Anyone recommend a good resource for COM?

[d000hg]

Returning to contract on a project I worked with 3 years back as an employee. Client-server C++/MFC app where server & client apps communicate through (D)COM. Although COM itself is not too bad I remember loads of pain as far as registry setup, IDL compilers, etc were concerned.

Any recommendations on a decent book covering all this ugliness? I can certainly justify some time reaquainting myself since they understand I haven't used it for 3 years, but prefer to be quick off the mark and score some points.

[voodooflux]

Returning to contract on a project I worked with 3 years back as an employee. Client-server C++/MFC app where server & client apps communicate through (D)COM. Although COM itself is not too bad I remember loads of pain as far as registry setup, IDL compilers, etc were concerned.

Any recommendations on a decent book covering all this ugliness? I can certainly justify some time reaquainting myself since they understand I haven't used it for 3 years, but prefer to be quick off the mark and score some points.

For a low level background I seem to recall the Don Box books (Essential/Effective COM?) were held in favourable esteem, along with Inside COM/Inside DCOM. They're all out of print now though, but you should be able to pick them up relatively cheap second hand on Amazon Marketplace.

I can't remember whether any of those titles covered COM programming with MFC and ATL though.

[d000hg]

MFC wasn't integrated with COM in the system, I don't know if MFC has wrappers around COM but if so they weren't used. It was mainly 'pure' COM over a network, not much in the way of ATL and so on (IIRC).

Don Box I remember using in the past, it seemed hard going back then but COM ain't no picnic

[VectraMan]

Nobody in their right mind would use MFC's wrappers for COM. Really really awful way of doing things. ATL always was much better.

Can you send me as a substitute?

[d000hg]

Nobody in their right mind would use MFC's wrappers for COM. Really really awful way of doing things. ATL always was much better.

Glad it didn't use that then Although no ATL either, everything from scratch.

Can you send me as a substitute?

Maybe when I find something better

[voodooflux]

Nobody in their right mind would use MFC's wrappers for COM. Really really awful way of doing things. ATL always was much better.

That seems to match my recollection as well - and Microsoft's recommendation.

[VectraMan]

Although no ATL either, everything from scratch.

I've done COM a few times really from scratch, i.e. not even messing about with MIDL just directly using IDispatch. In some ways it's easier, especially if you're just using an in process server, but it means you don't get any compile time checking of parameter types etc.

MIDL generates the equivalent code for you, and presents you with local functions that magically call the remote server. But like all such tools it's great when everything works and a complete nightmare when it doesn't, and sometimes it's better to have full control yourself.

In answer to the question, I remember the old original "Inside OLE" MS book, not to be confused with "Inside OLE 2" which preceeded it (yes preceeded). I've never found anything better since.