The .NET assembly is the standard for components developed with the Microsoft.NET. Dot NET assemblies may or may not be executable, i.e., they might exist as the executable (.exe) file or dynamic link library (DLL) file. All the .NET assemblies contain the definition of types, versioning information for the type, meta-data, and manifest. The designers of .NET have worked a lot on the component (assembly) resolution.
There are two kind of assemblies in .NET;
private
shared
Private assemblies are simple and copied with each calling assemblies in the calling assemblies folder.
Shared assemblies (also called strong named assemblies) are copied to a single location (usually the Global assembly cache). For all calling assemblies within the same application, the same copy of the shared assembly is used from its original location. Hence, shared assemblies are not copied in the private folders of each calling assembly. Each shared assembly has a four part name including its face name, version, public key token and culture information. The public key token and version information makes it almost impossible for two different assemblies with the same name or for two similar assemblies with different version to mix with each other.
An assembly can be a single file or it may consist of the multiple files. In case of multi-file, there is one master module containing the manifest while other assemblies exist as non-manifest modules. A module in .NET is a sub part of a multi-file .NET assembly. Assembly is one of the most interesting and extremely useful areas of .NET architecture along with reflections and attributes, but unfortunately very few people take interest in learning such theoretical looking topics.
Friday, June 19, 2009
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
.NET Framework Conceptual Overview
The .NET Framework is an integral Windows component that supports building and running the next generation of applications and XML Web services. The .NET Framework is designed to fulfill the following objectives:
To provide a consistent object-oriented programming environment whether object code is stored and executed locally, executed locally but Internet-distributed, or executed remotely.
To provide a code-execution environment that minimizes software deployment and versioning conflicts.
To provide a code-execution environment that promotes safe execution of code, including code created by an unknown or semi-trusted third party.
To provide a code-execution environment that eliminates the performance problems of scripted or interpreted environments.
To make the developer experience consistent across widely varying types of applications, such as Windows-based applications and Web-based applications.
To build all communication on industry standards to ensure that code based on the .NET Framework can integrate with any other code.
The .NET Framework has two main components: the common language runtime and the .NET Framework class library. The common language runtime is the foundation of the .NET Framework. You can think of the runtime as an agent that manages code at execution time, providing core services such as memory management, thread management, and remoting, while also enforcing strict type safety and other forms of code accuracy that promote security and robustness. In fact, the concept of code management is a fundamental principle of the runtime. Code that targets the runtime is known as managed code, while code that does not target the runtime is known as unmanaged code. The class library, the other main component of the .NET Framework, is a comprehensive, object-oriented collection of reusable types that you can use to develop applications ranging from traditional command-line or graphical user interface (GUI) applications to applications based on the latest innovations provided by ASP.NET, such as Web Forms and XML Web services.
The .NET Framework can be hosted by unmanaged components that load the common language runtime into their processes and initiate the execution of managed code, thereby creating a software environment that can exploit both managed and unmanaged features. The .NET Framework not only provides several runtime hosts, but also supports the development of third-party runtime hosts.
For example, ASP.NET hosts the runtime to provide a scalable, server-side environment for managed code. ASP.NET works directly with the runtime to enable ASP.NET applications and XML Web services, both of which are discussed later in this topic.
Internet Explorer is an example of an unmanaged application that hosts the runtime (in the form of a MIME type extension). Using Internet Explorer to host the runtime enables you to embed managed components or Windows Forms controls in HTML documents. Hosting the runtime in this way makes managed mobile code (similar to Microsoft® ActiveX® controls) possible, but with significant improvements that only managed code can offer, such as semi-trusted execution and isolated file storage.
To provide a consistent object-oriented programming environment whether object code is stored and executed locally, executed locally but Internet-distributed, or executed remotely.
To provide a code-execution environment that minimizes software deployment and versioning conflicts.
To provide a code-execution environment that promotes safe execution of code, including code created by an unknown or semi-trusted third party.
To provide a code-execution environment that eliminates the performance problems of scripted or interpreted environments.
To make the developer experience consistent across widely varying types of applications, such as Windows-based applications and Web-based applications.
To build all communication on industry standards to ensure that code based on the .NET Framework can integrate with any other code.
The .NET Framework has two main components: the common language runtime and the .NET Framework class library. The common language runtime is the foundation of the .NET Framework. You can think of the runtime as an agent that manages code at execution time, providing core services such as memory management, thread management, and remoting, while also enforcing strict type safety and other forms of code accuracy that promote security and robustness. In fact, the concept of code management is a fundamental principle of the runtime. Code that targets the runtime is known as managed code, while code that does not target the runtime is known as unmanaged code. The class library, the other main component of the .NET Framework, is a comprehensive, object-oriented collection of reusable types that you can use to develop applications ranging from traditional command-line or graphical user interface (GUI) applications to applications based on the latest innovations provided by ASP.NET, such as Web Forms and XML Web services.
