Active Template Library

Active Template Library
Developer(s)	Microsoft
Written in	C++
Operating system	Microsoft Windows
Type	Library or framework
License	Proprietary

The Active Template Library (ATL) is a set of template-based C++ classes developed by Microsoft, intended to simplify the programming of Component Object Model (COM) objects. The COM support in Microsoft Visual C++ allows developers to create a variety of COM objects, OLE Automation servers, and ActiveX controls.^[1]^[2] ATL includes an object wizard that sets up primary structure of the objects quickly with a minimum of hand coding. On the COM client side ATL provides smart pointers that deal with COM reference counting. The library makes heavy use of the curiously recurring template pattern.

^ Grimes, Richard (1998). "ATL and COM". ATL COM (1st ed.). Wrox Press. p. 6. ISBN 1-86100-249-1.
^ Grimes, Richard (1999). "Building and calling a COM object using ATL". Beginning ATL 3 COM Programming (1st ed.). Wrox Press. p. 63. ISBN 978-1-86100-120-7.

[1] Grimes, Richard (1998). "ATL and COM". ATL COM (1st ed.). Wrox Press. p. 6. ISBN 1-86100-249-1.

[2] Grimes, Richard (1999). "Building and calling a COM object using ATL". Beginning ATL 3 COM Programming (1st ed.). Wrox Press. p. 63. ISBN 978-1-86100-120-7.

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