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.NET Framework 3.5
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Microsoft Visual Studio 2008/.NET Framework 3.5

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.NET Framework Class Library
System.Diagnostics Namespace

Updated: November 2007

The System.Diagnostics namespace provides classes that allow you to interact with system processes, event logs, and performance counters.

  • The EventLog component provides functionality to write to event logs, read event log entries, and create and delete event logs and event sources on the network. The EntryWrittenEventHandler provides a way to interact with event logs asynchronously. Supporting classes provide access to more detailed control, including: permission restrictions, the ability to specify event log types (which controls the type of default data that is written with an event log entry), and iterate through collections of event log entries. For more information about these tasks, see the EventLogPermission, EventLogEntryType, and EventLogEntryCollection classes.

  • The Process class provides functionality to monitor system processes across the network, and to start and stop local system processes. In addition to retrieving lists of running processes (by specifying either the computer, the process name, or the process id) or viewing information about the process that currently has access to the processor, you can get detailed knowledge of process threads and modules both through the Process class itself, and by interacting with the ProcessThread and ProcessModule classes. The ProcessStartInfo class enables you to specify a variety of elements with which to start a new process, such as input, output, and error streams, working directories, and command line verbs and arguments. These give you fine control over the behavior of your processes. Other related classes let you specify window styles, process and thread priorities, and interact with collections of threads and modules.

  • The PerformanceCounter class enables you to monitor system performance, while the PerformanceCounterCategory class provides a way to create new custom counters and categories. You can write to local custom counters and read from both local and remote counters (system as well as custom). You can sample counters using the PerformanceCounter class, and calculate results from successive performance counter samples using the CounterSample class. The CounterCreationData class enables you to create multiple counters in a category and specify their types. Other classes associated with the performance counter component provide access to collections of counters, counter permission, and counter types.

The System.Diagnostics namespace also provides classes that allow you to debug your application and to trace the execution of your code. For more information, see the Trace and Debug classes.

