| .NET Framework 3.5 |
| While a basic knowledge of the .NET Framework is assumed, this description focuses on the technologies added in the .NET Framework 3.0 and 3.5. The goal is to make clear what this widely used foundation for Windows applications provides today. The following sections provide a big-picture view of the .NET Framework 3.5. |
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| NET Framework 3.5 Architecture |
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| The .NET Framework version 3.5 builds upon the .NET Framework version 2.0 and the .NET Framework version 3.0, including service packs for the.NET Framework versions 2.0 and 3.0. This topic briefly describes the relationship of the .NET Framework versions 2.0, 3.0, and 3.5. |
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Figure 1 Extracting Multiple Resultsets from a DataReader |
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| The following are considered to be a part of the .NET Framework 3.5: |
| .NET Framework 2.0 |
| .NET Framework 2.0 service pack 1, which updates assemblies that are included in the |
| .NET Framework 2.0. |
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.NET Framework 3.0, which uses the assemblies that exist in the .NET Framework 2.0, or .NET Framework 2.0 SP1 if it has been installed, and includes the assemblies that are necessary for the technologies that are introduced in the .NET Framework 3.0. For example, PresentationFramework.dll and PresentationCore.dll, which are necessary for Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF), are installed with the .NET Framework 3.0.
.NET Framework 3.0 service pack 1, which updates the assemblies that were introduced in .NET Framework 3.0.
New assemblies that provide additional functionality to the .NET Framework 2.0 and 3.0 and the technologies that are new to the .NET Framework 3.5.
If any of these are missing when the .NET Framework 3.5 is installed on a computer, they are installed automatically.
An application uses the same assemblies regardless of whether it targets the .NET Framework version 2.0, 3.0, or 3.5. For example, an application that uses WPF and targets the .NET Framework 3.0 uses the same instance of the mscorlib assembly as an application that uses Windows Forms and targets the .NET Framework 2.0. If the .NET Framework 2.0 SP1 has been installed on the computer, mscorlib.dll has been updated, and both applications use the updated version of mscorlib.dll. |
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Note: |
| The relationship of the .NET Framework versions 2.0, 3.0, and 3.5 differs from the relationship of versions 1.0, 1.1, and 2.0. The .NET Framework versions 1.0, 1.1, and 2.0 are completely separate from each other, and one version can be present on a computer regardless of whether the other versions are present. When versions 1.0, 1.1, and 2.0 are on the same computer, each version has its own common language runtime, class libraries, compiler, and so forth. Applications can choose whether to target version 1.0, 1.1, or 2.0. |
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| What Is Included in the .NET Framework 3.5 |
| This section summarizes the technologies that are in the .NET Framework 2.0, technologies that are in .NET Framework 3.0, and the features that are in the .NET Framework 3.5. This list is not exhaustive; it lists just some of the major technologies that ship in the .NET Framework. |
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| .NET Framework 2.0 |
| The following technologies shipped with the .NET Framework 2.0. |
Common language runtime (CLR).
Support for generic types and methods.
Compilers for C#, Visual Basic, C++, and J#.
Base class libraries.
ADO.NET.
ASP.NET.
Windows Forms.
Web services. |
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| .NET Framework 2.0 SP 1 |
| The .NET Framework 2.0 service pack 1 updates the CLR and several assemblies that shipped with the .NET Framework 2.0 and can be installed independent of the .NET Framework 3.5. Most of the updates to .NET Framework 2.0 are nonbreaking changes, but there are a few cases where new API elements are added or behavior has changed. If your application relies on new or changed functionality, it is recommended that your application target the .NET Framework 3.5. If your application relies on changes that shipped with .NET Framework 2.0 SP1, then you can have your application target the .NET Framework 2.0 and ask your customers to download the .NET Framework 2.0 SP1. |
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| .NET Framework 3.0 |
The .NET Framework 3.0 requires the .NET Framework 2.0 to be installed on the computer. If a user installs the .NET Framework 3.0 on a computer that does not have the .NET Framework 2.0, the .NET Framework 2.0 is installed automatically.
The following technologies are introduced with the .NET Framework 3.0:
Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF).
Windows Communications Foundation (WCF).
Windows Workflow Foundation (WF). |
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| .NET Framework 3.0 SP 1 |
The .NET Framework 3.0 service pack 1 updates several assemblies that shipped with .NET Framework 3.0 and can be installed independent of the .NET Framework 3.5. The updates include nonbreaking changes, new API elements, and additional functionality to the technologies that shipped with .NET Framework 3.0. If your application relies on new functionality, it is recommended that your application target the .NET Framework 3.5. If your application relies on changes that shipped with .NET Framework 3.0 SP1, then you can have your application target .NET Framework 3.0 and ask your customers to download the .NET Framework 3.0 SP1.
