An interface definition language (or alternately, interface description language), or IDL for short, is a specification language used to describe a software component's interface. IDLs describe an interface in a language-neutral way, enabling communication between software components that do not share a language – for example, between components written in C++ and components written in Java.
The OMG CORBA IDL (Interface Definition Language) is the language used to describe the interfaces that client objects call and object implementations provide. An interface definition written in OMG IDL completely defines the interface and fully specifies each operation’s parameters. An OMG IDL interface provides the information needed to develop clients that use the interface’s operations. Clients are not written in OMG IDL, which is purely a descriptive language, but in languages for which mappings from OMG IDL concepts have been defined. The mapping of an OMG IDL concept to a client language construct will depend on the facilities available in the client language. For example, an OMG IDL exception might be mapped to a structure in a language that has no notion of exception, or to an exception in a language that does.
IDLs are commonly used in remote procedure call (RPC) software. In these cases the machines at either end of the "link" may be using different operating systems and computer languages. IDLs offer a bridge between the two different systems.
Related Technologies
CORBA | Real-Time CORBA | CORBA/e | MinimumCORBA | CORBA CCM | CORBA COS | CORBA & DDS | Open Source CORBA
Related PrismTech OpenFusion CORBA Products
OpenFusion TAO | OpenFusion JacORB | OpenFusion RTOrb Java Edition | OpenFusion RTOrb Ada Edition
