Microsoft .NET Server Solutions for the Enterprise

Class Libraries

The class libraries provide a standard set of system services. These libraries of code will replace and provide the same kind of functions as the Win32 API and the Microsoft Foundation Classes (MFC) for C++ or Visual Basic. The following figure shows the conceptual framework for the .NET class libraries.

.NET class libraries

• The Base classes provide standard functionality such as input/output, string manipulation, security management, network communications, thread management, text management, and other functions.
• The Data classes support persistent data management and include SQL classes for manipulating persistent data stores through a standard SQL interface.
• XML classes enable XML data manipulation, searching, and translation.
• XML Web service classes support the development of lightweight distributed components, which will work even in the face of firewalls and network address translation (NAT) software.
• Web Forms include classes that enable you to rapidly develop Web graphical user interface (GUI) applications.
• Windows Forms support a set of classes that allow you to develop Windows-based GUI applications—facilitating drag-and-drop GUI development and providing a common, consistent, development interface across all languages supported by .NET Framework.