Visual CSharp .NET Developer's Handbook (2002) [eng]

Figure C.7: The Component Services display is one good place to see your MMC snap-in in action.

6.Select Console → Exit to exit MMC. MMC asks if you want to save the current settings.

7.Click No. The Component Services dialog will close.

Where Do You Go From Here?

It's hard to believe that you still need to perform some tasks using C library files, but the example in this appendix clearly demonstrates that fact. The Windows API itself is huge and Microsoft used C to write the Windows code for many years, so the C library code is huge as well. All you need to do is spend some time in the Platform SDK documentation to realize just how many Windows features still rely on library files. It will require years of effort to move all of the functionality found in these old Windows files to the .NET Framework, which means you'll need the techniques found in this chapter for quite some time to come. Of course, you'll want to verify the functionality is actually missing in the .NET Framework before writing wrapper code.

Of course, the question now is how you deal with the problem of missing functionality. Some developers will start examining the .NET Framework documentation in detail and comparing it to the functionality offered by the Platform SDK. This is a waste of time since there are features of the Windows API and the C libraries included with Windows that you might never use.

However, it does pay to be thorough when you do find some missing functionality. Instead of merely placing a few calls into a DLL that will lack features later on, convert all of the calls that you'll need for a particular task—such as the MMC calls found in this appendix—into a comprehensive DLL. This method will enable you to use the same DLL for all projects that require the missing functionality.

You'll also find that it pays to provide input to Microsoft about the missing functionality. To some extent, Microsoft relies on input from product users to determine which features are critical for the next update of a product. Your input on missing functionality will help shape future versions of the .NET Framework. Make sure your voice is heard when it comes time to develop new product features.