The Characters collection contains a series of Microsoft Agent characters. The Character object is the primary object that you will manipulate. It contains the properties and methods that are necessary to make your character come alive.
Table 14.4 lists the properties and methods available for the Characters collection.
Table 14.4: Characters Collection Properties and Methods
| Property/Method | Description |
| Character method | Returns the specified Character object from the collection |
| Item property | Returns the specified Character object from the collection (same as the Character method) |
| Load method | Loads a character into the collection |
| Unload method | Removes a character from the collection |
Before you use a particular character, you must first load it. When using the Load method, you must specify where the character information may be found. This location may be a path and filename or an HTTP URL to Microsoft’s web site.
When you’re finished with a character, you can use the Unload method to unload it, thus saving memory and other resources. However, you will need to Load the character again the next time you want to use it.