Extending and Modifying the Caching Application Block

In its original state, the Caching Application Block works well for typical caching situations. However, there may be times when you have to customize some of the application block's behavior to better suit your application's particular requirements. There are two ways to do this, extension and modification.

Extending the Caching Application Block

You extend the application block through designated extension points. Typically, these are custom classes, written by you, that implement a particular interface or derive from an abstract class. Because these custom classes exist in your application space, you do not have to modify or rebuild the application block. Instead, you designate your extensions using configuration settings.

You can extend the application block by adding a new type of backing store and by adding new expiration policies. For more information, see Adding a New Backing Store and Adding a New Expiration Policy.

Modifying the Caching Application Block

You modify the application block by making changes to its source code. This may or may not require associated configuration changes. Because changes are made to the source code, you must rebuild the application block before the modifications take effect. You must also be prepared to handle support and versioning issues. For more information, see Modifying the Caching Application Block.