Download Cache Explained

The Download Cache, or downloaded files cache, is a component of Microsoft's .NET Framework that is similar to the Global Assembly Cache except that it caches assemblies that have been downloaded from the Internet.^[1] Q.Assemblies are downloaded from the Internet when a specific managed object is requested using the <object> tag in a web page. For example, the following HTML will cause Internet Explorer to download MyAssembly.dll to the Download Cache and will subsequently instantiate MyControl on the page that contains it.

<object id="myControlId" classid="http://MyServer/MyVirtualFolder/MyAssembly.dll#MyNamespace.MyControl">

  <param name="MyProperty" value="SomeStringValue" />

</object>

Usage

Like the GAC, the Download Cache can be accessed with gacutil.exe.^[2]

One can list the contents of the Download Cache using the command:

gacutil.exe /ldl

One can delete the contents of the Download Cache using the command:

gacutil.exe /cdl

Notes and References

1. http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/magazine/cc164080.aspx Basic Instincts: Deploying Assemblies
2. http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ex0ss12c(VS.80).aspx Global Assembly Cache Tool (Gacutil.exe)