This API supports the product infrastructure and is not intended to be used directly from your code. Implements the SGen task. Use the SGen element in your project file to create and execute this task. For usage and parameter information, see SGen Task.
What is a cryptographic hash? A hash (also called a digest, and informally a checksum) is a kind of signature for a stream of data that represents the contents. The closest real-life analog we can think is a tamper-evident seal on a software package: if you open the box (change the file), it's detected.
This is especially true of cryptographic hash functions, which may be used to detect many data corruption errors and verify overall data integrity; if the computed checksum for the current data input matches the stored value of a previously computed checksum, there is a very high probability the data has not been accidentally altered or corrupted.