Abstract: Techniques for determining and tracking dependent properties for a calculated property are provided. A request for a value of a first property is received. The value for the first property is calculated, including accessing values for one or more properties used to calculate the value for the first property. The accessing of the values for the one or more properties may be detected, and the one or more properties may be tracked as dependent properties for the first property in a first set of dependent properties. A change in the value of a second property may subsequently be detected. If the second property is determined to be included in the first set of dependent properties, the value of the first property is invalidated.

Abstract: Techniques for determining and tracking dependent properties for a calculated property are provided. A request for a value of a first property is received. The value for the first property is calculated, including accessing values for one or more properties used to calculate the value for the first property. The accessing of the values for the one or more properties may be detected, and the one or more properties may be tracked as dependent properties for the first property in a first set of dependent properties. A change in the value of a second property may subsequently be detected. If the second property is determined to be included in the first set of dependent properties, the value of the first property is invalidated.

Abstract: Specific tasks associated with debugging are performed in the background, prior to a user of an application development tool invoking the debugger. The tasks including (1) starting a hosting process, (2) loading a hosted runtime environment (e.g., .NET runtime) in the process, and (3) attaching a debugger to the hosting process, are performed in the background before the user commences debugging. Once the user invokes the debugger, the user's application is executed and debugged. Thus, the perceived time to start debugging is greatly reduced.

Abstract: Systems and methods for using private keys in software development that minimizes the risks of the private key being lost or stolen. A strong name consists of the assembly's identity, e.g., its simple text name, version number, and culture information (if provided), plus a public key and a digital signature. It is generated from an assembly file using the corresponding private key. The private/public key pair is persisting in a password-encrypted file using a standard encryption format that can be made available to everyone. The first time any subsystem of the development environment requires use of the private key contained in an encrypted file format, the developer is prompted to provide the password to decrypt the key. The user supplies the password and the public/private key is imported into a non-exportable key container in the local cryptographic store.

Abstract: A versioning policy included in a target component indicates how the target component is to be accessed, for example, either as a library component or a platform component. A component may be designated as a library component when it is not versioned in a binary compatible manner. When other components request such a component they receive specifically the version of the component they requested. On the other hand, a component may be designated as a platform component when it is versioned in a binary compatible manner. When other components request such a component they may receive the latest upgraded version of the component requested instead. Thus, access to an appropriate version of the component (even a version differing from the requested version) is facilitated. Other embodiments include mechanisms for stratifying component scope based on different processing levels.

Abstract: Architecture for developing an application. The architecture provides an entry point to commonly used classes of an application development framework. A developer begins a project which predefines a set of collection classes. An exposer component includes an identifier component and a compiler for generating accessors to the collected classes. The identifier uses an attribute on a collection class which a compiler dynamically extracts in order to generate accessors to the desired collected classes and compiles the generated collection classes for use in the namespace.

Abstract: A system and method of providing edit and continue support in a software program debugging environment. “Edit and continue” support allows a user (e.g., programmer and/or developer) to update the code and/or data structure(s) of an executing program while it is running. After the user has finished editing their code and resumes execution, an integrated development environment (IDE) propagates the edit(s) into a common language runtime (CLR) environment before continuing. Therefore, from the CLR environment's perspective, an edit is a block of intermediate language code (IL) and/or metadata that is inserted into a running process. The IDE can facilitate: determining “legality” of an edit; building the edit; sending the edit to the CLR environment; and/or, facilitating the CLR environment switch execution to the edited code.

Abstract: Specific tasks associated with debugging are performed in the background, prior to a user of an application development tool invoking the debugger. The tasks including (1) starting a hosting process, (2) loading a hosted runtime environment (e.g., .NET runtime) in the process, and (3) attaching a debugger to the hosting process, are performed in the background before the user commences debugging. Once the user invokes the debugger, the user's application is executed and debugged. Thus, the perceived time to start debugging is greatly reduced.

Abstract: A method for hardening a photoresist material formed on a semiconductor substrate comprising the steps of coating a surface of a substrate of a wafer with a layer of photoresist material. Next, the layer of photoresist material disposed on the surface of the substrate of the wafer is masked, exposed, and developed to provide a patterned photoresist material. The patterned developed photoresist material layer is then inspected for critical dimensions, linewidths, and other dimensional characteristics. After the inspection, UV radiation is used to cure the patterned developed photoresist material layer to provide a hardened patterned developed photoresist material layer which is disposed on the surface of the substrate of the wafer. Next, the hardened patterned developed photoresist material layer is implanted from a first implant direction with an inert species material such as argon. Following the implantation step, the first implant direction is incremented 90 degrees to a second implant direction.