Sams - CSharp 3.0 Unleashed With The Dot.NET Framework 3.5

Introduction

Welcome to C# 3.0 Unleashed, a programmer’s guide and reference to the C# (pronounced “C sharp”) programming language. C# is primarily an object-oriented programming language, created at Microsoft, which emphasizes a component-based approach to software development. In its third version, C# is still evolving, and this book guides you on a journey of learning how that evolution helps you accomplish more in your software engineering endeavors. C# is one of several languages of the .NET (pronounced “dot net”) platform, which includes a runtime engine called the Common Language Runtime (CLR) and a huge class library. The runtime is a virtual machine that manages code and provides several other services. The class library includes literally thousands of reusable objects and supports several user interface technologies for both desktop and Web Application development.

C# is evolving as a programming language. It began life as an object-oriented, component-based language but now is growing into areas that were once considered the domain of functional programming languages. Throughout this book, you’ll see examples of objects and components being used as building blocks for applications. You’ll also see many examples that include Language Integrated Query (LINQ), which is a declarative way to query data sources, whether the data source is in the form of objects, relational, XML, or any other format.

Just as C# (and the .NET platform) has evolved, so has this book. C# Unleashed began as a language-centric learning guide and reference for applying the C# programming language. The audience was varied because C# was new and developers from all types of backgrounds were programming with it. All the applications compiled on the command line, and all you needed was the .NET Framework SDK and an editor to do everything.

At its essence, the same concepts driving the first version of this book made it into this version. For example, you don’t need to already know .NET before getting started. If you’ve programmed with any programming language, C# 3.0 Unleashed should be an easy on-ramp for you. This book contains a few command-line examples, especially in the beginning, because I believe that using the command line is a skill that is still necessary and useful. However, I quickly move to the Visual Studio 2008 (VS2008) Integrated Development Environment (IDE) for the largest share of the rest of the book. You aren’t required to use VS2008, however; I show you right away how to build your applications without it, and Appendix A, “Compiling Programs,” is a guide to command-line options with examples (just like the first version of C# Unleashed). However, VS2008 is an incredible tool for increasing productivity, and I provide tips throughout this book for cranking out algorithms with code-focused RAD.

In addition to coverage of VS2008, I’ve included several new chapters for the newest technologies, such as Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF), Windows Communication Foundation (WCF), and AJAX. If you like the cutting edge, there are chapters on the ADO.NET Entity Framework and ADO.NET Data Services. Speaking of data, I’ve added an entire part of this book with multiple chapters on working with data. Since July 2000, when I cracked open the first public pre-beta release of .NET, I’ve been hooked, with C# as my language of choice. I’ve made a good living and found my C# skills in demand, even in a difficult economy. Most of all, I’ve gained an enormous amount of experience in both teaching, as a formal course instructor, and as a developer, delivering value to customers with an awesome toolset. I hope that all the gotchas, tips, and doses of reality that I’ve encountered and shared in this book will help you learn and thrive as I have.