What Is a Callable IDL Application?

A Callable IDL application is written in another programming language, such as C or C++, and calls IDL as a subroutine. The process of creating Callable IDL applications is described in the External Development Guide.

Unlike applications written entirely in IDL, the process of creating an application distribution for a Callable IDL application is the same whether the application's end user has an IDL development license or not. This chapter describes the packaging process for Callable IDL applications using any licensing mechanism.

Callable IDL applications are packaged for distribution in much the same way as native IDL applications. Before beginning the process of packaging your Callable IDL application, you should be familiar with the contents of Distributing Runtime Mode Applications. This chapter describes the additional steps necessary to create and distribute a Callable IDL application.

Licensing Options for Callable IDL Applications

When you have a Callable IDL application that you want to distribute to users who do not have an IDL development license, you must purchase a runtime or embedded license from ITT Visual Information Solutions. These options are described in detail in Runtime Licensing and Embedded Licensing in Distributing Runtime Mode Applications.

If your end user already has an IDL development license, you can simply package your Callable IDL application as described in this chapter and distribute it without including a license.