[ Updated for UWP apps on Windows 10. For Windows 8.x articles, see the archive ]
Windows Runtime components are self-contained objects that you can instantiate and use from any language, including C#, Visual Basic, JavaScript, and C++.
You can use Visual Studio and C#, Visual Basic, or C++ to create Windows Runtime components that can be used in Universal Windows Platform (UWP) apps.
| Topic | Description |
|---|---|
| Creating Windows Runtime Components in C++ | This article shows how to use C++ to create a Windows Runtime component, which is a DLL that's callable from a Universal Windows app that's built by using JavaScript—or C#, Visual Basic, or C++. |
| Walkthrough: Creating a basic Windows Runtime component in C++ and calling it from JavaScript or C# | This walkthrough shows how to create a basic Windows Runtime Component DLL that's callable from JavaScript, C#, or Visual Basic. Before you begin this walkthrough, make sure that you understand concepts such as the Abstract Binary Interface (ABI), ref classes, and the Visual C++ Component Extensions that make working with ref classes easier. For more information, see Creating Windows Runtime Components in C++ and Visual C++ Language Reference (C++/CX). |
| Creating Windows Runtime Components in C# and Visual Basic | Starting with the .NET Framework 4.5, you can use managed code to create your own Windows Runtime types, packaged in a Windows Runtime component. You can use your component in Universal Windows Platform (UWP) apps with C++, JavaScript, Visual Basic, or C#. This article outlines the rules for creating a component, and discusses some aspects of .NET Framework support for the Windows Runtime. In general, that support is designed to be transparent to the .NET Framework programmer. However, when you create a component to use with JavaScript or C++, you need to be aware of differences in the way those languages support the Windows Runtime. |
| Walkthrough: Creating a Simple Windows Runtime component and calling it from JavaScript | This walkthrough shows how you can use the .NET Framework with Visual Basic or C# to create your own Windows Runtime types, packaged in a Windows Runtime component, and how to call the component from your Universal Windows app built for Windows using JavaScript. |
| Raising Events in Windows Runtime components | If your Windows Runtime component raises an event of a user-defined delegate type on a background thread (worker thread) and you want JavaScript to be able to receive the event, you can implement and/or raise it in one of these ways: |
| Brokered Windows Runtime Components for side-loaded Windows Store apps | This topic discusses an enterprise-targeted feature supported by Windows 10 Update and above, which allows touch-friendly .NET apps to use the existing code responsible for key business-critical operations. |