What is .NET?

Before that, we should know

What is difference between VB and
VB.NET?
Diff between VB & VB.NET
• VB6 targets the COM infrastructure: a way to
communicate with reusable components in
Windows.
• VB6 is simple to use because it contains many
powerful functions and features in a runtime
library that must be shipped(dispatch) with
the programs you compile in VB6.
• You can create Window applications or
reusable ActiveX libraries with VB6.
Diff between VB & VB.NET
• VB.NET is the next generation of VB.
• It targets the .NET Runtime and Framework.
– The .NET Runtime manages the execution of the
program and memory, and the .NET Framework
represents reusable components, but incorporates a
much broader set of Windows features than the VB6
runtime.
• Additionally, .NET allows you to have a
framework that is usable by many languages,
including C#, C++, and Ruby, etc.
Diff between VB & VB.NET
• VB.NET gives you a number of new project choices,
including ASP.NET web sites, WPF(windows
Presentation foundation) applications, and console
applications, and Windows services (VB Express just
supplies the following project types: Windows Form
application, Console, WPF application, Class library and
WPF Browser application).
• VB.NET compiles the code to IL, an intermediate byte
code used by the .NET Runtime, but .NET will execute
this code in native format by running it through a Just-
In-Time compiler.
Diff between VB & VB.NET
• The .NET supports all OOP’s features
– Encapsulation
– Inheritance
– Polymorphism
What is .NET Framework?
• .NET framework is platform independent and
language independent .
• It allows you to use different programming
languages such as VB.net, C#, vbscript, Jscript
and managed C++ and executes applications on
different platforms such as LINUX, UNIX, and
MACINTOSH.
• It enables user to use various libraries that help
the development of applications cheaper, faster
and easier.
What is .NET
• By using .NET we can develop, internet enabled
application.
• Also we can develop windows based application.
– .NET is Microsoft’s new Internet & web
technology/Strategy
– .NET is a new Internet and Web based Infrastructure
– .NET is a framework for universal services
– .NET will run in any browser on any platform
.NET Framework?
• The most important component of the .net
framework is CLR(Common Language
Runtime),which provides the environment in
which the programs are executed.
• The CLR includes a virtual machine, which is
similar in many ways to the Java virtual
machine (JVM).
.NET Framework?
• In the above figure the layer on top of the CLR is
a set of framework base classes, followed by an
additional layer of data and XML classes,
another layer of classes intended for web
services, web forms and windows forms.
• Collectively these classes are known as
Framework Class Library (FCL).
• The set of framework base classes, is similar to
the set of classes in JAVA.
.NET Framework?
• Above this FCL layer the ADO.net and XML layer
supports data management and XML(Extensible
Markup Language) manipulation.
• The ADO.net supports persistent management
of data that is maintained on backend database
which include Structured Query Language (SOL)
classes to let you manipulate data stores through
a standard SQL interface.
.NET Framework?
• Extending the framework base classes and the
ADO.net and XML classes is a layer of classes
geared toward building applications using
three different technologies:
• Windows Forms
• Web Forms
• Web Services
.NET Framework?
• Web services are the software components
that expose a service over the web.
• Web forms and windows forms allow you to
apply rapid application development
techniques and web applications.
• Simply drag and drop controls on to your
form, double-click a control, and write the
code to respond to the appropriate event.
.NET Framework?
• The CLS (or Common Language Specification)
is a simply a contract between programming
language designers and class library authors.
The CLS is basically just a subset of the entire
set of features supported by the CLR.
CLR(Common Language Runtime)

• The CLR is the heart of the .NET framework.

