Appendix A. Runtime Functions

The .NET Framework class libraries contain functions and subroutines designed specifically for Visual Basic .NET programmers. These methods provide functionality not found in other places in the Framework, or they provide functionality that is compatible with previous versions of Visual Basic. Although they are designed for Visual Basic .NET programmers, they are usable by any language supported on the .NET Framework and are considered part of the Framework. They will always be available anywhere the .NET Framework is installed.

All the Visual Basic .NET runtime functions are defined in the Microsoft.VisualBasic namespace. The methods themselves are contained within the Microsoft.VisualBasic.DLL assembly, which is always available in the Visual Studio IDE and on the command line.