C Sharp Essentials

The C# Essentials online book is currently under development and is due to be completed in February 2008.

Table of Contents

1. The C# Language and Environment
   • A Brief History of Computer Programming Languages
   • What exactly is C#?
   • The Common Language Infrastructure (CLI)
   • Common Intermediate Language (CIL)
   • Virtual Execution System (VES)
   • Common Type System (CTS) & Common Language Specification (CLS)
   • The Framework (Base Class and Framework Class Libraries)
   • Non Microsoft Implementations of the CLI
     
     
2. A Simple C# Console Application
   • Options for Installing a C# Environment
   • C# Source File Naming Conventions
   • Creating a Sample C# Program
   • Compiling C# Code From the Command Line
   • Executing a Compiled C# Program
     
     
3. Creating a Simple C# GUI Application with Visual Studio
   • Installing Visual Studio with C# Support
   • Creating a new Visual Studio C# Project
   • Adding Components to the Windows Form
   • Changing Component Names
   • Changing Component Properties
   • Adding Behavior to a Visual Studio C# Application
     
     
4. C# Variables and Constants
   • What is a C# Variable?
   • What is a C# Constant?
   • C# Integer Variable Types
   • C# Floating Point Variables
   • The C# Decimal Variable Type
   • C# Boolean Variable Type
   • C# Character Variable Type
   • C# String Variables
   • Casting Variable Types in C#
     
     
5. C# Operators and Expressions
   • What is an Expression?
   • The Basic Assignment Operator
   • C# Arithmetic Operators
   • C# Operator Precedence
   • Compound Assignment Operators
   • Increment and Decrement Operators
   • Comparison Operators
   • Boolean Logical Operators
   • The Ternary Operator
     
     
6. C# Flow Control Using if and else
   • Using the if Statement
   • Using if ... else .. Statements
   • Using if ... else if .. Statements
     
     
7. The C# switch Statement
   • Why Use a switch Statement?
   • Using the switch Statement Syntax
   • A switch Statement Example
   • Explaining the Example
   • Using goto in a C# switch Statement
   • Using continue in a C# switch Statement
     
     
8. C# Looping - The for Statement
   • The C# for Loop
   • C# Loop Variable Scope
   • Creating an Infinite for Loop
   • Breaking Out of a for Loop
   • Nested for Loops
   • Breaking From Nested Loops
   • Continuing for Loops
     
     
9. C# Looping with do and while Statements
   • The C# while Loop
   • C# do ... while loops
   • Breaking from Loops
   • The continue Statement
     
     
10. C# Object Oriented Programming
    • What is an Object?
    • What is a Class?
    • Declaring a C# Class
    • Creating C# Class Members
    • Static, Read-only and Const Data Members
    • Instantiating an Object from a C# Class
    • Accessing C# Object Members
    • Adding Methods to a C# Class
    • C# Constructors and Finalizers
      
      
11. C# Inheritance
    • What is Inheritance?
    • An Example of Inheritance
    • Creating a Subclass in C#
    • Passing Arguments to the Base Class Constructor
      
      
12. Understanding C# Abstract Classes
    • What is a C# Abstract Class?
    • Abstract Members
    • Declaring a C# Abstract Class
    • Deriving from an Abstract Class
    • The Difference Between abstract and virtual Members
      
      
13. Introducing C# Arrays
    • Creating Arrays in C#
    • Declaring a Multidimensional Array
    • Accessing Array Values
    • Getting the Length of an Array
    • Sorting and Manipulating C# Arrays
      
      
14. C# List and ArrayList Collections
    • What are C# Collection Classes
    • Creating C# List Collections - List<T> and ArrayList
    • Adding Items to Lists
    • Accessing List Items
    • Removing Items From Lists
    • Inserting Items into a C# List
    • Sorting Lists in C#
    • Finding Items in a C# List or ArrayList
    • Obtaining Information About a List
    • Clearing and Trimming C# Lists
      
      
15. Working with Strings in C#
    • Creating Strings in C#
    • Obtaining the Length of a C# String
    • Treating Strings as Arrays
    • Concatenating Strings in C#
    • Comparing Strings in C#
    • Changing String Case
    • Splitting a C# String into Multiple Parts
    • Trimming and Padding C# Strings
    • C# String Replacement
      
      
16. Formatting Strings in C#
    • The Syntax of the String.Format() Method
    • A Simple C# String Format Example
    • Using Format Controls
    • As Simple Format Control Example
    • The C# String.Format() Format Controls
      
      
17. C# and Windows Forms
    • Creating a New Form
    • Changing the Form Name
    • Changing the Form Title]
    • Changing the Form Background Color
    • Changing The Form Background Image
    • Configuring the Minimize, Maximize and Close Buttons
    • Setting Minimum and Maximum Form Sizes
    • Specifying the Position of a Form on the Display
    • Changing the Form Border
    • Stopping a Form from Appearing the Windows Taskbar
    • Creating a Transparent Form
      
      
18. Designing Forms in C# and Visual Studio
    • Visual Basic Forms and Controls
    • Double Clicking the Control in the Toolbox
    • Dragging a Dropping Controls onto the Form
    • Drawing a Control on the Form
    • Positioning and Sizing Controls Using the Grid
    • Positioning Controls Using Snap Lines
    • Selecting Multiple Controls
    • Aligning and Sizing Groups of Controls
    • Setting Properties on a Group of Controls
    • Anchoring and Autosizing Form Controls
    • Setting Tab Order in a Form
      
      
19. Understanding C# GUI Events
    • Event Triggers
    • Wiring Up Events in Visual Studio
    • Compile and Running the Application
    • Setting Up a C# Timer Event
      
      
20. Creating Top-Level Menus in C#
    • Creating a Top-Level Menu
    • Deleting and Moving Menu Items
    • Assigning Keyboard Shortcuts to Menu Items
    • Programming Menu Items in C#
      
      
21. Creating Context Menus in C#
    • Adding Context Menus to a C# Form
    • Associating a Component with a Context Menu
    • Programming C# Context Menu Options
    • Compiling and Running the Application