Access Azure Storage from a VS2010 FW 4.0 VB.Net Windows Desktop Application

Question

Is it possible to Access Azure Storage from a VS2010 FW 4.0 VB.Net Windows Desktop Application?

 

 

 

Microsoft.WindowsAzure, Microsoft.WindowsAzure.ServiceRuntime, Microsoft.WindowsAzure.Diagnostics, Microsoft.WindowsAzure.Diagnostics.Management, Microsoft.WindowsAzure.StorageClient and Microsoft.WindowsAzure.StorageClient.Protocol

Don't seem to be available in the 4.0 Framework but are in the 3.5 Framework.

Thanks

MSPI

Answer 1

Is it possible to Access Azure Storage from a VS2010 FW 4.0 VB.Net Windows Desktop Application?

I don't know VB.Net but I don't see why it shouldn't be possible since you can certainly do so in a C# application. I don't understand the reference to the .Net 4.0 Framework since the Azure DLLs are in the Windows Azure SDK and are not part of the .Net Framework - either 3.5 or 4.

Answer 2

As Neil said, yes you can access it and the dll's you listed are part of the SDK. Make sure you snag the 1.2 version as that SDK added .NET 4.0 support.

As for version, Azure storage is a rest API, you any language that can do rest calls can access Azure storage. I've done it with .Net 2.0, but I'm sure you could even do them with VB6 if you had the need.

Answer 3

Brent, Neil,

Thank you both for your responses.

I do have the Azure SDK V1.2 installed. Using Visual Studio 2010 Pro, when I create a Windows app with the .Net FW 3.5, the Microsoft.WindowsAzure references are available and can be added to my project. When I create a Windows app, and specifiy .Net FW 4.0, these references do not appear and thus cannot be added to my project.

Once I get this resolved I am hoping to use the ADO.Net API (i.e., instead of direct use of REST) to access Azure storage. From everything I have read, this access method is supported.

MSPI

Answer 4

When I create a Windows app, and specifiy .Net FW 4.0, these references do not appear and thus cannot be added to my project.

You can browse to the Windows Azure SDK v1.2 directory and add the references manually.

Windows Azure has its own derivation, the Storage Client, of WCF Data Services (the once ADO.Net Data Services) that you can use instead of the RESTful interface. This is an implementation of LINQ-to-REST rather than ADO.Net. WCF Data Services used to be called ADO.Net Data Services and is completely separate from ADO.Net

Answer 5

Make sure you're not using the "client profile."  Otherwise the StorageClient library won't show up when you add reference.

Answer 6

Thank you all for your guidance. I will check into these recommendations.

MSPI