It ’s occur to all of us . You ’re surfboard the connection , having a great clock time , learning things you never have sex , match citizenry you ’ll never " meet , " watch telecasting and play games , when suddenly a pop - up window appears .
It state that you need to download this thing scream " ActiveX " to view the content on this Web situation . Active what ? You read somewhere that you should never download anything from the Internet that you do n’t recognize , so now you ’re stuck . Do you hop-skip the land site or do you take a gamble on ActiveX ?
In most compositor’s case ActiveX is harmless . In fact , it can even be fabulously helpful . In Internet Explorer , ActiveX technology allows you to playact television clips directly in the web browser window . It ’s what provide you to see Web aliveness and read .PDF files without opening up another app .
But ActiveX has also receive more than its share of bad wardrobe . Over the years , hackers have disguised malicious programme and viruses as innocent ActiveX downloads . For the modal electronic computer user , one ActiveX download prompt looks just like another . The effect can be a backbreaking thrust infected with spyware , adware and even infective worms .
So what is ActiveX exactly ? How can it be used for playing Flash movies and animated GIFs on vane pages ? And what are some things you’re able to do to protect yourself against ActiveX surety threat ? Read on to find out .
What is ActiveX?
ActiveX is a Microsoft - created technology that enables different software system software to share information and functionality . ActiveX only works with Microsoft coating like Word , Excel , Internet Explorer and PowerPoint , and will only work on a information processing system execute the Windows operating system .
The musical theme behind ActiveX is that software applications do n’t need to be built from cabbage . Early on at Microsoft , programmers realized that many of the same function could be shared among dissimilar software . For example , a turn chequer is just as utile in a Logos processing program like Word as in an e - post app like Outlook Express [ germ : Surf the Net Safely ] . rather of writing two separate versions of code for the same spell - chequer , they created a spell checkerobject . This object lives on the Windows operating organization . When any Windows diligence needs magical spell - checking functionality , it cry on the spell - checker object .
ActiveX engineering began asobject linking and embed ( OLE ) . In the other days of Windows , OLE allowed for simple cross - app functions like cut and spread . OLE evolved into the approximation of acompound object module ( COM ) . The trance chequer is an example of a COM . It ’s an autonomous mental faculty , orapplet , that can be accessed from any Windows covering . COMs also let for one programme to beembeddedinto another . For instance , you may insert and edit an Excel spreadsheet from within Word without ever opening the Excel app [ source : IRT.org ] .
ActiveX and COM are essentially the same affair . AnActiveX controlis another name for one of these " physical object , " " modules " or " applet " – like the piece chequer – that run within larger program [ source : Surf the Net Safely ] .
ActiveX controls are mostly blab about in book of facts to Internet Explorer , the default option Web web browser for the Windows operating system . Let ’s say you open up a Web page with Internet Explorer that contains telecasting clips encode as Windows Media files ( .wmv ) . Internet Explorer follow pre - besotted with an ActiveX ascendance that admit for Windows Media files to be played straightaway in the Web page [ source : Mozilla ] . In other words , you do n’t have to plunge the Windows Media Player app singly . The ActiveX control get to the functionality of the Windows Media Player behind the scenes and play back the file in the web web browser window .
Another common ActiveX command plays Flash files ( .swf ) . Internet Explorer ca n’t play Flash files by itself . That ’s something only the Adobe Flash Player can do . But if a whole entanglement site is programmed in Flash , you do n’t desire to found the Flash Player to regard it . So Internet Explorer move over you the alternative of downloading and set up the Flash ActiveX Control . The Flash ActiveX Control automatically detects when a situation contains Flash file cabinet . It then accesses the Flash player functionality at the operating organization level and launch the files like a shot in the web browser app .
ActiveX controls are small diligence written in common programing languages like Visual Basic and C++ . They ’re standardised in function to Java applet , which are small programs that flow within Web web web browser . Applications that plump for ActiveX control are calledActiveX containers . Each ActiveX control contains a unique act bid aclass identifier ( CLSID ) . ActiveX ensure that work within Internet Explorer are usually associated with a sealed file or media character . This way Internet Explorer knows which ascendency to launch – Flash , Adobe Reader ( for .PDFs ) , Windows Media Player – for each case of file .
Now let ’s await at how you’re able to use ActiveX to embed animations in a Web Thomas Nelson Page .
Using ActiveX with Animation
allow ’s start by explaining how to use ActiveX to display a Flash animation on a Web page . The first step is to make the utter animation in Flash and export it as a .swf file . Then you demand to insert the right HTML code into the Web page to activate the Flash Player ActiveX Control and play back the .swf file .
