1. Chapter 1 .NET Overview

   1. Behind 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. .NET Framework Data Providers

   5. XML in the .NET Framework

   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. Async Web Services

   6. SOAP Header in Web Services

   7. Web Services and Security

   8. Summary

7. Chapter 7 ASP.NET

   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. Forms Authentication in ASP.NET

   10. 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. Summary

9. Chapter 9 .NET and Mobile Devices

   1. ASP.NET Mobile Controls

   2. .NET Compact Framework

   3. Summary

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. Strong 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, Third 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 beneficial 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). Matt Hutchinson was the production editor for .NET Framework Essentials, Third Edition. Octal Publishing, Inc. provided production services. Jane Ellin, Phil Dangler, and Claire Cloutier provided quality control.

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. This book was converted to FrameMaker 5.5.6 by Andrew Savikas. The text font is Linotype Birka; the heading font is Adobe Myriad Condensed; and the code font is LucasFont's TheSans Mono Condensed. The illustrations that appear in the book were produced by Robert Romano and Jessamyn Read using Macromedia Free-Hand 9 and Adobe Photoshop 6. The tip and warning icons were drawn by Christopher Bing. This colophon was written by Jeff Holcomb.