Essential Guide to Managed Extensions for C++

by Challa, Siva

• ISBN13: 9781893115286
• ISBN10: 1893115283
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2002-02-01
• Publisher: Apress

Summary

Features how to write .NET applications using C++, and how to mix unmanaged and managed C++ code in the same application Details when and why to use unmanaged code in .NET developments Includes code samples with detailed explanations in every chapterTheEssential Guide to Managed Extensions for C++is a comprehensive guide for programmers writing code in Managed Extensions for C++ (MC++). The information in this book comes straight from the horses mouthboth authors have been key members of the Visual C++ .NET compiler development team and have spent most of their time implementing the language and educating others about managed C++.The book is divided into two parts. Part One covers the basics of MC++. It starts with an introduction to MC++, and gives a brief overview of the .NET Framework. Next, it delves directly into the various features of MC++, including managed classes, interfaces, value types, properties, enumerations, pointers, arrays, operators, delegates, attributes, events, and exceptions.Part Two of the book is devoted to the transition between the managed and unmanaged worlds. It starts with a general introduction to interoperability between managed and unmanaged code. The following chapters describe the Platform Invoke service, interoperability between COM and .NET, and various data marshaling techniques. The last chapter of Part Two shows how MC++ can be used to write interoperability layers over existing components with minimal overhead.

Author Biography

Siva Challa is a member of the Visual C++ compiler development team at Microsoft. He has a Ph.D. in computer science from Virginia Tech

Table of Contents

Foreword	xv
Mark L. Hall
Foreword	xvii
Stanley Lippman
Preface	xxi
Acknowledgments	xxiii
About the Authors	xxv
Introduction	xxvii
Part One: Basics	1	(183)
Hello, World!	3	(6)
The .NET Framework	9	(10)
Managed Classes	19	(26)
Interfaces	45	(10)
Value Types	55	(12)
Pointers, References, and Conversions	67	(14)
Arrays	81	(12)
Enumerations	93	(8)
Properties	101	(10)
Operators	111	(14)
Attributes	125	(14)
Delegates	139	(16)
Events	155	(16)
Exceptions	171	(13)
Part Two: Interoperability	184	(113)
Transition from Native to Managed Code	187	(14)
Platform Invoke Service	201	(18)
Accessing COM Components from .NET	219	(28)
Accessing .NET Components from COM	247	(14)
Data Marshaling between COM and .NET	261	(18)
Managed Wrappers for Native Types	279	(18)
Appendix A: Compiling the Code	297	(8)
Appendix B: Metadata	305	(14)
Appendix C: Assemblies	319	(12)
Index	331