On my home PC, what exactly is microsoft .net framework multi-targeting pack in Control Panel/Add-remove-programs?
I know that the link below explains it as a set of "reference" libraries, ie no actual method bodies. What is .NET Multi-Targeting Pack?
So what's the purpose of these? And if microsoft .net framework 4.5.1 multi-targeting pack is in Control Panel/add-remove-programs on my home PC, does it mean 4.5.1 is actually installed?
On my home PC, what exactly is Microsoft .NET Framework multi-targeting pack in Control Panel/Add-remove-programs?
The .NET Framework Targeting Pack allows you to target specific versions of the .NET Framework that the version of Visual Studio you have installed would not normally support. You can have multiple Targeting Packs installed at once while you can only have a single version of the .NET Framework installed.
When you target a particular version of the .NET Framework, your application is built by using the reference assemblies that are included with that version's developer pack. At runtime, assemblies are resolved from the Global Assembly Cache, and the reference assemblies are not used.
Source: To install the .NET Framework Developer Pack or Targeting Pack
if Microsoft .net framework 4.5.1 multi-targeting pack is in Control Panel/add-remove-programs on my home PC, does it mean 4.5.1 is actually installed?
It means you can compile a program to target .NET Framework 4.5.1 specifically. What version of .NET Framework you have installed entirely depends on what version of Windows you are running. If you already have .NET Framework 4.5.1 installed then you don't actually need the .NET Framework 4.5.1 Developer Pack installed.
Install a developer targeting pack to develop against the most recent version of the .NET Framework in Visual Studio or another development environment, or download the .NET Framework redistributable for distribution with your app or control.
The developer pack for .NET Framework 4.5.1 or 4.5.2, the targeting pack for .NET Framework 4.6, and the developer pack for .NET Framework 4.6.1, 4.6.2, 4.7, 4.7.1, 4.7.2, or 4.8 provides a particular .NET Framework's version of the reference assemblies, language packs, and IntelliSense files for use in an integrated development environment such as Visual Studio. If you are using Visual Studio, the developer pack or targeting pack also adds the installed version of the .NET Framework to the target choices when you create a new project.
Source: Installation Choices
