What is OLE?
| Object Linking And Embedding |
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A data exchange technique used in Microsoft's Windows. An 'object' in this context is any piece of information produced in one program which you want to use in another; for example, a drawing from a graphics package that you want to include in a word processor document. 'Embedding' is the act of placing the object from one application into the other's document; 'linking' provides an invisible link between the copied object and its original, allowing any changes made to it to appear automatically in the embedded copy. In OLE 1, when the user selects the copy of the object in the document (e.g. double-clicks the picture on the page while using the word processor), the originating application (the graphics program) is automatically launched and the object loaded into it for editing; after editing, the originating application closes itself down and the object (the picture) is updated in the destination application (the word processor). In OLE 2, the user need not even be aware that another application has been launched; when the object is selected for editing, the commands and icons of the originating application take the place on screen of those of the destination application, running seamlessly together. |
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