9780321194046

Microsoft's .NET is revolutionizing Windows-based software development. Since its initial release in 2002, .NET has changed significantly, becoming the foundation for a new generation of Windows applications. The .NET Framework and Visual Studio, the two core aspects of this initiative, provide a multilanguage environment in which developers can create Web services, graphical user interfaces, and other kinds of applications. Taken as a whole, the .NET technologies have changed the way nearly every Windows application is built. Now fully updated for version 2.0 of the .NET Framework and Visual Basic 2005, Understanding .NET, Second EDITION, is a concise guide to the landscape of Windows development. Margin notes, detailed diagrams, and lucid writing make this book easy to read and navigate, while analysis sections explore controversial issues and address common concerns. David Chappell's indepENDent perspective and straightforward descriptions clarify both how the .NET technologies work and how they can be used. Coverage includes bull; bull;An overview of .NET and its goals bull;The Common Language Runtime (CLR) bull;The .NET languages, including C#, Visual Basic, and C++ bull;The .NET Framework class library bull;Building Web Applications with ASP.NET bull;Accessing Data with ADO.NET bull;.NET framework integration with SQL Server 2005 The key to using a new technology is to understand the fundamentals. This book provides the robust foundation developers and technical managers need to make the right decisions and maximize the potential of this revolutionary framework.

David Chappell is Principal of Chappell & Associates and the best-selling author of Understanding ActiveX and OLE (Microsoft Press) and other books. Through his speaking, writing, and consulting, David helps information technology professionals around the world understand, use, and make better decisions about new technologies.

Preface

xiii

Introducing .NET

1

(36)

The .NET Framework

3

(18)

The Common Language Runtime

7

(5)

The .NET Framework Class Library

12

(9)

Visual Studio 2005

21

(14)

General Purpose Languages

25

(5)

Domain Specific Languages

30

(3)

Working in Groups: Visual Studio Team System

33

(2)

Conclusion

35

(2)

The Common Language Runtime

37

(40)

Building Managed Code: The Common Type System

38

(10)

Introducing the Common Type System

39

(3)

A Closer Look at CTS Types

42

(4)

Converting Value Types to Reference Types: Boxing

46

(1)

The Common Language Specification

47

(1)

Compiling Managed Code

48

(6)

Microsoft Intermediate Language (MSIL)

49

(3)

Metadata

52

(2)

Organizing Managed Code: Assemblies

54

(4)

Metadata for Assemblies: Manifests

54

(3)

Categorizing Assemblies

57

(1)

Executing Managed Code

58

(17)

Loading Assemblies

58

(2)

Compiling MSIL

60

(3)

Creating a Native Image: NGEN

63

(1)

Securing Assemblies

64

(6)

Garbage Collection

70

(3)

Application Domains

73

(2)

Conclusion

75

(2)

.NET Languages

77

(66)

C#

79

(28)

A C# Example

79

(3)

C# Types

82

(15)

C# Control Structures

97

(1)

Other C# Features

98

(9)

Visual Basic

107

(23)

A VB Example

108

(3)

VB Types

111

(13)

VB Control Structures

124

(1)

Other VB Features

125

(5)

C++

130

(10)

C++/CLI

132

(4)

Managed C++

136

(4)

Conclusion

140

(3)

Surveying the .NET Framework Class Library

143

(54)

An Overview of the Library

143

(13)

The System Namespace

144

(1)

A Survey of System's Subordinate Namespaces

145

(11)

Fundamental Namespaces

156

(39)

Input and Output: System.IO

156

(3)

Serialization: System.Runtime.Serialization

159

(4)

Reflection: System.Reflection

163

(3)

XML: System.Xml

166

(9)

Transactions: System.Transactions

175

(4)

Interoperability: System.Runtime.InteropServices

179

(5)

Windows GUIs: System.Windows.Forms

184

(11)

Conclusion

195

(2)

Building Web Applications: ASP.NET

197

(34)

ASP.NET Applications: Basics

198

(17)

Creating .aspx Files

200

(4)

Using Web Controls

204

(5)

