Murach's C#

by Lowe, Doug

• ISBN13: 9781890774226
• ISBN10: 1890774227
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2004-04-01
• Publisher: Mike Murach & Associates Inc

Summary

From the start, this book shows you how to use Visual Studio, C#, and the .NET classes to develop Windows applications the way the best professionals develop them. This unique approach works whether you're new to programming or you have experience with languages like Visual Basic, C++, or Java. As you progress, you'll learn the best techniques for developing object-oriented business applications, and you'll learn how to use ADO.NET to develop professional database applications. That's like having three books in one: a beginning book, an object-oriented programming book, and a database programming book. That's why we say: No other book teaches you so much, so fast, or so thoroughly.

Table of Contents

Section 1 Introduction to C# programming
Introduction to Visual Studio .NET
An introduction to the .NET Framework and Visual Studio .NET	4	(8)
Windows Forms and Web Forms applications	6	(2)
The components of the .NET Framework	8	(2)
How a C# application is compiled and run	10	(1)
How C# differs from the other .NET languages	10	(1)
How C# differs from Java	10	(2)
A tour of the Visual Studio	12	(14)
How to use the Start page	12	(2)
How to customize Visual Studio for use with C#	14	(2)
Solutions and projects	16	(1)
How to open or close an existing project	16	(2)
How to work with the IDE	18	(2)
How to use the Code Editor	20	(2)
How to use the Solution Explorer	22	(2)
How to work with the windows in the IDE	24	(2)
How to test a project	26	(8)
How to build a project	26	(1)
How to run a project	26	(8)
How to design a Windows Forms application
How to create a new project	34	(4)
How to use the New Project dialog box to start a new project	34	(2)
How to use the Options dialog box to set the options for projects and solutions	36	(2)
How to design a form	38	(12)
The design of the Invoice Total form	38	(2)
How to add controls to a form	40	(2)
How to set properties	42	(2)
Common properties for forms and controls	44	(2)
How to add navigation features	46	(2)
The property settings for the Invoice Total form	48	(2)
How to name and save the files of a project	50	(6)
How to name the files of a project	50	(1)
How to save the files of a project	50	(6)
How to code and test a Windows Forms application
An introduction to coding	56	(6)
Introduction to object-oriented programming	56	(2)
How to refer to properties, methods, and events	58	(2)
How an application responds to events	60	(2)
How to add code to a form	62	(6)
How to create an event handler for the default event of a form or control	62	(2)
How to delete an event handler	64	(1)
The event handlers for the Invoice Total form	64	(2)
How to detect and correct syntax errors	66	(2)
More coding skills	68	(8)
How to code with a readable style	68	(2)
How to code comments	70	(2)
How to work with the Text Editor toolbar	72	(1)
How to expand and collapse blocks of code	72	(2)
How to get help information	74	(2)
How to run, test, and debug a project	76	(14)
How to run a project	76	(2)
How to test a project	78	(2)
How to debug runtime errors	80	(10)
Section 2 The C# language essentials
How to work with numeric and string data
How to work with the built-in value types	90	(14)
The built-in value types	90	(2)
How to declare and initialize variables	92	(1)
How to declare and initialize constants	92	(2)
How to code arithmetic expressions	94	(2)
How to code assignment statements	96	(2)
How to work with the order of precedence	98	(2)
How to work with casting	100	(2)
How to use the Math class	102	(2)
How to work with strings	104	(4)
How to work with strings	104	(2)
How to include special characters in strings	106	(2)
How to convert data types	108	(6)
The .NET structures and classes that define data types	108	(2)
How to use methods to convert data types	110	(2)
How to convert numbers to formatted strings	112	(2)
Two other skills for working with data	114	(4)
How to work with scope	114	(2)
How to declare and use enumerations	116	(2)
Two versions of the Invoice Total application	118	(10)
The basic Invoice Total application	118	(2)
The enhanced Invoice Total application	120	(8)
How to code control structures
How to code Boolean expressions	128	(4)
How to use the relational operators	128	(2)
How to use the logical operators	130	(2)
How to code conditional statements	132	(6)
How to code if-else statements	132	(2)
How to code switch statements	134	(2)
An enhanced version of the Invoice Total application	136	(2)
How to code loops	138	(8)
How to code while and do-while loops	138	(2)
How to code for loops	140	(2)
Loops that use break and continue statements	142	(2)
Debugging techniques for programs with loops	144	(2)
The Future Value application	146	(8)
The design and property settings for the form	146	(2)
The code for the form	148	(6)
How to code methods and event handlers
How to code and call methods	154	(6)
How to code methods	154	(2)
