ProgID Key
A programmatic identifier (ProgID) is a registry entry that can be associated with a CLSID. Like the CLSID, the ProgID identifies a class but with less precision because it is not guaranteed to be globally unique.
Registry Entry
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Classes\{ProgID}
| Registry key | Description |
|---|---|
| CLSID | Associates a ProgID with a CLSID. |
| Insertable | Indicates that this class is insertable in OLE 2 containers. |
| Protocol | Indicates that this OLE 2 class is insertable in OLE 1 containers. |
| Shell | Provides Windows 3.1 shell printing and File Open information. |
Remarks
You can use a ProgID in programming situations where it is not possible to use a CLSID. ProgIDs should not appear in the user interface. ProgIDs are not guaranteed to be unique, so they can be used only where name collisions are manageable.
The format of a ProgID is <Program>.<Component>.<Version>, separated by periods and with no spaces, as in Word.Document.6. The ProgID must comply with the following requirements:
- Have no more than 39 characters.
- Contain no punctuation (including underscores and slashes) except one or more periods.
- Not start with a digit.
- Be different from the class name of any OLE 1 application, including the OLE 1 version of the same application, if there is one.
Because the ProgID should not appear in the user interface, you can obtain a displayable name by calling IOleObject::GetUserType. Also, see OleRegGetUserType.
The HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Classes key corresponds to the HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT key, which was retained for compatibility with earlier versions of COM.
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