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The SocketTools ActiveX controls can be used in a wide variety
of programming languages, including Visual Basic 6.0, Visual
Basic.NET, Visual C++ and Visual C#, as well as C++ Builder,
Delphi, Visual FoxPro and a variety of other development
environments. Any language which is capable of using ActiveX
controls and/or COM objects can take advantage of the SocketTools
Visual Edition.
Features of the SocketTools Visual Edition include:
- The ActiveX controls provide a simple interface that is easy to
use and understand. There are no complicated function calls, and
most methods support optional arguments that only need to be
specified if required by the application. Most complex operations
can be performed with only a few lines of code.
- There are no external dependencies on third party libraries or
components, and each ActiveX component is completely
self-contained. We do not require that you redistribute large
shared libraries like the Microsoft Foundation Classes or Visual
C++ runtime libraries. Not only does this make redistribution of
your software easier, it can reduce the overall footprint for
applications which do not need to use these libraries
themselves.
- The controls provide broad-based compatibility with a variety
of programming languages, including scripting languages such as
VBScript. Methods and events are designed to use variant data types
to ensure a high degree of compatibility with all development
tools.
- A comprehensive design which supports both high-level
operations as well as lower-level methods at the protocol level.
For example, the File Transfer Protocol component has methods such
as PutFile and GetFile which allow an application to easily upload
and download files in a single method call. It also includes
lower-level methods like OpenFile to open a file on the remote
server and access it in a fashion similar to traditional file I/O
operations.
- Support for both synchronous (blocking) and asynchronous
(non-blocking) operation depending on the needs of the application.
Asynchronous operation is supported by an event-driven model where
the application is notified of networking events by events
generated by the component. Event notification can be enabled,
disabled and resumed completely under the control of the
application, giving developers complete freedom in controlling
their behavior of their software. Synchronous operation is also
fully supported, enabling developers to easily write programs using
a procedural programming style without the inherent complexity of
an event-driven model.
- The Secure Visual Edition enables applications to take
advantage of complex security features, such as support for the
Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) and Transport Layer Security (TLS)
standards and 128-bit encryption without requiring any knowledge of
data encryption or certificate validation. The components use the
Windows CryptoAPI to provide security services, which means that
there are no third-party security libraries that must be installed
by your users. Taking advantage of the security features in the
SocketTools Secure Visual Edition is as simple as setting a few
properties before connecting to the server. The protocol
negotiation, data encryption and decryption is handled
transparently by the control. From the perspective of the
application developer, it is just as if it were a standard
connection to the server.
The SocketTools Visual Edition includes everything professional
software developers need to create complex programs that take
advantage of the standard Internet protocols, enabling developers
to focus on their core application technology rather than the
details of how a particular protocol is implemented or
understanding the specifics of Windows Sockets programming.
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