ActiveX and VBScript support in Opera

The Opera browser does not have in-built support for Microsoft's Windows-specific ActiveX technology or the VBScript scripting language.

Opera does however support the use of Netscape compatible plug-ins, which can provide similar functionality to most ActiveX controls. Java is also supported (provided it is installed), and is the most widely used language for embedded programs on the web. Opera also supports JavaScript, which is the most common scripting language used on the web, and is usually preferred instead of VBScript. All of these technologies are, unlike ActiveX and VBScript, available on multiple platforms.

Running ActiveX controls using the Neptune plug-in

MeadCo produces a plug-in called Neptune, which hosts Microsoft's WebBrowser control.

What this means is that the Internet Explorer engine can be run within Opera, and this in effect makes it possible to load and run ActiveX components.

Note that this only works on Windows, and the same security precautions should be taken as when running ActiveX components in Internet Explorer. Using Neptune in Opera is essentially the same as running Internet Explorer in an Opera window.

Neptune is free for use, and even though it is reported to work in Opera, we do not offer official support for it. If you are looking for further help than what is described here, please ask in the My Opera forums

1. Download the program from http://www.meadco.com/neptune/download/.
2. Close Opera.
3. Double-click the downloaded file to start the installation wizard. Follow the on-screen instructions to install the program.
4. Find the file "npmeadax.dll" in Internet Explorer's plug-in folder (it can usually be found in C:\Program Files\Internet Explorer\PLUGINS\). Copy this file to Opera's Plug-ins directory (by default C:\Program Files\Opera\Program\Plugins).
5. Open Opera. Opera will locate the "npmeadax.dll"-file and associate it with the MIME type application/x-meadco-neptune-ax, which is used for having Neptune call the WebBrowser control.

With its default setup, Neptune will only call ActiveX components that are sent with a MIME type of application/x-meadco-neptune-ax. If a webpage uses this as the MIME type for the plug-in content, Opera should automatically use the Neptune plug-in without requiring any interaction. However, most ActiveX components are sent with a MIME type of application/x-oleobject.

To open a regular ActiveX component in Opera, you will need to tell Opera to load it with Neptune, which in turn will open it in the Microsoft WebBrowser control, enabling ActiveX. This can be achieved using User JavaScript.

You can add a button to Opera called "View in IE" to have Opera open the current page in a new tab using Neptune. Click add View in IE button to add it. Once added, you can find this button in Appearance > Button > My buttons and simply drag it to somewhere on your toolbar.