).
Purpose: Access standard task memory allocator.
Purpose: Access currently installed task allocator.
Functions: IExternalConnection
Purpose: Notification - connection/disconnection from remote process.
Purpose: Lock a remote object implementation.
Purpose: Forcibly disconnect any remote connections.
Purpose: Standard marshaling (OLE impl); custom marshaling (custom impl).
Purpose: Access standard implementation of IMarshal.
Purpose: Support for Custom Interfaces.
CoUnmarshalInterface, CoReleaseMarshalData
Purpose: Helpers for marshaling both standard and custom.
CoMarshalInterface, for example, is always called whenever any
object needs to create the server-side remoting support for an
interface pointer to a new object. CoUnmarshalInterface creates
the client side to match.
Purpose: Helper to determine if an in-process component is connected to a
remote process.
Purpose: Installs a custom IMessageFilter implementation.
Purpose: Helper functions for OLE 1 container document compatibility.
Purpose: Concurrency management handling interface. A default
implementation is always installed when remoting occurs.
Functions: CoCreateInstance
Purpose: Access custom component implementation given a CLSID.
Purpose: Creation of custom component based on CLSID.
Purpose: Access custom class factory implementation given a CLSID.
Purpose: Expose a custom class factory implementation from a DLL.
Purpose: Install/remove a custom class factory implementation.
Functions: CoCreateGuid, IsEqualGUID, IsEqualIID, IsEqualCLSID
Purpose: Helper for creation and comparison of GUIDs.
Purpose: Expose self-registration functionality from a DLL server module.
OleGetAutoConvert, OleSetAutoConvert, GetConvertStg,
SetConvertStg
Purpose: Conversion/Emulation manipulation (only customization is
registry information that describes which classes are
interchangeable).
Functions: DllCanUnloadNow
Purpose: Control DLL server unloading.
CoFreeUnusedLibraries
Purpose: Load and unload in-process server modules.
Functions: CLSIDFrom[ProgID | String], [ProgID | String]FromCLSID,
IIDFromString, StringFromIID, StringFromGUID2
Purpose: Helper functions for conversion between GUIDs, strings, and
ProgIDs.
Purpose: Miscellaneous helper.
Purpose: Miscellaneous helper functions for date/time conversion. (More
appropriate to be a Win32 API).
Purpose: Miscellaneous validation functions (16-bit only).
Functions: IMoniker
Purpose: Exposes moniker functionality. OLE provides five moniker
implementations (five different classes). Custom implementations
can be exposed via object creation functions or custom API.
Purpose: Wrapper for IMoniker::BindToObject.
CreatePointerMoniker, CreateGenericComposite
Purpose: Access OLE standard moniker implementations.
Purpose: Implemented on a custom object to parse a user-readable display
name into a moniker object, standard or custom.
Purpose: While generally related to OLE Documents, these interfaces are
implemented on an object that contains items and is necessary to
bind item monikers.
Purpose: Implemented on the OLE standard "bind context" object.
Purpose: Instantiates a bind context object returning an IBindCtx
pointer.
Purpose: Exposed from the OLE implemented "running object table" service.
No customizations.
Purpose: Access the running object table.
Purpose: Converts a string into a moniker which includes the intelligence
to determine whose implementation of IParseDisplayName to use.
Purpose: Helpers to manipulate file monikers to create absolute and
relative paths using IMoniker::RelativePathTo and
IMoniker::CommonPrefixWith.
Functions: IStorage
Purpose: Expose storage object functionality (directory).
Purpose: Expose stream object functionality (files).
Purpose: Control underlying file attached to an IStorage in a Compound
File.
Purpose: Customize underlying storage medium in a Compound File.
Purpose: Create or open OLE's Compound File (IStorage/IRootStorage)
implementation using default file-based ILockBytes
implementation.
Purpose: Create or open OLE's Compound File (IStorage/IRootStorage)
implementation using a custom ILockBytes implementation.
Purpose: Checks if a file is a Compound File with the default
implementation of ILockBytes or a custom implementation.
