JS ActiveX Plugin List Code

[MC]

I have read over and over that there is no way to list the ActiveX plugins
in IE. Has anyone found anyway using javascript or another mode to list the
plugins?

Thanks,
MC

 

[Erwin Moller]

I have read over and over that there is no way to list the ActiveX plugins
in IE. Has anyone found anyway using javascript or another mode to list the
plugins?

I hope not. That would be a securityhole.
If you need a particular ActiveX installed, why not simply use it, and
mention it to your visitors?

Also: ActiveX is IE only. Why work with such a restricting technology?
Are you building for some IE-only intranet?

Maybe it helps if you give more information what it is you are trying to
accomplish.

Regards,
Erwin Moller

 

[Bart Van der Donck]

I have read over and over that there is no way to list the ActiveX
plugins in IE. Has anyone found anyway using javascript or another
mode to list the plugins?

See http://www.nirsoft.net/utils/axhelper.html
If desired, it should be possible to turn such an application into an
ActiveX component if the right compiler (+ maybe the source code?) are
available. Probably VB/.net stuff or something like that.

Are you interested in known ActiveX components only ? In that case,
you could load the <object> with its CLASSID, and then check whether
that was successful. Or walk through a list of default components.

I'ld also take a look at VBscript. From
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/f9adb5t5.aspx :

| You can use TSTCON to test ActiveX controls, change their
| properties, and invoke their methods. You can write scripts
| using the VBScript language to automate the testing of the
| controls.

Hope this helps,

 

[MC]

"Erwin Moller"

I hope not. That would be a securityhole.
If you need a particular ActiveX installed, why not simply use it, and
mention it to your visitors?

Also: ActiveX is IE only. Why work with such a restricting technology? Are
you building for some IE-only intranet?

Maybe it helps if you give more information what it is you are trying to
accomplish.

Regards,
Erwin Moller

Erwin,

I gave all of the information neccessary. Your making some assumptions. One,
I don't want to use the plugin, its rogue. Two, if listing plugins were a
security problem, then why do Netscape, Mozilla, Chrome, etc do it? Once the
rogue ActiveX is identified, we can design an appropriate pattern for
dealing with it, as it interferes with the normal execution of web pages.

MC

 

[MC]

See http://www.nirsoft.net/utils/axhelper.html
If desired, it should be possible to turn such an application into an
ActiveX component if the right compiler (+ maybe the source code?) are
available. Probably VB/.net stuff or something like that.

Are you interested in known ActiveX components only ? In that case,
you could load the <object> with its CLASSID, and then check whether
that was successful. Or walk through a list of default components.

I'ld also take a look at VBscript. From
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/f9adb5t5.aspx :

| You can use TSTCON to test ActiveX controls, change their
| properties, and invoke their methods. You can write scripts
| using the VBScript language to automate the testing of the
| controls.

Hope this helps,

Bart,

This is a rogue ActiveX some users have installed. It is dangerous as it
modifies form data, scrambles it, and does who knows what with the data. We
have no idea what the CLASSID is. By compiling a list of affected users and
their plugins, we hope to be able to identify it. We have no physical access
to the affected users and can only use javascript, or vbscript in a web page
to send data back to our servers.

The ActiveXHelper looks promising. I will see what I can do with it.

Thank you,
MC

 

[Bart Van der Donck]

This is a rogue ActiveX some users have installed. It is dangerous as it
modifies form data, scrambles it, and does who knows what with the data. We
have no idea what the CLASSID is. By compiling a list of affected users and
their plugins, we hope to be able to identify it. We have no physical access
to the affected users and can only use javascript, or vbscript in a web page
to send data back to our servers.

The ActiveXHelper looks promising. I will see what I can do with it.

Thank you,
MC

I would think you need access to the source code of ActiveXHelper
anyhow: to send the data to your server, probably to build it as an
ActiveX plugin, ... Maybe NirSoft offers a reasonable price, or maybe
they are willing to code it out for you. I don't know about your
users, but they would need to allow the ActiveX plugin to run.

If you want to detect whether the ActiveX screws up your form data,
there is a chance that javascript might capture such events.

- <input type="text" onKeyPress="send2server(formvalues);">
same for onChange, onFocus, onBlur, ...
- <body onunload="send2server(formvalues);">
- timer with a small delay that constantly sends 'formvalues'

Feels a bit like muddy ground; I don't know how the ActiveX behaves.

Hope this helps,

 

[MC]

I would think you need access to the source code of ActiveXHelper
anyhow: to send the data to your server, probably to build it as an
ActiveX plugin, ... Maybe NirSoft offers a reasonable price, or maybe
they are willing to code it out for you. I don't know about your
users, but they would need to allow the ActiveX plugin to run.

If you want to detect whether the ActiveX screws up your form data,
there is a chance that javascript might capture such events.

- <input type="text" onKeyPress="send2server(formvalues);">
same for onChange, onFocus, onBlur, ...
- <body onunload="send2server(formvalues);">
- timer with a small delay that constantly sends 'formvalues'

Feels a bit like muddy ground; I don't know how the ActiveX behaves.

Hope this helps,

Bart,

You pointed me in the right direction. We are not using NirSoft but are
building an ActiveX from scratch that will list the Toobar, BHO, etc
installed in IE and it should be done shortly. It is actually pretty easy. I
am wondering why no one has done this...

Thank you,
MC