Component-based software development is the newest and most powerful way to build complex business applications. Instead of constantly reinventing the wheel, developers of component-based applications can simply "plug in" existing components that contain the needed functionality. When the right component doesn't already exist, it can be written once, and then cataloged for future reuse and sharing with other applications.
With Visual Component Manager you can publish components to a repository-based catalog, where they can easily be located, inspected, retrieved, and reused.
The following sections provide information to acquaint you with the important concepts of Visual Component Manager.
| Section | Description |
| Publishing, Finding, and Reusing Components | Provides an overview of Visual Component Manager and its features, as well as detailed information on what you can accomplish with it. |
| Visual Component Manager Tool Window | Describes the Visual Component Manager Tool Window and acquaints you with its major features. |
| Repositories, Folders, and Items | Describes the three kinds of elements managed by Visual Component Manager, and explains how they are used to organize components for sharing and reuse. |
| Component Attributes | Lists the attributes that are assigned to components in Visual Component Manager. These attributes are used to determine how the components will be stored and reused, and to provide search criteria for locating the right component for the job. |