Sample Chapter: The .NET Base Class Libraries

Microsoft Visual C++ .NET 2003 Kick Start Chapter 3: The .NET Base Class Libraries. By Kate Gregory for Sams Publishing

In This Chapter

• Libraries Shared Across Languages

• Namespaces in C++

• The System Namespace

• Other Useful Namespaces

• In Brief

Libraries Shared Across Languages

When you write managed C++, you have access to all of the managed code libraries that come with the .NET Framework: the Base Class Libraries, ADO.NET, ASP.NET, and so on. These libraries are modern and powerful. They provide services, such as XML processing, that weren't even thought of when older libraries such as MFC and ATL were first written.

In sharp contrast to the historical capabilities of C++ and Visual Basic, on the .NET Framework these two languages share the same class libraries. Every library class and method that's available from Visual Basic is available from managed C++ and from C#. Every library class and method that's available from C# is available from Visual Basic and Managed C++.

The advantages of a shared class library are many. They include

• Reduced learning time when moving from one .NET-supported language to another

• A larger body of samples and documentation, because these do not need to be language specific

• Better communication between programmers who work in different .NET-supported languages