Installing the .NET Framework 3.0 SP1 installs the .NET Framework 2.0 SP1 if it is not already on the computer. |
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| .NET Framework 3.5 |
| The .NET Framework 3.5 introduces new features for the technologies in 2.0 and 3.0 and additional technologies in the form of new assemblies. The following technologies are introduced with the .NET Framework 3.5: |
LINQ.
New compilers for C#, Visual Basic, and C++.
ASP.NET AJAX.
Additional types in the Base class library. |
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| What's New in the .NET Framework Version 3.5 |
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| The .NET Compact Framework version 3.5 expands support for distributed mobile applications by including the Windows Communication Foundation (WCF) technology. It also adds new language features such as LINQ, new APIs based on community feedback, and improves debugging with updated diagnostic tools and features. |
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ASP.NET |
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The .NET Framework 3.5 includes enhancements in targeted areas of ASP.NET and Visual Web Developer. The most significant advance is improved support for the development of AJAX-enabled Web sites. ASP.NET supports server-centric AJAX development with a set of new server controls and APIs. You can enable an existing ASP.NET 2.0 page for AJAX by adding a ScriptManager control and an UpdatePanel control so that the page can update without requiring a full page refresh.
ASP.NET also supports client-centric AJAX development with a new client library called the Microsoft AJAX Library. The Microsoft AJAX Library supports client-centric, object-oriented development, which is browser-independent. By using the library classes in your ECMAScript (JavaScript) you can enable rich UI behaviors without roundtrips to the server. You can mix the degree of server-centric and client-centric development to meet the needs of your application. Furthermore, Visual Web Developer includes improved IntelliSense support for JavaScript and support for the Microsoft AJAX Library.
ASP.NET and Visual Web Developer now support the creation of both ASMX and WCF-based Web services and the seamless use of either implementation from Web pages using Microsoft AJAX Library. Furthermore, server-side application services including forms authentication, roles management, and profiles are now exposed as Web services that can be consumed in WCF-compatible applications, including client script and Window Forms clients. ASP.NET enables all Web-based applications to share these common application services.
Other improvements in ASP.NET include a new data control, ListView, for displaying data; a new data source control, LinqDataSource, that exposes Language Integrated Query (LINQ) to Web developers through the ASP.NET data source control architectures; a new tool, ASP.NET Merge Tool (Aspnet_merge.exe), for merging precompiled assemblies; and tight integration with IIS 7.0. ListView is a highly customizable control (using templates and styles) that also supports edit, insert, and delete operations, as well as sorting and paging functionality. The paging functionality for ListView is provided by a new control called DataPager. You can use the merge tool to combine assemblies to support a range of deployment and release management scenarios. The integration of ASP.NET and IIS 7.0 includes the ability to use ASP.NET services, such as authentication and caching, for any content type. It also includes the ability to develop server pipeline modules in ASP.NET managed code and supports unified configuration of modules and handlers.
Other improvements in Visual Web Developer include multitargeting support, inclusion of Web Application Projects, a new Design view, new Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) design tools, and support for LINQ for SQL databases. Multitargeting enables you to use Visual Web Developer to target development of Web applications to specific versions of the .NET Framework, including versions 2.0, 3.0, and 3.5. |
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Add-Ins and Extensibility |
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| The System.AddIn.dll assembly in the .NET Framework 3.5 provides powerful and flexible support to developers of extensible applications. It introduces a new architecture and model that helps developers with the initial work to add extensibility to an application and by ensuring that their extensions continue working as the host application changes. The model provides the following features: |
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| Discovery |
| You can easily find and manage sets of add-ins in multiple locations on a computer with the AddInStore class. You can use this class to search for and obtain information about add-ins by their base types without having to load them. |
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| Activation |
| After an application chooses an add-in, the AddInToken class makes it easy to activate. Simply choose the isolation and sandboxing level and the system takes care of the rest. |
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| Isolation |
| There is built-in support for application domains and process isolation of add-ins. The isolation level for each add-in is in the control of the host. The system handles loading application domains and processes and shutting them down after their add-ins have stopped running. |
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| Sandboxing |
| You can easily configure add-ins with either a default or customized trust level. Support includes Internet, Intranet, Full Trust, and "same-as-host" permission sets, as well as overloads that let the host specify a custom permission set. |
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| UI Composition |
| The add-in model supports direct composition of Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF) controls that span application domain boundaries. You can easily allow add-ins to contribute directly to the UI of the host while still retaining the benefits of isolation, ability to unload, sandboxing, and versioning. |
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| Versioning |
| The add-in architecture makes it possible for hosts to introduce new versions of their object model without breaking existing add-ins or impacting the developer experience for new ones. |
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Common Language Runtime |
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| Collections |
| HashSet<(Of <(T>)>) provides high performance set operations to the .NET Framework. A set is a collection that contains no duplicate elements, and whose elements are in no particular order. For more information, see HashSet Collection Type. |
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| Diagnostics |
The EventSchemaTraceListener class provides tracing of end-to-end, schema-compliant events. You can use end-to-end tracing for a system that has heterogeneous components that cross thread, AppDomain, process, and computer boundaries. A standardized event schema has been defined to enable tracing across these boundaries. This schema is shared by various tracing technologies, including Windows Vista diagnostics tools such as Event Viewer. The schema also enables the addition of custom, schema-compliant elements.
