This print for content only-size & color not accurate 7" X 9-1/4" / casebound / malloy

// Exposed unsigned data is not CLS compliant!

public ulong Add(ulong x, ulong y)

{ return x + y;}

}

However, if you were to simply make use of unsigned data internally as follows:

class Calc

{

public int Add(int x, int y)

{

// As this ulong variable is only used internally,

// we are still CLS compliant.

ulong temp = 0;

...

return x + y;

}

}

you have still conformed to the rules of the CLS, and can rest assured that all .NET languages are

able to invoke the Add() method.

Of course, in addition to Rule 1, the CLS defines numerous other rules. For example, the

CLS describes how a given language must represent text strings, how enumerations should be

represented internally (the base type used for storage), how to define static members, and so forth.

C H A P T E R   1  

■

T H E   P H I L O S O P H Y   O F   . N E T

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Luckily, you don’t have to commit these rules to memory to be a proficient .NET developer. Again,

by and large, an intimate understanding of the CTS and CLS specifications is only of interest to

tool/compiler builders.