Difference Between .ax files and .dll files

[karthee]

i am very new to Direct Show programming,

i dn't know what is .ax file, and the difference between .ax and .dll
files.

anybody please help me about this.

kartheek

[Piotr Gutkowski]

karthee napisał(a):

.ax stands for ActiveX, to distinguish it from other DLLs. However, it
is still a Dynamic Link Library and could be named .dll as well.

Piotr

[Alessandro Angeli [MVP::DS/MF]]

karthee wrote:

Simplifying a bit, all executable code in Windows NT is
packaged in PE files (in Win9X you also have VXD and COM
files).

PE files meant to be executed as processes are EXE files,
while PE files meant to be loaded as modules in other
processes are DLL files.

DLL files sometimes use file name extensions other than .DLL
to imply a specialized use, e.g. .ACM for ACM codecs or .AX
for DirectShow filters or .SYS for kernel drivers and so on.
They are DLL nonetheless.

Specialized DLLs usually export specific entrypoints, e.g.
DriverProc() for installable drivers,
DllGetClassObject()/DllCanUnloadNow() for COM inproc servers
or DllRegisterServer()/DllUnregistetServer() for
self-registering components.

DirectShow filters registered as system-wide filters are
packaged as COM inproc server DLLs (optionally
self-registering ones) and often, but not necessarily, use
the .AX extension.

--
// Alessandro Angeli
// MVP :: DirectShow / MediaFoundation
// a dot angeli at psynet dot net

[karthee]

thanks a lot Angeli,

i am using ATL COM wizard to develop filters and i am able to generate
.dll files. how to get .ax files as output.

and how to register them to specific filters list.

[Alessandro Angeli [MVP::DS/MF]]

karthee wrote:

> i am using ATL COM wizard to develop filters and i am
> able to generate .dll files. how to get .ax files as
> output.

Just change the name of the output file in the linker
options.

> and how to register them to specific filters list.

http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/en-us/directshow/htm/ifiltermapper2registerfilter.asp

http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/en-us/directshow/htm/directshowandcom.asp

[karthee]

thanks a lot!