The EventSchemaTraceListener class is tuned for logging performance with implicit support for lock-free tracing. |
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| I/O and Pipes |
| Pipes provide interprocess communication between any processes running on the same computer, or on any other Windows computer within a network. The .NET Framework provides access to two types of pipes: anonymous pipes and named pipes. For more information about pipes, |
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| Garbage Collection |
The GCSettings class has a new LatencyMode property that you can use to adjust the time that the garbage collector intrudes in your application. You set this property to one of the values of the new GCLatencyMode enumeration.
The GC class has a new Collect(Int32, GCCollectionMode) method overload that you can use to adjust the behavior for a forced garbage collection. For example, you can use this overload to specify that the garbage collector should determine whether the current time is optimal to reclaim objects. This overload takes a value from the new GCCollectionMode enumeration. |
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| Reflection and Reflection Emit in Partial Trust |
| Assemblies that run with partial trust can now emit code and execute it. Emitted code that calls only public types and methods needs no permissions beyond the permissions demanded by the types and methods that are accessed. The new DynamicMethod(String, Type, array<Type>[]()[]) constructor makes it easy to emit such code. |
| When emitted code needs to access private data, the new DynamicMethod(String, Type, array<Type>[]()[], Boolean) constructor allows restricted access. The host must grant ReflectionPermission with the new RestrictedMemberAccess flag to enable this feature, which gives emitted code the ability to access private data only for types and methods in assemblies with equal or lesser trust levels. |
| For reflection, a host grant of RestrictedMemberAccess similarly allows restricted use of methods that access private properties, call private methods, and so on, but only for target assemblies with equal or lesser trust levels. |
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| Threading |
| Better Reader/Writer Lock |
| The new ReaderWriterLockSlim class provides performance that is significantly better than ReaderWriterLock, and comparable with the lock statement (SyncLock in Visual Basic). Transitions between lock states have been simplified to make programming easier and to reduce the chances of deadlocks. The new class supports recursion to simplify migration from lock and from ReaderWriterLock. |
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| ThreadPool Performance Enhancements |
| Throughput for the dispatch of work items and I/O tasks in the managed thread pool is significantly improved. Dispatch is now handled in managed code, without transitions to unmanaged code and with fewer locks. The use of ThreadPool is recommended over application-specific thread pool implementations. |
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| Time Zone Improvements |
| Two new types, DateTimeOffset and TimeZoneInfo, improve support for time zones and make it easier to develop applications that work with dates and times in different time zones. For a discussion of which type to use in particular situations, |
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| TimeZoneInfo |
| The new TimeZoneInfo class largely supplants the existing TimeZone class. You can use TimeZoneInfo to retrieve any time zone defined in the registry, rather than just the local time zone and Coordinated Universal Time (UTC). You can also use this class to define custom time zones, to serialize and deserialize custom time zone data, and to convert times between time zones. For more information about developing applications that use the TimeZoneInfo class. |
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| DateTimeOffset |
| The new DateTimeOffset structure extends the DateTime structure to make working with times across time zones easier. The DateTimeOffset structure stores date and time information as a UTC date and time together with an offset value that indicates how much the time differs from UTC. |
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Cryptography |
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| ClickOnce Manifests |
| There are new cryptography classes for verifying and obtaining information about manifest signatures for ClickOnce applications. The ManifestSignatureInformation class obtains information about a manifest signature when you use its VerifySignature method overloads. You can use the ManifestKinds enumeration to specify which manifests to verify. The result of the verification is one of the SignatureVerificationResult enumeration values. The ManifestSignatureInformationCollection provides a read-only collection of ManifestSignatureInformation objects of the verified signatures. In addition, the following classes provide specific signature information: |
StrongNameSignatureInformation
Holds the strong name signature information for a manifest.
AuthenticodeSignatureInformation
Represents the Authenticode signature information for a manifest.
TimestampInformation
Contains information about the time stamp on an Authenticode signature.
