An ActiveX Object is a module that has been created using the guidelines of Microsoft’s Component Object Model (COM). This is just another one of the many COM-based technologies that have been created by Microsoft. Sure, what we just said may sound real nice, but what exactly does all that mean?

ActiveX has been around for a while now, and may even be considered an old technology to many developers. Generally ActiveX Objects are written in Visual Basic 6 and are Microsoft’s approach to client side components. Other methods such as AJAX are starting to replace ActiveX Objects. An ActiveX Object is a module that is run on the computer system of the web browser rather than the web server that is hosting the web site. ActiveX was Microsoft’s answer to JAVA applets and this technique is similar to the method of using JAVA applications. The main purpose is to remove the burden from the web server and make the client side responsible for running the ActiveX Object to perform a certain procedure before returning the results back to the web server.

The use of ActiveX Objects in this way was intended to enhance the experience of the client side user on a web site using this technology, but hackers found a way to put malicious code into ActiveX Objects, which has turned the use of ActiveX Objects into a potential security risk. To help address the issues created by these malicious ActiveX components, modern web browsers have incorporated settings so that the web browser can allow ActiveX components, warn the client side user about ActiveX components or block ActiveX components from running. These components will have a digital signature attached to them so that the web browser can verify the author of the code and then present a window with information about this to the end user so that they may decide what to do.

These ActiveX Objects have also allowed the use of Windows Tools such as buttons, text boxes and labels. This means that a developer could place these items into a form in their website to show to the end user without actually knowing any HTML. This means that if you are a Visual Basic 6 programmer for example, but knew absolutely nothing about HTML, you could potentially create an entire website that looked and felt like Windows.

ActiveX Objects have given a web site developer a way to access a person’s computer so that their website performance is related to the hardware that the user has in their computer. However, with the advent of AJAX and CSS, ActiveX components in a website are being used less often by web site developers.

ActiveX Objects and ActiveX controls are found all around the internet in many different forms. Chances are you have used programs that use these methods recently. Some examples of programs people use every day that are using these ActiveX technologies include Adobe Reader, Adobe Flash Player, Apple QuickTime Player, Microsoft Windows Media Player, Real Networks RealPlayer, and Sun Java Virtual Machine.