Internet First Steps
In this family of articles, you'll read detailed steps for adding Internet support to your applications. Topics include how to use the new MFC classes to Internet-enable your existing applications, how to FTP a file, and how to add Active document support to your existing COM component. Do you want to create a document with up-to-the-minute stock quotes, Pittsburgh's football scores, and the latest temperature in Antarctica? Microsoft provides a number of technologies to help you do that over the Internet.
Active technologies include ActiveX controls (formerly OLE controls) and Active documents; ISAPI for creating COM components (Internet server extensions and filters); WinInet for easily retrieving and saving files across the Internet; and asynchronous monikers for efficient data downloading. Visual C++ provides wizards to help you get started quickly with a starter application. For an introduction to these technologies, see Internet Support: Overview and Active Technology Topics.
Have you always wanted to FTP a file but haven't learned WinSock and network programming protocols? WinInet classes encapsulate these protocols, providing you with a simple set of functions you can use to write a client application on the Internet to download files using HTTP, FTP, and gopher. You can use WinInet to search directories on your hard drive or around the world. You can transparently collect data of several different types, and present it to the user in an integrated interface.
Do you have large amounts of data to download? Asynchronous monikers provide a COM (Component Object Model) solution for progressive rendering of large objects. WinInet can also be used asynchronously.
Do you want to run a custom application on your Web server? ISAPI server extension classes provide a way to do that. ISAPI filters let you track and examine selected data sent to your Web server.
The following table describes a few of the things you can do with these technologies.
| You have | You want to | You should |
| A Web server. | Track logons and detailed information about URL requests. | Write an ISAPI filter, request notifications for logon events and URL mapping. |
| A Web browser. | Provide dynamic content. | Create ActiveX controls and Active documents. |
| Clients with different browsers connecting to your server. | Change HTML data sent from server to client, so people with newer browsers get the latest features, and people with older browsers can still read the information. | Write an ISAPI filter. |
| A document-based application. | Add support to FTP a file. | Use WinInet or asynchronous monikers. |
See the following topics for details to get you started:
See Also Internet: Where Is...