What is Marshaling?
Creating a bridge between the Managed code and unmanaged code . Which carries messages from the managed to the unmanaged environment and viseversa provided by CLR.
Why Marshaling?
You already know that there is no such compatibility between managed and unmanaged environments. In other words, .NET does not contain such the types HRESULT, DWORD, and HANDLE that exist in the realm of unmanaged code. Therefore, you need to find a .NET substitute or create your own if needed. That is what called marshaling.
An example is the unmanaged DWORD; it is an unsigned 32-bit integer, so we can marshal it in .NET as System.UInt32. Therefore, System.UInt32 is a substitute for the unmanaged DWORD. On the other hand, unmanaged compound types (structures, unions, etc.) do not have counterparts or substitutes in the managed environment. Thus, you'll need to create your own managed types (structures/classes) that will serve as the substitutes for the unmanaged types you use.
When I Need to Marshal?
Marshaling comes handy when you are working with unmanaged code, whether you are working with Windows API or COM components. It helps you interoperating (i.e. working) correctly with these environments by providing a way to share data between the two environments. Figure 1 shows the marshaling process, where it fall, and how it is required in the communication process between the two environments.
Creating a bridge between the Managed code and unmanaged code . Which carries messages from the managed to the unmanaged environment and viseversa provided by CLR.
Why Marshaling?
You already know that there is no such compatibility between managed and unmanaged environments. In other words, .NET does not contain such the types HRESULT, DWORD, and HANDLE that exist in the realm of unmanaged code. Therefore, you need to find a .NET substitute or create your own if needed. That is what called marshaling.
An example is the unmanaged DWORD; it is an unsigned 32-bit integer, so we can marshal it in .NET as System.UInt32. Therefore, System.UInt32 is a substitute for the unmanaged DWORD. On the other hand, unmanaged compound types (structures, unions, etc.) do not have counterparts or substitutes in the managed environment. Thus, you'll need to create your own managed types (structures/classes) that will serve as the substitutes for the unmanaged types you use.
When I Need to Marshal?
Marshaling comes handy when you are working with unmanaged code, whether you are working with Windows API or COM components. It helps you interoperating (i.e. working) correctly with these environments by providing a way to share data between the two environments. Figure 1 shows the marshaling process, where it fall, and how it is required in the communication process between the two environments.
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