Separating User Interface from Code: Code-Behind

209

(2)

Defining Applications

211

(2)

Using Context Information

213

(2)

ASP.NET Applications: Beyond the Basics

215

(15)

Managing State

216

(5)

Caching Data

221

(1)

Authentication and Authorization

222

(2)

Managing Users: Membership

224

(1)

Working with Data: Data Binding

225

(3)

Customizing User Interfaces: Web Parts

228

(2)

Conclusion

230

(1)

Accessing Data: ADO.NET

231

(30)

Using .NET Framework Data Providers

232

(5)

Using Connection and Command Objects

237

(2)

Accessing Data with DataReaders

239

(4)

Accessing Data with DataSets

243

(17)

Creating and Using DataSets

245

(5)

Accessing and Modifying a DataSet's Contents

250

(3)

Using DataSets with XML-Defined Data

253

(7)

Conclusion

260

(1)

Building Distributed Applications

261

(36)

ASP.NET Web Services: System.Web.Services

261

(12)

Web Services Fundamentals

262

(3)

ASP.NET Web Services Applications: Basics

265

(4)

ASP.NET Web Services Applications: Beyond the Basics

269

(4)

.NET Remoting: System.Runtime.Remoting

273

(15)

An Overview of the Remoting Process

274

(2)

Passing Information to Remote Objects

276

(2)

Choosing a Channel

278

(3)

Creating and Destroying Remote Objects

281

(7)

Enterprise Services: System.EnterpriseServices

288

(7)

What Enterprise Services Provides

288

(3)

Enterprise Services and COM+

291

(4)

Final Thoughts

295

(2)

About the Author

297

(2)

Index

299

What is included with this book?

The New copy of this book will include any supplemental materials advertised. Please check the title of the book to determine if it should include any access cards, study guides, lab manuals, CDs, etc.

The Used, Rental and eBook copies of this book are not guaranteed to include any supplemental materials. Typically, only the book itself is included. This is true even if the title states it includes any access cards, study guides, lab manuals, CDs, etc.

Writing the preface for a book's second edition is fun--it means that people thought the first edition was useful enough to warrant an update. .NET has changed in significant ways since this book first appeared in 2002, changes that are reflected in this new edition. Since its original release, the .NET Framework has become the foundation for a new generation of Windows applications. Developers and the people who pay their salaries stepped up to the challenge of adopting this new environment, and the result has been better software. Still, new people come to .NET every day. Like the first edition, the goal of this book is to help developers and their managers understand this big new world. Who This Book Is For .NET is huge. There are plenty of books that provide detailed examinations of each facet of this enormous technology crystal, plenty of books with hardcore, hands-on information. This isn't one of those books. I believe strongly that understanding .NET as a whole is essential before delving more deeply into any single part of the technology. Accordingly, my goal here is to provide a broad overview of the .NET technologies. If you're looking for a big-picture introduction to the whole of .NET, this book is for you. Whether you're a developer just getting started with .NET, a technical manager who needs to make decisions about these technologies, or a student seeing some of these ideas for the first time, this book should be a useful guide. There is enough detail here to satisfy many people completely, while others will use this book as a stepping-stone to more specific knowledge. In any case, I hope the book's organization and content make it easier for you to come to grips with this mass of technology. Fact and Opinion Grasping a new technology requires learning the fundamentals. What are its main parts? How do they work? How do they fit together? But really understanding a technology requires more than this. You need to know not just how things work but also why they're important, how they compare to what's gone before, and what might happen next. This book aims at providing all of these things. In the text itself, I've tried hard to remain strictly tutorial, focusing solely on describing what .NET is. In the perspective boxes, I give some broader views on various aspects of the technology. In every case, the perspective expresses my view of why things are the way they are or what the future is likely to hold. By separating the objective from the subjective, I hope to make it easier for you to distinguish between the two. By providing opinion as well as fact, I hope to make this book both more interesting and more enlightening. David Chappell San Francisco March 2006

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Understanding .NET

Understanding .NET

0321194047

Summary

Author Biography

Table of Contents

Supplemental Materials

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