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Additional Resources on Creating Components

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There are a number of tools available to help you develop components that run in IIS. Microsoft Visual Interdev provides an excellent environment for inserting your components into ASP pages. In addition, the Active Template Library will help you get started in creating COM components. Finally, the COM Component Code Samples section describes all of the sample components that are included with IIS. These samples are implemented in Visual Basic, Visual C++, and Java.

COM Concepts

Microsoft developed COM as its programming paradigm for component-based application development. COM defines a set of principles to achieve three goals: encapsulation, polymorphism, and inheritance. In addition, COM provides a structure that facilitates distribution and avoids the problems associated with reusing components.

As an IIS component developer, you need to understand some basic COM concepts. Microsoft provides many resources that describe COM. The topics below present some of the major concepts that you will need to master, along with references to resources so that you can learn more.

COM architecture has been thoroughly documented both in Microsoft publications and by third parties. Three books that give an excellent summary are:

  • Rogerson, Dale*, Inside COM.* City, ST: Microsoft Press,1997.
  • Chappell*,* David, *Understanding ActiveX and OLE.*City, ST: Microsoft Press,1996.
  • Grimes, Richard, Alex Stockton, Julian Templeman, George V. Reilly*, Beginning ATL COM Programming*. City, ST: Wrox Press,1998.

In addition, COM is thoroughly documented in the Microsoft Developer Network Library. Some good sources for general descriptions of COM are:

  • "Component Object Model Specification," Chapters 1 and 2 (MSDN Library, Specifications)
  • "The Rules of the Component Object Model" (MSDN Library, Technical Articles)
  • "The Distributed Component Object Model: A Business Overview" (MSDN Library, Backgrounders)
Interfaces and Objects

The COM Library provides a standard set of interfaces that you can use to develop components. If you find that these interfaces do not meet your exact requirements, you can create your own interfaces. Microsoft has published guidelines to assist you in designing COM interfaces and objects. Two good sources for information on this area are:

  • "Designing COM Interfaces" ( Object Services)
  • "Component Object Model Specification," Chapter 3 (MSDN Library, Specifications)
COM References

COM and Component Services (COM+) are fully documented in the Software Development Kit (SDK) or online at COM+ (Component Services) and COM+ Programmer's Reference.