CODEWITHSUNDEEP
c#.netvb.netwinapivisual-c++
Niyaz
Niyaz

Reputation: 54823

Windows API and .net languages

People always advised me that if I am doing some application that should use some Windows APIs to do any process level job, I must use VC++ and not any other .net language.

Is there any truth in that?

Can everything that can be done using VC++ be done in other .net languages also?

Are all the .net languages the same when their capabilities are compared?

Upvotes: 4

Views: 5552

Answers (3)

David Anderson
David Anderson

Reputation: 13690

When I started programming in .Net, I was using C++/CLI, as I came from a minimal Win32 C++ background. What I found was that I was getting headaches because I didn't understand the fine lines and boundaries between C++/CLI and Win32 C++. Its not as easy as they make it seem to interop between the two. When I learned about P/Invoke, and made my life much easier, and I finally started to progress my skills. P/Invoke is just fine and you don't necessarily need C++/CLI to do that. In my opinion, you either use Win32 C++ completely for low level stuff, or .Net for high level stuff, and I don't really recommend ever trying to interop Win32 C++ with C++/CLI unless you absolutely have to. Even then, its probably just easier to make a Win32 DLL with what you need and P/Invoke the DLL from .Net, or visa versa. Always remember to pick the right tool for the job.

Upvotes: 2

denis phillips
denis phillips

Reputation: 12780

For most tasks where the class libraries do not provide help, using P/Invoke is usually fine. There are many "rough" APIs out there that benefit from a simple C++/CLI wrapper. It's usually best to do the bare minimum in the C++/CLI code -- effectively massaging what ever ugliness is below for consumption by C#, VB.NET, etc.

Upvotes: 2

Jon Skeet
Jon Skeet

Reputation: 1503799

If you need to work with native code fairly intimately, C++ is likely to make life easier. However, there's nothing inherently wrong with using P/Invoke to call into the Win32 API from C#, VB.NET, F# etc.

Not all .NET languages are the same in terms of capabilities, although C# and VB.NET are largely equivalent in functionality. I know there are some things which C++/CLI exposes which aren't exposed by C# or VB.NET - I don't know if the reverse is true. (I've no idea what C++/CLI is like for lambda expressions, extension methods etc.)

Upvotes: 11

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