Abbreviation of
Object Linking and Embedding, pronounced as separate letters or as
oh-leh. OLE is a
compound document standard developed by
Microsoft Corporation. It enables you to create
objects with one
application and then
link or embed them in a second application.
Embedded objects retain their original
format and links to the application that created them.
Support for OLE is built into the Windows and Macintosh operating systems. A competing compound document standard developed jointly by IBM, Apple Computer, and other computer firms is called OpenDoc.