. NET Framework class library (top)

The. NET Framework class library is a library of classes, interfaces, and value types that are contained in the Microsoft. NET Framework SDK. This library provides access to system functionality and is designed to be the build base for. NET Framework applications, components, and controls.

Document conventions

Usage

Abnormal

Thread Safety

Name space
The. NET Framework class Library provides the following namespaces:

Microsoft.csharp
Contains classes that support compilation and code generation in the C # language.
Microsoft.JScript
contains JScript runtime libraries and classes that support compilation and code generation in the Jscript language.
Microsoft.VisualBasic
Contains Visual Basic. NET Runtime Libraries. This runtime is used in conjunction with the Visual Basic. NET language. This namespace also contains classes that support compilation and code generation in Visual Basic. NET languages.
Microsoft.Vsa
Contains interfaces that enable you to integrate scripts from the. NET Framework script engine into your application and compile and execute code at run time.
Microsoft.Win32
Provides two types of classes: Classes that handle events raised by the operating system and those that operate on the system registry.
System
Contains the underlying classes and base classes that define commonly used values and reference data types, events and event handlers, interfaces, properties, and handling exceptions.
Other classes provide services that support the following operations: Data type conversions, method parameter operations, mathematical calculations, remote and local program invocation, application environment management, and supervision of managed and unmanaged applications.