The first thing you do is give the embedded Flash liveliness a name orOBJECT ID . This is usually the name of the .swf file without the .swf extension . For example , if the single file is called " dog.swf , " the physical object ID would just be " dog . "
Then you need to put in HTML code that secern Internet Explorer on the button which ActiveX control you want to use . This is done by entering the unique CLASSID of the Flash Player ActiveX Control , which is " clsid : D27CDB6E - AE6D-11cf-96B8 - 444553540000 . "
Now that Internet Explorer knows which ActiveX control you require to employ , you could set severalparametersthat control the playback of the Flash movie [ origin : Adobe ] . The first parameter is the name of the .swf file itself and its locating on the server . Then you set parameters that keep in line whether the invigoration plays automatically upon load , whether the animation should coil continuously and whether to align the animated image ’s quality .
For even more ascendency , there are parameters that permit you to go back a frame in the Flash film , or jump fore . you’re able to zoom in on a particular area of the movie and pan across the screenland . you could also enter hypertext markup language instructions that tell Internet Explorer how to react if someone penetrate on the Flash movie or on a fussy connectedness in the motion-picture show
For an example of what the HTML codification would seem like for plant a Flash file-“dog.swf , " in this suit go toAdobe .
The cognitive operation is similar for plant and play an animated GIF on a Web Thomas Nelson Page . A GIF , short for Graphics Interchange Format , is a lightweight range format that ’s useful for produce simple frame - by - frame animations . To plan and animate the actual GIF , you ’d employ a program like Adobe ImageReady .
Once you ’ve create your animated GIF , you ’ll need to choose an animated GIF ActiveX control . Unlike the Flash Player ActiveX Control , there ’s no universally recognise ActiveX control for wager animated GIFs on a internet page . Do a Web search for " revive GIF ActiveX control , " and you ’ll discover dozens of free ActiveX ascendance that you may download .
From here , the procedure is much the same as with the Flash animation . You ’ll postulate to enter HTML codification between twotags that recount Internet Explorer what Indian file you want to play and which ActiveX control you require to use ( for this , you ’ll need the control ’s unequaled CLASSID number ) .
Animated GIF ActiveX controls extend many of the same parametric quantity as Flash controls for plow the playback of the animation . you’re able to set the vivification to a continuous loop , autosize the animation to fit a windowpane , rewind to the beginning of the animation , answer to mouse and keyboard events , et cetera .
alas , ActiveX has come under fire as a vulnerable security peril for hackers . scan more about it in the next section .
Problems with ActiveX
The same things that make ActiveX so utilitarian – its flexibility and integration between all applications – make it particularly serious in the hands of malicious hack . Many of the past decennium ’s most infamous electronic computer viruses , spyware and adware programs came mask as ActiveX controls . The problem with ActiveX , surety expert say , is that Microsoft gives the individual drug user too much province in patrol his or her PC security [ germ : SecurityFocus ] .
Java applet , which perform many of the same functions as ActiveX control , are heavily restricted as to how they interact with a user ’s PC . For example , Java applet ca n’t erase files from a drug user ’s knockout thrust [ author : CNET ] . That ’s calledsandboxingan covering . ActiveX is not sandboxed at all . Once download on a user ’s reckoner , the ActiveX control becomes part of the operating system with the power of tampering with every piece of hardware and computer software on the machine .
Instead of restricting ActiveX ’s subprogram , Microsoft chose another security route . Every clock time Internet Explorer want to download a newfangled ActiveX ascendence , it launch a pop - up window asking the substance abuser if he want to keep . The drug user , then , has to make up one’s mind whether the ActiveX control is licit or a Trojan Horse for nasty code . To help with that decision , Microsoft gave the creators the ability to bless their applications . These digital signature credential are twice - check and certified by service like VeriSign .
The problem is that many user do n’t mean to take care for digital touch – or would n’t know what they meant even if they realise them – and just say " yes " to the download without leave it a second thought .
In reply to widespread criticism of the ActiveX exposure , Microsoft increased ActiveX security with the release of Internet Explorer 7 , disabling all but the most vulgar ActiveX controls – Windows Media Player , Flash Player , Adobe Reader , et cetera – and better the user notification process before downloading newfangled ascendence .
A simple way to avoid the security headaches of ActiveX is to apply a different Web web browser , like Safari , Firefox or Opera , that does n’t accept ActiveX control . But if you ’re most comfortable using cyberspace Explorer , and you like the way it interfaces with other Windows lotion , there are ways to improve your ActiveX security :
[ germ : Surf the Net Safely ]
This ’ll induce some Web sites you ’ve used in the past not to work any longer . But you may well download those essential ActiveX control again , this time with more awareness of what you ’re doing .
For even more information about ActiveX , net technology and related to topics , check out the links on the next page .
