All objects that exist in an Objective Views canvas are visual components. A component is an object that has properties, two-dimensional bounds, and that can draw itself onto a device context. The Stingray Foundation Library (SFL) provides a class called MvcVisualComponent, which provides the basic definition of a visual component used by Objective Views. Objective Views extends the basic definition that SFL provides for a visual component, providing a hierarchy of component classes that can be used on a canvas.

The class hierarchy of Objective Views component classes is shown in Figure 68.