TrustStatus
Provides a simple way to check whether an Authenticode signature is trusted. |
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| Suite B Support |
The .NET Framework 3.5 supports the Suite B set of cryptographic algorithms published by the National Security Agency (NSA). For the NSA documentation,
The following algorithms are included:
Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) with key sizes of 128 and 256 bits for encryption.
Secure Hash Algorithm (SHA-256 and SHA-384) for hashing.
Elliptic Curve Digital Signature Algorithm (ECDSA) using curves of 256-bit and 384-bit prime moduli for signing. This algorithm is provided by the ECDsaCng class. It allows you to sign with a private key and verify with a public key.
Elliptic Curve Diffie-Hellman (ECDH) using curves of 256 and 384-bit prime moduli for key exchange/secret agreement. This algorithm is provided by the ECDiffieHellmanCng class.
Managed code wrappers for the Federal Information Processing Standard (FIPS) certified implementations of the AES, SHA-256, and SHA-384 implementations are available in the new AesCryptoServiceProvider, SHA256CryptoServiceProvider, and SHA384CryptoServiceProvider classes.
The Cryptography Next Generation (CNG) classes provide a managed implementation of the native Crypto API (CAPI). Central to this group is the CngKey key container class, which abstracts the storage and use of CNG keys. This class allows you to store a key pair or a public key securely and refer to it using a simple string name. The ECDsaCng and ECDiffieHellmanCng classes use CngKey objects.
The CngKey class is used for a variety of additional operations, including opening, creating, deleting, and exporting keys. It also provides access to the underlying key handle to use when calling native APIs directly.
There are a variety of supporting CNG classes, such as CngProvider, which maintains a key storage provider, CngAlgorithm, which maintains a CNG algorithm, and CngProperty, which maintains commonly used key properties. |
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Networking |
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| Peer-to-Peer Networking |
| Peer-to-peer networking is a serverless networking technology that allows several network devices to share resources and communicate directly with each other. The System.Net.PeerToPeer namespace provides a set of classes that support the Peer Name Resolution Protocol (PNRP) that allows the discovery of other peer nodes through PeerName objects registered within a peer-to-peer cloud. PNRP can resolve peer names to IPv6 or IPv4 IP addresses. |
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| Collaboration Using Peer-to-Peer Networking |
| The System.Net.PeerToPeer.Collaboration namespace provides a set of classes that support collaboration using the Peer-to-Peer networking infrastructure. These classes simplify the process by which applications can: |
Track peer presence without a server.
Send invitations to participants.
Discover peers on the same subnet or LAN.
Manage contacts.
Interact with peers. |
| Microsoft's Peer-to-Peer collaboration infrastructure provides a peer-to-peer network-based framework for collaborative serverless activities. Use of this framework enables decentralized networking applications that use the collective power of computers over a subnet or the Internet. These types of applications can be used for activities such as collaborative planning, communication, content distribution, or even multiplayer game matchmaking. |
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| Socket Performance Enhancements |
| The Socket class has been enhanced for use by applications that use asynchronous network I/O to achieve the highest performance. A series of new classes have been added as part of a set of enhancements to the Socket namespace. These classes provide an alternative asynchronous pattern that can be used by specialized high-performance socket applications. These enhancements were specifically designed for network server applications that require the high-performance. |
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Windows Communication Foundation |
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| WCF and WF Integration-Workflow Services |
| The .NET Framework 3.5 unifies the Windows Workflow Foundation (WF) and Windows Communication Foundation (WCF) frameworks so that you can use WF as a way to author WCF services or expose your existing WF workflow as a service. This enables you to create services that can be persisted, can easily transfer data in and out of a workflow, and can enforce application-level protocols. |
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| Durable Services |
| The .NET Framework 3.5 also introduces support for WCF services that use the WF persistence model to persist the state information of the service. These durable services persist their state information on the application layer, so that if a session is torn down and re-created later, the state information for that service can be reloaded from the persistence store. |
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| WCF Web Programming Model |
| The WCF Web Programming Model enables developers to build Web-style services with WCF. The Web Programming Model includes rich URI processing capability, support for all HTTP verbs including GET, and a simple programming model for working with a wide variety of message formats (including XML, JSON, and opaque binary streams). |
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| WCF Syndication |
| WCF now includes a strongly typed object model for processing syndication feeds, including both the Atom 1.0 and RSS 2.0 formats. |
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| WCF and Partial Trust |
| In .NET Framework 3.5, applications running with reduced permissions can use a limited subset of WCF features. Server applications running with ASP.NET Medium Trust permissions can use the WCF Service Model to create basic HTTP services. Client applications running with Internet Zone permissions (such as XAML Browser Applications or unsigned applications deployed with ClickOnce) can use the WCF proxies to consume HTTP services. In addition, the WCF Web Programming Model features (including AJAX and Syndication) are available for use by partially trusted applications. |