How to call methods	156	(2)
When and how to pass arguments by reference and by value	158	(2)
How to work with events and delegates	160	(6)
How to generate an event handler for any event	160	(2)
How event wiring works	162	(2)
How to handle multiple events with one event handler	164	(2)
Another version of the Future Value application	166	(8)
The event handlers and the CalculateFutureValue method	166	(2)
Some of the generated code	168	(6)
How to handle exceptions and validate data
An introduction to exceptions	174	(4)
How exceptions work	174	(2)
How to display a dialog box	176	(2)
How to use structured exception handling	178	(10)
How to catch an exception	178	(2)
How to use the properties and methods of an exception	180	(2)
How to catch specific types of exceptions	182	(2)
How to throw an exception	184	(2)
The Future Value application with exception handling	186	(2)
How to validate data	188	(6)
How to validate a single entry	188	(2)
How to use generic methods to validate an entry	190	(2)
How to validate multiple entries	192	(2)
The Future Value application with data validation	194	(8)
The dialog boxes	194	(1)
The code	194	(8)
How to use arrays and collections
How to work with one-dimensional arrays	202	(8)
How to create an array	202	(2)
How to assign values to the elements of an array	204	(2)
How to work with arrays	206	(2)
How to use for each loops to work arrays	208	(2)
How to work with rectangular arrays	210	(4)
How to create a rectangular array	210	(1)
How to assign values to a rectangular array	210	(2)
How to work with rectangular arrays	212	(2)
How to work with jagged arrays	214	(4)
How to create a jagged array	214	(1)
How to assign values to a jagged array	214	(2)
How to work with jagged arrays	216	(2)
More skills for working with arrays	218	(6)
How to use the Array class	218	(2)
How to refer to and copy arrays	220	(2)
How to code methods that work with arrays	222	(2)
How to work with collections	224	(12)
How to create an array list	224	(1)
Properties and methods of the ArrayList class	224	(2)
How to work with an array list	226	(2)
How to work with a sorted list	228	(2)
How to work with queues and stacks	230	(6)
How to work with dates and strings
How to work with dates and times	236	(8)
How to create a DateTime value	236	(2)
How to get the current date and time	238	(1)
How to format DateTime values	238	(2)
How to get information about dates and times	240	(2)
How to perform operations on dates and times	242	(2)
How to work with strings	244	(10)
The properties and methods of the String class	244	(2)
Code examples that work with strings	246	(2)
More code examples that work with strings	248	(2)
Two methods for validating user entries	250	(2)
How to use the StringBuilder class	252	(2)
How to format numbers, dates, and times	254	(10)
How to format numbers	254	(2)
How to format dates and times	256	(8)
More skills for working with Windows forms and controls
How to work with controls	264	(10)
Five more types of controls	264	(2)
How to work with combo boxes and list boxes	266	(2)
Code examples for working with combo boxes and list boxes	268	(2)
How to work with check boxes and radio buttons	270	(1)
How to work with group boxes	270	(2)
How to use Tab Order view to set the tab order of controls	272	(2)
How to work with multi-form projects	274	(12)
How to add a form to a project	274	(2)
The code that's generated for a new form	276	(2)
How to rename a form	278	(2)
How to display the first form of an application	280	(2)
How to display a form as a dialog box	282	(2)
How to pass data between a form and a dialog box	284	(2)
How to use the MessageBox class	286	(4)
How to display a dialog box and get the user response	286	(2)
How to cancel the Closing event of a form	288	(2)
The Payment application	290	(14)
The operation of the Payment application	290	(1)
The property settings for the Customer and Payment forms	290	(1)
The code for the Customer form	290	(4)
The code for the Payment form	294	(10)
How to debug an application
Basic debugging techniques	304	(8)
How to set the options for debugging	304	(2)
How to work in break mode	306	(2)
How to use breakpoints	308	(2)
How to control the execution of an application	310	(2)
How to use the debugging windows	312	(8)
How to use the Autos and Locals windows to monitor variables	312	(2)
How to use Watch windows to monitor expressions	314	(1)
When and how to use the Quick Watch feature	314	(2)
How to use the Command window	316	(2)
How to use the Call Stack window to monitor called methods	318	(2)
How to use the Output window	320	(10)
Project information that's displayed in the Output window	320	(2)
How to use the Console class to display data in the Output window	322	(8)
Section 3 Object-oriented programming with C#
How to create and use classes
An introduction to classes	330	(8)
How classes can be used to structure an application	330	(2)
The members you can define within a class	332	(2)
The code for the Product class	334	(2)
How instantiation works	336	(2)
How to create a class	338	(12)
