Menu
I've regularly read that the framework is just too large for one developer to have experience with every part of it. Having some actual numbers would certainly help put things in perspective.
MSDN seems to list them all but there are no actual numbers (from what I could see) and spending hours counting them is not my idea of productive time.
I realize there are also delegates, enums, events, etc, but the above types are of most interest.
Also, the number of types in the Base Class Library (BCL) as well as the size of the overall Framework Class Library (FCL) would be interesting.
This information would be useful in 2 ways:
Firstly, to get a handle on how much of the overall framework you have actually worked with and how much you still have to learn.
Secondly, many programmers from other platforms (and non-technical people) are often surprised that a programmer can spend most of their time within the ".NET Framework". Having some numbers would certainly help explain why this is not an indication of narrow skills/experience.
[Update]
Using Andrew's code (on my .NET 3.5 SP1 system) I get:
Classes: 12688 Value types: 4438 Interfaces: 1296
342
The Framework Class Library or FCL provides the system functionality in the . NET Framework as it has various classes, data types, interfaces, etc. to perform multiple functions and build different types of applications such as desktop applications, web applications, mobile applications, etc.
In addition to the base data types, the System namespace contains over 100 classes, ranging from classes that handle exceptions to classes that deal with core runtime concepts, such as application domains and the garbage collector.
NET Framework can be hosted by unmanaged components that load the common language runtime into their processes and initiate the execution of managed code, thereby creating a software environment that exploits both managed and unmanaged features. .
The standard library is intended to be the minimum set of types and members required by a conforming C# implementation. As such, it contains only those members that are explicitly required by the C# language specification. Adding namespaces. Adding types.
These 2 blog posts address this topic:
Results are broken down by number of assemblies, namespaces, types, members, and other items.
123
If you love us? You can donate to us via Paypal or buy me a coffee so we can maintain and grow! Thank you!
Donate Us With
