Introduction to the
Microsoft .NET Framework
Chris Wastchak
Student Ambassador to Microsoft
What is the .NET Framework
• A new computing platform designed to
simplify application development
• A consistent object-oriented programming
environment
• A code-execution environment that:
– Minimizes software deployment and versioning
conflicts
– Eliminates the performance problems of scripted
or interpreted environments
Primary Components of .NET
• .NET Framework Class Libraries
– Object-oriented collection of reusable types
– Sits on-top of the Common Language Runtime
• Common Language Runtime (CLR)
– Manages code execution at runtime
– Memory management, thread management, etc.
– Code designed for the CLR is referred to as
“Managed Code”
Managed execution in the Common Language Runtime (CLR)
Managed Code
Common Language
Runtime (CLR)
Requests for existing New CLR-only features,
features, such as opening such as garbage collection
a file, mediated by CLR
Win32 OS
Inside the .NET Framework
VB C++ C# J# Python …
ASP.NET
Web Services User Interface
High-productivity environment for
ASP.NET building and running Web
services
Data and XML
Base Framework
Secure, integrated class
Common Language Runtime (CLR) libraries
•Unifies programming models
Operating System across languages
•Enables cross-language
integration
Common Language
Runtime •Factored for extensibility
Executes code, maintains •Designed for tools
security, handles component
“plumbing” and dependencies
One Runtime For Many Languages
• CLR is an open standard
• Any language can make use of CLR services
• Any language can use classes written in any
other language
• Any language can inherit classes written in any
other language
Current List of Language Compilers
Ada lcc
APL (MS Research Redmond)
Basic (Visual Basic)
Mondrian (Utrecht)
ML
C# (MS Research Cambridge)
C Mercury
C++ (Melbourne U.)
Java Language Oberon
(Zurich University)
COBOL Oz (Univ of Saarlandes)
Component Pascal
(Queensland Univ of Tech)
SmallTalk
ECMAScript (JScript) Python
Eiffel (Monash Scheme
University) (Northwestern U.)
Haskell Perl
(Utrecht University)
.NET Framework Class Libraries
• Sit on top of the CLR
• Reusable types that tightly integrate with the
CLR
• Object oriented – inheritance, polymorphism,
etc.
• Provide functionality for ASP.NET, XML Web
Services, ADO.NET, Windows Forms, basic
system functionality (IO, XML, etc.)
The Common Language Runtime
• Code that targets the CLR is referred to as
managed code
• All managed code has the features of the CLR
– Object Oriented
– Cross-language integration
– Cross language exception handling
– Multiple version support (no more DLL Hell)
The Common Language Runtime
• The CLR manages object layout and references to
objects
• Objects whose lifetimes are managed by the CLR are
referred to as Managed Data
• Automatic memory management reduces memory
leaks
• In managed code you can use:
– Managed Data
– Unmanaged data
– Both
The Common Language Runtime
• All CLR-compliant compilers use a common type
system
– Allows for cross-language inheritance
– Passing object instances across language barriers
– Invoking methods across language barriers
• Managed components expose metadata
• Metadata includes
– Resources component was compiled against
– Information about types and dependencies (no more
RegServ32)
Managed Execution Process
public void Fill()
{
DotNetJunkies.StudyGroupPortal.Data.EventDB eDB
= new DotNetJunkies.StudyGroupPortal.Data.EventDB();
//Create a data reader
IDataReader reader = eDB.GetEventByGuid(_guid);
//Advance to the first record in the reader
reader.Read(); Language Specific Compiler
//Populate this instance of the Event class
this.CreateEvent(ref reader);
//Close the reader
reader.Close();
}
MSIL
Microsoft Intermediate Language
• Managed code is compiled to MSIL
• CPU-independent set of instructions
– Loading, storing, initializing and calling methods
– Arithmetic and logical operations, etc.
– Control flow, exception handling, direct memory
access
Just-In-Time Compiling
• Assemblies are compiled to native code by a
Just-In-Time compiler (JITer)
• Compiled assemblies include metadata
• No Type Libraries or Interface Definition
Language (IDL)
Compilation And Execution
Compilation
Source Language Code (IL)
Assembly
Code Compiler Metadata
Native JIT
Code Compiler Before installation or
the first time each
Execution method is called
Just-In-Time Compiling
• All assemblies must be compiled to native
code before executing
• JIT compilers are built into the CLR for every
supported CPU architecture
• JIT compilers convert MSIL to native on
demand
• Resulting native code is stored for reuse
• JIT compiling occurs for each method after
the application is restarted
Summary
• .NET Framework is a code execution platform
• .NET Framework consists of two primary parts: .NET
Class Libraries, Common Language Runtime
• All CLR-compliant compilers support the common
type system
• Managed code is object oriented
• Managed code is compiled to an assembly (MSIL) by
language specific compiler
• Assemblies are compiled to native code by JIT
compiler
Questions?
