What Is an Active Channel?What Is an Active Channel?*
*Contents  *Index  *Topic Contents

*Previous Topic: Webcasting
*Next Topic: Active Channel Types

What Is an Active Channel?

An Active Channel is a Web site that has been enabled for Webcasting to information-receiving programs such as Microsoft® Internet Explorer 4.0. The mechanism that makes this possible in Internet Explorer 4.0 is the Channel Definition Format (CDF) file. The CDF file provides an index of resources available in the channel and a recommended schedule for when the channel should be updated on the user's computer.

A typical CDF file contains a top-level CHANNEL element to define the channel itself, along with ITEM elements to specify the actual contents of the channel. Subsequent occurrences of the CHANNEL element define subchannels and allow publishers to create a hierarchy for the channel. The TITLE and ABSTRACT elements can be used to describe the contents of each item or channel element. Publishers may also want to use the LOGO element to associate an image with each item in the channel, as well as with the channel itself.

Web Publisher's Perspective

Web publishers can give users a better browsing experience by offering their content in a channel. A channel can be created that Webcasts the following items to a browser:

A traditional Web site can be viewed as an Active Channel with a minimal amount of work by the Web publisher. These are the required tasks:


Up Top of Page
© 1997 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved. Terms of Use.