The common type system defines how types are declared, used, and managed in the runtime, and is also an important part of the runtime's support for cross-language integration. The common type system performs the following functions:
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Establishes a framework that helps enable cross-language integration, type safety, and high performance code execution.
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Provides an object-oriented model that supports the complete implementation of many programming languages.
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Defines rules that languages must follow, which helps ensure that objects written in different languages can interact with each other.
In This Section
- Common Type System Overview
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Describes concepts and defines terms relating to the common type system.
- Type Definitions
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Describes user-defined types.
- Type Members
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Describes events, fields, nested types, methods, and properties, and concepts such as member overloading, overriding, and inheritance.
- Value Types in the Common Type System
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Describes built-in and user-defined value types.
- Classes in the Common Type System
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Describes the characteristics of common language runtime classes.
- Delegates in the Common Type System
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Describes the delegate object, which is the managed alternative to unmanaged function pointers.
- Arrays in the Common Type System
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Describes common language runtime array types.
- Interfaces in the Common Type System
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Describes characteristics of interfaces and the restrictions on interfaces imposed by the common language runtime.
- Pointers in the Common Type System
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Describes managed pointers, unmanaged pointers, and unmanaged function pointers.
Related Sections
See Also