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

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Note

Be aware that the Recent tab of the Add Reference dialog box keeps a running list of previously refer-

enced assemblies. This can be handy, as many .NET projects tend to use the same core set of external libraries.

Exploring the Manifest

Before making use of CarLibrary.dll from a client application, let’s check out how the code library

is composed under the hood. Assuming you have compiled this project, load CarLibrary.dll into

ildasm.exe (see Figure 15-8).

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Figure 15-8. CarLibrary.dll loaded into ildasm.exe

Now, open the manifest of CarLibrary.dll by double-clicking the MANIFEST icon. The first

code block encountered in a manifest is used to specify all external assemblies that are required by

the current assembly to function correctly. As you recall, CarLibrary.dll made use of types within

mscorlib.dll and System.Windows.Forms.dll, both of which are listed in the manifest using the

.assembly extern token:

.assembly extern mscorlib

{

.publickeytoken = (B7 7A 5C 56 19 34 E0 89 )

.ver 2:0:0:0

}

.assembly extern System.Windows.Forms

{

.publickeytoken = (B7 7A 5C 56 19 34 E0 89 )

.ver 2:0:0:0

}

Here, each .assembly extern block is qualified by the .publickeytoken and .ver directives. The

.publickeytoken instruction is present only if the assembly has been configured with a strong name

(more details on strong names in the section “Understanding Strong Names” later in this chapter).

The .ver token defines (of course) the numerical version identifier.

After cataloging each of the external references, you will find a number of .custom tokens that

identify assembly-level attributes. If you examine the AssemblyInfo.cs file created by Visual Studio

(which can be viewed by expanding the Properties icon of the Solution Explorer), you will find these

attributes represent basic characteristics about the assembly such as company name, trademark,

and so forth.

Chapter 16 examines attributes in detail, so don’t sweat the details at this point. Do be aware,

however, that the attributes defined in AssemblyInfo.cs update the manifest with various .custom

tokens, such as [AssemblyTitle]:

.assembly CarLibrary

{

...