C# Essentials

Book description

Concise but thorough, C# Essentials introduces the brand-new Microsoft C# programming language and the Microsoft .NET Common Language Runtime (CLR) and Base Class Libraries (BCL) that support it. The compact format and terse presentation of key concepts serve as a roadmap to the online documentation included with the Microsoft .NET Framework SDK; the many examples provide much-needed context. In addition to overviews of C#, the CLR, and the BCL, C# Essentials includes coverage of:

  • Every C# language element and its syntax, in reference format

  • The major C# datatypes, with code examples

  • Basic C# programming tasks

  • Interoperations with legacy Win32 APIs and COM components, and the use of C/C++ style pointers within the managed context of the CLR.

C# Essentials is an inexpensive way for experienced programmers to get up to speed quickly on the language best suited to developing web applications and services on the new Microsoft .NET platform.

Table of contents

  1. C# Essentials
    1. Preface
      1. Audience
      2. About This Book
      3. C# Online
      4. Conventions Used in This Book
      5. How to Contact Us
      6. Acknowledgments
        1. Ben Albahari
        2. Peter Drayton
        3. Brad Merrill
    2. 1. Introduction
      1. C# Language
      2. Common Language Runtime
      3. Base Class Libraries
      4. A First C# Program
    3. 2. C# Language Reference
      1. Identifiers
      2. Types
        1. Type Instances
        2. Example: Building and Using Types
        3. Implicit and Explicit Conversions
        4. Categories of Types
          1. Value types
          2. Reference types
          3. Pointer types
        5. Predefined Types
          1. Integral types
            1. Integral conversions
          2. Floating-point types
            1. Floating-point conversions
          3. decimal type
            1. decimal conversions
          4. char type
            1. char conversions
          5. bool type
            1. bool conversions
          6. object type
          7. string type
        6. Types and Memory
          1. Memory for value types
          2. Memory for reference types
          3. Value types and reference types side by side
        7. Unified Type System
          1. Simple types are value types
          2. Value types expand the set of simple types
          3. Boxing and unboxing value types
      3. Variables
        1. Definite Assignment
        2. Default Values
      4. Expressions and Operators
        1. Operator Precedence
        2. Arithmetic Overflow Check Operators
      5. Statements
        1. Expression Statements
        2. Declaration Statements
        3. Empty Statements
        4. Selection Statements
          1. if-else statement
          2. switch statement
        5. Loop Statements
          1. while loops
          2. do-while loops
          3. for loops
          4. foreach loops
        6. jump Statements
          1. break statement
          2. continue statement
          3. goto statement
          4. return statement
          5. throw statement
          6. lock statement
      6. Organizing Types
        1. Files
        2. Namespaces
          1. Nesting namespaces
          2. Using a type with its fully qualified name
          3. using keyword
          4. Aliasing types and namespaces
          5. Global namespace
      7. Inheritance
        1. Class Conversions
          1. as operator
          2. is operator
        2. Polymorphism
        3. Virtual Function Members
        4. Abstract Classes and Members
        5. Sealed Classes
        6. Hiding Inherited Members
        7. Versioning Virtual Function Members
      8. Access Modifiers
        1. Restrictions on Access Modifiers
      9. Classes and Structs
        1. Differences Between Classes and Structs
        2. Instance and Static Members
        3. Fields
        4. Constants
          1. Versioning with constants
        5. Properties
        6. Indexers
        7. Methods
          1. Signatures
          2. Passing arguments by value
          3. ref modifier
          4. out modifier
          5. params modifier
          6. Overloading methods
        8. Operators
          1. Implementing value equality
          2. Logically paired operators
          3. Custom implicit and explicit conversions
          4. Three-state logic operators
          5. Indirectly overloadable operators
        9. Instance Constructors
          1. Calling base class constructors
          2. Field initialization order
          3. Constructor access modifiers
        10. Static Constructors
          1. Base class constructor order
          2. Static field initialization order
          3. Nondeterminism of static constructor calls
        11. Self Referencing
          1. this keyword
          2. base keyword
        12. Destructors and Finalizers
        13. Nested Types
      10. Interfaces
        1. Defining an Interface
        2. Implementing an Interface
        3. Using an Interface
        4. Extending an Interface
        5. Explicit Interface Implementation
        6. Reimplementing an Interface
        7. Interface Conversions
      11. Arrays
        1. Multidimensional Arrays
        2. Local and Field Array Declarations
        3. Array Length and Rank
        4. Bounds Checking
        5. Array Conversions
      12. Enums
        1. Enum Operators
        2. Enum Conversions
      13. Delegates
        1. Multicast Delegates
        2. Delegates Compared with Function Pointers
        3. Delegates Compared with Interfaces
      14. Events
        1. Defining a Delegate for an Event
        2. Storing Data for an Event with EventArgs
        3. Declaring and Firing an Event
        4. Acting on an Event with Event Handlers
        5. Events as Properties
      15. try Statements and Exceptions
        1. try Statement
        2. Exceptions
        3. catch
          1. Omitting the exception variable
          2. Catching System.Exception
          3. Specifying multiple catch clauses
        4. finally
        5. Key Properties of System.Exception Class
      16. Attributes
        1. Attribute Classes
        2. Named and Positional Parameters
        3. Attribute Targets
        4. Specifying Multiple Attributes
      17. Unsafe Code and Pointers
        1. Pointer Types
