Access Specifier before a class definition?

What does having an access specifier before a class definition mean?

In this case, public:

Code:

---

public ref class ThreadX {


// Class definition


};

---

I have never seen it used in this manner before. I am only familiar with seeing it with class members and with inheritance.

Thanks for your help!

It's a Microsoft's extension (it's not standard C++): Managed Extensions for C++ - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

You should never use it, unless you really want to use C++/CLI.

This "ref" is also an extension.

Thanks, I think I was also looking at c# code but didn't realize it. I assumed it was C ++

That's not C#. "ref class" isn't C#. It could be C++/CLI or C++/CX. Both are Microsoft-invented extensions of C++ aimed at interoperating with Microsoft's technologies (.Net for C++/CLI, WinRT for C++/CX).