With the default object handler, it is possible to look at an object's stored data without actually activating the object. The default object handler performs other tasks, such as rendering an object from its cached state when the object is loaded into memory.
Persistent properties are different from the run-time properties of objects created with OLE Controls and Automation technologies, which can be used to affect system behavior. The PROPVARIANT structure defines all valid types of persistent properties, whereas the VARIANT structure defines all valid types of run-time properties. See also Compound files, Property, and Property sets.
A static object can result, for example, from the breaking of a link on a linked object—that is, the server application is unavailable, or the user doesn't want the linked object to be updated anymore. See also Native data.