Visual C++.NET: A Primer for C++ Developers

Visual C++ .NET is the latest incarnation of Microsoft's popular Visual C++ programming language. It has something of a unique character among all the .NET languages. Unlike the other Visual Studio languages, Visual C++ .NET can produce both unmanaged (native) code, and managed code that runs on the Common Language Runtime (CLR), the "virtual machine" which underlies Microsoft's new platform, the .NET Framework. This unique status makes C++ a much more powerful language than other .NET languages - not only can it bypass the CLR when maximum performance is needed, it can also interoperate far more seamlessly with existing applications. This book provides in-depth coverage of everything that's new in this latest version of Visual C++, including the new Managed Extensions which allow us to write code that runs on the CLR, the C++ attributes which simplify traditional COM programming enormously, and ATL Server, which provides an easy way to write ISAPI filters to expose web services. Instead ofproviding an overview of the enormous .NET class libraries, we concentrate throughout on those features that you will actually use in Visual C++ .NET, and in particular on the powerful features for interaction between managed code and existing unmanaged C++ applications.Corera, Aravind is the author of 'Visual C++.NET: A Primer for C++ Developers' with ISBN 9781861005960 and ISBN 1861005962.