Chameleon supports three types of interfaces:

• Static (using stubcode);
• Dynamic runtime interface; and
• XML translation.

The table below summarizes the three types of interfaces:

Interface Type	Stubcode	Description
Dynamic		Tables are discovered at runtime. Offers more flexibility, but is harder to use.
Static Interface		Uses generated ActiveX object or COM control that describe tables and messages in the message definition file. Less flexible but easier to use.
XML Translation		Simple functions to translate from HL7 to XML and back again.

The message definition file is important for each type of interface since the file contains the actual messages, tables and mappings defined for a given interface.