Introduction to COM and ATL (ATL)

This page is specific to

Microsoft Visual Studio 2003/.NET Framework 1.1

Other versions are also available for the following:

Visual C++ Concepts: Adding Functionality

Introduction to COM and ATL

This section provides a brief introduction to COM and ATL.

Introduction to COM: Provides an overview of the Component Object Model's (COM) fundamental concepts, including interfaces, IUnknown, reference counting, QueryInterface, marshaling, and aggregation.
Introduction to ATL: Discusses, briefly, what the Active Template Library (ATL) was designed for, template libraries, and ATL version numbers. Includes recommendations for choosing between ATL and MFC.

The Component Object Model: The Platform SDK material on COM.
ATL: Provides links to conceptual topics on how to program using the Active Template Library.
ATL Class Overview: Provides reference information and links to the ATL classes.