Abstract: Technologies for a contract platform versioned according to the set of API contracts provided. API contracts are both development-time and run-time executable components. Each such contract defines a particular set of APIs that are fully supported at run-time by a corresponding implementation module. Contract applications are written to API contracts as opposed to the monolithic APIs of a legacy platform. Such applications are “platform agnostic”.

Abstract: Systems and methods for managing the lifecycle of an API over a number of different versions of an operating system—as well as over a number of different platforms are disclosed. In one embodiment, a method is disclosed wherein for a given API, metadata is created and associated with certain constructs of the API. The metadata may comprise a version indication. A set of versioning rules may be defined. Such versioning rules govern whether a particular construct of an API may be changed for a given version. These versioning rules may be enforced at the time of constructing a new build. The versioning rules may be enforced by the IDE system.

Abstract: Technologies for a contract platform versioned according to the set of API contracts provided. API contracts are both development-time and run-time executable components. Each such contract defines a particular set of APIs that are fully supported at run-time by a corresponding implementation module. Contract applications are written to API contracts as opposed to the monolithic APIs of a legacy platform. Such applications are “platform agnostic”.

Abstract: Information about the operating system application programming interfaces is stored in a known format in a known location. This information fully describes the APIs exposed by the operating system and is stored in API metadata files. A language compiler or interpreter uses this API information to build a natural and familiar representation of the native system API in the target language. The language compiler or interpreter can read the API information at compile time and/or runtime. The metadata is used to allow an application to refer to named elements in the API. Projections are built that use the metadata to map named elements in the API to named elements in the target language, and to define wrappers that marshal data of those elements between the target representation and the native operating system representation.

Abstract: Information about the operating system application programming interfaces is stored in a known format in a known location. This information fully describes the APIs exposed by the operating system and is stored in API metadata files. A language compiler or interpreter uses this API information to build a natural and familiar representation of the native system API in the target language. The language compiler or interpreter can read the API information at compile time and/or runtime. The metadata is used to allow an application to refer to named elements in the API. Projections are built that use the metadata to map named elements in the API to named elements in the target language, and to define wrappers that marshal data of those elements between the target representation and the native operating system representation.

Abstract: Systems and methods for managing the lifecycle of an API over a number of different versions of an operating system—as well as over a number of different platforms are disclosed. In one embodiment, a method is disclosed wherein for a given API, metadata is created and associated with certain constructs of the API. The metadata may comprise a version indication. A set of versioning rules may be defined. Such versioning rules govern whether a particular construct of an API may be changed for a given version. These versioning rules may be enforced at the time of constructing a new build. The versioning rules may be enforced by the IDE system.

Abstract: Information about the operating system application programming interfaces is stored in a known format in a known location. This information fully describes the APIs exposed by the operating system and is stored in API metadata files. A language compiler or interpreter uses this API information to build a natural and familiar representation of the native system API in the target language. The language compiler or interpreter can read the API information at compile time and/or runtime. The metadata is used to allow an application to refer to named elements in the API. Projections are built that use the metadata to map named elements in the API to named elements in the target language, and to define wrappers that marshal data of those elements between the target representation and the native operating system representation.

Abstract: Native operating system application programming interfaces (API's) are described using metadata and such descriptions are stored in a standard file format in a known location. By storing API definitions using such metadata, other applications can readily identify and use the APIs. To create such API representations, during development, a developer describes the shape of the API, including (but not limited to) the classes, interfaces, methods, properties, events, parameters, structures and enumerated types defined by the API. This API description is processed by a tool which generates a machine-readable metadata file. The machine-readable metadata file contains the same information as the API description, however in a format designed to be machine read rather than human authored.

Abstract: Information about the operating system application programming interfaces is stored in a known format in a known location. This information fully describes the APIs exposed by the operating system and is stored in API metadata files. A language compiler or interpreter uses this API information to build a natural and familiar representation of the native system API in the target language. The language compiler or interpreter can read the API information at compile time and/or runtime. The metadata is used to allow an application to refer to named elements in the API. Projections are built that use the metadata to map named elements in the API to named elements in the target language, and to define wrappers that marshal data of those elements between the target representation and the native operating system representation.

Abstract: A method and system for dynamically downloading custom code for execution within a host application is provided. A deployment system augments the manifest used for deploying managed applications to include information describing how the host application is to use the custom code, referred to as host manifest information. The deployment system reports the progress of the downloading of the manifest and the custom code to the host application. The host application can then perform appropriate host-specific processing. The host application may provide to the deployment system an interface for verifying the trust of the custom code. The deployment system also allows the host application to control the uninstalling of the custom code.

Abstract: A method and system for dynamically downloading custom code for execution within a host application is provided. A deployment system augments the manifest used for deploying managed applications to include information describing how the host application is to use the custom code, referred to as host manifest information. The deployment system reports the progress of the downloading of the manifest and the custom code to the host application. The host application can then perform appropriate host-specific processing. The host application may provide to the deployment system an interface for verifying the trust of the custom code. The deployment system also allows the host application to control the uninstalling of the custom code.