B Command-Line Utilities

B
Command-Line
Utilities
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Chapter B
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I
n addition to the compilers for Visual Basic .NET (vbc.exe), C++ (cl.exe), and C# (csc.exe),
the Microsoft .NET Framework SDK adds a number of tools designed to make it easier
for you to create, deploy, and manage applications and components that target the .NET
Framework. This appendix will introduce these tools and will also detail the command-line
usages of vbc.exe.
Command Utilities
In order to be able to run these command-line utilities, you must configure the
environment properly. The Visual Studio .NET installation includes a command
file (VCVARS32.bat) that configures the command environment properly by setting
the path variable to include the Visual Studio .NET directory. The command file is
installed in the \bin directory of your installation (the default is c:\Program Files\
Microsoft Visual Studio.NET\vc7\bin). The command file is configured during the
installation of Visual Studio to correspond to your computer’s setup. Do not replace
a missing or damaged VCVARS32.bat file with a VCVARS32.bat from another
machine. Rerun setup to replace the missing file.
To run VCVARS32.bat, you can execute it from the path or you can use the
shortcut. Select Start | Programs | Microsoft Visual Studio .NET | Visual Studio
.NET Tools | Visual Studio .NET Command Prompt.
We recommend that you create a shortcut to the .NET command prompt on
your desktop and in the Windows taskbar.
The .NET Framework SDK tools are grouped according to use:

■
Debugging tools (see Table B-1)
■
Configuration and deployment tools (see Table B-2)
■
Security tools (see Table B-3)
■
General tools (see Table B-4)
Debugging Tools
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Appendix B: Command-Line Utilities
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Tool Description
Microsoft CLR Debugger
(DbgCLR.exe)
Provides debugging services with a graphical interface to
help application developers find and fix bugs in
programs that target the runtime.
Runtime Debugger (Cordbg.exe) Provides command-line debugging services using the
Common Language Runtime Debug API. It is used to
find and fix bugs in programs that target the runtime.
TABLE B-1
The .NET
Framework SDK
Debugging Tools
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Configuration and Deployment Tools
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Command Utilities
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Tool Description
Assembly Cache Viewer (Shfusion.dll) Lets you to view and manipulate the contents of the Global
Assembly Cache using Windows Explorer.
Assembly Linker (Al.exe) Allows you to use either resource files or Microsoft Intermediate
Language (MSIL) files to generate a file with an assembly
manifest.
Assembly Registration tool (Regasm.exe) Registers .NET Framework classes to the Registry, which allows
COM clients to create .NET Framework classes transparently.
Assembly Binding Log Viewer (Fuslogvw.exe) Displays log-file information for failed assembly binding. This
information can help you diagnose the reasons the .NET
Framework has problems locating an assembly at run time.
Global Assembly Cache tool (Gacutil.exe) This tool allows you to view and manipulate the contents of the
Global Assembly Cache and download cache. You can use
Gacutil.exe in build scripts, makefile files, and batch files.
Installer tool (Installutil.exe) Allows you to install and uninstall server resources by executing
the installer components of a specified assembly.
Isolated Storage tool (Storeadm.exe) Displays and manages all existing stores for the currently
logged-on user.
Native Image Generator (Ngen.exe) Lets you create a native image from a managed assembly and
install the image in the native image cache on the local computer.
.NET Framework Configuration tool

