Hour 2. Navigating C

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Hour 2. Navigating C#

The key to expanding your knowledge of C# is to become as comfortable as possible ”as quickly as possible ”with the C# design environment. Just as a carpenter doesn't think much about hammering a nail into a piece of wood, performing actions such as saving projects, creating new forms, and setting object properties should become second nature to you. The more comfortable you are with the tools of C#, the more you can focus your energies on what you're creating with the tools.

In this hour, you'll learn how to customize your design environment. You'll learn how to move, dock, float, hide, and show design windows , as well as how to customize menus and toolbars ; you'll even create a new toolbar from scratch. After you've gotten acquainted with the environment, I'll teach you about projects and the files that they're made of (taking you beyond what was briefly discussed in Hour 1, "A C# Programming Tour"), and I'll introduce you to the design windows with which you'll work most frequently. Finally, I'll show you how to get help when you're stuck.

The highlights of this hour include the following:

• Navigating C#

• Using the Visual Studio .NET Start Page to open and create projects

• Showing, hiding, docking, and floating design windows

• Customizing menus and toolbars

• Adding controls to a form using the toolbox

• Viewing and changing object attributes using the Properties window

• Working with the files that make up a project

• How to get help

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