ID: Q165524
The information in this article applies to:
The following is a list of Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) concerning the Visual Basic Control Creation Edition.
The article covers the following questions:
1. What is the Microsoft Visual Basic programming system for Windows,
version 5.0, Control Creation Edition?
3. What is ActiveX?
4. What features will the Visual Basic 5.0 Control Creation Edition offer?
5. Where and how can these ActiveX Controls be used?
6. How does the Control Creation Edition relate to the other versions of
Visual Basic 5.0?
a Web user's computer?
for Applications?
C++ and the Visual J++ development tool?
Creation Edition?
Edition share the same limitations as Java Applets?
Edition compiled to native code or to pCode?
14. What is the Visual Basic Virtual Machine and how does it get to the Web
user's computer?
Basic 5.0 Control Creation Edition affect this market?
1. Q. What is the Microsoft Visual Basic programming system for Windows,
version 5.0, Control Creation Edition?
A. The Visual Basic 5.0 Control Creation Edition is the a member of the
Visual Basic programming system for Windows, a rapid application
development (RAD) tool that allows developers to build ActiveX controls
quickly and easily, opening up Web development to the over three million
Visual Basic developers in the industry today. The Control Creation
Edition joins the Learning, Professional, and Enterprise Editions of
Visual Basic version 5.0.
2. Q. What is an ActiveX Control?
A. ActiveX technologies make it easy to create, integrate and reuse
software components (controls) over the Internet or intranets. An
ActiveX Control is a software component that can be integrated into Web
pages, Microsoft Office, Microsoft Access and Visual Basic or any host
that supports ActiveX Controls.
With ActiveX, developers can create components in any programming
language, integrate them with any scripting language, and run those
components from any type of application, including Web browsers business
applications. Assembling Web sites from a wide variety of existing
software components speeds time to market, allows Web site producers to
build more engaging and effective sites, and results in a more
intriguing and productive experience for Web surfers.
3. Q. What is ActiveX?
A. ActiveX is a set of technologies that integrate software components
in a networked environment, regardless of the language in which they
were created. This integration of components enables content and
software developers to create interactive applications and Web sites
easily.
4. Q. What features will the Visual Basic 5.0 Control Creation Edition
offer?
A. Visual Basic 5.0 Control Creation Edition allows developers to build
ActiveX Controls using any of the following scenarios:
- Data aware controls
- Custom property pages
- Multiple controls per OCX file
- Multiple Container controls
- Multiple Irregularly-shaped controls
- Multiple Properties that download asynchronously
- Multiple Self-describing controls with type libraries
5. Q. Where and how can these ActiveX Controls be used?
Controls created with Visual Basic 5.0 Control Creation Edition can be
included in any application that supports ActiveX Controls, including
Microsoft Internet Explorer, Visual Basic 4.0, the Visual C ++
development system, the Visual FoxPro database system, Microsoft
Office 97, Delphi, Netscape Navigator, etc., via plug-ins and more, as
well as the application of any vendor that has licensed Visual Basic 5.0
Applications Edition.
6. Q. How does the Control Creation Edition relate to the other versions
of Visual Basic 5.0?
A. Visual Basic 5.0 Control Creation Edition includes the new
Intellisense technology, forms engine, and interactive debugger of
Visual Basic 5.0, but it does not include some of the functionality
found in the retail editions of Visual Basic, such as the Jet database
engine, report writing, integration with the Visual SourceSafe version
control system and other features not required for control creation. As
a result, the version available for downloading from the Web is 5.5 MB.
While the Control Creation Edition will provide support for building
ActiveX Controls, it cannot be used to develop stand-alone applications.
Visual Basic 5.0 Control Creation Edition will be available as a stand-
alone product as well as integrated into the Professional and Enterprise
editions of Visual Basic 5.0.
7. Q. How do controls used within a custom ActiveX control get downloaded
to a Web user's computer?
