Essential C# 3. 0 : For . NET Framework 3. 5

by Michaelis, Mark

• ISBN13: 9780321533920
• ISBN10: 0321533925
• Edition: 2nd
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2008-08-22
• Publisher: Addison-Wesley Professional

Summary

Essential C# 3.0is an extremely well-written and well-organized "no-fluff" guide to C# 3.0, which will appeal to programmers at all levels of experience with C#. This fully updated edition dives deep into the new features that are revolutionizing programming, with brand new chapters covering query expressions, lambda expressions, extension methods, collection interface extensions, standard query operators, and LINQ as a whole. Author Mark Michaelis covers the C# language in depth, and each importantconstruct is illustrated with succinct, relevant code examples. (Complete code examples are available online.) Graphical "mind maps" at the beginning of each chapter show what material is covered and how each topic relates to the whole. Topics intended for beginners and advanced readers are clearly marked. Following an introduction to C#, readers learn about C# primitive data types, value types, reference types, type conversions, and arrays Operators and control flow, loops, conditional logic, and sequential programming Methods, parameters, exception handling, and structured programming Classes, inheritance, structures, interfaces, and object-oriented programming Well-formed types, operator overloading, namespaces, and garbage collection Generics, collections, custom collections, and iterators Delegates and lambda expressions Standard query operators and query expressions LINQ: language integrated query Reflection, attributes, and declarative programming Threading, synchronization, and multithreaded patterns Interoperability and unsafe code The Common Language Infrastructure that underlies C# Whether you are just starting out as a programmer, are an experienced developer looking to learn C#, or are a seasoned C# programmer interested in learning the new features of C# 3.0,Essential C# 3.0gives you just what you need to quickly get up and running writing C# applications.

Author Biography

Mark Michaelis is an enterprise software architect at Itron Inc. In addition, Mark recently started intelliTechture, a software engineering and consulting company offering high-end consulting in Microsoft VSTS/TFS, BizTalk, SharePoint, and .NET 3.0. Mark also serves as a chief software architect and trainer for IDesign Inc.

 

Mark holds a B.A. in philosophy from the University of Illinois and an M.S. in computer science from the Illinois Institute of Technology. Mark was recently recognized as a Microsoft Regional Director. Starting in 1996, he has been a Microsoft MVP for C#, Visual Studio Team System, and the Windows SDK. He serves on several Microsoft software design review teams, including C#, the Connected Systems Division, and VSTS. Mark speaks at many developer conferences and has written numerous articles and books.

 

When not bonding with his computer, Mark is busy with his family or training for the Ironman. Mark lives in Spokane, Washington, with his wife Elisabeth, and three children, Benjamin, Hanna, and Abigail.

Table of Contents

Figures	p. xxiii
Tables	p. xxv
Foreword	p. xxvii
Preface	p. xxxi
Acknowledgments	p. xliii
About the Author	p. xlv
Introducing C#	p. 1
Hello, World	p. 2
Working with Variables	p. 12
Comments	p. 19
Data Types	p. 31
Fundamental Numeric Types	p. 32
More Fundamental Types	p. 40
null and void	p. 51
Categories of Types	p. 55
Nullable Modifier	p. 57
Conversions between Data Types	p. 58
Arrays	p. 65
Operators and Control Flow	p. 83
Operators	p. 84
Introducing Flow Control	p. 98
Code Blocks ({})	p. 105
Scope	p. 107
Boolean Expressions	p. 108
Bitwise Operators ( >, , &, ^,
Table of Contents provided by Publisher. All Rights Reserved.

Excerpts

Throughout the history of software engineering, the methodology used to write computer programs has undergone several paradigm shifts, each building on the foundation of the former by increasing code organization and decreasing complexity. This book takes you through these same paradigm shifts. The beginning chapters take you throughsequential programming structurein which statements are written in the order in which they are executed. The problem with this model is that complexity increases exponentially as the requirements increase. To reduce this complexity, code blocks are moved into methods, creating astructured programming model.This allows you to call the same code block from multiple locations within a program, without duplicating code. Even with this construct, however, programs quickly become unwieldy and require further abstraction. Object-oriented programming, discussed in Chapter 5, was the response. In subsequent chapters, you will learn about additional methodologies, such as interface-based programming, LINQ (and the transformation it makes to collection APIs), and, eventually, rudimentary forms of declarative programming (in Chapter 17) via attributes.This book has three main functions. It provides comprehensive coverage of the C# language, going beyond a tutorial and offering a foundation upon which you can begin effective software development projects. For readers already familiar with C#, this book provides insight into some of the more complex programming paradigms and provides indepth coverage of the features introduced in the latest version of the language, C# 3.0 with .NET 3.5. It serves as a timeless reference, even after you gain proficiency with the language.The key to successfully learning C# is to start coding as soon as possible. Don't wait until you are an "expert" in theory; start writing software immediately. As a believer in iterative development, I hope this book enables even a novice programmer to begin writing basic C# code by the end of Chapter 2.A number of topics are not covered in this book. You won't find coverage of topics such as ASP.NET, ADO.NET, smart client development, distributed programming, and so on. Although these topics are relevant to the .NET framework, to do them justice requires books of their own. Fortunately, Addison-Wesley's .NET Development Series provides a wealth of writing on these topics. Reading this book will prepare you to focus on and develop expertise in any of these areas. It focuses on C# and the types within the Base Class Library. Target Audience for This BookMy challenge with this book was how to keep advanced developers awake while not abandoning beginners by using words such asassembly,link,chain,thread, andfusion, as though the topic was more appropriate for blacksmiths than for programmers. This book's primary audience is experienced developers looking to add another language to their quiver. However, I have carefully assembled this book to provide significant value to developers at all levels.Beginners:If you are new to programming, this book serves as a resource to help transition you from an entry-level programmer to a C# developer, comfortable with any C# programming task that's thrown your way. This book not only teaches you syntax, but also trains you in good programming practices that will serve you throughout your programming career.Structured programmers:Just as it's best to learn a foreign language through immersion, learning a computer language is most effective when you begin using it before you know all the intricacies. In this vein, this book begins with a tutorial that will be comfortable for those familiar with structured programming, and by the end of Chapter 4, developers in this category should feel at hom