Question

Can you explain how Visual Studio builds a project (for example a console appl.) so that all

classes within the project looks like defined in the same assembly?

..

Or let me put it in this way:

When I open the built assembly with ILDASM, why the metadata for all the classes within the

same project are shown under ‘TypeDef’ metadata table? But why not in the TypeRef?

Answer 1

From TypeDef vs TypeRef (a blog post):

A TypeDef refers to a type definition within a scope. A TypeRef refs to a TypeDef in another scope.

So a TypeDef is the "real type definition". Whereas a TypeRef just refers to a type you imported from another module.

So it makes perfect sense for an assembly to include a TypeDef for everything in the project, and a TypeRef for everything referred to in other assemblies from that project.