IDL supports an any type, which permits the specification of values of any IDL type. In the SOM C and C++ bindings, the any type is mapped onto the following struct:
typedef struct any {
TypeCode _type;
void *_value;
} any;
The "_value" member for an any type is a pointer to the actual value. The "_type" member is a pointer to an instance of a TypeCode that represents the type of the value. The TypeCode provides functions for obtaining information about an IDL type. Chapter 7, "The Interface Repository Framework," describes TypeCodes and their associated functions.