Introduction to COM and ATL

This section provides a brief introduction to COM and ATL.

In This Section

• 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.

Related Sections

• The Component Object Model
  The Windows 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.