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| WCF and ASP.NET AJAX Integration |
| The integration of WCF with the Asynchronous JavaScript and XML (AJAX) capabilities in ASP.NET provides an end-to-end programming model for building Web applications that can use WCF services. In AJAX-style Web applications, the client (for example, the browser in a Web application) exchanges small amounts of data with the server by using asynchronous requests. Integration with AJAX features in ASP.NET provides an easy way to build WCF Web services that are accessible by using client JavaScript in the browser. |
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| Web Services Interoperability |
In the .NET Framework 3.5, Microsoft maintains its commitment to interoperability and public standards and introduces support for the new secure, reliable, and transacted Web services standards:
Web Services Reliable Messaging v1.1
Web Services Reliable Messaging Policy Assertion v1.1
WS-SecureConversation v1.3
WS-Trust v1.3
WS-SecurityPolicy v1.2
Web Services Atomic Transaction (WS-AtomicTransaction) Version 1.1
Web Services Coordination (WS-Coordination) Version 1.1
Web Services Policy 1.5 - Framework
Web Services Policy 1.5 - Attachment
Implementation of these protocols is made available using the new standard bindings, <ws2007HttpBinding> and <ws2007FederationHttpBinding>, which are documented in the Web Services Protocols Interoperability Guide. |
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Windows Presentation Foundation |
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| In the .NET Framework 3.5, Windows Presentation Foundation contains changes and improvements in numerous areas, including versioning, the application model, data binding, controls, documents, annotations, and 3-D UI elements. |
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Windows Workflow Foundation |
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| WCF and WF Integration-Workflow Services |
| The .NET Framework 3.5 unifies the Windows Workflow Foundation (WF) and Windows Communication Foundation (WF) frameworks so that you can use WF as a way to author WCF services or expose your existing WF workflow as a service. This enables you to create services that can be persisted, can easily transfer data in and out of a workflow, and can enforce application-level protocols. |
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| Rules |
| The WF rules engine now supports extension methods, operator overloading, and the use of the new operator in your rules. |
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Windows Forms |
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| ClickOnce Improvements |
| Several improvements have been made to ClickOnce. Improvements include deployment from multiple locations and third-party branding. The Mage.exe tool, which is sometimes used together with ClickOnce, has been updated for the .NET Framework 3.5. |
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| Authentication, Roles, and Settings Services |
Client application services are new in the .NET Framework 3.5 and enable Windows-based applications (including Windows Forms and Windows Presentation Foundation applications) to easily access the ASP.NET login, roles, and profile services. These services enable you to authenticate users and retrieve user roles and application settings from a shared server.
You can enable client application services by specifying and configuring client service providers in your application configuration file or in the Visual Studio Project Designer. These providers plug into the Web extensibility model and enable you to access the Web services through existing .NET Framework login, roles, and settings APIs. Client application services also support occasional connectivity by storing and retrieving user information from a local data cache when the application is offline.
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| Windows Vista Support |
| Existing Windows Forms applications work seamlessly on Windows Vista, and they are upgraded to have the same appearance as applications written specifically for Windows Vista whenever possible. Common file dialog boxes are automatically updated to the Windows Vista version. The .NET Framework 3.5 also supports the User Account Control (UAC) Shield icon. |
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| WPF support |
| You can use Windows Forms to host Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF) controls and content together with Windows Forms controls. You can also open WPF windows from a Windows Form. |
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LINQ |
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Language-Integrated Query (LINQ) is a new feature in Visual Studio 2008 and the .NET Framework 3.5. LINQ extends powerful query capabilities to the language syntax of C# and Visual Basic in the form of standard, easily-learned query patterns. This technology can be extended to support potentially any kind of data store. The .NET Framework 3.5 includes LINQ provider assemblies that enable the use of LINQ for querying .NET Framework collections, SQL Server databases, ADO.NET Datasets, and XML documents.
The components of LINQ that are part of the .NET Framework 3.5 are:
The System.Linq namespace, which contains the set of standard query operators and types and interfaces that are used in the infrastructure of a LINQ query. This namespace is in the System.Core.dll assembly.
The System.Data.Linq namespace, which contains classes that support interaction with relational databases in LINQ to SQL applications.
The System.Data.Linq.Mapping namespace, which contains classes that can be used to generate a LINQ to SQL object model that represents the structure and content of a relational database.
The System.Xml.Linq namespace, which contains the classes for LINQ to XML. LINQ to XML is an in-memory XML programming interface that enables you to modify XML documents efficiently and easily. Using LINQ to XML, you can load XML, serialize XML, create XML trees from scratch, manipulate in-memory XML trees, and validate by using XSD. You can also use a combination of these features to transform XML trees from one shape into another.
