form controls vs ActiveX controls

[lezawang]

Hi
What is the difference between Form Controls and Activex Control? Why we have both? Thank you very much.

 

[Roderick_E]

ActiveX controls work with ActiveX; plain form controls work without ActiveX. I typically use just plain form controls because you may not know what your enduser has available.
One example of ActiveX control vs forms; you can change the background color of ActiveX button. Look up ActiveX for more details.

 

[Joe4]

Typically, I go with Form Controls if there is a choice.

Many people do not allow the use of ActiveX controls due to the security risk they pose.
See here for details: https://www.howtogeek.com/162282/what-activex-controls-are-and-why-theyre-dangerous/

Note the last paragraph in this MS article: https://support.office.com/en-us/ar...08-a3f8-41c5-a17e-b0b8898743ed#__toc311697504

Risk and potential damage

[FONT=wf_segoe-ui_normal]ActiveX controls can have unrestricted access to your computer and therefore can access your local file system and change your operating system registry settings. If a hacker uses an ActiveX control to take over your computer, the damage can be significant.[/FONT]