Using COM Types in Managed Code

COM types defined in an assembly are like any other managed type. Managed clients can create a new instance of a COM type in the usual way and obtain class information through metadata as they would for any other managed class. Method syntax can be inspected through an object viewer or obtained using reflection, just as it can with any other managed class. When the COM object returns a failure HRESULT, the .NET client catches a corresponding exception.

Obtaining and releasing a reference to a running COM object is just like obtaining and releasing a reference to any other running managed object. When .NET clients obtain and release a reference to a COM object, the runtime maintains the reference count on the COM object just as any other COM client would, and .NET clients can behave as if the object were subject to garbage collection, just as they would for any other managed server object.

For code samples that accompany the topics of this section, see COM Interop Sample: .NET Client and COM Server.

See Also

Exposing COM Components to the .NET Framework | Inspecting an Assembly for COM Types | Activating a COM Object | Calling Methods, Properties, and Events | Design Considerations for Interoperation | COM Wrappers