.Net Tools (From CodeTools)

Assembly Linker
al sources options

The Assembly Linker generates a file with an assembly manifest from one or more files that are either modules or resource files. A module is a Microsoft intermediate language (MSIL) file that does not have an assembly manifest.


ASP.NET IIS Registration Tool
aspnet_regiis [options]

When multiple versions of the .NET Framework are executing side-by-side on a single computer, the ASP.NET ISAPI version mapped to an ASP.NET application determines which version of the common language runtime is used for the application. The ASP.NET IIS Registration tool (Aspnet_regiis.exe) allows an administrator or installation program to easily update the script maps for an ASP.NET application to point to the ASP.NET ISAPI version associated with the tool. The tool can also be used to display the status of all installed versions of ASP. NET, register the ASP.NET version coupled with the tool, create client-script directories, and perform other configuration operations.


Windows Forms ActiveX Control Importer
aximp [options]{file.dll | file.ocx}

The ActiveX Control Importer converts type definitions in a COM type library for an ActiveX control into a Windows Forms control.
Windows Forms can only host Windows Forms controls — that is, classes that are derived from System.Windows.Forms.Control. Aximp.exe generates a wrapper class for an ActiveX control that can be hosted on a Windows Form. This allows you to use the same design-time support and programming methodology applicable to other Windows Forms controls.
To host the ActiveX control, you must generate a wrapper control that derives from System.Windows.Forms.AxHost. This wrapper control contains an instance of the underlying ActiveX control. It knows how to communicate with the ActiveX control, but it appears as a Windows Forms control. This generated control hosts the ActiveX control and exposes its properties, methods, and events as those of the generated control.


Code Access Security Policy Tool
caspol [options]

The Code Access Security Policy tool enables users and administrators to modify security policy for the machine policy level, the user policy level, and the enterprise policy level.


Software Publisher Certificate Test Tool
cert2spc cert1.cer [cert2.cer ... certN.cer] outputSPCfile.spc

The Software Publisher Certificate Test tool creates a Software Publisher's Certificate (SPC) from one or more X.509 certificates. Cert2spc.exe is for test purposes only. You can obtain a valid SPC from a Certification Authority such as VeriSign or Thawte.


Certificate Manager Tool
certmgr [/add | /del | /put] [options] [/s[/r registryLocation]] [sourceStorename] [/s[/r registryLocation]]  destinationStorename]

The Certificate Manager tool manages certificates, certificate trust lists (CTLs), and certificate revocation lists (CRLs).


Certificate Verification Tool
chktrust [/q] [/v] signedFile

The Certificate Verification tool checks the validity of a file signed with an Authenticode certificate.


Runtime Debugger
cordbg [ProgramName[Program arguments]][optional arguments ]

The Runtime Debugger helps tools vendors and application developers find and fix bugs in programs that target the .NET Framework common language runtime. This tool uses the runtime Debug API to provide debugging services. The source code for Cordbg.exe is being shipped as a sample application. Developers can examine the code to learn how to use the debugging services. Currently, you can only use Cordbg.exe to debug managed code; there is no support for debugging unmanaged code.


Web Services Discovery Tool 
disco [options] URL

The Web Services Discovery tool discovers the URLs of XML Web services located on a Web server and saves documents related to each XML Web service on a local disk.


Assembly Binding Log Viewer
fuslogvw

The Assembly Binding Log Viewer displays details for failed assembly binds. This information helps you diagnose why the .NET Framework cannot locate an assembly at run time. These failures are usually the result of an assembly deployed to the wrong location or a mismatch in version numbers or cultures. The common language runtime's failure to locate an assembly typically shows up as a TypeLoadException in your application.


Global Assembly Cache Tool
gacutil [options] [assemblyName | assemblyPath | assemblyListFile]

The Global Assembly Cache tool allows you to view and manipulate the contents of the global assembly cache and download cache.


MSIL Disassembler
ildasm [options] [PEfilename] [options]

The MSIL Disassembler is a companion tool to the MSIL Assembler (Ilasm.exe). Ildasm.exe takes a portable executable (PE) file that contains Microsoft intermediate language (MSIL) code and creates a text file suitable as input to Ilasm.exe.


