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Embeddable Components (ActiveX, Java, Plugins)There are three common types of components which are embedded in web pages: ActiveX controls, Java Applets, and Plugins. ActiveX controls are embedded using the Object tag. Java Applets are embedded using the Applet tag. Plugins are embedded using the Embed tag. Of these, ActiveX controls are currently only supported in IE3+, while Applets are supported in IE3+ and NN2+. Plugins are supported by NN and IE3+. Both Applet and Embed are going to be retired in favor of the Object tag, which is to be used for all types of embeddable media, though support in current browsers varies (For example: Netscape 4 may not display GIFs at all with the Object tag, while IE 4 will not display them if HEIGHT and WIDTH are not specified). All of these tag accomplish mostly the same thing. When the browser reaches the tag, it checks to see if the specified component is already installed. If it is, then it includes it in the page. Otherwise, the browser usually asks the user if it should download the component, be it a plugin for viewing a movie or a Java animation, or an ActiveX control for playing music. There are four examples of using ActiveX controls with VBScript on the VBScript Resources Page. ActiveX Examples 1-3 use the Microsoft Forms 2.0 controls, while ActiveX Example 4 uses the Microsoft Agent control. All four examples were made using the Microsoft ActiveX Control Pad and the Microsoft Script Debugger. The ActiveX Control Pad makes it much easier to see which controls are available for use, as well as writing the Object tag for you. It even lets you see what properties there are to set. It is also a plain text editor, which means that you could use it for ALL of your HTML writing, if you wished to. Below are some sites with more information on ActiveX technology. ACTIVEX.COM (CNET) For more VBScript-related sites, please visit our Scripting Links.
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