1. Chapter 1 .NET Overview

   1. Microsoft .NET

   2. The .NET Platform

   3. .NET Framework Design Goals

   4. .NET Framework

2. Chapter 2 The Common Language Runtime

   1. CLR Environment

   2. CLR Executables

   3. Metadata

   4. Assemblies and Manifests

   5. Intermediate Language (IL)

   6. The CTS and CLS

   7. CLR Execution

   8. Summary

3. Chapter 3 .NET Programming

   1. Common Programming Model

   2. Core Features and Languages

   3. Language Integration

   4. Summary

4. Chapter 4 Working with .NET Components

   1. Deployment Options

   2. Distributed Components

   3. COM+ Services in .NET

   4. Message Queuing

   5. Summary

5. Chapter 5 Data and XML

   1. ADO.NET Architecture

   2. ADO.NET Benefits

   3. Content Components

   4. Managed Providers

   5. DataSets and XML

   6. Summary

6. Chapter 6 Web Services

   1. Web Services in Practice

   2. Web Services Framework

   3. Web Services Provider

   4. Web Services Consumers

   5. Web Services and Security

   6. Summary

7. Chapter 7 Web Forms

   1. ASP

   2. ASP.NET

   3. The System.Web.UI Namespace

   4. Web Form Syntax

   5. ASP.NET Application Development

   6. ASP.NET and Web Services

   7. Data Binding and the Use of Templates

   8. State Management and Scalability

   9. Summary

8. Chapter 8 Windows Forms

   1. Introducing Windows Forms

   2. The System.Windows.Forms Namespace

   3. Windows Forms Development

   4. Windows Forms and Web Services

   5. Conclusion

1. Appendix A .NET Languages

   1. Microsoft-Supported Languages for .NET

   2. Third-Party Languages for .NET

2. Appendix B Common Acronyms

3. Appendix C Common Data Types

   1. Usage

4. Appendix D Common Utilities

   1. Assembly Generation Utility (al.exe)

   2. Assembly Registration Utility (gacutil.exe)

   3. MSIL Assembler (ilasm.exe)

   4. MSIL Disassembler (ildasm.exe)

   5. C++ Compiler (cl.exe)

   6. C# Compiler (csc.exe)

   7. Visual Basic Compiler (vbc.exe)

   8. PE File Format Viewer (dumpbin.exe)

   9. Type Library Exporter (tlbexp.exe)

   10. Type Library Importer (tlbimp.exe)

   11. XML Schema Definition Tool (xsd.exe)

   12. Shared Name Utility (sn.exe)

   13. Web Service Utility (wsdl.exe)

5. Colophon

Our look is the result of reader comments, our own experimentation, and feedback from distribution channels. Distinctive covers complement our distinctive approach to technical topics, breathing personality and life into potentially dry subjects. The animals on the cover of .NET Framework Essentials, Second Edition, are shrimp. Different species of shrimp are found in marine and fresh water -- shallow and deep-- all over the world. Swimming backward by rapidly flexing its abdomen and tail, and with the assistance of specialized legs for swimming, the shrimp feeds on smaller plants and animals, as well as carrion. In fact, several species engage in symbiotic (mutually benefical or dependent) relationships with other organisms. The coral shrimp (Stenopus hispidus) cleans the scales of the coral fish, while the fish in turn swims backward through the shrimp's pincers (presumably to clean them). Colleen Gorman was the production editor and the proofreader for .NET Framework Essentials. Sarah Sherman and Mary Anne Weeks Mayo provided quality control. Joe Wizda wrote the index.

Ellie Volckhausen designed the cover of this book, based on a series design by Edie Freedman. The cover image is a 19th-century engraving from the Dover Pictorial Archive. Emma Colby produced the cover layout with QuarkXPress 4.1 using Adobe's ITC Garamond font.

David Futato designed the interior layout. Mike Sierra converted the files fromMicrosoft Word to FrameMaker 5.5.6. The text font is Linotype Birka; the heading font is Adobe Myriad Condensed; and the code font is Lucas-Font's TheSans Mono Condensed. The illustrations that appear in the book were produced by Robert Romano and Jessamyn Read using Macromedia FreeHand 9 and Adobe Photoshop 6. The tip and warning icons were drawn by Christopher Bing. This colophon was written by Jeff Holcomb.