.NET Framework mappings of Windows Runtime types
The following table lists the mappings that the .NET Framework makes between Windows Runtime types and .NET Framework types. In a Windows 8.x Store app written with managed code, IntelliSense shows the .NET Framework type instead of the Windows Runtime type. For example, if a Windows Runtime method takes a parameter of type IVector<string>, IntelliSense shows a parameter of type IList<string>. Similarly, in a Windows Runtime component written with managed code, you use the .NET Framework type in member signatures. When the Windows Runtime Metadata Export Tool (Winmdexp.exe) generates your Windows Runtime component, the .NET Framework type becomes the corresponding Windows Runtime type.
Most of the types that have the same namespace name and type name in both the Windows Runtime and the .NET Framework are structures (or types associated with structures, such as enumerations). In the Windows Runtime, structures have no members other than fields, and require helper types, which the .NET Framework hides. The .NET Framework versions of these structures have properties and methods that provide the functionality of the hidden helper types.
For more information about the way the .NET Framework uses Windows metadata to simplify programming with the Windows Runtime, download the CLR and the Windows Runtime white paper from the Windows Dev Center.
Table 1: Windows Runtime types that map to .NET Framework types with a different name and/or namespace.
Windows Runtime type/namespace |
.NET Framework type/namespace |
.NET Framework assembly |
|---|---|---|
AttributeUsageAttribute (Windows.Foundation.Metadata) |
AttributeUsageAttribute (System) |
System.Runtime.dll |
AttributeTargets (Windows.Foundation.Metadata) |
AttributeTargets (System) |
System.Runtime.dll |
DateTime (Windows.Foundation) |
DateTimeOffset (System) |
System.Runtime.dll |
EventHandler<T> (Windows.Foundation) |
EventHandler<T> (System) |
System.Runtime.dll |
EventRegistrationToken (Windows.Foundation) |
EventRegistrationToken (System.Runtime.InteropServices.WindowsRuntime) |
System.Runtime.InteropServices.WindowsRuntime.dll |
HResult (Windows.Foundation) |
Exception (System) |
System.Runtime.dll |
IReference<T> (Windows.Foundation) |
Nullable<T> (System) |
System.Runtime.dll |
TimeSpan (Windows.Foundation) |
TimeSpan (System) |
System.Runtime.dll |
Uri (Windows.Foundation) |
Uri (System) |
System.Runtime.dll |
IClosable (Windows.Foundation) |
IDisposable (System) |
System.Runtime.dll |
IIterable<T> (Windows.Foundation.Collections) |
IEnumerable<T> (System.Collections.Generic) |
System.Runtime.dll |
IVector<T> (Windows.Foundation.Collections) |
IList<T> (System.Collections.Generic) |
System.Runtime.dll |
IVectorView<T> (Windows.Foundation.Collections) |
IReadOnlyList<T> (System.Collections.Generic) |
System.Runtime.dll |
IMap<K,V> (Windows.Foundation.Collections) |
IDictionary<TKey,TValue> (System.Collections.Generic) |
System.Runtime.dll |
IMapView<K,V> (Windows.Foundation.Collections) |
IReadOnlyDictionary<TKey,TValue> (System.Collections.Generic) |
System.Runtime.dll |
IKeyValuePair<K,V> (Windows.Foundation.Collections) |
KeyValuePair<TKey,TValue> (System.Collections.Generic) |
System.Runtime.dll |
IBindableIterable (Windows.UI.Xaml.Interop) |
IEnumerable (System.Collections) |
System.Runtime.dll |
IBindableVector (Windows.UI.Xaml.Interop) |
IList (System.Collections) |
System.Runtime.dll |
INotifyCollectionChanged (Windows.UI.Xaml.Interop) |
INotifyCollectionChanged (System.Collections.Specialized) |
System.ObjectModel.dll |
NotifyCollectionChangedEventHandler (Windows.UI.Xaml.Interop) |
NotifyCollectionChangedEventHandler (System.Collections.Specialized) |
System.ObjectModel.dll |
NotifyCollectionChangedEventArgs (Windows.UI.Xaml.Interop) |
NotifyCollectionChangedEventArgs (System.Collections.Specialized) |
System.ObjectModel.dll |
NotifyCollectionChangedAction (Windows.UI.Xaml.Interop) |
NotifyCollectionChangedAction (System.Collections.Specialized) |
System.ObjectModel.dll |
INotifyPropertyChanged (Windows.UI.Xaml.Data) |
INotifyPropertyChanged (System.ComponentModel) |
System.ObjectModel.dll |
PropertyChangedEventHandler (Windows.UI.Xaml.Data) |
PropertyChangedEventHandler (System.ComponentModel) |
System.ObjectModel.dll |
PropertyChangedEventArgs (Windows.UI.Xaml.Data) |
PropertyChangedEventArgs (System.ComponentModel) |
System.ObjectModel.dll |
TypeName (Windows.UI.Xaml.Interop) |
Type (System) |
System.Runtime.dll |
Table 2: Windows Runtime types that map to .NET Framework types with the same name and namespace.
Namespace |
Type |
.NET Framework assembly |
|---|---|---|
Windows.UI |
Color |
System.Runtime.WindowsRuntime.dll |
Windows.Foundation |
Point |
System.Runtime.WindowsRuntime.dll |
Windows.Foundation |
Rect |
System.Runtime.WindowsRuntime.dll |
Windows.Foundation |
Size |
System.Runtime.WindowsRuntime.dll |
Windows.UI.Xaml.Input |
ICommand |
System.ObjectModel.dll |
Windows.UI.Xaml |
CornerRadius |
System.Runtime.WindowsRuntime.UI.Xaml.dll |
Windows.UI.Xaml |
Duration |
System.Runtime.WindowsRuntime.UI.Xaml.dll |
Windows.UI.Xaml |
DurationType |
System.Runtime.WindowsRuntime.UI.Xaml.dll |
Windows.UI.Xaml |
GridLength |
System.Runtime.WindowsRuntime.UI.Xaml.dll |
Windows.UI.Xaml |
GridUnitType |
System.Runtime.WindowsRuntime.UI.Xaml.dll |
Windows.UI.Xaml |
Thickness |
System.Runtime.WindowsRuntime.UI.Xaml.dll |
Windows.UI.Xaml.Controls.Primitives |
GeneratorPosition |
System.Runtime.WindowsRuntime.UI.Xaml.dll |
Windows.UI.Xaml.Media |
Matrix |
System.Runtime.WindowsRuntime.UI.Xaml.dll |
Windows.UI.Xaml.Media.Animation |
KeyTime |
System.Runtime.WindowsRuntime.UI.Xaml.dll |
Windows.UI.Xaml.Media.Animation |
RepeatBehavior |
System.Runtime.WindowsRuntime.UI.Xaml.dll |
Windows.UI.Xaml.Media.Animation |
RepeatBehaviorType |
System.Runtime.WindowsRuntime.UI.Xaml.dll |
Windows.UI.Xaml.Media.Media3D |
Matrix3D |
System.Runtime.WindowsRuntime.UI.Xaml.dll |