Editing Active Template Library (section)

{{Infobox software
| name                       = Active Template Library
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| developer                  = [[Microsoft]]
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| programming language       = [[C++]]
| operating system           = [[Microsoft Windows]]
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| genre                      = [[Library (computing)|Library]] or [[Software framework|framework]]
| license                    = [[Proprietary software|Proprietary]]
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}}{{Short description|Windows development library}}
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.<ref>{{cite book | title = ATL COM | edition = 1st | chapter = ATL and COM | page = [https://archive.org/details/atlcomprogrammer00grim/page/6 6] | last = Grimes | first = Richard | year = 1998 | publisher = Wrox Press | isbn = 1-86100-249-1 | chapter-url-access = registration | chapter-url = https://archive.org/details/atlcomprogrammer00grim/page/6 }}</ref><ref>{{cite book | title = Beginning ATL 3 COM Programming | edition = 1st | chapter = Building and calling a COM object using ATL | page = [https://archive.org/details/beginningatl3com00grim/page/63 63] | last = Grimes | first = Richard | year = 1999 | publisher = Wrox Press | isbn = 978-1-86100-120-7 | chapter-url-access = registration | chapter-url = https://archive.org/details/beginningatl3com00grim/page/63 }}</ref> 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 pointer]]s that deal with COM reference counting. The library makes heavy use of the [[curiously recurring template pattern]].