.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:
Chapter 1. Simple Sample
Chapter 2. Enhancing your .NET Code
Chapter 3. Making IL Coding Easier

PART 2:
Chapter 4. The Structure of a Managed Executable File5. Metadata Tables Organization

PART 3:
Chapter 6. Modules and Assemblies
Chapter 7. Namespaces and Classes
Chapter 8. Primitive Types and Signitures
Chapter 9. Fields and Data Constants
Chapter 10. Methods
Chapter 11. Generic Types
Chapter 12. Generic Methods

PART 4:
Chapter 13. IL Instructions
Chapter 14. Managed Exception Handling

PART 5:
Chapter 15. Events and Properties
Chapter 16. Custom Attributes
Chapter 17. Security Attributes
Chapter 18. Managed and Unmanaged Code Interoperation
Chapter 19. Multilanguage Projects