How to add a class file to a project	338	(2)
How to code fields	340	(2)
How to code properties	342	(2)
How to code methods	344	(2)
How to code constructors	346	(2)
How to code static members	348	(2)
The Product Maintenance application	350	(8)
The operation of the Product Maintenance application	350	(2)
The classes used by the Product Maintenance application	352	(2)
The code for the Product Maintenance application	354	(4)
How to work with classes in Visual Studio	358	(10)
How to use the Class View window	358	(2)
How to use wizards to create class members	360	(8)
More skills for working with classes
More skills for implementing class members	368	(8)
The Product and ProductList classes	368	(2)
How to create an indexer	370	(2)
How to throw argument exceptions	372	(2)
How to define and use class events	374	(2)
How to overload operators	376	(6)
An introduction to operator overloading	376	(2)
How to overload arithmetic operators	378	(1)
How to overload comparison operators	378	(4)
An enhanced version of the Product Maintenance application	382	(6)
The code for the Product Maintenance form	382	(2)
The code for the Product class	384	(1)
The code for the ProductList class	384	(4)
How to organize and document your classes	388	(12)
Two ways to code two or more classes in a single file	388	(2)
How to work with namespaces	390	(2)
How to add XML documentation to a class	392	(2)
How to view XML documentation	394	(6)
How to work with inheritance
An introduction to inheritance	400	(8)
How inheritance works	400	(2)
How the .NET Framework uses inheritance	402	(2)
Methods inherited from the System.Object class	404	(2)
How to use inheritance in your applications	406	(2)
Basic skills for working with inheritance	408	(6)
How to create a base class	408	(2)
How to create a subclass	410	(2)
How polymorphism works	412	(2)
An inheritance version of the Product Maintenance application	414	(12)
The operation of the Product Maintenance application	414	(2)
The code for the Product, Book, and Software classes	416	(2)
The code for the ProductList class	418	(4)
The code for the Product Maintenance form	422	(2)
The code for the New Product form	424	(2)
Object types and casting	426	(4)
How to use the Type class to get information about an object's type	426	(2)
How to use casting with inheritance	428	(2)
How to work with abstract and sealed classes	430	(10)
How to work with abstract classes	430	(2)
How to work with sealed classes	432	(8)
How to work with interfaces, structures, and class libraries
How to work with interfaces	440	(12)
An introduction to interfaces	440	(2)
Some of the interfaces defined by the .NET Framework	442	(2)
How to create an interface	444	(2)
How to implement an interface	446	(2)
A Product class that implements the ICloneable interface	448	(2)
How to use an interface as a parameter	450	(2)
An example that implements the enumerator interfaces	452	(6)
The IEnumerable interface	452	(1)
The IEnumerator interface	452	(2)
The code for the ProductList class	454	(1)
The code for the ProductEnumerator class	454	(2)
Code that uses the ProductList enumerator	456	(2)
How to work with structures	458	(2)
How to create a structure	458	(1)
How to use a structure	458	(2)
How to create and use class libraries	460	(12)
How class libraries work	460	(2)
How to create a class library project	462	(2)
How to add a reference to a class library	464	(1)
How to use the classes in a class library	464	(8)
Section 4 Database programming with C#
An introduction to database programming
An introduction to client/server systems	472	(4)
The hardware components of a client/server system	472	(2)
The software components of a client/server system	474	(2)
An introduction to relational databases	476	(8)
How a table is organized	476	(2)
How the tables in a database are related	478	(2)
How the columns in a table are defined	480	(2)
The design of the MMABooks database	482	(2)
How to use SQL to work with the data in a relational database	484	(6)
How to query a single table	484	(2)
How to join data from two or more tables	486	(2)
How to add, update, and delete data in a table	488	(2)
An introduction to ADO.NET and the .NET data providers	490	(16)
The .NET data providers	490	(2)
How the basic ADO.NET components work	492	(2)
Concurrency and the disconnected data architecture	494	(2)
How a dataset is organized	496	(2)
How to work with data without using a data adapter	498	(2)
Two ways to create ADO.NET objects	500	(6)
How to develop a simple database application
How to use the Data Adapter Configuration Wizard	506	(14)
How to start the wizard	506	(2)
How to define the connection	508	(2)
How to define the SQL statements	510	(2)
How to use the Query Builder	512	(2)
How to set advanced SQL generation options	514	(2)
How to complete the configuration	516	(2)
The objects created by the Configuration Wizard	518	(2)
How to work with a dataset	520	(12)
How to generate a dataset	520	(2)
The dataset schema file, class, and object	522	(2)
How to fill and clear a dataset	524	(2)
