> Ok. I understand that interfaces have no implementations. How
> does DirectX do it where all's you see is interfaces, and
> nothing like class implementations of the interfaces or
> anything? Where is the source code for each method?

Well, I'm not sure what you're referring to when you mention DirectX, but I
might try to explain the difference between the interfaces and the source
code.

The analogy that comes to mind is the C++ concept of header files and
implementation files. Header files contain a declaration of a class,
including methods and their signatures. The implementations of those methods
are in a separate file -- in this case, the C++ implementation file.

This design concept is similar in the COM world. The declaration of an
interface and the methods that it carries is stored into a text file written
in Interface Description Language (IDL). IDL files are compiled into a type
library, which can be found as a resource embedded in a COM server or stored
in a standalone file with an extension of TLB. The implementations of those
methods are found in the source code of the object that implements the
interface.

Jeff Ferguson
Senior Consultant
Magenic Technologies
corporate: http://www.magenic.com/
personal: http://staff.magenic.com/jefff/default.asp

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