In this chapter, we will discuss the managed extensibility framework mef. Mef can be considered to be a dependency injection framework with the capability to discover dependencies across assembly partitions. The outcomes of step 2, the self assessment, are the inputs for step 3. I have an application that uses mef to dynamically load assemblies. For those who dont know, the managed extensibility framework mef is alive and well, and has been ported to. Udemy managed extensibility framework, mef, from novice. Managed extensibility framework mef is a component of. Two of the most significant updates are the support for generic types and the introduction of a conventionbased extension model. The managed extensibility framework or mef is a library for creating lightweight, extensible applications. Version 2 of managed extensibility framework mef, a framework for extending. Visual studio uses managed extensibility framework mef to extend most of the code instead of writing vspackage. Net application developers to discover and use extensions with no configuration required. It also lets extension developers easily encapsulate code and avoid fragile hard dependencies.
The mef managed extensibility framework is a component that comes with. In this post, i will give you a brief introduction to what managed extensibility framework is all about and also create a. Mef is an extensibility framework built inside the framework to support the plugin function of the application. Concrete classes are referenced inside the ui layer by di during the startup inside configureservices method. It also aims to let extension developers encapsulate code easily and avoid fragile hard dependencies. The managed extensibility framework or mef is a library for creating lightweight, and extensible applications. The container is used to connect and import or export the parts and thus making it available it for other hosting applications.
This time, i will be talking about integrating unity with managed extensibility framework mef. The managed extensibility framework mef is a new extensibility model in the. The following diagram shows the parts and containers present in the managed extensibility framework. The editor is built by using managed extensibility framework mef components. How to configure mef managed extensibility framework to only load signed assemblies.
It can discover loosely coupled components known as parts at runtime, and composes them together. These include discovery for separation of concerns, metadata for filtering and sorting implementations, and extensibility for highly modular applications. This packages provides a version of the managed extensibility framework mef that is lightweight and specifically optimized for high throughput scenarios, such as the web. Brief introduction to managed extensibility framework mef mef is a library built on top of microsoft. Mef can provide the following two key benefits to your application.
Managed extensibility framework in the editor visual. The managed extensibility framework mef is designed to help you create extensible applications. These include discovery for separation of concerns, selection from fundamentals of the managed extensibility framework mef. Learn how to leverage the managed extensibility framework, part of the. Net mvc and the managed extensibility framework mef april 21, 2009. Book created for educational purposes and is not affiliated with. Working with managed extensibility framework to write. Text content is released under creative commons bysa. Fundamentals of the managed extensibility framework mef. However, currently, it is loading my assemblies whether they are signed or not. This is the first part of the series that i will be continuing on mef.
This post is about using mef managed extensibility framework in. Images may be of their respective owners unless otherwise specified. Net library released on codeplex that enables greater reuse of application components. Composition, meaning, we dont have the catalogs, which included. A whirlwind tour through the managed extensibility framework. You can find the other posts in the series here how to use unity in a web application, here adding interfaces, here registration by convention, here injecting values, here extensions, here aspectoriented programming, here dependency injection and the first one here introduction. An introduction to managed extensibility framework mef. The container is used to find the parts from the catalog. Managed extensibility framework mef implementation used by visual studio microsoftvs mef.
Managed extensibility framework mef microsoft docs. Though managed extensibility framework mef has been there a long time now, but still i think that there should be a simple article for a beginner to start with. Microsoft has now changed the license to the mef to the open source mspl license. I partnered with addisonwesley to produce a livelessons video series and ended with over 4 hours covering the fundamentals of mef. Managed extensibility framework mef before exploring mef, let me summarize the problem.
The first project reaches past silverlight and addresses a framework i believe was gamechanging when introduced with. Using managed extensibility framework to build a modular. Im creating a service for my organization that will be installed on hundreds of computers. Net framework notes for professionals book is compiled from stack overflow documentation, the content is written by the beautiful people. An archive of the codeplex open source hosting site. The catalog finds the parts from the assembly or a directory. Framework design guidelines is one of those rare books that can be read at different reading levels and can be useful to different kinds of developers. You can do this by dynamically composing your application based on a set of classes and methods that can be combined at runtime. It allows application developers to discover and use extensions with no configuration required. The microsoft mef can be used for dependency injection, but it does it much differently than most other containers. Net framework notes for professionals book is compiled from stack overflow documentation, the content is written by the beautiful people at stack overflow. Net framework 4 or beyond and helps you to build applications that are lightweight and extensible by adopting a loosely.
Posted by anuraj on friday, january, 2017 reading time. The implementation of it may need to change over time. Now it is time to look at this myself with a simple demo app. Ill cover the conventionbased programming model available in mef. Mef can be used for thirdparty plugin extensibility, or it can bring the benefits of a looselycoupled pluginlike architecture to regular applications. Net notes for professionals framework notes for professionals free programming books disclaimer this is an uno cial free book created for educational purposes and is not a liated with o cial. Managed extensibility framework paperback jan 1 2012. Microsofts managed extensibility framework mef is a. Mef is a library for creating lightweight, extensible applications. How are you using the managed extensibility framework.
Start and manage managed extensibility framework projects with the 62 implementation resources. Open up your applications with the managed extensibility. Open up your applications with the managed extensibility framework. The last two are very powerful even for an application that will never see a single plugin or extension. It avoids hard dependencies and lets the application developer discover and. Net mvc and the managed extensibility framework mef. Managed extensibility framework, mef is a great framework. You can build your own mef components to extend the editor, and your code can consume editor components as well.
See credits at the end of this book whom contributed to the various chapters. From a hotel lobby in the sunny city of durban, southafrica, waiting for my plane transfer after a great teched africa event. After watching and read a bit about mef im still a little lost. I am carlos quintero, former microsoft most valuable professional mvp 14 times from 2004 to 2018 and passionate and specialist about visual studio extensibility vsx. Microsofts solution for dependency injection is called managed extensibility framework mef. Net frameworkcore and simplifies the development of plugin based applications. Net software from running on linux or macos in the future. Composition, meaning, we dont have the catalogs, which included, among others, the. Framework notes for professionals free programming books disclaimer this is an uno cial free book created for educational purposes and is not a liated with o cial. Net framework that provides a simple declarative model for application developers and extenders to. Net developer, you should avoid using the newly released managed extensibility framework as its license prevents its use beyond the windows platform.
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