Module cilobject

Implementation of a loaded + parsed CIL binary High-level .NET assembly abstraction and metadata access.

This module provides the main entry point for analyzing .NET assemblies through the crate::CilObject struct. It offers comprehensive access to all ECMA-335 metadata tables, streams, type system, resources, and assembly information with efficient memory management and thread-safe access patterns.

Architecture

The module is built around a self-referencing pattern that ensures parsed metadata structures maintain valid references to the underlying file data without expensive copying. Key architectural components include:

• File Layer: Memory-mapped file access for efficient I/O
• Metadata Layer: Structured access to ECMA-335 metadata tables and streams
• Validation Layer: Configurable validation during loading
• Caching Layer: Thread-safe caching of parsed structures

Key Components

• crate::CilObject - Main entry point for .NET assembly analysis
• crate::metadata::validation::ValidationConfig - Configuration for validation during loading

Usage Examples

Basic Assembly Loading

use dotscope::CilObject;
use std::path::Path;

// Load an assembly from file
let assembly = CilObject::from_file(Path::new("tests/samples/WindowsBase.dll"))?;

// Access basic assembly information
if let Some(module) = assembly.module() {
    println!("Module: {}", module.name);
}

if let Some(assembly_info) = assembly.assembly() {
    println!("Assembly: {}", assembly_info.name);
}

Memory-based Analysis

use dotscope::CilObject;

// Load from memory buffer (e.g., downloaded or embedded)
let file_data = std::fs::read("assembly.dll")?;
let assembly = CilObject::from_mem(file_data)?;

// Access metadata streams
if let Some(strings) = assembly.strings() {
    if let Ok(name) = strings.get(1) {
        println!("String at index 1: {}", name);
    }
}

Error Handling

All operations return crate::Result<T> with comprehensive error information:

• File I/O errors: When files cannot be read or accessed
• Format errors: When PE or metadata format is invalid
• Validation errors: When validation checks fail during loading
• Memory errors: When insufficient memory is available

Thread Safety

crate::CilObject is designed for thread-safe concurrent read access. Internal caching and lazy loading use appropriate synchronization primitives to ensure correctness in multi-threaded scenarios. All public APIs are Send and Sync.

Integration

This module integrates with:

• crate::disassembler - Method body disassembly and instruction decoding
• crate::metadata::tables - Low-level metadata table access
• crate::metadata::typesystem - Type resolution and signature parsing
• Low-level PE file parsing and memory management components

Structs

CilObject

The self-referencing struct.