A Model of Dynamic Binding in .NET

Millions of programmers use ECMA CLI-compliant languages like VB.NET and C#. The resulting bytecode can be executed on several CLI implementations, such as those from Microsoft and the open-source Mono organisation. While assemblies are the standard unit of deployment, no standard exists for the process of finding and loading assemblies at run-time. The process is typically complex, and varies between CLI implementations. Unlike other linking stages, such as verification, it is visible to programmers and can be a source of confusion. We offer a framework that describes how assemblies are resolved, loaded and used in CLI implementations. We strive for implementation-independence and note how implementations from different organisations vary in behaviour. We describe the reflection features available for dynamic loading, and give C# examples that exercise the features modelled in the framework.