.NET IL Assembler

Advanced .NET IL Assembler is a comprehensive drill-down into the inner workings of the .NET Framework. Acknowledged runtime expert and Microsoft insider Serge Lidin steps through the internal structures and operations that take place when .NET code is executed, showing how the syntax and grammar of the coding language is broken down into low-level units that can be expressed through the ILAsm language that runs behind the scenes in .NET.

By reading this book you will develop the skills you need to write tighter, faster, .NET code; to debug complex error handling situations; and to oversee multi-language and multi-platform projects with confidence.

What you’ll learn

• Discover the structure of the .NET execution sequence and the Managed Executable Files that lie within it.
• Step through the core .NET component modules, namespaces and classes and see how each is consumed by ILAsm and can be optimized for execution
• Learn how to use the IL Assembler and Disassembler tools to analyze .NET code, metadata structures and exception handling within Visual Studio.
• Understand the issues that surround multi-language and multi-framework projects
• Develop your own Custom Attributes and tailor them for speed and security.

Who this book is for

This book is aimed at .NET developers with a good understanding of C# and an understanding of how the .NET Framework framework stack operates. All concepts related to the CLR and MSIL are introduced from first principals. The concepts taught are valid for all versions of .NET.

Table of Contents

PART 1:

1. Simple Sample

2. Enhancing your .NET Code

3. Making IL Coding Easier

PART 2:

4. The Structure of a Managed Executable File5. Metadata Tables Organization

PART 3:

6. Modules and Assemblies

7. Namespaces and Classes

8. Primitive Types and Signitures

9. Fields and Data Constants

10. Methods

11. Generic Types

12. Generic Methods

PART 4:

13. IL Instructions

14. Managed Exception Handling

PART 5:

15. Events and Properties

16. Custom Attributes

17. Security Attributes

18. Managed and Unmanaged Code Interoperation

19. Multilanguage Projects

20. Appendix A

21. Appendix B

22. Appendix C

23. Appendix D

24. Appendix E