Starting Visual C 2005

Starting Visual C# 2005

Before you begin creating programs in Visual C# 2005, you should be familiar with the following terms:

• Distributable component The final, compiled version of a project. Components can be distributed to other people and other computers, and they don't require the Visual C# 2005 development environment (the tools you use to create a .NET program) to run (although they do require the .NET runtime, which I'll discuss in Hour 23, "Deploying A Visual C# .NET Application"). Distributable components are often called programs. In Hour 23, you'll learn how to distribute the Picture Viewer program that you're about to build to other computers.

• Project A collection of files that can be compiled to create a distributable component (program). There are many types of projects, and complex applications might consist of multiple projects, such as a Windows application project, and support dynamic link library (DLL) projects.

• Solution A collection of projects and files that make up an application or component.

By the Way

Visual C# 2005 is part of a larger entity known as the .NET Framework. The .NET Framework encompasses all the .NET technology, including Visual Studio .NET (the suite of development tools) and the Common Language Runtime (CLR), which is the set of files that make up the core of all .NET applications. You'll learn about these items in more detail as you progress through this book. For now, realize that Visual C# 2005 is one of many languages that exist within the .NET family. Many other languages, such as Visual Basic, are also .NET languages, make use of the common language runtime, and are developed within Visual Studio .NET.

Visual Studio .NET is a complete development environment, and it's called the IDE (short for integrated development environment). The IDE is the design framework in which you build applications; every tool you'll need to create your Visual C# 2005 projects is accessed from within the Visual C# IDE. Again, Visual Studio .NET supports development using many different languagesVisual C# 2005 being one of the most popular. The environment itself is not Visual C# 2005, but the language you'll be using within Visual Studio .NET is Visual C# 2005. To work with Visual C# 2005 projects, you first start the Visual Studio .NET IDE.

Start Visual Studio .NET now by choosing Microsoft Visual C# 2005 Express Edition on your Start/Programs menu. If you are running the full retail version of .NET, your shortcut may have a different name. In this case, locate the shortcut on your Start menu and click it once to start the Visual Studio .NET IDE.