Description: In the past, a software component (.exe or .dll) written in one language could not easily use a software component written in another language. COM provided a step forward in solving this problem. The .NET Framework makes component interoperation even easier by allowing compilers to emit additional declarative information into all modules and assemblies. This information, called metadata, helps components to seamlessly interact. .NET metadata, in the Microsoft .NET framework, refers to certain data structures embedded within the Common Intermediate Language code that describes the high-level structure of the code. Metadata describes all classes and class members that are defined in the assembly, and the classes and class members that the current assembly will call from another assembly. The metadata for a method contains the complete description of the method, including the class (and the assembly that contains the class), the return type and all of the method parameters.
