CHAPTER 14 BUILDING AND CONFIGURING CLASS LIBRARIES
Figure 14-25. XML configuration files are fully documented in the .NET help system
Summary
This chapter examined the role of .NET class libraries (a.k.a. .NET *.dlls). As you have seen, class
libraries are .NET binaries that contain logic intended to be reused across a variety of projects. Recall
that libraries can be deployed in two primary ways, specifically privately or shared. Private assemblies
are deployed to the client folder or a subdirectory thereof, provided you have a proper XML
configuration file. Shared assemblies are libraries that can be used by any application on the machine,
and can also be influenced by the settings in a client-side configuration file.
You learned how shared assemblies are marked with a “strong name,” which essentially establishes
a unique identify for a library in the eyes of the CLR. As well, you learned about various command-line
tools (sn.exe and gacutil.exe) that are used during the development and deployment of shared
libraries.
The chapter wrapped up by examining the role of publisher policies and the process of storing and
retrieving custom settings using the System.Configuration namespace.
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