Object Linking and Embedding (OLE) Definition, SImilarities and Differences
Object linking and embedding (OLE) is Microsoft’s framework for compound document technology. Briefly, a compound document is something like a display desktop that can contain visual and information objects of all kinds: text, calendars, animations, sound and motion video, 3-D, continually updated news, controls, and so forth. Each desktop object is an independent program entity that can interact with a user and also communicate with other objects on the desktop.
OLE is a compound document standard developed by Microsoft Corporation. It enables you to create objects with one application and then link or embed them in a second application. Embedded objects retain their original format and links to the application that created them.
Hence, OLE is a framework, platform, and technique to connect different types of documents or files by using the linking and embedding object rather than using any text or data. It is quite different than a hyperlink, merging documents and combine documents concept. In OLE, the destination file is linked to the source file by using the OLE object in which there is contain the full path or address of the destination file.
It takes the following steps:
- Click on the Insert menu.
- Then click on the object.
- Click on the object option.
- Either choose to create new or create from the file.
- Select file for OLE.
- Either choose the link to the file or display it as the icon.
- At last click on ok.
Difference between Object Linking and Embedding
| Object Linking | Object embedding |
| It the process to insert the objects but by establishing the relationship between source and working objects. | It is the process to import objects such as pictures, files, videos, etc. |
| After inserting the object, we can double-click over it to go to its source file. | After importing the object, there is no relation between the source object and the working objects. |
| It is the way to add a complete file to another different file. | In embedding, once the document is embedded into another file, then it starts to exist as a single file. |
| The linked file gets updated to the destination file. | In embedding, files do not propagate to the destination file. |
| Object linking decreases the size of the database than object embedding. | Embedding objects increase the size of the database by the size of the file or than object linking. |
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