ActiveX question

**VectraMan** · 30 January 2009, 14:46

There's ActiveX, and there's the old Netscape plugin API. I'm not sure if Firefox has its own, or just supports the plugin API, but it does also support ActiveX unnofficially by means of a plugin. I think Opera also can.

I have the experience and access to code that does something similar if you're looking for someone to do it. Pleanty cheapness and much quickness guaranteed.

**suityou01** · 30 January 2009, 18:49

Originally posted by d000hg View Post

I know ActiveX is a Windows technology, only officially supported in the IE browser. However I've heard some other browsers do have support in various guises.

I am looking into the possibility of getting an existing C++ application embedded into a web-page... it's actually doing 3D rendering so really the core part is getting a window handle from the browser.

My googling turns up lots of other forum posts but no hard facts... any ActiveX experts here?

ActiveX inherits from ATL if memory serves. There should be a getParent() method that returns the hwnd of the parent window.

**voodooflux** · 30 January 2009, 19:05

Originally posted by suityou01 View Post

ActiveX inherits from ATL if memory serves. There should be a getParent() method that returns the hwnd of the parent window.

Not stricly accurate - ATL was a library for developing COM/ActiveX components.

**suityou01** · 30 January 2009, 19:52

Originally posted by voodooflux View Post

Not stricly accurate - ATL was a library for developing COM/ActiveX components.

Ah so. Anything to add the the OP? Is getParent the correct method name?

**voodooflux** · 30 January 2009, 20:05

Originally posted by suityou01 View Post

Ah so. Anything to add the the OP? Is getParent the correct method name?

Not really (my detailed memory of such things being now somewhat murky) but I felt obliged to point out the innaccuracy in your statement. Hope that was OK

EDIT: having thought about it, I'm not sure that attempting to get a window handle to the browser is the correct techincal direction. If the OP was to consider the ActiveX control route then the display surface would be the window of the control itself, rather than the browser.

Question for d000hg: does the application just generate static images from a set of input parameters, or is the some degree of interactivity or animation involved?

**suityou01** · 30 January 2009, 20:23

Originally posted by voodooflux View Post

Not really (my detailed memory of such things being now somewhat murky) but I felt obliged to point out the innaccuracy in your statement. Hope that was OK

Not fussed really. I don't feel it added anything though. I'm just as pedantic trust me, so I'm grateful for the correction.

**d000hg** · 30 January 2009, 20:25

What I actually have is a 3D rendering engine written in plain old C++. Apparently you can embed this in ActiveX to do real-time 3D rendering using DirectX... at least I've heard so.

I know COM but never developed ActiveX controls so I'm not looking for coding tips, just thoughts about the process in general. I don't know if the plugin mechanism on Mozilla allows this, ActiveX may have its flaws but does give you unparalleled access to the PC (which IS the main flaw of course).

There are existing tools which do this such as 3DVIA:http://dl.3dvia.com/software/3dvia-player

I have no idea how they work (yet) but somehow they are cross-platform... you install some plugin and then off you go. The idea is to investigate if our cross-platform app can be wrapped in a similar manner.

**voodooflux** · 30 January 2009, 20:31

Originally posted by suityou01 View Post

Not fussed really. I don't feel it added anything though. I'm just as pedantic trust me, so I'm grateful for the correction.

Not to worry - I'm not sure that adding something should necessarily be a pre-requisite to offering a techincal correction, but my inner pedant probably ran wild there for a moment. And you did kick my brain into (albeit limited) action

**voodooflux** · 30 January 2009, 20:39

Originally posted by d000hg View Post

What I actually have is a 3D rendering engine written in plain old C++. Apparently you can embed this in ActiveX to do real-time 3D rendering using DirectX... at least I've heard so.

I know COM but never developed ActiveX controls so I'm not looking for coding tips, just thoughts about the process in general. I don't know if the plugin mechanism on Mozilla allows this, ActiveX may have its flaws but does give you unparalleled access to the PC (which IS the main flaw of course).

There are existing tools which do this such as 3DVIA:http://dl.3dvia.com/software/3dvia-player

I have no idea how they work (yet) but somehow they are cross-platform... you install some plugin and then off you go. The idea is to investigate if our cross-platform app can be wrapped in a similar manner.

The 3DVIA component for IE appears to be an ActiveX control, but I suspect (but can't confirm) that the Firefox version is based on the NPAPI, so you might need to consider both.

ActiveX question