Installer Tool
installutil [/uninstall][option [...]] assemblyname ] [option [...]] assemblyname

The Installer tool allows you to install and uninstall server resources by executing the installer components in a specified assembly. This tool works in conjunction with classes in the System.Configuration.Install Namespace.


License Compiler
lc /target:targetPE /complist:filename [/outdir:path] /i:modules [/nologo] [/v]

The License Compiler reads text files that contain licensing information and produces a .licenses file that can be embedded in a common language runtime executable as a resource.


Certificate Creation Tool
makecert [options] outputCertificateFile

The Certificate Creation tool generates X.509 certificates for testing purposes only. It creates a public and private key pair for digital signatures and stores it in a certificate file. This tool also associates the key pair with a specified publisher's name and creates an X.509 certificate that binds a user- specified name to the public part of the key pair. Makecert.exe includes basic and extended options. Basic options are those most commonly used to create a certificate. Extended options provide more flexibility.


Management Strongly Typed Class Generator
mgmtclassgen WMIClass [options]

The Management Strongly Typed Class Generator enables you to quickly generate an early-bound managed class for a specified Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI) class. The generated class simplifies the code you must write to access an instance of the WMI class.


Policy Migration
toolmigpol [option]

The Migration Policy tool provides the capability of migrating policy between two compatible versions of the .NET Framework.


.NET Framework Configuration Tool
mscorcfg.msc

The .NET Framework Configuration tool is a Microsoft Management Console (MMC) snap-in that allows you to manage and configure assemblies in the Global Assembly Cache, adjust code access security policy, and adjust remoting services.


Common Language Runtime Minidump Tool
mscordmp [options] /pid processID /out outputFile

The Common Language Runtime Minidump tool creates a file containing information that is useful for analyzing system problems in the runtime. This tool is invoked just before the Microsoft Dr. Watson tool (Drwatson.exe) when Microsoft Visual Studio wants to upload a minidump.
 

Native Image Generator
ngen [options] [assemblyName |assemblyPath ]

The Native Image Generator creates a native image from a managed assembly and installs it into the native image cache on the local computer. The native image cache is a reserved area of the global assembly cache. Once you create a native image for an assembly, the runtime automatically uses that native image each time it runs the assembly. You do not have to perform any additional procedures to cause the runtime to use a native image. Running Ngen.exe on an assembly allows the assembly to load and execute faster, because it restores code and data structures from the native image cache rather than generating them dynamically.


Permissions View Tool
permview [/output filename] [/decl] manifestfile

The Permissions View tool is used to view the minimal, optional, and refused permission sets requested by an assembly. Optionally, you can use Permview.exe to view all declarative security used by an assembly.


PEVerify Tool
peverify filename [/md] [/il] /break=maxErrorCount] [/hresult] [/ignore= hex.code] /ignore=@responseFile][/unique] [/quiet]

The PEVerify tool helps developers who generate Microsoft intermediate language (MSIL) (such as compiler writers, script engine developers, and so on) to determine whether their MSIL code and associated metadata meet type safety requirements. Some compilers generate verifiably type-safe code only if you avoid using certain language constructs. If, as a developer, you are using such a compiler, you may want to verify that you have not compromised the type safety of your code. In this situation, you can run the PEVerify tool on your files to check the MSIL and metadata.
The Assembly Registration tool reads the metadata within an assembly and adds the necessary entries to the registry, which allows COM clients to create .NET Framework classes transparently. Once a class is registered, any COM client can use it as though the class were a COM class. The class is registered only once, when the assembly is installed. Instances of classes within the assembly cannot be created from COM until they are actually registered.
 

Assembly Registration Tool
regasm assemblyFile [options]

The Assembly Registration tool reads the metadata within an assembly and adds the necessary entries to the registry, which allows COM clients to create .NET Framework classes transparently. Once a class is registered, any COM client can use it as though the class were a COM class. The class is registered only once, when the assembly is installed. Instances of classes within the assembly cannot be created from COM until they are actually registered.


.NET Services Installation Tool
regsvcs [/c | /fc | /u] [/tlb:typeLibraryFile] [/extlb] [/reconfig] [/componly] [/appname:applicationName] [/nologo] [/quiet]assemblyFile.dll

The .NET Services Installation tool performs the following actions:
Loads and registers an assembly.
Generates, registers, and installs a type library into a specified COM+ 1.0 application.
Configures services that you have added programmatically to your class.


