Visual C# 2005: A Developer's Notebook

Description:

In the three years since Microsoft made C# available, there have been lots of tweaks to the language. That's because C# is not only essential for making .NET work, it's a big way for Microsoft to attract millions of Java, C and C++ developers to the platform. And C# has definitely made some inroads. Because of its popularity among developers, the language received standardization from ECMA International, making it possible to port C# applications to other platforms.

To bolster its appeal, C# 2.0 has undergone some key changes as part of Visual Studio 2005 that will make development with .NET quicker and easier. The updated IDE is not due for official release until summer, but the C# 2.0 beta is available for those who want to take it for a spin and get up to speed.

That's precisely what Visual C# 2005: A Developer's Notebook allows you to do. There are some great new features in C# and this unique "all lab, no lecture" guide covers them all with 50 hands-on projects. Each project explores a new feature, with emphasis on changes that increase productivity, simplify programming tasks, and add functionality to applications.

C#'s component-based design combines the productivity of Microsoft's popular Visual Basic with the raw power of C++ for web-based applications. Many reviewers note a similarity between C# and Java--in fact, a new feature that took the Java development team five years to incorporate into Java is now available in C# 2.0. Called "generics", this feature enables developers to reuse and customize their existing code, so they can dramatically cut down the time it takes to develop new applications.

Visual C# 2005: A Developer's Notebook is full of no-nonsense code without the usual page-filling commentary. You'll find suggestions for further experimentation, links to on-line documentation, plus practical notes and warnings. The book also tells developers how to acquire, install and configure Visual Studio .NET 2005. Are you a coder to the core? Learn what C# 2.0 can do for you now.

 

Table of Contents:

The Developer's Notebook Series

Preface

Chapter 1. C# 2.0

     Create a Type-Safe List Using a Generic Collection

     Create Your Own Generic Collection

     Implement the Collection Interfaces

     Enumerate Using Generic Iterators

     Implement GetEnumerator with Complex Data Structures

     Simplify Your Code with Anonymous Methods

     Hide Designer Code with Partial Types

     Create Static Classes

     Express Null Values with Nullable Types

     Access Objects in the Global Namespace

     Limit Access Within Properties

     Gain Flexibility with Delegate Covariance and Contravariance

Chapter 2. Visual Studio 2005

     Configure and Save Your Developer Environment

     Configure Your Application

     Make the Editor Work for You

     Use Refactoring to Speed Revision of Your Code

     Use Code Snippets to Save Typing

     Examine Objects While Debugging Them

     Visualize XML Data

     Diagnose Exceptions

Chapter 3. Windows Applications

     Add Tool Strips to Your Application

     Allow Valid Input Only

     Create Auto-Complete Text Boxes

     Play Sounds

     Create Split Windows

     Create Data-Driven Forms

     Create Safe Asynchronous Tasks

     Put the Web in a Window

     Enable One-Click Deployment

Chapter 4. Web Applications

     Develop Web Apps Without IIS

     Provide Forms-Based Security Without Code

     Add Roles to ASP.NET Accounts

     Create Personalized Web Sites

     Personalize with Complex Types

     Add Anonymous Personalization to Your Site

     Let Users Personalize Your Site with Themes

     Unify Your Look and Feel with Master Pages

Chapter 5. Data

     Bind to Data Without Writing Code

     Create Detail Pages

     Create Master Detail Records

     Get Database Statistics

     Batch Updates to Improve Performance

     Bind to an XmlDataSource Control

     Improve XML Manipulation with XPathDocument

     Select Within XPathDocument Using XPath

Index