        2. Unsafe Code
        3. The fixed Statement
        4. Pointer to Member Operator
        5. The stackalloc Keyword
        6. Pointers to Unmanaged Code
      18. Preprocessor Directives
        1. Preprocessor Directives
      19. XML Documentation
        1. C/C++-Style Comments
        2. Documentation Comments
        3. XML Documentation Files
        4. Predefined XML Tags
        5. User-Defined Tags
        6. Type or Member Cross References
    4. 3. Programming the .NET Framework
      1. Common Types
        1. Object Class
          1. Creating BCL-friendly types
        2. ICloneable Interface
        3. IComparable Interface
        4. IFormattable Interface
      2. Math
        1. Language Support for Math
        2. Special Types and Operators
        3. Math Class
        4. Random Class
      3. Strings
        1. String Class
        2. Immutability of Strings
        3. String Interning
        4. Formatting Strings
        5. Indexing Strings
        6. Encoding Strings
        7. StringBuilder Class
      4. Collections
        1. Concrete Collection Classes
          1. ArrayList class
          2. BitArray class
          3. Hashtable class
          4. Queue class
          5. SortedList class
          6. Stack class
          7. StringCollection class
        2. Collection Interfaces
          1. IEnumerable interface
          2. IEnumerator interface
          3. ICollection interface
          4. IComparer interface
          5. IList interface
          6. IDictionary interface
          7. IDictionaryEnumerator interface
          8. IHashCodeProvider interface
      5. Regular Expressions
        1. Regex Class
        2. Match and MatchCollection Classes
        3. Group Class
        4. Capture and Capture Collection Classes
        5. Using Regular Expressions
      6. Input/Output
        1. Streams and Backing Stores
          1. Abstract Stream class
          2. Concrete Stream-derived classes
          3. Encapsulating raw streams
          4. Abstract TextReader/TextWriter classes
          5. StreamReader and StreamWriter classes
          6. StringReader and StringWriter classes
        2. Directories and Files
      7. Networking
        1. Network Programming Models
        2. Generic Request/Response Architecture
        3. HTTP-Specific Support
        4. Adding New Protocol Handlers
        5. Using TCP, UDP, and Sockets
        6. Using DNS
      8. Threading
        1. Thread Synchronization
          1. The lock statement
          2. Pulse and Wait operations
          3. Deadlocks
          4. Atomic operations
        2. Common Thread Types
        3. Monitor Class
          1. Enter and Exit methods
          2. TryEnter methods
          3. Wait methods
          4. Pulse and PulseAll methods
      9. Assemblies
        1. Elements of an Assembly
        2. Packaging
        3. Deployment
        4. Versioning
        5. Type Resolution
        6. Security Permissions
      10. Reflection
        1. Type Hierarchy
          1. Types, members, and nested types
          2. Assemblies and modules
          3. AppDomains
        2. Retrieving the Type for an Instance
        3. Retrieving a Type Directly
        4. Reflecting over a Type Hierarchy
        5. Late Binding to Types
        6. Activation
        7. Advanced Uses of Reflection
        8. Creating New Types at Runtime
      11. Custom Attributes
        1. Language Support for Custom Attributes
        2. Compiler Support for Custom Attributes
        3. Runtime Support for Custom Attributes
        4. Predefined Attributes
          1. AttributeUsage attribute
          2. Conditional attribute
          3. Obsolete attribute
          4. CLSCompliant attribute
          5. Serializable attribute
          6. NonSerialized attribute
        5. Defining a New Custom Attribute
        6. Retrieving a Custom Attribute at Runtime
      12. Automatic Memory Management
        1. The Garbage Collector
        2. Optimization Techniques
        3. Finalizers
        4. Dispose and Close Methods
      13. Interop with Native DLLs
        1. Marshaling Common Types
        2. Marshaling Classes and Structs
        3. In and Out Marshaling
        4. Callbacks from Unmanaged Code
        5. Predefined Interop Support Attributes
          1. DllImport attribute
          2. StructLayout attribute
          3. FieldOffset attribute
          4. MarshalAs attribute
          5. In attribute
          6. Out attribute
      14. Interop with COM
        1. Binding COM and C# Objects
        2. Exposing COM Objects to C#
        3. Exposing C# Objects to COM
        4. COM Mapping in C#
        5. Common COM Interop Support Attributes
          1. ComVisible attribute
          2. DispId attribute
          3. ProgId attribute
          4. Guid attribute
          5. HasDefaultInterface attribute
          6. InterfaceType attribute
          7. ComRegisterFunction attribute
          8. NoIDispatch attribute
    5. 4. Base Class Library Overview
      1. Core Types
      2. Text
      3. Collections
      4. Streams and I/O
      5. Networking
      6. Threading
      7. Security
      8. Reflection
      9. Serialization
      10. Remoting
      11. Web Services
      12. Data Access
      13. XML
      14. Graphics
      15. Rich Client Applications
      16. Web-Based Applications
      17. Globalization
      18. Configuration
      19. Advanced Component Services
      20. Assemblies
      21. Diagnostics and Debugging
      22. Interoperating with Unmanaged Code
      23. Component and Tool Support
      24. Runtime Facilities
      25. Native OS Facilities
    6. 5. Essential .NET Tools
    7. A. C# Keywords
    8. B. Regular Expressions
    9. C. Format Specifiers
      1. Picture Format Specifiers
      2. DateTime Format Specifiers
    10. D. Data Marshaling
    11. E. Working with Assemblies
      1. Building Shareable Assemblies
        1. Building Modules
        2. Linking Modules to Assemblies
        3. Building with Your New Assemblies
        4. Sharing Assemblies
      2. Managing the Global Assembly Cache
      3. Using nmake
    12. F. Namespaces and Assemblies
    13. Index
    14. Colophon

Product information

  • Title: C# Essentials
  • Author(s):
  • Release date: February 2001
  • Publisher(s): O'Reilly Media, Inc.
  • ISBN: 9780596000790