Purpose: Access memory-based ILockBytes implementation.
Purpose: Access memory-based IStream implementation.
GetClassFile
Purpose: Retrieve or save CLSID, data format, and user type information
to a storage or stream.
Purpose: Helper function to manipulate Compound File timestamp.
Functions: IPersist, IPersistFile, IPersist-Storage, IPersistStream[Init]
Purpose: Expose from a persistent object based on storage model: file-
based, IStorage-based, IStream-based (with or without
initialization).
Functions: IAdviseSink[2]
Purpose: Receive notifications of data change, view change, compound
document object changes.
Purpose: Receive notifications of property changes and control
overridable changes.
Purpose: Interfaces defined by an object, implemented by an outside
event sink.
Functions: IDataObject, (IAdviseSink), IEnumFORMATETC
Purpose: Expose ability to exchange formatted data structures and notify
an advise sink of data changes.
Purpose: Helper function for copying data structures.
Purpose: Helper to free data structures.
Functions: IViewObject[2], (IAdviseSink)
Purpose: Expose ability to draw visual presentations to device contexts
and notify an advise sink of view changes.
Purpose: Simple wrapper around IViewObject::Draw.
OleGetIconOfClass
Purpose: Helper function for manipulation of iconic views of objects.
Purpose: Helper to translates between COLORREF and OLE_COLOR types.
Functions: IFont, IFontDisp
Purpose: Exposes standard font object implementation (OLE Controls).
Purpose: Accesses standard font object implementation.
Purpose: Exposes standard picture object implementation (OLE Controls).
Purpose: Accesses standard picture object implementation.
Purpose: Creates a picture object from stream information.
Purpose: Helper function to turn an icon into a cursor for simple Win32
API based drag-and-drop (not OLE drag & drop).
Functions: OleSetClipboard, OleGetClipboard, OleFlushClipboard,
OleIsCurrentClipboard
Purpose: API for clipboard handling service via IDataObject. No
customization except for whatever IDataObject implementation is
involved.
Functions: IDropSource
Purpose: Exposes source-side functionality in a drag & drop operation.
Purpose: Exposes target-side functionality in a drag & drop operation.
Purpose: Installs IDropSource (and IDataObject) implementations to begin
a drag & drop operation.
Purpose: Installs/uninstalls a drop target implementation. Drop target is
exposed to DoDragDrop only.
Functions: ITypeLib, ITypeInfo
Purpose: Standard OLE implementations to navigate through a type library
structure.
Purpose: Standard OLE implementation to bind to interface functions
defined in a type library in a much more efficient manner,
useful for compilers.
Purpose: Create a hash value used in ITypeComp functions.
RegisterTypeLib, QueryPathOfRegTypeLib
Purpose: Helpers for registering and loading a type library. Loading a
type library means instantiating the type library object with
ITypeLib on it. In other words, Load[Reg]TypeLib[FromResource]
accesses the standard ITypeLib implementation.
Purpose: Creates a brand new type library (as opposed to loading an
existing one). The type library implements ICreateTypeLib.
Generally used from type library compilers.
Purpose: Implementations in OLE for creating a type library. Used from
type library compilers.
Purpose: Creates an type information object with ITypeInfo based on
INTERFACEDATA structures.
GetSystemDefault-[LangID | LCID], GetUser-Default[LangID | LCID]
Purpose: Helper functions for working with locale-specific information in
OLE Automation. These are primarily for Win16 platforms as the
same functions are part of the standard Win32 API.
Functions: IDispatch, IEnumVARIANT
Purpose: Expose methods and properties through a dispatch (DISPID)
mechanism as well as "collections."
Purpose: Installs a custom interface into a standard IDispatch
implementation. In other words, accesses a standard IDispatch
that internally depends on a custom interface implementation.
Purpose: Helper functions for direct implementations or uses of
IDispatch.
Purpose: Helper functions to register automation objects as running and
access running object. Basically wrappers around the running
object table.
