API calls in DotNet

[Bob]

Declare Auto Function BitBlt Lib "GDI32.DLL" ...

Just wondering, I'm forced to use API calls once in a while and thought, it
would be pretty easy for MS to either 1. expand the Framwork to natively
include most of the features available in them or 2. provide simple wrappers
so that users don't need to invoke API function calls directly, at least for
windows DLL's.

I imagine lots of people have to go through the same process - locate the
proper way to call the API function on the internet, or dig up something
from documentation and pray you get it right - it's all a lot of wasteful,
duplicated work. Isn't it something MS should do once and build it right
into the Framework?

Are they planning anything like this in Whidbey?

Bob

 

[Crouchie1998]

I have been coding for so long now that converting API's is second nature.
All the information is listed in the Platform SDK documentation & if you
have VS 6 then you will have the API viewer too. Sites like
http://www.allapi.net lists the majority of them

You can also buy, get as a trial etc API databases.if you wish.

Its true what you say about the API's should be built in, but take the
different versions of the shell for example. You make code something to work
in Windows 2000 onwards, but it could end up on a Windows 98 machine, but
the earlier version of the shell doesn't support it... There are many
examples like that

Crouchie1998
BA (HONS) MCP MCSE
Official Microsoft Beta Tester

 

[Bob]

Its true what you say about the API's should be built in, but take the
different versions of the shell for example. You make code something to work
in Windows 2000 onwards, but it could end up on a Windows 98 machine, but
the earlier version of the shell doesn't support it... There are many
examples like that

Yeah - another reason MS should orvide the wrappers. They could build
something into them to try to gracefully handle different OS versions, like
throwing a user-readable exception when an unsupported version is detected,
or even rearranging data types or even function call names under the covers,
if possible, as necessary.

Bob

 

[Herfried K. Wagner [MVP]]

Yeah - another reason MS should orvide the wrappers. They could build
something into them to try to gracefully handle different OS versions,
like
throwing a user-readable exception when an unsupported version is
detected,
or even rearranging data types or even function call names under the
covers,
if possible, as necessary.

In future:

WinFx SDK
<URL:http://winfx.msdn.microsoft.com/library/>