CHAPTER – I

INTRODUCTION TO .NET
FRAMEWORK
Introduction to .Net
• A Framework is a collection of software libraries / components which offers a distinct
Application Programming Interface (API). The .Net Framework is one of greatest
significant part of Microsoft’s .Net technology. The .Net Framework is a software
development platform of Microsoft .Net.
• A Framework is frequently a layered structure which specifies:
• What kind of programs should be built?
• How they would interconnect.
• The .Net Framework is a software development platform which offers a runtime, states
functionality in some libraries, and assist a set of programming language.
 . Net Platform
• Top of the operating system is a sequence of .NET Enterprise Server products that make simpler
and abbreviate the time required to develop and accomplish large-scale business systems. These
server products contain Internet Security and Acceleration Server 2000, and SQL Server 2000.
Since Web Services are extremely reusable across the Web, Microsoft plans to provide a
number of building-block services that applications developers can use.
• At the top layer of the .NET architecture is a new development tool called Visual Studio.NET
(VS.NET), which makes probable the fast development of Web Services and other applications.
A beneficiary of Microsoft Visual Studio 6.0, VS.NET is an Integrated Development
Environment (IDE) that assist four different languages and features such as cross-language
debugging and the XML Scheme Editor.
• And at the center of .NET is the Microsoft .NET Framework. The .NET Framework is a new
development and runtime infrastructure that will change the development of business
applications on the Windows platform. It contains the Common Language Runtime (CLR) and
a common framework of classes that can be used by all .NET languages.
 Integrated Development Environment
• An Integrated Development Environment (IDE) is a software application that offers complete
accommodations to computer developers for software development.
• In general, an IDE is a Graphical User Interface (GUI) based work surface which assist the
programmer in building software applications by provided that tools like a source code editor,
build automation tools, a debugger etc. at hand.
• Visual Studio is the greatest frequently used IDE. VB.NET is just an editor, providing by
Microsoft to support programmer to write .NET Programs simply. VB.Net offers,
• 1. Editor which automatically generates lot of code,
• 2. Permit programmer to drag and drop controls to a form,
• 3. Offers shortcuts to compile and build the application etc.
• Visual Studio .NET IDE delivers a on its own environment for developed all types of .NET
applications. The subsequent IDE is shared by all programming languages in Visual Studio. You
can view the toolbars in the direction of the left of the image along with the solution explorer
towards the right.
 Start Page Window of Visual Studio 2010
• When we open visual studio 2010, the window that is shown first is the start page which is shown
below,
 New Project Dialogue Box
• The New Project dialogue box like the one in the figure is used to create a new Project. It
permits you to name the project and also require its location.
 Toolbox Window
• The toolbox window is the window that gives us access to all controls, components etc. The
Data tab shows tools for creating datasets and creation of data connections and the Windows
Forms tab shows tools for adding controls to forms.
 Solution Explorer Window
• The Solution Explorer window gives an indication of the solution we are working with and lists
all the files in the project.
 Properties Window
• The properties window permits us to set properties for several objects at design time. If you want
to change the font, font size, background color, name, text that seems on a button, textbox etc.
 Server Explorer Window
• The Server Explorer window is a great tool that provides “drag and drop” features and support
us work with databases in a simple graphical environment. To open Server Explorer window
select View menu  Server Explorer
 Code Designer Window
• Code Designer shown in Figure permits us to edit and write code. This is the window that opens
when we double-click on a form or any control
 Intellisense
• Intellisense is what that is manage for the boxes that open as we type the code. Intellisence
offers a list of options that make language situations simply accesible and supports us to
discover the information we want.
 Error List Window
• In the Error list window, show the errors, warnings, messages produced as you edit and compile
code, Find syntax errors well-known by Intellisense, Find deployment errors, Double click any
error message entry to open the file where the difficulties occurs, and move to the error
location.
 Component Trays
• When you add a component to a form and the component was not observable at run time, such
as timer control, the timer seems on the form at design time.
 Event Driven Programming
• Varying the state of an object is known as an event. For instance, click on button, dragging
mouse etc. Event handling is the mechanism that controls the event and resolves what would
ensue if an event arises. Event-driven programming is an example in which the flow of the
program is resolute by events, sensor outputs, or message from other programs/threads.
• Figure shows a simple event-driven programming paradigm where each and every event go
over a scheduler. Scheduler passes the code written inside the events to a specific event handler.
 .Net Framework
• The Microsoft .Net Framework is a platform that delivers tools and technologies
you want to build Networked Applications and also Distributed Web Services and
Web Applications. The .Net Framework offers the essential compile time and run
time basis to build and run any language that eases to the common language
specification (CLS). The main two components of .Net framework are Common
Language Runtime (CLR) and .Net Framework Class Library (FCL). .Net is a
software development platform developed by Microsoft. It runs on Microsoft
Windows OS. .Net delivers tools and libraries that permit programmers to develop
applications and services most simply, faster and secure by means of a suitable
manner.
 Architecture of .Net
The .NET Architecture is partitioned into modules, each with its own distinct responsibility. The
architecture layout of the .NET is shown in Figure ,
The .NET Framework Class Library (FCL)
The .NET Framework class library is a collection of reusable types that strongly
assimilate with the Common Language Runtime (CLR). The class library is an object-
oriented collection of reusable types. This not only makes the .NET Framework types
informal to use, but also decreases the time related with learning new features of the
.NET Framework. The .NET Framework to develop the following types of applications
and services:
i. Console Applications
ii. Windows Applications
iii. ASP .NET Applications
iv. XML Web Services
v. Windows Services
 Common Language Runtime (CLR)
.Net Framework delivers runtime environment called Common Language Runtime (CLR). It
offers an environment to run all the .Net Programs. The code which runs below the CLR is called
as Managed Code. Developers not required on managing the memory if the programs are running
below the CLR as it delivers memory management and thread management. Programmatically,
when our program requires memory, CLR assigns the memory for scope and de-allocates the
memory if the scope is accomplished. Language Compilers (e.g. C#, VB.Net, J#) will translate the
Code to Microsoft Intermediate Language (MSIL) and then transformed to Native Code by CLR
as shown in following figure,
 Common Type System (CTS)
To assist multiple programming languages on a single CLR and the facility to reuse the FCL,
the types of every programming language should be well-suited. This binary compatibility
between languages types is known as the Common Type System (CTS). The .Net Framework
accomplishes this by its Common Type System (CTS), which describes all of the basic data
types and data mechanisms used in .NET programs. This contains all numeric, string and
Boolean value types. It too describes the object, the basic data storage unit in .NET. The CTS
divides all data objects into two types.
a) Value types: Value types directly cover their data, and instances of value types are
allocated on the stack or allocated in a structure. Value types can be built-in, user-defined, or
enumerations.

