Net generic types are implemented the common language run time clr level

Visual Basic in the .NET Framework ❘989

Multiple inheritance is not supported by the language. A class can have only one base class, but is allowed to implement any number of interfaces. This was a design decision to avoid complication, avoid dependency hell, and simplify architectural requirements throughout the CTS.

Visual Basic programs can still store and compare pointers through the System.IntPtr type (which provides interoperability between managed and unmanaged code), but objects and values behind IntPtr instances cannot be dereferenced.

Visual Basic 2005 (8.0)

➤ Documentation comments

➤ Operator declarations

Generic types allow you to defi ne type - safe data structures, without committing to actual data types. This results in higher - quality code, because you can reuse data processing algorithms without duplicating type - specifi c code.

There is a similar concept in C++, called templates , but while templates in C++ are supported by a compiler, .NET generic types are implemented at the Common Language Run - time (CLR) level. Although there are entire books dedicated to generics, this section provides a brief overview without deeper explanation.

End Sub

Public Function Dequeue() As T
‘ ...

Dim intQueue As Queue(Of Integer) = New Queue(Of Integer)
intQueue.Enqueue(42)
Dim transferQueue As Queue(Of Transfer) = New Queue(Of Transfer) While Not transferQueue.IsEmpty
Dim transfer = transferQueue.Dequeue()
transfer.Process()
‘ ...

End While