• The most important component of the .NET
framework is the Common Language Runtime i. e.
CLR. It manages and executes code written in .NET
languages and is the basic of the .NET architecture,
it is similar to the Java Virtual Machine.
• It provides the environment within which the
program runs. The software version of .Net is
actually a CLR version.
The CLR architecture:
The components of architecture include:

• Class loader, which loads classes into the

runtime.
• MSIL to native code compiler, which converts
MSIL code to native code.
• Code manager, which manages the code
during execution.
• Security engine, which enforces security
restrictions.
The components of architecture include:

• Type checker, which enforces strict type

checking.
• Thread support, which provides
multithreading support to applications.
• Exception manager, which provides a
mechanism to handle the run-time
exceptions.
The components of architecture include:

• Debug engine, which allows you to debug

different types of applications.
• COM marshaler, which allows .NET
applications to exchange data with COM
applications.
• Base class library support, which provides the
types that the applications need at run time.
.NET compilation process
• The code running under the control of the CLR
is often termed as managed code. Before
execution of the source code it needs to be
compiled which occurs in 2 steps in .NET
– Compilation of source code to managed
code/Intermediate Language (IL).
– Compilation of IL to platform-specific code by CLR.
• When the .NET program is compiled, the
output of the compiler is not an executable
file but a file that contains a special type of
code called the Managed code/Inter mediate
Language/Microsoft Intermediate Language
(MSIL).
• This MSIL defines set of portable instructions
that are independent of any specific CPU.
• It is the job of CLR to translate this IL code into
a executable code when the program is
executed making the program to run in any
environment for which the CLR is
implemented.
• The MSIL code is turned into executable code
using a JIT (Just In Time) compiler. The process
goes like this, when .net programs are
executed the CLR activates the JIT compiler.
The JIT compiler converts MSIL to native code
on a demand basis as each part of the
program is needed.
 CTS (Common Type System)
• CTS is a subset of CLS(Common Language
Specification).
• The .NET considers all languages as equal, a
variable defined in c# should be equivalent to
variable defined in VB.net.
• In order to make this possible Microsoft has
specified a common type system to which
every .NET language must follow.
 CTS (Common Type System)….
• For e.g. visual basic 2005’s integer is actually a
32-bit signed integer, which maps exactly to
the IL type known as Int32.
• So when a variable defined in vb.NET as
integer and a variable defined in C# as int IL
considers it as a int with the help of CTS.
The following figure shows hierarchical structure of CTS.
AND
MSIL
• MSIL stands for Microsoft Intermediate
Language,
• Similar to that of Java Byte code that is
formed when you compile a Source Code
• The main purpose of this Intermediate code
formation is to have a platform independent
code...that is once MSIL/Java Byte Code is
available you can run code on any platform
provided appropriate run time environments
are installed on the specific platform you wish
to run...JVM in case of Java and CLR in case of
.NET
Compiling to MSIL
• When compiling to managed code, the compiler
translates your source code into Microsoft
intermediate language (MSIL), which is a CPU-
independent set of instructions that can be
efficiently converted to native code.
• MSIL includes instructions for loading, storing,
initializing, and calling methods on objects, as well as
instructions for arithmetic and logical operations,
control flow, direct memory access, exception
handling, and other operations.
• Before code can be run, MSIL must be
converted to CPU-specific code, usually by a
just-in-time (JIT) compiler.
• Because the Common Language Runtime
supplies one or more JIT compilers for each
computer architecture it supports, the same
set of MSIL can be JIT-compiled and run on
any supported architecture.
AND
Garbage collection
• The garbage collection is .NET’s answer to
memory management.
• The .NET framework’s Garbage collection
manages the allocation and release of the
memory for your application.
Garbage collection…
• Every time the user uses the ’new’ operator to
create an object, the runtime allocates
memory for the object; it continues to
allocate space for new object until it get the
same.
• However the memory is not infinite so its
garbage collectors job to check and release
the memory which is not being used.
Garbage collection…
• The .NET Framework's garbage collector
manages the allocation and release of
memory for your application. As long as
address space is available in the managed
