System.Reflection.AssemblyName

Syntax

public sealed class AssemblyName : ICloneable, System.Runtime.Serialization.ISerializable

Namespace: System.Reflection
Assembly: System.Runtime.dll

Inheritance

Object
AssemblyName

Implements

• ICloneable
• System.Runtime.Serialization.ISerializable

Properties

• CodeBase
  string - Gets or sets the application or a fully qualified URL representing the Uniform Resource Locator (URL) that starts the assembly.
• CultureInfo
  System.Globalization.CultureInfo - Gets or sets the culture information for the assembly.
• EscapedCodeBase
  string - Gets the application or a fully qualified URL representing the Uniform Resource Locator (URL) that starts the assembly, with special characters for URL encoding.
• FullName
  string - Gets the full name of the assembly, including the version, culture, and public key token.
• HashAlgorithm
  System.Configuration.Assemblies.AssemblyHashAlgorithm - Gets or sets the hash algorithm used to hash the contents of the files in the assembly.
• Name
  string - Gets or sets the name of the assembly.
• ProcessorArchitecture
  System.Reflection.ProcessorArchitecture - Gets or sets the processor architecture for the assembly.
• PublicKey
  byte[] - Gets or sets the public key for the assembly.
• PublicKeyToken
  byte[] - Gets the public key token for the assembly.
• Version
  System.Version - Gets or sets the version of the assembly.

Methods

• Clone()
  object ICloneable.Clone() - Creates a new AssemblyName object that is a copy of the current instance.
• Equals(object obj)
  bool Equals(object obj) - Determines whether the specified object is equal to the current object.
• GetHashCode()
  int GetHashCode() - Serves as the default hash function.
• GetObjectData(SerializationInfo info, StreamingContext context)
  void ISerializable.GetObjectData(SerializationInfo info, StreamingContext context) - Populates a SerializationInfo object with the data needed to serialize the current AssemblyName object.
• GetType()
  Type GetType() - Gets the Type of the current instance.
• ToString()
  string ToString() - Returns a string that represents the current object.

Remarks

The AssemblyName class provides a rich set of properties to describe an assembly. It is crucial for scenarios involving assembly loading, binding, and resolution within the .NET runtime.

Key uses include:

• Specifying assembly dependencies.
• Identifying assemblies for dynamic loading using methods like Assembly.Load(AssemblyName).
• Configuring assembly binding policies.
• Retrieving information about assemblies already loaded in the application domain.

The FullName property provides a concise, definitive string representation that can be used for assembly identification.

Examples

Getting AssemblyName for the current assembly

using System;
using System.Reflection;

public class Example
{
    public static void Main(string[] args)
    {
        // Get the AssemblyName for the currently executing assembly
        AssemblyName currentAssemblyName = Assembly.GetExecutingAssembly().GetName();

        Console.WriteLine($"Assembly Name: {currentAssemblyName.Name}");
        Console.WriteLine($"Version: {currentAssemblyName.Version}");
        Console.WriteLine($"Full Name: {currentAssemblyName.FullName}");

        if (currentAssemblyName.CultureInfo != null)
        {
            Console.WriteLine($"Culture: {currentAssemblyName.CultureInfo.Name}");
        }
        else
        {
            Console.WriteLine("Culture: Neutral");
        }
    }
}

Creating an AssemblyName from a string

using System;
using System.Reflection;

public class Example
{
    public static void Main(string[] args)
    {
        // Example assembly name string
        string assemblyNameString = "MyLibrary, Version=1.0.0.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=null";

        try
        {
            AssemblyName assemblyName = new AssemblyName(assemblyNameString);

            Console.WriteLine($"Parsed Name: {assemblyName.Name}");
            Console.WriteLine($"Parsed Version: {assemblyName.Version}");
            Console.WriteLine($"Parsed Full Name: {assemblyName.FullName}");

            if (assemblyName.CultureInfo != null)
            {
                Console.WriteLine($"Parsed Culture: {assemblyName.CultureInfo.Name}");
            }
            else
            {
                Console.WriteLine("Parsed Culture: Neutral");
            }
        }
        catch (ArgumentException ex)
        {
            Console.WriteLine($"Error parsing assembly name: {ex.Message}");
        }
    }
}

Exceptions

ArgumentException: Thrown when the assembly name string is invalid or malformed.

FileNotFoundException: Thrown when an assembly cannot be found.

BadImageFormatException: Thrown when the assembly is not a valid executable assembly.