The Property Inspector is an all-purpose component that AutoCAD uses to examine and display the properties of ActiveX objects. It relies on the COM and Automation layers present in AutoCAD to query objects for their properties. If properties are found, the Property Inspector control provides an interface that displays the properties, allowing users to view and potentially edit the properties’ values.
To extend this functionality to all types of objects, the Property Inspector provides COM interfaces that applications can implement as they see fit. These COM interfaces define the contract that the application must follow to interact with the Property Inspector.
Applications that use the Property Inspector define a custom dialog box into which they embed an instance of the Property Inspector control. Once it is embedded and initialized, the Property Inspector control appears in the custom dialog box displaying the properties with which it has been initialized.
To synchronize property editing with the internal state of inspected properties, the Property Inspector implements an event notification network. This network also includes notifications for Property Inspector UI events, such as mouse clicks and focus. Property Inspector applications implement appropriate event sink interfaces to provide the Property Inspector with the event feedback it requires.
Property Inspector functionality is available only in the AutoCAD environment. You cannot use the Property Inspector in non-AutoCAD host applications.