.NET Framework
.NET Framework
.NET Framework Structure
The .NET framework is a collection of tools, technologies, and languages that provides an environment to build and deploy different types of applications easily. It is a software development framework from Microsoft. The figure below describes the structure of the .NET framework and its components.
. The operating system controls tasks and manages system resources of the computer. The .NET framework runs on Microsoft Operating Systems, but there are alternative versions that will work on other Operating Systems. The Operating System manages the hardware and software resources that supports the execution of .NET applications.
. Common Language Runtime is a runtime environment of the .NET framework that manages the execution of the .NET code, enables debugging and exception handling, and makes programs portable. It converts (or compiles) the source code into an intermediate language called Microsoft Intermediate Language. The Microsoft Intermediate Language is a portable assembly code that can. Then the compiler called Common Language Runtime Just-In-Time compiles the Microsoft Intermediate Language code into native code (machine-language code) before it is executed.
. The .NET Base Class Library contains the classes and interfaces used for building applications. The classes are organized as namespaces, and the developers can use them by including these namespaces in their programs. These classes or .NET objects can be used to build and interact with ASP.NET, Windows Forms, and/or ADO.NET and XML.
. ADO.NET provides access to relational databases and several data sources such as SQL Server and XML. The XML is the universal format for data on the Web. It allows developers to easily describe and deliver rich, structured data from any application in a standard, consistent way.
. ASP.NET is a unified Web development model that includes the services necessary in building enterprise-class Web applications with a minimum of coding. ASP.NET Web Forms allows building of dynamic websites using a familiar drag-and-drop, event-driven model. ASP.NET Web Services extend the Web infrastructure to provide the means for software to connect to other software applications. The Windows Forms contain the graphical representation of any window displayed in the application.
. Common Language Specification is a set of basic language features that ensures operability between the languages in the .NET environment. It is a subset of Common Type System. Common Type System is a formal specification that documents how types are declared, used, and managed so the Common Language Runtime can use them. The Common Language Specification tells the guidelines to the compiler of each language.
. The .NET supports different programming languages. The Visual Basic, C++, C#, Jscript, and J# are languages supported by .NET.
.NET supports the following features:
.NET supports the following features:
. Interoperability - . NET includes a large library and supports several programming languages, allowing developers to write code in different languages.
. Language independence - The code in all the supported languages is compiled into Common Language Infrastructure specifications, enabling the exchange of data types between programs developed in different languages.
. AJAX - . NET supports AJAX which is used by developers in creating highly responsive web applications with minimal effort.
. Security - . NET uses assembly for code sharing which allows only authorized categories of users or processes to call designated methods of specific classes.
. Common Language Runtime
. Development for dynamic Web pages
. Base Class Library
. Web services