How to update the database with changes made to a dataset	526	(2)
How to handle data provider errors	528	(2)
How to handle update errors	530	(2)
How to use a data grid control with a dataset	532	(10)
A Product Maintenance form that uses a bound data grid control	532	(2)
How to bind a data grid control to a dataset	534	(2)
How to customize the column layout for a data grid control	536	(2)
The code for the Product Maintenance application	538	(2)
How to work with the data in a data grid control	540	(2)
Other skills for working with ADO.NET objects	542	(12)
How to preview the data in a data adapter	542	(2)
How to review the properties for generated ADO.NET objects	544	(2)
How to interpret the generated SQL statements	546	(8)
How to work with datasets using bound controls
How to work with typed datasets	554	(2)
How to bind controls to individual data columns	556	(12)
A Product Display form that uses bound controls	556	(2)
How to bind text box controls	558	(2)
How to format bound data	560	(2)
How to navigate through the rows in a data table	562	(2)
The property settings for the Product Display form	564	(2)
The code for the Product Display application	566	(2)
How to use bound controls to add, update, and delete data rows	568	(18)
A Product Maintenance application that uses bound controls	568	(2)
How to bind combo box and list box controls	570	(2)
How to add, update, and delete data rows	572	(2)
The property settings for the Product Maintenance form	574	(2)
The code for the Product Maintenance application	576	(10)
How to work with datasets using unbound controls
How to work with unbound controls	586	(10)
How to process unbound data	586	(2)
How to retrieve and work with a data row	588	(2)
How to modify or delete an existing data row	590	(2)
How to add a data row	592	(2)
How to work with row states	594	(2)
A Product Maintenance application that uses unbound controls	596	(14)
The design and operation of the Product Maintenance form	596	(2)
The code for the Product Maintenance application	598	(12)
How to work with ADO.NET classes through code
How to work with connections and commands	610	(8)
How to create and work with connections	610	(2)
How to create and work with commands	612	(2)
How to use parameters in SQL statements	614	(2)
How to create and work with parameters	616	(2)
How to execute data commands	618	(4)
How to create and work with a data reader	618	(2)
How to execute queries that return a single value	620	(1)
How to execute action queries	620	(2)
How to work with untyped datasets and data adapters	622	(4)
How to create and work with untyped datasets	622	(2)
How to create and work with data adapters	624	(2)
A Product Maintenance application that uses data commands	626	(14)
The design of the Product Maintenance application	626	(2)
The code for the database classes	628	(6)
The code for the form class	634	(6)
How to use transactions	640	(16)
How to create and work with transactions	640	(2)
An Order Entry application that uses a transaction	642	(2)
The code for the OrderDB class	644	(12)
Section 5 Specialized skills for C# developers
How to work with text and binary files
An introduction to the System.IO classes	656	(8)
The classes for managing directories, files, and paths	656	(2)
How files and streams work	658	(2)
How to use the FileStream class	660	(2)
How to use the exception classes for file I/O	662	(2)
How to work with text files	664	(6)
How to write a text file	664	(2)
How to read a text file	666	(2)
A class that works with a text file	668	(2)
How to work with binary files	670	(10)
How to write a binary file	670	(2)
How to read a binary file	672	(2)
A class that works with a binary file	674	(6)
How to work with XML
An introduction to XML	680	(6)
An XML document	680	(2)
XML tags, declarations, and comments	682	(1)
XML elements	682	(2)
XML attributes	684	(2)
How to work with the XML Designer	686	(4)
How to work with XML view	686	(2)
How to work with Data view	688	(2)
How to work with XML	690	(16)
How to use the XmlTextWriter class	690	(2)
Code that writes an XML document	692	(2)
How to use the XmlTextReader class	694	(2)
How the XmlTextReader class reads nodes	696	(2)
Code that reads an XML document	698	(1)
A class that works with an XML file	698	(8)
How to enhance the user interface
Two types of user interfaces	706	(2)
A single-document interface (SDI)	706	(1)
A multiple-document interface (MDI)	706	(2)
How to develop SDI applications	708	(4)
How to use a startup form	708	(2)
How to use tabs to organize forms	710	(2)
How to add menus to a form	712	(4)
How to create menus	712	(2)
How to set the properties that work with menu items	714	(1)
How to write code that works with menu items	714	(2)
How to develop MDI applications	716	(4)
How to create parent and child forms	716	(2)
How to write code that works with parent and child forms	718	(2)
How to add toolbars to a form	720	(4)
How to create a toolbar	720	(2)
How to write code that works with toolbars	722	(2)
How to add help information	724
How to add tool tips	724	(1)
How to add context-sensitive help	724