Chapter 4. Components and .NET Assemblies

Terms you'll need to understand:

Component class
Control class
UserControl class
Publisher-subscriber
Assemblies
Assembly manifest
Global Assembly Cache (GAC)
Satellite assembly

Techniques you'll need to master:

Understanding how to create a component extending from the Component, Control , and UserControl classes
Knowing how to extend a control through Visual Inheritance
Choosing between the various assembly categories discussed in this chapter

Visual Basic .NET includes a large assortment of standard components, including several types of controls. In Chapter 2, "Controls on Forms," we looked at many of the more common controls that may be placed within a container object such as a Windows form. The .NET development environment also includes the ability to create more complex and customized components.

In this chapter, we discuss the creation of custom components by extending the Component , Control , and UserControl classes. We also examine the use of the .NET Assembly for security, versioning, and deployment of custom components.