The Microsoft Agent API provides services that support the display and animation of animated characters. Implemented as an OLE Automation (Component Object Model [COM]) server, Microsoft Agent enables multiple applications, called clients or client applications, to host and access its animation, input, and output services at the same time. A client can be any application that supports the Microsoft Agent's COM interfaces.
Although you can call Microsoft Agent's COM interfaces directly, Microsoft Agent also includes an ActiveX™ control. This control makes it easy to access Microsoft Agent's services from programming languages that support the ActiveX control interface. For information, see Programming the Microsoft Agent Server Interface and Programming the Microsoft Agent Control.
As a COM server, Microsoft Agent starts up only when a client application requests to connect to it. It remains running until all clients close their connection. When no connected clients remain, Microsoft Agent automatically exits. Microsoft Agent also exits when a user explicitly chooses the Exit command on the pop-up menu of Microsoft Agent's taskbar icon and confirms exiting in the warning message box. This action causes the server to send a Shutdown event to all connected clients advising them that the server is exiting.