MSDN Documentation

Windows API Reference - .NET APIs

.NET APIs for Windows Development

This section provides comprehensive documentation for the .NET APIs available for developing Windows applications. Explore the namespaces and classes that empower you to build rich, native-feeling experiences on the Windows platform.

Core .NET Namespaces

These fundamental namespaces provide the building blocks for most Windows applications:

📚System Namespace

Provides fundamental classes and base types used by all .NET applications, including core data types, exceptions, and fundamental services.

Key Classes:

  • Object
  • String
  • Int32
  • Exception
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💻Microsoft.Windows Namespace

Contains APIs for interacting with the Windows operating system, including file system access, registry manipulation, and process management.

Key Classes:

  • Directory
  • File
  • Registry
  • Process
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UI Frameworks

Leverage these powerful frameworks to create engaging user interfaces for your Windows applications:

🎨Windows Forms

A mature and widely-used UI framework for building desktop applications with a visual designer. Ideal for rapid application development.

Key Classes:

  • Form
  • Button
  • TextBox
  • ListView
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💡WPF (Windows Presentation Foundation)

A modern UI framework that offers rich graphics, powerful styling and templating, and data binding capabilities. Built on DirectX for hardware acceleration.

Key Classes:

  • Window
  • Button
  • TextBlock
  • DataGrid
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Modern Windows Development

Discover APIs for building the next generation of Windows applications:

🚀WinRT (Windows Runtime) APIs

Access to the Windows Runtime (WinRT) APIs from .NET, enabling developers to build Universal Windows Platform (UWP) applications and leverage modern Windows features.

Key Namespaces:

  • Windows.UI
  • Windows.System
  • Windows.Storage
  • Windows.Networking
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