Resource File Generator
resgen [/compile] filename.extension [outputFilename.extension][...]

The Resource File Generator converts .txt files and .resx (XML-based resource format) files to common language runtime binary .resources files that can be embedded in a runtime binary executable or compiled into satellite assemblies. For information about deploying and retrieving .resources files, see Resources in Applications.
Resgen.exe performs the following conversions:
    Converts .txt files to .resources or .resx files.
    Converts .resources files to text or .resx files.
    Converts .resx files to text or .resources files.


Secutil Tool
secutil [-array | -hex] [-cmode | -vbmode] {-strongname | -x509certificate} filename
 
The Secutil tool extracts strong name information or the public key for an X.509 certificate from an assembly and converts this information into a format that can be incorporated into code.


Set Registry Tool
setreg [-q] [Choice# {true|false}...]

The Set Registry tool allows you to change the registry settings for public key cryptography. These keys, called the Software Publishing State Keys, control the behavior of the certificate verification process. After Setreg.exe completes the requested action, it displays the current values of the Software Publishing State Keys.


Assembly Cache Viewer
shfusion.dll

The Assembly Cache Viewer is a Windows shell extension that allows you to view and manipulate the contents of the global assembly cache using Windows Explorer.


File Signing Tool
signcode [options] filename | assemblyname

The File Signing tool signs a portable executable (PE) file (.dll or .exe file) with an Authenticode digital signature. You can sign either an assembly or an individual file contained in a multifile assembly. If you are distributing an assembly, you should sign the assembly rather than the individual files. Running Signcode.exe without specifying any options launches a wizard that helps with signing.


Strong Name Tool
sn [-quiet][option [parameter(s)]]

The Strong Name tool helps sign assemblies with strong names. Sn.exe provides options for key management, signature generation, and signature verification.


Soapsuds Tool
soapsuds {-url:schemaUrl | -types:type1,assemblyname[,serviceEndpoint] [;type2,assemblyname][...]] | -is:schemafile | -ia:assemblyfile} [options]

The Soapsuds tool helps you compile client applications that communicate with XML Web services using a technique called remoting. Soapsuds.exe performs the following functions:
        It creates XML schemas describing services exposed in a common language runtime assembly.
        It creates runtime assemblies to access services described by XML schemas. A schema definition can be a local file or it can be dynamically downloaded from the Internet.


Isolated Storage Tool
storeadm [/list][/remove][/roaming][/quiet]

The Isolated Storage tool lists or removes all existing stores for the current user.


Type Library Exporter
tlbexp assemblyName [/out:file] [/nologo] [/silent] [/verbose]

The Type Library Exporter generates a type library that describes the types defined in a common language runtime assembly.


Type Library Importertlbimp
tlbFile [options]

The Type Library Importer converts the type definitions found within a COM type library into equivalent definitions in a common language runtime assembly. The output of Tlbimp.exe is a binary file (an assembly) that contains runtime metadata for the types defined within the original type library. You can examine this file with tools such as Ildasm.exe.


Windows Forms Class Viewer
wincv [options]

The Windows Forms Class Viewer allows you to quickly look up information about a class or series of classes, based on a search pattern. The class viewer displays information by reflecting on the type using the common language runtime reflection API.


Windows Forms Resource Editor
winres resourceFile

The Windows Forms Resource Editor is a visual layout tool that helps localization experts localize Windows Forms forms. The .resx or .resources files that are used as input to Winres.exe can be created using a visual design environment such as Microsoft Visual Studio .NET. For information on deploying resources in .NET Framework applications, see Resources in Applications.


Web Services Description Language Tool
wsdl [options] {URL | path}

The Web Services Description Language tool generates code for XML Web services and XML Web service clients from WSDL contract files, XSD schemas, and .discomap discovery documents.


XML Schema Definition Tool
xsd file.xdr [/outputdir:directory]
xsd file.xml [/outputdir:directory]
xsd file.xsd {/classes | /dataset} [/element:element] [/language:language] [/namespace:namespace] [/outputdir:directory] [URI:uri] xsd {file.dll | file.exe} [/outputdir:directory] [/type:typename [...]]

The XML Schema Definition tool generates XML schema or common language runtime classes from XDR, XML, and XSD files, or from classes in a runtime assembly.