New types in the System.Web.UI.WebControls and System.Web.UI.Design.WebControls namespaces. These new types, such as LinqDataSource, support the use of LINQ in ASP.NET Web pages through a data source control.
The DataRowComparer, DataRowExtensions, and DataTableExtensions classes in the System.Data namespace support LINQ queries against ADO.NET DataSet objects.
In the class library, the LINQ extension methods that apply to a class are listed in the members page for the class, in the Contents pane, and in the Index pane.
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Expression Trees |
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Expression trees are new in the .NET Framework 3.5, and provide a way to represent language-level code in the form of data. The System.Linq.Expressions namespace contains the types that are the building blocks of expression trees. These types can be used to represent different types of code expressions, for example a method call or an equality comparison.
Expression trees are used extensively in LINQ queries that target remote data sources such as a SQL database. These queries are represented as expression trees, and this representation enables query providers to examine them and translate them into a domain-specific query language.
The System.Linq.Expressions namespace is in the System.Core.dll assembly. |
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Programming Languages |
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| Three Microsoft programming languages explicitly target the .NET Framework. For more information about new and enhanced features in these languages, see the following topics: |
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| Building Modern Applications |
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| To get a better feel for what the .NET Framework 3.5 provides, it's useful to dig a little deeper into its components. This section provides a short tutorial on each of the technologies spotlighted earlier. Creating a modern application is not a simple task-the requirements are substantial. Traditional concerns such as creating effective business logic and allowing access via a Web browser are still important, but they're no longer enough. Modern applications present a range of new challenges, including the following: |
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| Users increasingly expect Web browser interfaces to act like installed Windows applications. Loading a new page whenever something has changed is no longer sufficient-it's just too slow. What's needed is better support for responsive browser applications. |
| Data remains central to most applications. How that data can be represented, however, has expanded considerably. Relational data is still important, as is mapping between objects and relations. Yet the amount of data represented using XML continues to increase, a trend that's not likely to change. And even though it's not always viewed in this way, a running program's objects also contain data. A technology that allowed consistent access to diverse data would help developers create applications in less time and with fewer errors. |
| Applications commonly communicate with other applications, both inside and outside the organization. Modern applications also must often fit into a service-oriented architecture (SOA), exposing some of their functionality as interoperable services accessible by other software. Achieving these goals requires support for service-oriented applications. |
Organizations are increasingly taking a process-oriented view of what they do. Since most applications automate some part of a business process, it can be useful to make the steps in this process explicit in the code. An effective way to do this is by using workflow technology, an approach that requires support for workflow-based applications. |
| The requirements for a modern user interface have grown significantly. Providing real business value can commonly require working with various kinds of documents, using two- and three-dimensional graphics, displaying video, and more. Meeting these needs requires a unified approach to diverse user interfaces. |
| The people who use an application commonly need a way to convey information about who they are. Many different technologies for defining and using a digital identity are in use, and problems such as phishing are common. Given this, a modern application and the people who use it can benefit from consistent user control of digital identities. |
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| Given that today's applications commonly need to tackle some or all of these challenges, the platform those applications are built on should also address all of them. The goal of the .NET Framework 3.5 is to do this for Windows software. |
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| Challenges with the .NET Framework 3.5 |
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| The .NET Framework 3.5 contains a number of technologies that can help developers solve the problems just described. Some were part of the .NET Framework 3.0, while others are new with the 3.5 release. This section introduces the most important of these technologies. |
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| ASP.NET AJAX: Support for Responsive Browser Applications |
Web browsers are the most popular user interface for new applications. Still, they've traditionally suffered from a significant limitation: Each new request from a user requires a round-trip to the Web server, commonly resulting in loading a new page. A more intelligent-and faster-approach would be to access data in the background whenever possible, then update only those parts of the page that change. Users would see much more responsive applications, since they would spend less time waiting for new pages to be loaded.
This is exactly what's done by the AJAX approach to building Web applications. Rather than load a new page for each user request, the browser asynchronously requests data in advance. The code that makes this request is typically written in JavaScript, and the data is often (although not always) formatted in XML. These three characteristics-Asynchronous JavaScript and XML-are the source of name AJAX.
Even though the core technologies that underlie AJAX first appeared in the 1999 release of Internet Explorer 5, this approach took several years to become popular. Today, however, AJAX is becoming the dominant style for new Web browser applications. Accordingly, the .NET Framework 3.5 now incorporates a technology called ASP.NET AJAX. An extension to the original ASP.NET, the goal is to make it easier for developers to create AJAX applications. |
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| Language-Integrated Query: Consistent Access to Diverse Data |
Most applications work with data in some way. That data can be represented in a variety of ways, including as tables in a relational database, in XML documents, and in objects held in memory. Accessing each of these kinds of data has traditionally required using a different approach. It's common to use SQL to work with relational data, for example, XQuery for XML data, and custom code for in-memory data. Yet since the intent is the same-accessing information-why not provide a common approach for all of these cases?