The .NET Framework can be hosted by unmanaged components that load the common language runtime into their processes and initiate the execution of managed code, thereby creating a software environment that can exploit both managed and unmanaged features. The .NET Framework not only provides several runtime hosts, but also supports the development of third-party runtime hosts.
For example, ASP.NET hosts the runtime to provide a scalable, server-side environment for managed code. ASP.NET works directly with the runtime to enable ASP.NET applications and XML Web services, both of which are discussed later in this topic.
Internet Explorer is an example of an unmanaged application that hosts the runtime (in the form of a MIME type extension). Using Internet Explorer to host the runtime enables you to embed managed components or Windows Forms controls in HTML documents. Hosting the runtime in this way makes managed mobile code (similar to Microsoft® ActiveX® controls) possible, but with significant improvements that only managed code can offer, such as semi-trusted execution and isolated file storage.
Beginner to .NET
Dotnet Lore shares about .net Technology from Beginner to Expert level Day by day .
NET (dot-net) is the name Microsoft gives to its general vision of the future of computing, the view being of a world in which many applications run in a distributed manner across the Internet. We can identify a number of different motivations driving this vision.
Firstly, distributed computing is rather like object oriented programming, in that it encourages specialised code to be collected in one place, rather than copied redundantly in lots of places. There are thus potential efficiency gains to be made in moving to the distributed model.
Secondly, by collecting specialised code in one place and opening up a generally accessible interface to it, different types of machines (phones, handhelds, desktops, etc.) can all be supported with the same code. Hence Microsoft's 'run-anywhere' aspiration.
Thirdly, by controlling real-time access to some of the distributed nodes (especially those concerning authentication), companies like Microsoft can control more easily the running of its applications. It moves applications further into the area of 'services provided' rather than 'objects owned'.
Interestingly, in taking on the .NET vision, Microsoft seems to have given up some of its proprietary tendencies (whereby all the technology it touched was warped towards its Windows operating system). Because it sees its future as providing software services in distributed applications, the .NET framework has been written so that applications on other platforms will be able to access these services. For example, .NET has been built upon open standard technologies like XML and SOAP.
At the development end of the .NET vision is the .NET Framework. This contains the Common Language Runtime, the .NET Framework Classes, and higher-level features like ASP.NET (the next generation of Active Server Pages technologies) and WinForms (for developing desktop applications).
The Common Language Runtime (CLR) manages the execution of code compiled for the .NET platform. The CLR has two interesting features. Firstly, its specification has been opened up so that it can be ported to non-Windows platforms. Secondly, any number of different languages can be used to manipulate the .NET framework classes, and the CLR will support them. This has led one commentator to claim that under .NET the language one uses is a 'lifestyle choice'.
Not all of the supported languages fit entirely neatly into the .NET framework, however (in some cases the fit has been somewhat Procrustean). But the one language that is guaranteed to fit in perfectly is C#. This new language, a successor to C++, has been released in conjunction with the .NET framework, and is likely to be the language of choice for many developers working on .NET applications.
NET (dot-net) is the name Microsoft gives to its general vision of the future of computing, the view being of a world in which many applications run in a distributed manner across the Internet. We can identify a number of different motivations driving this vision.
Firstly, distributed computing is rather like object oriented programming, in that it encourages specialised code to be collected in one place, rather than copied redundantly in lots of places. There are thus potential efficiency gains to be made in moving to the distributed model.
Secondly, by collecting specialised code in one place and opening up a generally accessible interface to it, different types of machines (phones, handhelds, desktops, etc.) can all be supported with the same code. Hence Microsoft's 'run-anywhere' aspiration.
Thirdly, by controlling real-time access to some of the distributed nodes (especially those concerning authentication), companies like Microsoft can control more easily the running of its applications. It moves applications further into the area of 'services provided' rather than 'objects owned'.
Interestingly, in taking on the .NET vision, Microsoft seems to have given up some of its proprietary tendencies (whereby all the technology it touched was warped towards its Windows operating system). Because it sees its future as providing software services in distributed applications, the .NET framework has been written so that applications on other platforms will be able to access these services. For example, .NET has been built upon open standard technologies like XML and SOAP.
At the development end of the .NET vision is the .NET Framework. This contains the Common Language Runtime, the .NET Framework Classes, and higher-level features like ASP.NET (the next generation of Active Server Pages technologies) and WinForms (for developing desktop applications).
The Common Language Runtime (CLR) manages the execution of code compiled for the .NET platform. The CLR has two interesting features. Firstly, its specification has been opened up so that it can be ported to non-Windows platforms. Secondly, any number of different languages can be used to manipulate the .NET framework classes, and the CLR will support them. This has led one commentator to claim that under .NET the language one uses is a 'lifestyle choice'.
Not all of the supported languages fit entirely neatly into the .NET framework, however (in some cases the fit has been somewhat Procrustean). But the one language that is guaranteed to fit in perfectly is C#. This new language, a successor to C++, has been released in conjunction with the .NET framework, and is likely to be the language of choice for many developers working on .NET applications.
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