| SocketWrench .NET Edition |
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Features Overview
The SocketWrench .NET component can be used with any Visual
Studio .NET programming language. It is important to note that
SocketWrench .NET requires the .NET Framework and cannot be used in
a non-managed development environment or with earlier versions of
Microsoft's programming tools such as Visual Basic 6.0 or Visual
C++ 6.0.
Features of the SocketWrench .NET Edition include:
- The SocketWrench class library provides a simple interface that
is easy to use and understand. There are no complicated functions
or data structures to use, and most methods are overloaded to
provide reasonable defaults appropriate for most applications. Most
complex operations can be performed with only a few lines of
code.
- There are no external dependencies on third party libraries or
components. The SocketWrench component is a managed code class and
is not "wrapper" around the COM version of the component.
- The class interface was designed to be as similar as possible
to the COM version of the component, reducing the learning curve
for developers who are already familiar with SocketWrench and
reducing the amount of time required to port an application to the
.NET platform.
- A comprehensive design which supports both high-level
operations as well as lower-level methods at the protocol level.
For example, the class has methods such as ReadStream, WriteStream
and StoreStream which allow an application to easily read and write
large blocks of data on the socket and write data directly to a
file in a single method call. It also includes lower-level methods
like Read and Write which allow more direct control over socket
I/O.
- Support for both synchronous (blocking) and asynchronous
(non-blocking) operation depending on the needs of the application.
Asynchronous operation is supported by an event-driven model where
the application is notified of networking events by events raised
by the component. Event notification can be enabled, disabled and
resumed completely under the control of the application, giving
developers complete freedom in controlling their behavior of their
software. Synchronous operation is also fully supported, enabling
developers to easily write programs using a procedural programming
style without the inherent complexity of an event-driven
model.
- A thread-safe implementation that allows the class to be easily
used in a multi-threaded application. SocketWrench handles any
internal synchronization required, ensuring that multiple,
simultaneous operations can be performed safely and efficiently
without extensive coding on the part of the developer.
- Applications can easily take advantage of complex security
features, such as support for the Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) and
Transport Layer Security (TLS) standards and 128-bit encryption
without requiring any knowledge of data encryption or certificate
validation. Taking advantage of the security features in
SocketWrench .NET is as simple as setting a few properties before
connecting to the server. The protocol negotiation, data encryption
and decryption is handled transparently by the control. From the
perspective of the application developer, it is just as if it were
a standard connection to the server.
The SocketWrench .NET Edition includes everything professional
software developers need to create complex programs, enabling
developers to focus on their core application technology rather
than the details of how a particular networking protocol is
implemented or understanding the specifics of Windows Sockets
programming.