Editing Object Linking and Embedding (section)

===OLE 1.0===

OLE 1.0, released in 1990, was an evolution of the original [[Dynamic Data Exchange]] (DDE) concept that [[Microsoft]] developed for earlier versions of [[Microsoft Windows|Windows]].  While DDE was limited to transferring limited amounts of data between two running applications, OLE was capable of maintaining active links between two documents or even [[Compound document|embedding]] one type of document within another.

OLE servers and clients communicate with system libraries using [[virtual function table]]s, or VTBLs.  The VTBL consists of a structure of [[function pointer]]s that the system library can use to communicate with the server or client.  The server and client libraries, {{mono|OLESVR.DLL}} and {{mono|OLECLI.DLL}}, were originally designed to communicate between themselves using the {{mono|WM_DDE_EXECUTE}} message.

OLE 1.0 later evolved to become an architecture for [[software componentry|software components]] known as the [[Component Object Model]] (COM), and later [[Distributed Component Object Model|DCOM]].

When an OLE object is placed on the clipboard or embedded in a document, both a visual representation in native Windows formats (such as a [[bitmap]] or [[metafile]]) is stored, as well as the underlying data in its own format. This allows applications to display the object without loading the application used to create the object, while also allowing the object to be edited, if the appropriate application is installed.

The '''Object Packager''', a component of OLE, shipping from [[Windows 3.1]] up to [[Windows XP]] allows a non-OLE object to be "packaged" so it can be embedded into an OLE client.