Professional IronPython™

Chapter 9. Interacting with COM Objects

WHAT'S IN THIS CHAPTER?

• Accessing COM components from IronPython

• Deciding on a COM binding technique

• Designing an Interop DLL

• Using Activator.CreateInstance() for late binding

• Using Marshal.GetActiveObject() for late binding

The Component Object Model (COM) has been around for a very long time in terms of computer technology. Of course, the predecessor of COM is Object Linking and Embedding (OLE), which is still found all over the place. COM spawned a few technologies of its own, such as Distributed COM (DCOM), used for connecting to objects over a network connection, and COM+, which is used to implement objects in a service-like environment. COM-like technologies even appear on other platforms in the form of technologies such as Common Object Request Broker Architecture (CORBA) and Java/Remote Method Invocation (Java/RMI). You can see these technologies compared at http://my.execpc.com/~gopalan/misc/compare.html (among many other places). It isn't too surprising, then, that you really do need to know how to interact with COM using IronPython. Otherwise, you'd miss out on a huge installed code base.

One chapter can't possibly cover many years' worth of technology. In fact, entire books can't cover the topic any longer — not that any users in their right minds would try. This chapter does provide a basic overview of how to work with COM using IronPython. It contains topics that most of you will find helpful and that will lead you to other discoveries ...