Bridges > Java and COM - Connector Objects > About The IDL Connector Object

# About The IDL Connector Object

The pre-built IDL connector export object that is shipped with the IDL distribution lets you quickly incorporate the processing power of IDL into an application developed in an external, object-oriented environment such as COM or Java. The connector object definition provides the basis for a nondrawable COM or Java connector wrapper object that includes the ability to get and set IDL variables and execute command statements in the associated IDL process. These connector wrapper objects expose all of the standard wrapper object methods. See Stock COM Wrapper Methods and Stock Java Wrapper Methods for details.

Use a connector wrapper object if you need basic IDL processing capabilities. If you need the flexibility of custom object methods, an interactive IDL drawing interface, and/or associated mouse events, you should create an IDL object with the needed functionality and export it using the Export Bridge Assistant as described in, Using the Export Bridge Assistant.

Note: Using the connector object provides exactly the same functionality as creating and exporting the simplest IDL object, which could consist of code similar to the following:

FUNCTION simpleobj::INIT

RETURN, 1

END

PRO simpleobj__define

struct = {simpleobj, $

dummy:0b} ; dummy structure field, not a property

END