This is the goal of Language-Integrated Query (LINQ), a technology that's new with the .NET Framework 3.5. Rather than requiring specialized languages and a separate approach for each kind of data, LINQ adds a set of extensions to C# and VB that allow common access to diverse information. This technology covers a large area, including object/relational mapping and more. The goal is to make life simpler and more efficient for anybody who creates or maintains .NET Framework applications that work with data. |
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| Service-Oriented Applications |
| From the beginning, the .NET Framework has provided plenty of approaches to communication. Those choices include the following: |
| ASP.NET Web Services (commonly known as ASMX), providing interoperable SOAP-based communication. |
| .NET Remoting, focusing on communication between .NET applications. |
| Enterprise Services, offering support for scalable, transactional applications. |
| System.Messaging, supporting queued messaging via Microsoft Message Queuing (MSMQ). |
| Web Services Enhancements (WSE), an extension to ASP.NET Web Services that provides support for more recent specifications such as WS-Security. |
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All of these technologies have had a role to play. Yet why have several different solutions to address what is essentially the same problem? Why not instead create a single foundation for application communication?
This is exactly what's done by Windows Communication Foundation (WCF). Rather than requiring developers to use a different technology with a different application programming interface for each kind of communication, WCF provides a common approach using a common API. Originally released as part of the .NET Framework 3.0, WCF is now Microsoft's recommended approach for communication. Most applications that might have used one of the technologies just listed should instead use WCF for communication.
As the figure below shows, the basic model of WCF is simple: A client accesses some service, invoking operations as required. WCF doesn't mandate any particular host, and so developers are free to use this communication technology inside any host process. |
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WCF provides strong support for interoperable communication via SOAP, an essential part of modern computing. This includes support for several of the WS-* specifications, including WS-Security, WS-ReliableMessaging, and WS-AtomicTransaction. WCF doesn't require SOAP, however, and so other approaches can also be used, including an optimized binary protocol, queued messaging using MSMQ, and a simpler REST-based approach built directly on HTTP.
Communication between applications, whether within an organization or across organizations, is a fundamental part of modern software. The .NET Framework 3.5 addresses this challenge via the service-oriented approach of WCF. |
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| Windows Workflow Foundation: Support for Workflow-Based Applications |
A workflow is a simple idea: it's just a series of steps performed in some order. One might even argue that every application implements a workflow, since every application executes some process. Yet the traditional approach to creating an application using C# or Visual Basic or some other programming language is to make the steps in this process implicit in the code. This certainly works, but it also embeds the process itself deeply into a program's logic, making that process more difficult to create and to change.
Using workflow technology to implement process logic can be an effective way to address this problem. Rather than intertwining the logic in ordinary code, each step in the process is explicitly defined, then executed by a workflow engine. The result is a clean implementation of the process itself. With Windows Workflow Foundation (WF), Microsoft provides a common workflow technology for Windows, giving any workflow-based application a common foundation to build on. Since its release in the .NET Framework 3.0, WF has been used both in software provided by Microsoft, such as Windows SharePoint Services, and in applications created by other organizations.
But how can a single technology meet the diverse set of requirements presented by different workflow applications? The answer adopted by WF is to take a very general view of workflow. As the figure below shows, a WF workflow is just a group of activities that are executed by the WF engine in some order. Each activity is actually a class, and it can contain any work that the workflow's creator deems necessary. Activities can potentially be reused across different workflows, making it easier to create automated solutions to new problems. |
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| By providing a common workflow technology for Windows, WF makes this useful paradigm for building software generally available to developers. As a process-oriented view of software continues to gain in popularity, the use of workflow will likely grow as well. |
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| Windows Presentation Foundation: A Unified Approach to Diverse User Interfaces |
The user interface is an important part of nearly every application. Yet what users expect from those interfaces has advanced significantly. Traditional menu-driven GUIs are still required, of course, but applications may also need to display video, run animations, use two- and three-dimensional graphics, and work with various kinds of documents. And all of this must be possible whether the application is accessed from a standalone desktop client or via a Web browser.
Traditionally, all of these aspects of the user interface have been provided in different ways on Windows. For example, a developer can use Windows Forms, part of the .NET Framework, to build a Windows GUI. Creating a Web browser interface requires using HTML and perhaps Java applets or JavaScript code. Displaying video might rely on Windows Media Player or something else, while document formats might be defined by Microsoft Word or PDF or in another way. The challenge for developers is clear: building a coherent user interface for different kinds of clients using diverse technologies isn't simple.