A. The Visual Basic 5.0 Setup Wizard analyzes all dependencies and
creates everything necessary for Web applications. It creates a
compressed file containing all files needed for control, an
informational file that the browser uses to install and register the
components, and a working HTM page that contains everything an HTM page
needs for downloading, including the codebase reference.
8. Q. How does the release of the Control Creation Edition affect Visual
Basic for Applications?
A. All licenses of Visual Basic for Applications will become ActiveX
Control hosts. Visual Basic for Applications 5.0 is an ActiveX Control
container and the language engine at the heart of Visual Basic 5.0,
Control Creation Edition, Office 97 and a growing number of third-party
licensees. For more information on Visual Basic for Applications, please
visit http://www.microsoft.com/vba/.
9. Q. How does the Visual Basic 5.0 Control Creation Edition relate to
Visual C++ and the Visual J++ development tool?
A. Visual Basic 5.0 Control Creation Edition, Visual J++ and Visual C++
can all create ActiveX components. However, Visual Basic 5.0 Control
Creation Edition is the only one of the three tools that applies RAD
techniques to creating controls. Visual J++, Visual C++, and
Visual Basic are programming languages that are component producers.
10. Q. How large are controls produced by the Visual Basic 5.0 Control
Creation Edition?
A. The average control will be about 20k, but actual size varies
according to complexity.
11. Q. Do ActiveX controls created with Visual Basic 5.0 Control Creation
Edition share the same limitations as Java Applets?
A. No. Unlike Java applets, ActiveX controls created in Visual Basic
5.0 Control Creation Edition can take full advantage of Windows 95 and
NT operating systems. ActiveX controls produced with Visual Basic 5.0
Control Creation Edition are pre-built for digital signatures, giving
the Web user the option to accept or deny the downloading of ActiveX
components.
12. Q. Are the controls produced with Visual Basic Control Creation 5.0
Edition compiled to native code or to pCode?
A. Controls produced by Visual Basic Control Creation Edition are
compiled to pCode, producing very small but very powerful controls.
13. Q. Can I distribute the controls that I create, royalty-free?
A. Yes. Any controls that you create from scratch or any of the
intrinsic controls included with the Visual Basic 5 Control Creation
Edition may be distributed royalty-free. You may be able to distribute
other ActiveX controls, .exe files, and .DLLs that you have purchased,
either through Microsoft products or though a third party vendor.
Please consult the manufacturer's license agreement for each of
files you plan to distribute to determine whether you have the right to
distribute the file with your application.
14. Q. What is the Visual Basic Virtual Machine and how does it get to the
Web user's computer?
A. Visual Basic controls are interpreted by the virtual machine on the
Web user?s computer in much the same manner as a Java applet. The
virtual machine (MSVBVM5.DLL) also provides high-performance services
common to all Visual Basic authored ActiveX controls. The virtual
machine is automatically downloaded and installed:
- the first time a person navigates to a Web page containing any
Visual Basic authored control.
-and-
- when any control built using a newer version of the virtual
machine is accessed.
15. Q. How many ActiveX Controls are currently available? How will Visual
Basic 5.0 Control Creation Edition affect this market?
A. More than 2,000 ActiveX components are available today from hundreds
of developers for use both over the Internet and in line-of-business
applications. The number of ActiveX Control ISVs has grown by over 400
percent since the beginning of the year. With the release of Visual
Basic 5.0 Control Creation Edition and its ease of use, there should be
a significant increase in the number and types of controls available,
providing substantial benefits to developers and customers.
16. Q. Where can I get more information on creating controls?
A. For the most up-to-date information on controls and other related
topics, be sure to visit the Visual Basic Product Page at
http://www.microsoft.com/vbasic/controls.
Keywords : kbprg kbtool kbfaq
Version : WINDOWS:5.0
Platform : WINDOWS
Issue type : kbinfoLast Reviewed: November 11, 1998