  ClassDescription
BooleanSwitch Provides a simple on/off switch that controls debugging and tracing output.
ConditionalAttribute Indicates to compilers that a method call or attribute should be ignored unless a specified conditional compilation symbol is defined.
ConsoleTraceListener Directs tracing or debugging output to either the standard output or the standard error stream.
CorrelationManager Correlates traces that are part of a logical transaction.
CounterCreationData Defines the counter type, name, and Help string for a custom counter.
CounterCreationDataCollection Provides a strongly typed collection of CounterCreationData objects.
CounterSampleCalculator Provides a set of utility functions for interpreting performance counter data.
DataReceivedEventArgs Provides data for the OutputDataReceived and ErrorDataReceived events.
Debug Provides a set of methods and properties that help debug your code. This class cannot be inherited.
DebuggableAttribute Modifies code generation for runtime just-in-time (JIT) debugging. This class cannot be inherited.
Debugger Enables communication with a debugger. This class cannot be inherited.
DebuggerBrowsableAttribute Determines if and how a member is displayed in the debugger variable windows. This class cannot be inherited.
DebuggerDisplayAttribute Determines how a class or field is displayed in the debugger variable windows.
DebuggerHiddenAttribute Specifies the DebuggerHiddenAttribute. This class cannot be inherited.
DebuggerNonUserCodeAttribute Identifies a type or member that is not part of the user code for an application.
DebuggerStepperBoundaryAttribute Indicates the code following the attribute is to be executed in run, not step, mode.
DebuggerStepThroughAttribute Specifies the DebuggerStepThroughAttribute. This class cannot be inherited.
DebuggerTypeProxyAttribute Specifies the display proxy for a type.
DebuggerVisualizerAttribute Specifies that the type has a visualizer. This class cannot be inherited.
DefaultTraceListener Provides the default output methods and behavior for tracing.
DelimitedListTraceListener Directs tracing or debugging output to a text writer, such as a stream writer, or to a stream, such as a file stream.
DiagnosticsConfigurationHandlerInfrastructure. Obsolete. Handles the diagnostics section of configuration files.
EntryWrittenEventArgs Provides data for the EntryWritten event.
EventInstance Represents language-neutral information for an event log entry.
EventLog Provides interaction with Windows event logs.
EventLogEntry Encapsulates a single record in the event log. This class cannot be inherited.
EventLogEntryCollection Defines size and enumerators for a collection of EventLogEntry instances.
EventLogInstaller Allows you to install and configure an event log that your application reads from or writes to when running.
EventLogPermission Allows control of code access permissions for event logging.
EventLogPermissionAttribute Allows declaritive permission checks for event logging.
EventLogPermissionEntry Defines the smallest unit of a code access security permission that is set for an EventLog.
EventLogPermissionEntryCollection Contains a strongly typed collection of EventLogPermissionEntry objects.
EventLogTraceListener Provides a simple listener that directs tracing or debugging output to an EventLog.
EventSchemaTraceListener Directs tracing or debugging output of end-to-end events to an XML-encoded, schema-compliant log file.
EventSourceCreationData Represents the configuration settings used to create an event log source on the local computer or a remote computer.
EventTypeFilter Indicates whether a listener should trace based on the event type.
FileVersionInfo Provides version information for a physical file on disk.
InstanceData Holds instance data associated with a performance counter sample.
InstanceDataCollection Provides a strongly typed collection of InstanceData objects.
InstanceDataCollectionCollection Provides a strongly typed collection of InstanceDataCollection objects.
MonitoringDescriptionAttribute Specifies a description for a property or event.
PerformanceCounter Represents a Windows NT performance counter component.
PerformanceCounterCategory Represents a performance object, which defines a category of performance counters.
PerformanceCounterInstaller Specifies an installer for the PerformanceCounter component.
PerformanceCounterManagerInfrastructure. Obsolete. Prepares performance data for the performance.dll the system loads when working with performance counters.
PerformanceCounterPermission Allows control of code access permissions for PerformanceCounter.
PerformanceCounterPermissionAttribute Allows declaritive performance counter permission checks.
PerformanceCounterPermissionEntry Defines the smallest unit of a code access security permission that is set for a PerformanceCounter.
PerformanceCounterPermissionEntryCollection Contains a strongly typed collection of PerformanceCounterPermissionEntry objects.
PresentationTraceSources Provides debug tracing support that is specifically targeted for Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF) applications. This is an abstract class.
Process Provides access to local and remote processes and enables you to start and stop local system processes.
ProcessModule Represents a.dll or .exe file that is loaded into a particular process.
ProcessModuleCollection Provides a strongly typed collection of ProcessModule objects.
ProcessStartInfo Specifies a set of values that are used when you start a process.
ProcessThread Represents an operating system process thread.
ProcessThreadCollection Provides a strongly typed collection of ProcessThread objects.
SourceFilter Indicates whether a listener should trace a message based on the source of a trace.
SourceSwitch Provides a multilevel switch to control tracing and debug output without recompiling your code.
StackFrame Provides information about a StackFrame, which represents a function call on the call stack for the current thread.
StackTrace Represents a stack trace, which is an ordered collection of one or more stack frames.
Stopwatch Provides a set of methods and properties that you can use to accurately measure elapsed time.
Switch Provides an abstract base class to create new debugging and tracing switches.
SwitchAttribute Identifies a switch used in an assembly, class, or member.
SwitchLevelAttribute Identifies the level type for a switch.
TextWriterTraceListener Directs tracing or debugging output to a TextWriter or to a Stream, such as FileStream.
Trace Provides a set of methods and properties that help you trace the execution of your code. This class cannot be inherited.
TraceEventCache Provides trace event data specific to a thread and a process.
TraceFilter Provides the base class for trace filter implementations.
TraceListener Provides the abstract base class for the listeners who monitor trace and debug output.
TraceListenerCollection Provides a thread-safe list of TraceListener objects.
TraceSource Provides a set of methods and properties that enable applications to trace the execution of code and associate trace messages with their source.
TraceSwitch Provides a multilevel switch to control tracing and debug output without recompiling your code.
UnescapedXmlDiagnosticData Provides unescaped XML data for the logging of user-provided trace data.
XmlWriterTraceListener Directs tracing or debugging output as XML-encoded data to a TextWriter or to a Stream, such as a FileStream.
  StructureDescription
CounterSample Defines a structure that holds the raw data for a performance counter.
  InterfaceDescription
ICollectDataInfrastructure. Prepares performance data for the performance DLL the system loads when working with performance counters.
  DelegateDescription
DataReceivedEventHandler Represents the method that will handle the OutputDataReceived event or ErrorDataReceived event of a Process.
EntryWrittenEventHandler Represents the method that will handle the EntryWritten event of an EventLog.
  EnumerationDescription
DebuggableAttribute..::.DebuggingModes Specifies the debugging mode for the just-in-time (JIT) compiler.
DebuggerBrowsableState Provides display instructions for the debugger.
EventLogEntryType Specifies the event type of an event log entry.
EventLogPermissionAccess Defines access levels used by EventLog permission classes.
OverflowAction Specifies how to handle entries in an event log that has reached its maximum file size.
PerformanceCounterCategoryType Indicates whether the performance counter category can have multiple instances.
PerformanceCounterInstanceLifetime Specifies the lifetime of a performance counter instance.
PerformanceCounterPermissionAccess Defines access levels used by PerformanceCounter permission classes.
PerformanceCounterType Specifies the formula used to calculate the NextValue method for a PerformanceCounter instance.
PresentationTraceLevel Describes the level of detail to trace about a particular object.
ProcessPriorityClass Indicates the priority that the system associates with a process. This value, together with the priority value of each thread of the process, determines each thread's base priority level.
ProcessWindowStyle Specified how a new window should appear when the system starts a process.
SourceLevels Specifies the levels of trace messages filtered by the source switch and event type filter.
ThreadPriorityLevel Specifies the priority level of a thread.
ThreadState Specifies the current execution state of the thread.
ThreadWaitReason Specifies the reason a thread is waiting.
TraceEventType Identifies the type of event that has caused the trace.
TraceLevel Specifies what messages to output for the Debug, Trace and TraceSwitch classes.
TraceLogRetentionOption Specifies the file structure that will be used for the EventSchemaTraceListener log.
TraceOptions Specifies trace data options to be written to the trace output.
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