C# supports the static modifier on a class definition to define a class which cannot be inherited, is sealed, and has only static members. VB.NET supports Module statement to define a reference type available through its namespace, to similar effect.
I know that C# and VB.NET share a common CodeDOM, Roslyn compiler, and target IL. My question is what, if any, difference there is between a static class vs. module.
There are only two real differences as far as I am concerned in that a module cannot be inherited nor does it have a constructor.
Aside from that a module is extremely similar to a non-inheritable class where the class only contains shared (vb.net equivalent to static) members.
For example, the following module:
Public Module Test
Public Function Foo() As String
Return "Foo"
End Function
End Module
Can be similarly expressed as:
Public NotInheritable Class Test
Public Shared Function Foo() As String
Return "Foo"
End Function
End Class
C# developers will likely be more comfortable with the latter whereas legacy Visual Basic developers would go for the former.
Sub New() Throw New Exception() in your Module Module1 and the app will crash upon startup
New method. A starting point for the application and a constructor are not the same thing.
Sub Main and Sub New in Module1. I should have said "on first reference to anything in module1, which would be on startup if Main is in module1".
Moduleis nothing more or less than asealedclass withstaticmembers marked with theStandardModuleattribute. The only remarkable thing is that the class itself is not markedstatic(abstract sealedon the IL level), though this makes little difference in practice of course.