Do you use the 'My' namespace in VB.NET? [closed]

Answer 1

Never used it so far, although I've never actually looked into it either.

I wouldn't advise putting anything into the My namespace yourself, it's much more clear just to lay it out like you would if it were a non-VB framework.

Answer 2

I don't use it a lot.

Answer 3

I really like the "My" Namespace in VB.NET and I always use it in my WindowsForms applications, because it is very intuitive.

I use primarily these categories:

• My.Computer: primarily for file system and network purposes
• My.Application: Version number, current directory
• My.Resources: Access to resources used by the application residing in resource files in a strongly typed manner.
• My.Settings: very handy

I think, if your extensions for My of your framework fit well, then many VB.NET programmers would appreciate them.

Answer 4

I've only used it from a user perspective, I've never plugged anything into it. I consider the My namespace to be some highly reliable, platform-provided, global helper mechanisms. Officially sanctioned shortcuts, really. I might be surprised to see external user or third-party code in there.

As such, I'd encourage a vb framework to define its own appropriately-named namespace instead of latching on to the existing My namespace. Such a framework shouldn't have that "global" feel to it.

Answer 5

I use My.Settings and My.Computer often while programming in VB.NET. I particularly enjoy My.Settings as an alternative to using ConfigurationManager.AppSettings when it is appropriate.

I agree with John Rudy about the use of My. It is syntactic sugar that makes life a little more readable.

Answer 6

The purpose of My, as I understand it, is to be an easy shortcut to certain API tasks that are common but hard-to-find or hard-to-use. You probably shouldn't completely subsume your framework under My. (For one thing, C# people using your framework may get grouchy.)

Instead, you should design it as a normal framework. When you're finished, make a list of some common tasks that people might want to use your framework for. See whether any of those could be useful to have under My, especially where there are classes or methods that can be used in a number of ways, but they have one or two really common usages that can be abbreviated with My.

This article shows how to extend My, and it has a section at the end that describes a few design guidelines to follow: Simplify Common Tasks by Customizing the My Namespace

As to your main question, when coding in VB .NET, I use My as often as I can. It reduces a number of operations to one line of code.