When you create an Active Document project, VB gives you the same two choices
as when you create an ActiveX server: EXE or DLL. As discussed in
Chapter
9, an EXE provides you with an out-of-process component while a DLL provides
you with an in-process component. When you are deciding between an ActiveX DLL
document and an ActiveX EXE document, keep these differences in mind:
-
An EXE supports both modeless and modal forms while DLLs only support modal forms.
-
An EXE can run as a standalone application apart from a container application. A DLL
must always show its data within a container application.
-
A DLL offers faster performance.
In short, you must choose an EXE if
-
You need to display modeless Forms from your Active Document application.
-
You are concerned about keeping a completely separate address space for each instance
of the Active Document application.
-
You want to create an application similar to Microsoft Excel or Word that can also
run as a stand-alone application. In other words you don't require that the user
must use a container application to view your application's data.
If none of the above three conditions applies, then you should choose a DLL
because it will give you better performance.