Destroy, DestroyData, DestroyDescriptor, GetDim, GetElement,
GetElemSize, GetLBound, GetUBound, Lock, PutElement, Redim,
UnAccessData, Unlock
Purpose: Helper functions for manipulating arrays passed through
IDispatch.
ReAllocStringLen, StringLen
Purpose: Helper functions to manipulate BSTR types.
TimeToDosDateTime; (DosDateTimeToVarantTime)
Purpose: Helper functions to manipulate variables passed in VARIANT
structures, such as type conversion and duplication.
Functions: OleCreatePropertyFrame-[Indirect]
Purpose: Access standard implementation of a property page frame that
implements IPropertyPageSite.
Purpose: Expose capability as a property page frame.
Purpose: Expose CLSIDs of an object's property pages (which are separate
objects).
Purpose: Expose property page functionality.
Purpose: Expose the ability to manipulate individual properties.
Functions: OleRegGetUserType, OleRegGetMiscStatus, OleRegEnumFormatEtc,
OleRegEnumVerbs
Purpose: Helper functions for default registry handling (OLE
Documents, mostly).
Purpose: Notifications of when an object is going between loaded and
running.
OleSetContainedObject
Purpose: Helpers for control of running objects in compound documents.
Most of these functions call IRunnableObject members.
Purpose: Helper functions for managing IAdviseSink pointers from within a
compound document object implementation.
Purpose: Access OLE implementation of IOleAdviseHolder object. No
customization.
Purpose: Functions to load and save compound document objects in IStorage
or IStream instances. Wrappers for IPersistStorage and
IPersistStream calls.
Purpose: Access OLE implementation of a static object.
Functions: OleCreateDefaultHandler, OleCreateEmbeddingHelper
Purpose: Access OLE implementation of default handler or "embedding
helper" (a cut-rate default handler for same-process objects).
Purpose: Implemented by default provided by OLE, in-process handlers and
servers in compound document uses can customize.
Purpose: Access OLE's data cache implementation (service). Cache object
implements a number of interfaces including IOleCache[2],
IOleCacheControl, IDataObject, IViewObject[2], and
IPersistStorage.
Purpose: Implemented in OLE's default handler to access remote server's
IDataObject implementation. Used in OLE Documents.
Functions: IOleObject
Purpose: Expose compound document object functionality.
Purpose: Provide container-side information and functions to compound
document objects.
OleQueryCreateFromData
Purpose: Access custom implementations of embedded compound document
objects depending on where the source information exists).
OleQueryCreate-FromData checks if OleCreateFromData will work.
Functions: IOleLink
Purpose: Expose from in-process implementations of linked compound
document objects (usually taken from OLE's default handler).
OleQueryCreateLinkFromData
Purpose: Access custom implementations of linked compound document
objects depending on where the source information exists).
OleQueryCreate-LinkFromDat a checks if OleCreateLinkFromData
will work.
Purpose: Enumerate objects within a generic container (usually
compound document container, but not necessarily).
IOleItemContainer supports the additional step of binding an
item moniker.
Functions: IOleInPlaceObject, IOleInPlaceActiveObject
Purpose: Expose object-side functionality for in-place activation support
(interfaces derive from IOleWindow).
Purpose: Expose container-side functionality for in-place activation
support (interfaces derive from IOleWindow).
OleSetMenuDescriptor, OleTranslateAccelerator
Purpose: OLE-provided helper functions for in-place activation.
Functions: CoIsOle1Class
Purpose: Helper to check if a class is an OLE 1 compound document object.
OleConvertOLE-STREAMToIStorage[Ex]
Purpose: Helper functions for a container providing compatibility with
OLE 1 compound documents.
Functions: IOleControl
Purpose: Expose OLE Control specifics to a container dealing with
keyboard mnemonics and ambient property changes.
Purpose: Expose OLE Control Container specifics to an OLE Control.
Purpose: Expose an OLE Control that is merely a visual frame around a set
of other controls that filters messages going to the controls
within it to provide group behavior for a set of controls (like
radio buttons).
Keywords : ntgeneral
Version : 1.00 2.00
Platform : WINDOWSLast Reviewed: September 7, 1996