Difference

What is the difference between an AxtiveX control and a DLL?

What are the basis of selecting between them?

[Jason Teagle]

A DLL just 'exposes' functions which can be called from any application which loads it, whereas an ActiveX (previously OCX) exposes properties (variables) as well as functions. An ActiveX is (usually) designed more as a Windows control providing some sort of visual feedback, whereas a DLL is designed as a hidden library providing functionality only.

ActiveX can be used on Web pages, DLLs can not (I believe).

[chiuyan]

An ActiveX is really just a special implementation of a DLL that follows some guidlines that Microsoft describes (COM).

And ActiveX DLL is pretty much just a self-describing DLL that knows enough about itself and exposes enough information to be used by any language that understands COM. No special header files or library files needed, no need to build library files for 35 different compilers,...

An ActiveX control is really not that much different than an ActiveX DLL, but usually has a graphic interface to it (all AcitveX objects used to be controls until Microsoft realized that not all object would need this graphic interaction & created the ActiveX DLL specification).

You can use both ActiveX Controls or DLLs from many popular development environments--Visual C++, Visual Basic, Visual RPG, Delphi, Internet Explorer, ...

anyway, hope this helps.
--michael