Internet Explorer MSHTML/DHTML API

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The Microsoft® HTML parsing and rendering engine (MSHTML) is the main HTML component of the Microsoft Internet Explorer Web browser. It hosts Microsoft ActiveX® controls and supports the OLE Control 1996 (OC96) specification for windowless controls. You can also use the MSHTML/DHTML API to provide browser functionality to your own applications.

MSHTML can be hosted by implementing the Active Document interfaces in an application or by aggregation to create a special-purpose HTML Active Document. Applications that contain MSHTML supply their own toolbars and menu user interface (UI). The MSHTML container interfaces can also override the default context menus.

You can also use MSHTML without UI activation to parse HTML. By loading MSHTML, you can use the object model to access the underlying HTML and modify any elements. Component Object Model (COM) objects hosted by MSHTML (such as ActiveX controls) also have the ability to access the Dynamic HTML (DHTML) Object Model.

To integrate Internet browsing into an application, it is recommended that you host the WebBrowser control. This control implements support for in-place linking and navigation, in addition to MSHTML.

See Also

Hosting MSHTML from an Application | Using HTML Components | About DHTML | Accessing Elements with Script Languages | DHTML Events | MSHTML Editing | Using Client Capabilities | Using WebBrowser Controls | MSHTML Registry Settings

 Last updated on Friday, April 09, 2004

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