Dreamweaver

Insert an ActiveX control

You can insert an ActiveX control in your page. ActiveX controls (formerly known as OLE controls) are reusable components, somewhat like miniature applications, that can act like browser plug‑ins. They run in Internet Explorer with Windows, but they don’t run on the Macintosh or in Netscape Navigator. The ActiveX object in Dreamweaver lets you supply attributes and parameters for an ActiveX control in your visitor’s browser.

After inserting an ActiveX object, use the Property inspector to set attributes of the object tag and parameters for the ActiveX control. Click Parameters in the Property inspector to enter names and values for properties that don’t appear in the Property inspector. There is no widely accepted standard format for parameters for ActiveX controls; to find out which parameters to use, consult the documentation for the ActiveX control you’re using.

 In the Document window, place the insertion point where you want to insert the content and do one of the following:

  • In the Common category of the Insert bar, click the Media button and select the ActiveX icon .

  • In the Common category of the Insert bar, click the Media button and select the ActiveX icon. With the ActiveX icon displayed in the Insert bar, you can drag the icon to the Document window.

  • Select Insert > Media > ActiveX. An icon marks where the ActiveX control will appear on the page in Internet Explorer.

ActiveX properties

The Property inspector initially displays the most commonly used properties. Click the expander arrow in the lower‑right corner to see all properties.

Name
Specifies a name to identify the ActiveX object for scripting. Enter a name in the unlabeled text box on the far left side of the Property inspector.

W and H
Specify the width and height of the object, in pixels.

Class ID
Identifies the ActiveX control to the browser. Enter a value or select one from the pop‑up menu. When the page is loaded, the browser uses the class ID to locate the ActiveX control required for the ActiveX object associated with the page. If the browser doesn’t locate the specified ActiveX control, it attempts to download it from the location specified in Base.

Embed
Adds an embed tag within the object tag for the ActiveX control. If the ActiveX control has a Netscape Navigator plug‑in equivalent, the embed tag activates the plug‑in. Dreamweaver assigns the values you entered as ActiveX properties to their Netscape Navigator plug‑in equivalents.

Align
Determines how the object is aligned on the page.

Parameters
Opens a dialog box for entering additional parameters to pass to the ActiveX object. Many ActiveX controls respond to special parameters.

Src
Defines the data file to be used for a Netscape Navigator plug‑in if the Embed option is turned on. If you don’t enter a value, Dreamweaver attempts to determine the value from the ActiveX properties entered already.

V Space and H Space
Specify the amount of white space, in pixels, above, below, and on both sides of the object.

Base
Specifies the URL containing the ActiveX control. Internet Explorer downloads the ActiveX control from this location if it has not been installed in the visitor’s system. If you don’t specify a Base parameter and if your visitor doesn’t already have the relevant ActiveX control installed, the browser can’t display the ActiveX object.

Alt Img
Specifies an image to be displayed if the browser doesn’t support the object tag. This option is available only when the Embed option is deselected.

Data
Specifies a data file for the ActiveX control to load. Many ActiveX controls, such as Shockwave and RealPlayer, do not use this parameter.