.NET Namespaces

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Techno Learner

The .NET namespace organization confuses me. I opened a new VB.NET
Windows Application and headed for the object browser. It had things
such as:

(1) mscorlib
(2) Microsoft.VisualBasic
(3) System
(4) System.Data
(5) System.Drawing
(6) System.Windows.Forms
(7) System.Xml
(8) WindowsApplication1

While I know the entries (2) through (7) are .NET namespaces, what is
the first entry mscorlib (I understand it is a deformation of
Microsoft Core Library but what exactly is it - a namespace)?

Further, I opened the mscorlib node in the treeview to see other
namespaces, some of which are:

(1) Microsoft
(2) Microsoft.Win32
(3) System

Opening the node System from within the mscorlib node showed me the
classes within the System namespace.

However, opening the System node that is a sibling (and not the child)
to the mscorlib class does not show the contained classes.

Why do they have the same namespace, System, twice - once as a child
to mscorlib and once as a sibling?

And when System.Data is a reference to the Data namespace contained
within the System namespace, would not setting a reference to just the
System namespace take care of all contained namespaces including
System.Data? Why do they have to seperately declare:

-System
-System.Data
-System.Drawing
 
* (e-mail address removed) (Techno Learner) scripsit:
The .NET namespace organization confuses me. I opened a new VB.NET
Windows Application and headed for the object browser. It had things
such as:

(1) mscorlib
(2) Microsoft.VisualBasic
(3) System
(4) System.Data
(5) System.Drawing
(6) System.Windows.Forms
(7) System.Xml
(8) WindowsApplication1

While I know the entries (2) through (7) are .NET namespaces, what is
the first entry mscorlib (I understand it is a deformation of
Microsoft Core Library but what exactly is it - a namespace)?
Click to expand...

No, that are /not/ namespaces, but assembly names. Namespaces are
marked with a "{}" icon in the object browser. The namespaces contained
in an assembly are shown when opening the assembly's branch in object
browser.
Further, I opened the mscorlib node in the treeview to see other
namespaces, some of which are:

(1) Microsoft
(2) Microsoft.Win32
(3) System

Opening the node System from within the mscorlib node showed me the
classes within the System namespace.

However, opening the System node that is a sibling (and not the child)
to the mscorlib class does not show the contained classes.
Click to expand...

That's another assembly.
 
Thanks for the reply. That settles it. They're assemblies and not
namespaces. Eureka!
 
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