Pro VB 2008 and the .NET 3.5 Platform

1. Front Matter

   Pages i-xxx

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2. Introducing Visual Basic 2008 and the .NET Platform

   1. Front Matter

      Pages 1-1

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   2. The Philosophy of .NET

      Pages 3-33

   3. Building Visual Basic 2008 Applications

      Pages 35-61

3. Core VB Programming Constructs

   1. Front Matter

      Pages 63-63

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   2. VB 2008 Programming Constructs, Part I

      Pages 65-102

   3. VB 2008 Programming Constructs, Part II

      Pages 103-128

   4. Designing Encapsulated Class Types

      Pages 129-171

   5. Understanding Inheritance and Polymorphism

      Pages 173-206

   6. Understanding Structured Exception Handling

      Pages 207-231

   7. Understanding Object Lifetime

      Pages 233-251

4. Advanced VB Programming Constructs

   1. Front Matter

      Pages 253-253

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   2. Working with Interface Types

      Pages 255-289

   3. Collections, Generics, and Nullable Data Types

      Pages 291-326

   4. Delegates, Events, and Lambdas

      Pages 327-358

   5. Operator Overloading and Custom Conversion Routines

      Pages 359-381

   6. VB 2008-Specific Language Features

      Pages 383-408

   7. An Introduction to LINQ

      Pages 409-433

5. Programming with .NET Assemblies

   1. Front Matter

      Pages 435-435

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   2. Introducing .NET Assemblies

      Pages 437-481

The point of this chapter was to demystify the garbage collection process. As you have seen, the garbage collector will only run when it is unable to acquire the necessary memory from the m- aged heap (or when a given AppDomain unloads from memory). When a garbage collection does occur, you can rest assured that Microsoft’s collection algorithm has been optimized by the use of object generations, secondary threads for the purpose of object finalization, and a managed heap dedicated to host large objects. This chapter also illustrated how to programmatically interact with the garbage collector using the System. GC class type. As mentioned, the only time when you will really need to do so is when you are building finalizable or disposable class types. Recall that finalizable types are classes that have overridden the virtual System. Object. Finalize() method to clean up unmanaged resources (at some time in the future). Disposable objects, on the other hand, are classes (or structures) that implement the IDisposable interface. Using this technique, you expose a public method to the object user that can be called to perform internal cleanup ASAP. Finally, you learned about an of- cial “disposal” pattern that blends both approaches. PART 3 Advanced VB Programming Constructs CHAPTER 9 Working with Interface Types This chapter builds on your current understanding of object-oriented development by examining the topic of interface-based programming.

• .NET
• ASP.NET
• LINQ
• SQL
• Visual Basic
• Web Services
• Windows
• XML
• computer science
• functional programming
• interfaces
• language
• programming
• software
• user interface

Andrew Troelsen is a partner, trainer, and consultant at Intertech Inc., and is a leading authority on both .NET and COM. His book Pro C# 2005 and the .NET 2.0 Platform won the prestigious 2003 Referenceware Excellence Award and is in its third edition. Also of note are his earlier five-star treatment of traditional COM in the bestselling Developer's Workshop to COM and ATL mirrored in his book, COM and .NET Interoperability, and his top-notch investigation of VB .NET in Visual Basic .NET and the .NET Platform: An Advanced Guide. Troelsen has a degree in mathematical linguistics and South Asian studies from the University of Minnesota, and is a frequent speaker at numerous .NET-related conferences. He currently lives in Minneapolis with his wife, Amanda, and spends his free time investigating .NET and waiting for the Wild to win the Stanley Cup. You can check out his blog at AndrewTroelsen.blogspot.com.

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