19 Mapping: Automation and CORBA

   This chapter describes the bidirectional data type and interface mapping between Automation and CORBA.

   Microsoft’s Object Description Language (ODL) is used to describe Automation object model constructs. However, many constructs supported by ODL are not supported by Automation. Therefore, this specification is confined to the Automation-compatible ODL constructs.

   As described in the Interworking Architecture chapter, many implementation choices are open to the vendor in building these mappings. One valid approach is to generate and compile mapping code, an essentially static approach. Another is to map objects dynamically.

   Although some features of the CORBA-Automation mappings address the issue of inverting a mapping back to its original platform, this specification does not assume the requirement for a totally invertible mapping between Automation and CORBA.

   Contents

   This chapter contains the following sections.