Where's the .NET native?

Question

I was excited about the idea to compile C# code to native machine code downloaded the .NET native and intalled it. But I can't configure my build to compile to neither x86 nor x64. In fact, no other than "any CPU" arch is available:

Here's the VS about:

Edit: When I came to install, I selected this features:

Putrescent

AFAIK .NET native is only supported for Windows Store apps. Desktop is not a supported target. – Foundling

can't you still use ngen.exe? msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/6t9t5wcf(v=vs.110).aspx – Onward

@MichaelEdenfield: From page "Ngen.exe creates native images, which are files containing compiled processor-specific machine code, and installs them into the native image cache on the local computer," what does "installs them into the native image cache on the local computer" exatly mean? I ran this on my C# executable and after checked it with IL SPY and it show MSIL code and not native. I don't understand it... – Putrescent

ngen is used on the target machine; it compiles your IL to native code so that when the CLR goes to run it, it's already JIT'd. It's not exactly the same as .NET Native but it's similar, which I why I suggested you give it a look. – Onward

@MichaelEdenfield: I think I get it. But that jit-ed executable can run in other machine than where it was generated? – Putrescent

@Putrescent The .dll file that you run ngen on doesn't get modified. It gets stored in the Native Image Cache (NIC), you can find it here: #5658066 You can copy the .dll to another machine and run ngen there since the original .dll isn't modified. A typical way this is used is running ngen as one of the steps in an installer program. – Dune

I was able to generate and found this at C:\Windows\assembly\NativeImages_v4.0.30319_32\myProgram\db1496cf0295bbe6a9242d86c0d8e091\myProgram.ni.exe but I can't run it directly, isn't? if I try, I get This app can't run on your PC error message` I suppose that if I run ngen in each *.exe and *.dll and give that generate image files to the user it willn't work, isn't? – Putrescent

I opened another thread asking more about ngen but I'm going to delete it: https://mcmap.net/q/1163418/-how-does-ngen-works – Putrescent

I think I'm late, but it seems that it's just UWP only. No one knows. I don't even know if Microsoft knows. – Backpack

Answer 1

That's because your application is a Windows Forms application. From the docs:

This developer preview currently enables building apps for Windows Store on ARM and x64 architectures (stay tuned for x86.) .NET Native will soon enable a consistent and converged experience across devices. Today's preview supports Windows Store applications. We will continue to evolve and improve native compilation for the range of .NET applications.

Pineda

Is this the same after two years? – Ballade

Answer 2

This c# to c transpiler may be a good option for non Windows store applications

https://csnative.codeplex.com/

Osprey