heap, the runtime continues to allocate space
for new objects.
Garbage collection…
• Eventually the garbage collector must perform
a collection in order to free some memory,
since memory is not unlimited.
• The garbage collector's optimizing engine
determines the best time to perform a
collection, based upon the allocations being
made.
Garbage collection…
• When the garbage collector performs a
collection, it checks for objects in the
managed heap that are no longer being used
by the application and performs the necessary
operations to reclaim their memory.
• Methods which are used by garbage collector:
– Finalize.
– Dispose.
Assemblies
• In the normal windows application we have
the concept ActiveX EXE and ActiveX DLL, but
that is not used in the .NET application.
Instead of that type is called as Assemblies.
• Assemblies are the building blocks of .NET
Framework applications; they form the
fundamental unit of deployment, version
control, reuse and security permissions.
Assemblies….
• An assembly is a collection of types and
resources that are built to work together and
form a logical unit of functionality.
• An assembly provides the common language
runtime with the information it needs to be
aware of type implementations. To the
runtime, a type does not exist outside the
context of an assembly.
Assemblies….
• Assemblies take the form of an executable (.exe)
file or dynamic link library (.dll) file, and are the
building blocks of the .NET Framework.
• They provide the common language runtime
with the information it needs to be aware of
type implementations.
• You can think of an assembly as a collection of
types and resources that form a logical unit of
functionality and are built to work together.
Assemblies….
• With Visual Basic, you use the contents of
assemblies, and add references to them, in much
the same way as you use type libraries with
previous versions of Visual Basic.
Assembly Manifest
• Within every assembly is an assembly
manifest. Similar to a table of contents, the
assembly manifest contains the following:
• The assembly's identity (its name and
version).
• A file table describing all the other files that
make up the assembly, for example, any other
assemblies you created that your .exe or .dll
file relies on, or even bitmap or Readme files.
Assembly Manifest….
• An assembly reference list, which is a list of all
external dependencies—.dlls or other files your
application needs that may have been created by
someone else.
• Assembly references contain references to both
global and private objects.
• Global objects reside in the global assembly cache,
an area available to other applications, somewhat
like the System32 directory.
Assembly Contents
• An assembly can be viewed by firing command
on command prompt by using following steps
• Start -> Run -> Cmd ->cd\
• cd C:\Program Files\Microsoft
SDKs\Windows\v6.0A\bin>
• ILDASM
• (The figure contains the Manifest, Meta
Information etc.)
Assembly Types
• Assemblies can be private or shared.
• Private assemblies are available only to clients
in the same directory structure as the assembly;
• Shared assemblies are available to any local
COM application. All assemblies and type
libraries must be registered in the Windows
registry so COM clients can use the managed
types transparently.
Assembly Types
Private Assemblies
• Assemblies are private by default.
• This means that, when you use it in any of the .NET
application, a physical copy of it get created in
application folder, i.e bin folder of .NET application.
• So, when you change the path of the output file of
the .NET application, the program will give an error.
• This situation of execution is very irritating. To solve this
we must have shared assembly by installing that
assembly in Global Assembly Cache (GAC).
Assembly Types
Shared Assemblies
• When the private assembly is installed in Global
Assembly cache, it is called as shared assembly.
• For this purpose, as assembly must have
identification. Once the assembly is installed in GAC,
it can be referred in any .NET application, now it will
not create any physical copy in application folder
of .NET application. Even you change the path of the
output file.
Global Assembly Cache
ActiveX DLL & ActiveX EXE
• An ActiveX Dll runs is an in process server
running in the same memory space as the
client process.

An ActiveX Exe is an out of process server

which runs in it's own separate memory
space.
What is COM?
• Microsoft COM (Component Object Model) technology in the
Microsoft Windows-family of Operating Systems enables
software components to communicate.
• COM is used by developers to create re-usable software
components, link components together to build applications,
and take advantage of Windows services.
• COM objects can be created with a variety of programming
languages. Object-oriented languages, such as C++, provide
programming mechanisms that simplify the implementation
of COM objects.