Summary

In this chapter, we started by looking into P/Invoke regarding C# interoperability using pointer code. We looked at unsafe and fixed code. Unsafe code is code that is not managed by the .NET platform, while mixed code is objects fixed in memory that are not promoted by the garbage collector because they are accessed using pointers.

Then, we learned how to call methods in a C++ DLL, including passing parameters and returning structs.

Next, we learned how to interact with Python code. We learned how to install Python and then add the IronPython NuGet package. This allows us to execute Python 2.x code directly in a C# class and execute Python code that resides in a Python script. The ironPython 2.7.10 library only supports Python 2.x versions.

Then, we learned how to perform COM interoperability by reading data from an Excel spreadsheet. We also built an Excel add-in that was able to read the data of the active cell and display a message box.

Finally, we learned how...