Every statement in this book applies to both the Professional and Home versions of C# 2.0 and the abbreviated compiler, Visual C# 2005 Express Edition. We hope you enjoy this book and the C# language. Welcome to computing in the 21st century!
The early chapters of this book were written for those who are new to programming, but they are enjoyable reading for all. A summary of the chapters
Chapter 1 ” A Quick Dash through the Second Half of the Twentieth Century . How we got where we are today in digital computing.
Chapter 2 ” Personal Communication with a Digital Computer . The evolution of the keyboard and the mouse.
Chapter 3 ” The Microsoft Integrated Development Environment (IDE) . The Microsoft IDE is couched within the Microsoft Visual Studio suite, where programmers install compilers to create computer programs in multiple languages, like Basic, the variants of C, and Java. This chapter emphasizes the minimum number of features in the Visual Studio Suite IDE that a programmer must master to build acceptable programs. It includes an IDE
Chapter 4 ” Cloning an Existing Project . Once you create a project in the IDE, you cannot move the project folder elsewhere on your hard drive and continue to communicate between the IDE and that project (because the pathing information is now befuddled). We show you how to clone a project, move it elsewhere, and retrofit it to do further work.
Chapter 5 ” Passing Information between
Chapter 6 ” Visual Studio C# Code Placement . This chapter discusses features of C# that
Chapter 7 ” Classes, Constructors, Overloading, and Help . This is a short discussion of the Visual Studio C# classes, object-oriented programming, overloading of C# functions, and the help tools available within the IDE.
Chapter 8 ” Data Types and Declarations . The common Visual Studio C# data types, Hungarian notation, where to place declarations in the source code, variable declarations, and enumerations.
Chapter 9 ” Conversions between Data Types . The specific statements that convert a given data type to any other data type. Also, ANSIString operators are listed.
Chapter 10 ” String Manipulation and Online Data Storage . Manipulating the
Chapter 11 ” Branching and Looping . if, for, foreach, while, do while, break, goto, and switch case.
Chapter 12 ” Arithmetic . Addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, exponentiation,
The remaining chapters discuss specific programming topics:
Chapter 13 ” Message Boxes . Both the simple message box that is used for information only and the more complex message box that requires a reply by the
Chapter 14 ” Displaying Data (Lists) on a Window . This is a demonstration of how to set up a window (form) to display text.
Chapter 15 ” Plotting Data on a Window . The art of creating a primitive but respectable-looking X-Y plot on a window is demonstrated.
Chapter 16 ” Printing Text . Printing text onto a sheet of paper.
Chapter 17 ” Creating, Reading, and Writing Files . One way to create, read, and write to a file.
Chapter 18 ”
Chapter 19 ” Standard Controls . The standard controls that a programmer may place onto a window have not changed with the
Chapter 20 ” Logical Statements, Enabling and Disabling Controls, and Focus . There are few
Chapter 21 ” Timers and Clocks . The constructs for both timers and clocks in Visual Studio C# are much simpler than their counterparts in C and C++. Both constructs are demonstrated.
Chapter 22 ” Utilizing IDE Visual Studio C# Prebuilt Code . This is a cursory look into the common dialogs found in C#.
Chapter 23 ” Creating a Top-Level Program for Groups of Executables . This topic was included at the request of programmers who are responsible for writing the entry point for a
Chapter 24 ” Creating a Project Icon . This is a not-so-simple task if you have never done it before. The code to place a project icon on the desktop is now
Chapter 25 ” Creating an Install Program . If you ever need to create a stand-alone set of programs that form a new application for PCs and so forth, then you will need the information found in this chapter. The formal deployment process as created by Microsoft is discussed.
Chapter 26 ” Methods (Subroutines) . Every compiler has its rules about including freestanding subroutines (now called methods or procedures) in the collection of source code statements. This chapter shows how to create a simple freestander that is available to all code that supports all the windows in a project.
Chapter 27 ” Game-Making and Animation . Demonstrations of simple game-making and animation.
Chapter 28 ” Picture Boxes . A short discussion of the PictureBox control in the IDE toolbox.
Chapter 29 ” Lost Controls/Graphics . Performing damage control on projects that lose controls or graphics.
Appendix A ” A Description of Keeping Track .
Appendix B ” C++ to C# Cross Reference .