Microsoft .NET Framework 3.5 Beta 1

The Microsoft .NET Framework 3.5 Beta 1 is a preview release of the latest version of the .NET Framework. Many ISV’s, enterprises and Microsoft product teams are successfully building on the new features Windows Workflow Foundation (WF), Windows Communication Foundation (WCF), Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF) and Windows CardSpace in the .NET Framework 3.0. Microsoft plans to continue to invest in the .NET Framework developer platform and in support of existing users the .NET Framework 3.5 has a minimal number of breaking changes. So that existing applications built for .NET Framework 2.0 or .NET Framework 3.0 should continue to run without requiring changes. The .NET Framework 3.5 adds new features in several major technology areas; including:

• Deep integration of Language Integrated Query (LINQ) and data awareness
• ASP.NET AJAX for quickly creating more efficient, more interactive and highly-personalized Web experiences that work across all the most popular browsers
• New web protocol support for building WCF services including AJAX, JSON, REST, POX, RSS, ATOM and several new WS-* standards
• Full tooling support for WF, WCF and WPF including the new workflow-enabled services technology
• New classes in the base class library (BCL) for the .NET Framework 3.5 address the most common customer requests.

.NET Framework 3.5 is planned to release at the end of 2007 and will ship with Visual Studio code name ”Orcas” and will also continue to be available for separate download from MSDN.

For more detail about the features being introduced in .NET Framework 3.5 and Visual Studio code name “Orcas”, click here http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/vstudio/aa700830.aspx

For more information about the .NET Framework, click here http://msdn.microsoft.com/netframework

Download Link: http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyId=E3715E6F-E123-428B-8A0F-028AFB9E0322&displaylang=en

Scripting .Net

Scripting Dot Net Applications (Source Microsoft Article Script Happens .NET)

New method of scripting is now avaliable in .Net . Script for the .NET Framework is the .NET equivalent of Windows Script, in that it provides a set of script engines that can be hosted within an application via a set of integration interfaces. Much in the same way as the Windows Script engines were part of the default install of Windows, the Script for the .NET Framework engines are included in the .NET Framework redistributable and are freely redistributable along with the rest of the .NET Framework. In this release of Script for the .NET Framework there are three script engines: Visual Basic® .NET, JScript® .NET and a compiled script loader engine. The loader engine is a script engine that can run compiled code but not compile

Visit http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms974577.aspx

Enabling Visual Styles or Themes of XP and Vista in Visual Basic Application

Call the InitCommonControls Function

You must call the InitCommonControls function in the Form_Initialize event:

Private Declare Sub InitCommonControls Lib "comctl32.dll" ()

Private Sub Form_Initialize()
   InitCommonControls
End Sub
    

NOTE: Do not call InitCommonControls in the Form_Load event. When you call InitCommonControls from the Form_Load event, the form cannot load.

Add an Application Manifest File

You must add a file named YourApp.exe.manifest to the same folder as your executable file. For example, if your application is named Generic.exe, include a manifest file that is named Generic.exe.manifest. The application manifest file has Extensible Markup Language (XML) format similar to the following:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8" standalone="yes"?>
<assembly xmlns="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:asm.v1" manifestVersion="1.0">
<assemblyIdentity
   version="1.0.0.0"
   processorArchitecture="X86"
   name="CompanyName.ProductName.YourApp"
   type="win32"
/>
<description>Your application description here.</description>

<dependency>
   <dependentAssembly>
       <assemblyIdentity
           type="win32"
           name="Microsoft.Windows.Common-Controls"
           version="6.0.0.0"
           processorArchitecture="X86"
           publicKeyToken="6595b64144ccf1df"
           language="*"
       />
   </dependentAssembly>
</dependency>
</assembly>
    

After you place the application manifest file in the same folder as the executable file, you can run the compiled executable file to display the Windows XP visual style in the application.

NOTE: You cannot view visual styles when you run the compiled executable from the Visual Basic 6.0 Integrated Development Environment (IDE).

For more Details Visit http://support.microsoft.com/kb/309366