(Mscorcfg.msc)
Provides a graphical interface for managing .NET Framework
security policy and applications that use remoting services. This
tool also allows you to manage and configure assemblies in the
Global Assembly Cache.
.NET Services Installation tool (Regsvcs.exe) Allows you to add managed classes to Windows 2000
Component Services (COM+) by loading and registering the
assembly and generating, registering, and installing the type
library into an existing COM+ 1.0 application.
Soapsuds tool (Soapsuds.exe) Lets you compile client applications that communicate with
XML web services. The technique used is called remoting.
Type Library Exporter (Tlbexp.exe) Generates a type library from a Common Language Runtime
assembly.
Type Library Importer (Tlbimp.exe) Converts the type definitions found within a COM type library
into equivalent definitions in managed metadata format.
Web Services Description Language tool (Wsdl.exe) Generates the code for XML web services and XML web service
clients, XML Schema Definition (XSD) schema files, and the
.disco discovery documents from WSDL (Web Services
Description Language) contract files.
TABLE B-2
The .NET Framework SDK Configuration and Deployment Tools
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Security Tools
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Appendix B: Command-Line Utilities
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Tool Description
Web Services Discovery tool (Disco.exe) Allows you to discover the URLs of XML web services located
on a web server.
XML Schema Definition Tool (Xsd.exe) Generates XML schemas that follow the XSD language
proposed by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C). This
tool generates Common Language Runtime classes and
DataSet classes from an XSD schema file.
TABLE B-1
The .NET Framework SDK Configuration and Deployment Tools (continued)
Tool Description
Certificate Creation Tool (Makecert.exe) Creates X.509 certificates for testing purposes only.
Certificate Manager tool (Certmgr.exe) Manages certificates, certificate trust lists (CTLs), and certificate
revocation lists (CRLs).
Certificate Verification tool (Chktrust.exe) Verifies the validity of a file signed with an X.509 certificate.
Code Access Security Policy tool (Caspol.exe) Allows you to examine and modify security policies for the
machine, user, and enterprise-level code access.
File Signing tool (Signcode.exe) Signs a portable executable (PE) file with an Authenticode
digital signature.
Permissions View tool (Permview.exe) Allows you to view the minimal, optional, and refused
permission sets requested by an assembly. You can also
use this tool to display the declarative security used by
an assembly.
PEVerify tool (PEVerify.exe) Conducts MSIL type-safety verification checks and metadata
validation checks on an assembly.
Secutil tool (Secutil.exe) Extracts public-key information or Authenticode publisher
certificates from an assembly. The output is formatted to be
incorporated into code.
Set Registry Tool (Setreg.exe) Allows you to change the Registry settings for the Software
Publishing State keys.
Software Publisher Certificate Test tool

(Cert2spc.exe)
Tests a Software Publisher’s Certificate (SPC), or creates an
SPC from one or more X.509 certificates.
Strong Name tool (Sn.exe) Allows you to create assemblies with strong names.
TABLE B-3
The .NET Framework SDK Security Tools
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Visual Basic .NET Compiler (vbc.exe)
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General Tools
Visual Basic .NET Compiler (vbc.exe)
In order to compile and run a Visual Basic .NET program, you will need to have
the .NET Framework installed on your computer. Microsoft has made the .NET
Framework available as a free upgrade, and you can either download it from
(approximately 130MB) or order a CD that contains
the .NET Framework.
Tool Description
Common Language Runtime Minidump tool
(Mscordmp.exe)
Creates a file containing a core dump of
information that can be useful when analyzing
system issues in the runtime.
License Compiler (Lc.exe) Allows you to create a .licenses file that can be
embedded in a Common Language Runtime
executable. It reads text files that contain licensing

information.
Management Strongly Typed Class Generator
(Mgmtclassgen.exe)
Allows you to quickly generate an early-bound class
for a specified Windows Management
Instrumentation (WMI) class.
MSIL Assembler (Ilasm.exe) Generates a PE file from Microsoft Intermediate
Language (MSIL).
MSIL Disassembler (Ildasm.exe) Produces a MSIL source file from a Portable
Executable (PE) file.
Resource File Generator tool (Resgen.exe) Converts text files and .resx (XML-based resource
format) files to .NET Common Language Runtime
binary .resources files that can be embedded in a
runtime binary executable or compiled into satellite
assemblies.
Windows Forms ActiveX Control Importer
(Aximp.exe)
Converts type definitions in a COM type library for
an ActiveX control into a Windows Forms control.
Windows Forms Class Viewer (Wincv.exe) Finds managed classes matching a specified search
pattern, and displays information about those
classes using the Reflection API.
Windows Forms Resource Editor (Winres.exe) Allows you to quickly and easily localize the
Windows Forms forms in your application using
a GUI tool.
TABLE B-4
The .NET Framework SDK General Tools
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