A primary goal of Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF), originally released with the .NET Framework 3.0, is to address this challenge. By offering a consistent technical underpinning for all of these user interface aspects, WPF makes life simpler for developers. By taking a more modern approach, including support for video, animation, two- and three-dimensional graphics, and various kinds of documents, WPF can let users work with information in new ways. And by providing a common foundation for desktop clients and browser clients, WPF makes it easier to build applications that address both.
One challenge that has long faced the creators of user interfaces stems from the different roles required for building effective interfaces. Software developers are needed to create the logic behind the interface, but they're rarely the best people to define the interface's look and feel. Designers, specialists in human/machine interaction, are typically a much better choice for this role. Yet older technologies such as Windows Forms are focused entirely on the developer. There's no truly effective way for developers and designers to collaborate. To address this problem, WPF relies on the eXtensible Application Markup Language (XAML). An XML-based language, XAML allows specifying a user interface declaratively rather than in code. This makes it much easier for tools to generate and work with an interface specification based on the visual representation created by a designer. In fact, Microsoft provides Expression Blend to do exactly this. Designers can use this tool (and others provided by third parties) to create the look of an interface, then have a XAML definition of that interface generated for them. The developer reads this definition into Visual Studio, then creates the logic the interface requires.
When a developer creates a standalone WPF application, one that runs directly on Windows, she has access to everything WPF provides. To create a client that runs inside a Web browser, however, a developer can build a XAML browser application, commonly referred to as an XBAP. Built on the same foundation as a standalone WPF application, an XBAP allows presenting the same style of user interface within a downloadable browser application. The same code can potentially be used for both kinds of applications, which means that developers no longer need different skill sets for desktop and browser clients. As is typical for this kind of rich Internet application, an XBAP downloaded from the Internet runs in a secure sandbox, which limits what the application can do. Still, a large subset of the user interface functionality available to a standalone WPF application can also be used in an XBAP.
Both WPF standalone applications and XBAPs can take advantage of WPF's modern graphics support, including the ability to use hardware acceleration, support for vector graphics, and more. By making it easier to create 3D graphics, WPF makes available a range of data visualization options that aren't possible with Windows Forms or other earlier technologies. WPF also provides the foundation for the XML Paper Specification (XPS), which defines a standard format for viewing, distributing, and printing fixed-format documents.
User interfaces are a complex and important part of modern applications. Through WPF, the .NET Framework 3.5 presents a more complete and consistent solution to the challenges these interfaces present. The goal is to let people who create user interfaces-both developers and designers-do their jobs more effectively. |
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| Windows CardSpace: Consistent User Control of Digital Identities |
| Think about how people represent themselves today on the Internet. In the majority of cases, a person's digital identity is expressed as a simple username. Combined with a password, this identity is used to access email accounts, Internet merchants, and even on-line banks and other financial institutions. Yet despite their popularity, usernames and passwords have several drawbacks. Here are the two most important: |
| People have a hard time remembering all of the usernames and passwords they've chosen for different sites. Many people use the same values for different sites, easing the memory problem but increasing the security risk. |
| Usernames, passwords, and other personal information can be stolen by phishers. By sending deceptive emails, phishers entice their victim to log into a Web site that looks just like, say, the site of the victim's bank. The site is actually controlled by the phisher, however, and so once the victim enters his username and password, the phisher can use this information to masquerade as the user at the real site. |
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| Reducing the severity of these problems requires a new approach to managing digital identities. Windows CardSpace, originally released with the .NET Framework 3.0, is an important part of that approach. To help people keep track of their digital identities, CardSpace represents each identity as a distinct information card. If a Web site accepts CardSpace logins, a user attempting to log into that site will see a CardSpace selection screen like the one below. By choosing a card, the user also chooses a digital identity that will be used to access this site. Different cards can contain different information, allowing a user to control exactly what each site learns about her. |
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The identities represented by these cards are created by one or more identity providers. Any organization can offer an identity provider, and CardSpace itself also includes a self-issued identity provider that runs on client machines. With this provider, users can create their own identities that don't rely on passwords for authentication. Web sites can accept these self-issued CardSpace identities rather than relying on the usual password-based approach, reducing the problems that passwords bring.
Windows CardSpace is actually part of a larger identity metasystem. Based entirely on open, public protocols, this metasystem defines a way to use different digital identity technologies consistently across diverse platforms (including operating systems other than Windows) and diverse applications (including Web browsers other than Internet Explorer). By providing a common way to select identities and more for Windows, CardSpace fills a key role in the metasystem. And by addressing the fundamental problem of identity, CardSpace also plays an important part in the .NET Framework 3.5. |
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