b) Reference types: Reference types store a reference to the value's memory address,
and are allocated. Reference types can be self-describing types, pointer types, or interface
types.
 Common Language Specification (CLS)
• For a .Net maintained programming language MSIL is not only sufficient to
communicate efficiently but there should be some common standard set to which each
.NET language must follow. This common set of language feature is called the Common
Language Specifications (CLS). The CLS is a subset of the Common Type System
(CTS). The CLS defines not only the types permitted in exterior calls, but the rules for
using them, dependent on the area of the user. The CLS describes a lowest set of features
that a language must implement before the it is measured to be .Net.
• The difference between CTS and CLS is that, CTS describes the complete set of types
maintained by the CLR and accessible internally to any .Net Programming Language, the
CLS describes the subset of the CTS that limit and a set of rules that compiler and
framework developers should be follow.
 JIT (Just-in-Time)
• Just - in - Time (JIT) compiler, which compiles MSIL into native code that is specific to the OS and machine
architecture being targeted. The JIT Compiler replicates the fact that MSIL code is only compiled as and when it
is required. JIT compilers use MSIL code, which is independent of the machine, operating system, and CPU. JIT

Compiler have of three types:

1. Pre JIT: It translates all the code in executable code and it is slow.
2. Econo JIT: It will translate the called executable code only. But it will translate code every time when a code is
called again.
3. Normal JIT: It will only translate the called code and will store in cache memory so that it will not require
translating code again. Normal JIT is fast.

Garbage Collection (GC)

• The garbage collection (GC) is the most significant feature of managed code. When we have a class that
signifies an object in the runtime that allocates a memory space in the memory. All the performance of that
objects can be done in the allotted memory. Once the actions associated to that object is got over then it will be
there as unused space in the memory. .NET garbage collection works by examining the memory of your
computer every time and eliminating whatever from it that is not in used.
 Developing Application
For development and execution of a .Net application followed following stages.
Step 1: Selection of a language for application
As Microsoft .NET is a multilanguage platform then any .NET based language can be chosen to
develop applications.
Step 2: Choosing a Compiler
.Net Framework is a multilanguage implementation environment, the runtime supports a wide
variability of data types and language features.
Step 3: Compiling to MSIL
.Net language compilers interprets the source code into Microsoft Intermediate Language. Through the
compile time the compiler generates metadata, that encompasses explanation of the program like
dependencies, versions etc.
Step 4: JIT Compilation to native code
Just in Time compiler (JIT) compiles the MSIL into native code and stores it in a memory buffer before
execution of the program. At the time of JIT compilation, the code is also check for type security.
 Features of .Net Framework
1. .Net Familiarized a unified programming environment
2. .Net Dedicated programmers to object-oriented technologies
3. .Net simplified windows programming
4. .Net improved security
5. .Net improved developer productivity through standards
6. .Net improved web-based development
7. .Net simplified the deployment of application
 Advantages of .Net
1. Less Coding and Increased Reuse of Code
2. Deployment
3. Reliability
4. Security
5. Use across Platforms and Languages
6. Use for Service-Oriented Architecture
7. Integration with Legacy Systems