System.CodeDom
Contains classes that can be used to represent the elements and structures of a source code document.
System.CodeDom.Compiler
Contains classes that can be used to manage the generation and compilation of source code written in a supported programming language, based on the structure of the Code Document Object Model (CodeDOM) source model.
System.Collections
Contains interfaces and classes that define a variety of object collections, such as lists, queues, bit arrays, hash tables, and dictionaries.
System.Collections.Specialized
Contains a dedicated, strongly typed collection, such as a linked table dictionary, a bit vector, and a collection that contains only strings.
System.ComponentModel
Provides classes for implementing Run-time and design-time behavior of components and controls. This namespace includes base classes and interfaces for the implementation of properties and type converters, data source bindings, and component authorization.
System.ComponentModel.Design
Enables developers to build custom user interface controls and include these controls in a design-time environment for use with vendor controls.
System.ComponentModel.Design.Serialization
Provides component serialization support for the designer. Classes in this namespace can be used to provide custom serializers, manage specific types of serialization, manage designer loads and designer serialization, and optimize the design to add new loads.
System.Configuration
Provides classes and interfaces that enable you to programmatically access the. NET Framework configuration settings and to process the errors in the configuration file (. config file).
System.Configuration.Assemblies
Contains classes that are used to configure assemblies.
System.Configuration.Install
Provides classes that enable you to write custom installers for your own components. The Installer class is the base class for all custom installers in the. NET framework.
System.Data
Basically consists of classes that make up the ado.net structure. The ado.net structure enables you to build components that can be used to efficiently manage data from multiple data sources. In disconnected scenarios, such as the Internet, Ado.net provides tools to request, update, and coordinate data in multi-tier systems. The ado.net structure can also be implemented in an HTML page created by a client application, such as a Windows form, or asp.net.
System.Data.Common
Contains classes that are shared by the. NET data provider.. NET data providers describe a collection of classes that are used to access a data source, such as a database, in a managed space.
System.Data.OleDb
Encapsulates an OLE DB. NET data provider. The. NET DataSource describes a collection of classes that are used to access a data source, such as a database, in a managed space.
System.Data.SqlClient
Encapsulates a SQL Server. NET data provider. The. NET DataSource describes a collection of classes that are used to access a data source, such as a database, in a managed space.
System.Data.SqlTypes
Provides a class for native data types in SQL Server. These classes provide a more secure, faster alternative to other data types. Using classes in this namespace helps to prevent type conversion errors that occur in situations where precision loss can occur.
System.Diagnostics
Provides classes that allow you to interact with system processes, event logs, and performance counters. This namespace also provides classes that enable you to debug applications and trace code execution. For more information, see the Trace and Debug classes.
System.Diagnostics.SymbolStore
Provides classes that enable you to read and write debug symbol information, such as the source rows of Microsoft intermediate language (MSIL) mappings. Compilers that target the. NET framework can store debug symbol information in a programmer's database (PDB) file. The debugger and the Code Analyzer tool can read debug symbol information at run time.
System.DirectoryServices
Provides a way to easily access Active Directory from managed code.
System.Drawing
Provides access to GDI + basic graphics functionality. The System.Drawing.Drawing2D, System.Drawing.Imaging, and System.Drawing.Text namespaces provide more advanced functionality.
System.Drawing.Design
Contains classes that extend design-time user interface (UI) logic and drawing. You can further extend this design-time functionality to create custom toolbox items, type-specific value editors (which can edit and graphically represent values of supported types), or type converters (which can convert values between specific types).
System.Drawing.Drawing2D
Provides advanced two-dimensional and vector graphics capabilities. This namespace includes a gradient brush, a Matrix class (for defining geometric transformations), and a GraphicsPath class.
System.Drawing.Imaging
Provides advanced GDI + image processing capabilities. Basic graphics functionality is provided by the System.Drawing namespace.
System.Drawing.Printing
Provide printing-related services.
System.Drawing.Text
Provides advanced GDI + layout features. Basic graphics functionality is provided by the System.Drawing namespace. Classes in this namespace enable users to create and use a collection of fonts.
System.EnterpriseServices
Provide an important infrastructure for enterprise-class applications. COM + provides a service structure for the component programming model that is deployed in enterprise-level environments. This namespace provides access to COM + services to. NET Framework objects, making the. NET Framework objects more applicable to enterprise applications.
System.EnterpriseServices.CompensatingResourceManager
Provides classes that enable you to use Compensation Resource Manager (CRM) in managed code. CRM is a service provided by COM + that enables you to include Non-transactional objects in Microsoft Distributed Transaction Coordinator (DTC) transactions. Although CRM does not provide full resource Manager functionality, they provide transactional atomicity (all or nothing) and persistence through recovery logs.
System.Globalization
Contains classes that define culture-related information, including the language, country/region, the calendar in use, the format pattern of the date, currency, numbers, and the sort order of the strings.
System.IO
Contains types that allow synchronous and asynchronous reading and writing of data streams and files.
System.IO.IsolatedStorage
Contains types that allow the creation and use of isolated storage. By using these stores, you can read data that is not accessible to less-trusted code, and can prevent sensitive information from being exposed to other locations in the file system. The data is stored in a data compartment separate from the current user and the assembly in which the code resides.
System.Management
Provides access to a rich set of management information and management events, which are systems, devices, and applications that conform to the Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI) infrastructure.
System.Management.Instrumentation
Provides the classes necessary to standardize application management and expose management information and events to potential consumers through WMI. This way, users such as Microsoft Application Center or Microsoft Operations Manager can easily manage your application. Administrator scripts or other applications (managed applications and unmanaged applications) can also monitor and configure your application.
System.Messaging
Provides classes that enable you to connect, monitor, and manage message queues on a network and send, receive, or view messages.
System.Net
Provides a simple programming interface for a variety of protocols used in the current network. The WebRequest and WebResponse classes form the basis of a so-called pluggable protocol, an implementation of a network service that allows you to develop applications that use Internet resources without having to consider the specifics of each protocol.
System.Net.Sockets
Provides a managed implementation of the Windows socket (Winsock) interface for developers who require strict control over network access.
System.Reflection
Contains classes and interfaces that provide managed views of loaded types, methods, and fields, and the ability to dynamically create and invoke types.
System.Reflection.Emit
Contains classes that allow the compiler or tool to emit metadata and Microsoft intermediate language (MSIL) and generate a PE file (optional) on disk. The primary clients of these classes are the scripting engine and the compiler.
System.Resources
Provides classes and interfaces that allow developers to create, store, and manage various culture-specific resources used in applications.
System.Runtime.CompilerServices
Provides functionality for compiler writers that use managed code to specify properties in metadata that affects run-time behavior of the common language runtime. The classes in this namespace are used only for compiler writers.
System.Runtime.InteropServices
Provides a collection of classes that are used to access COM objects and native APIs from. NET. Types in this namespace fall into the following ribbon: Properties, exceptions, managed definitions of COM types, wrappers, type converters, and Marshal classes.
System.Runtime.InteropServices.Expando
Contains the IExpando interface, which allows the object to be modified by adding or removing members of the object.
System.Runtime.Remoting
Provides classes and interfaces that allow developers to create and configure distributed applications.
System.Runtime.Remoting.Activation
Provides classes and objects that support server and client remote object activation.
System.Runtime.Remoting.Channels
Contains classes that support and process channel and channel sinks, which are used as transport vectors when a client invokes a method on a remote object.
System.Runtime.Remoting.Channels.Http
Contains channels that use HTTP protocols to transmit messages and objects to and from remote locations. By default, HTTP channels encode objects and method calls in a SOAP format for transmission, but other encoding and decoding formatter sinks can also be specified in the configuration properties of the channel.
System.Runtime.Remoting.Channels.Tcp
Contains channels that use TCP protocols to transmit messages and objects to and from remote locations. By default, TCP channels encode objects and method calls in binary format for transmission, but other encoding and decoding formatter sinks can also be specified in the configuration properties of the channel.