Is ActiveX Required for Using UT for ArcGIS

Question

There is an initiative within the company to disable ActiveX. Is ActiveX required for using UT for ArcGIS?

Answer

Yes. ActiveX is required for using UT for ArcGIS and cannot be disabled on affected machines.

ActiveX Dependency of ArcMap

Although the system requirements of ArcMap do not explicitly mention ActiveX, Esri confirms in an official support article that ArcMap relies on ActiveX components, especially for rendering the graphical user interface (GUI):

“ArcMap is dependent on ActiveX for rendering graphical user interface (GUI). Disabling or preventing ActiveX from running results in incorrect functioning or complete failure of the software.”

This dependency can cause issues if ActiveX is disabled by security settings (e.g., in Internet Explorer). Esri recommends adjusting the ActiveX settings accordingly in such cases to ensure ArcMap functions properly.

ActiveX Dependencies of UT for ArcGIS

ActiveX is used by the UT desktop in various places in that classes in UT code work with ActiveX controls from Esri (AxMapControl, AxTOCControl, AxToolbarControl, ...).

Furthermore, the UT Database Schema Tool uses ActiveX components.