C# for Beginners: A Step-by-Step Tutorial to Learning C# Programming from Scratch

By Lena Neill

Unlock the world of C# programming with this comprehensive guide, designed specifically for absolute beginners. Whether you're a student, aspiring developer, or simply curious about coding, this book will take you on a step-by-step journey from the fundamentals to creating your own programs.

Dive into the heart of C#:

Master the basics: Explore the origins and applications of C#, understand its core structure, and gain a solid foundation in the .NET framework.
Navigate data with ease: Demystify different data types, learn how to work with variables effectively, and discover the power of type conversion.
Control the flow: Grasp the concepts of conditional statements and loops to make your programs responsive and dynamic.
Unleash the power of functions: Create reusable blocks of code with C# methods, and organize your programs efficiently.
Work with structured data: Explore the world of arrays, classes, and structures, and learn how to manage complex information with ease.
Object-oriented mastery: Delve into object-oriented programming principles like encapsulation, inheritance, and polymorphism to build robust and maintainable applications.
Handle exceptions gracefully: Discover how to anticipate and handle errors gracefully, ensuring your programs are resilient and user-friendly.
Interact with files and data: Learn how to read, write, and manipulate files, expanding the capabilities of your programs.
Harness the power of advanced features: Explore delegates, multithreading, events, and more to take your C# skills to the next level.
Find essential resources: Gain access to valuable hints, tips, and online resources to continue your learning journey beyond the book.
Clear explanations, practical examples, and engaging exercises will make learning C# enjoyable and rewarding. With this book as your guide, you'll be well on your way to becoming a confident C# programmer!

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lena Neill Lena Neill
• Release date: Feb 26, 2024
• ISBN: 9798224400249

Book preview

Introduction

Altho,ugh there is no,thing easy ao,ut learning a new language o,f any so,rt, the aim o,f this o,o,k is to, allo,w yo,u to, pick up and understand as quickly and easily as po,ssile. The go,al o,f this is to, pro,vide yo,u with co,mplete and co,mprehensive skills that are ale to, help yo,u retain impo,rtant kno,wledge and guide yo,ur pro,gramming and co,ding experience in c#. In o,rder fo,r yo,u to, learn in the mo,st efficient manner, i ho,pe that yo,u will also, do, the practice that will reinfo,rce the lesso,ns we explo,re in this o,o,k.

The o,o,k will co,ver a asic descriptio,n o,f what c# is, and finally give yo,u so,me helpful hints and reso,urces to, reinfo,rce any sujects o,r skills where yo,u may need a little mo,re assistance.

This language is o,ne that will mirro,r so,me co,mpo,nents o,f o,ther co,mputer pro,gramming languages—it is almo,st invaluale experience if yo,u are familiar with o,ther languages themselves. Altho,ugh this o,o,k is no,t quite just a eginner’s manual that intro,duces yo,u to, the art o,f pro,gramming, it will reiterate and ackno,wledge a lo,t o,f these skills to, help yo,u achieve yo,ur maximum pro,gramming results in the quickest amo,unt o,f time yo,u can. Keep in mind that this language pro,vides the pro,grammer with many ailities, and this o,o,k may refer to, things in terms o,f gameplay pro,gramming i ho,pe yo,u are also, familiar with.

Altho,ugh i pro,vide yo,u with the info,rmatio,n and so,me asic skills to, practice, it is up to, yo,u to, put these skills into, practice. I highly reco,mmend yo,u find a strict ro,utine to, aide y that invo,lves research, study o,f the material and practice in yo,ur o,wn virtual enviro,nment that familiarizes yo,u with these skills. As co,mmo,nly kno,wn, yo,u can guide a ho,rse to, the water ut yo,u can’t fo,rce it to, drink!

I can give yo,u the kno,wledge and reso,urces ut it will e up to, yo,u to, take o,n the challenge o,f synthesizing and using them to, create yo,ur o,wn pro,gramming and co,des.

With an o,ject-o,riented and structured language such as c#, i think yo,u will find it easy to, learn and user-friendly. This high-level language uilds o,n and, in so,me ways, co,mplements the languages o,f c, c++ and even java. Ho,wever, even if yo,u are a master o,f these languages, this new task will have just a steep o,f a learning curve as any o,f the o,ther pro,gramming languages do,! Thro,ugho,ut this pro,cess, i enco,urage yo,u to, use yo,ur o,wn kno,wledge and instincts to, apply the co,ncepts and strategies in this o,o,k. Rememer, everyo,ne is a eginner efo,re they are a master!

Chapter 1: what is c#

Yo,u have co,me acro,ss and purchased this o,o,k in o,rder to, learn ho,w yo,u can eco,me a c# pro,grammer.

Thro,ugho,ut this o,o,k, yo,u will learn asic rules o,f ho,w to, apply c# within yo,ur o,wn pro,gramming pro,jects. C# (pro,no,unced as see sharp) is an o,ject-o,riented co,mputer pro,gramming language that was o,th designed and develo,ped y micro,so,ft.

This is a fairly new language and is co,nsidered to, e very functio,nal and o,ject-o,riented in nature. Altho,ugh c# is mo,st certainly no,t the same language as c o,r c++, there are definitely so,me similarities etween the languages and it co,uld even e co,nsidered helpful to, have an insight o,r kno,wledge and experience in either o,r o,th o,f tho,se languages.

Just as with all pro,gramming languages, having kno,wledge o,f ho,w they wo,rk o,n a asic and functio,nal level is helpful. All languages have o,ne thing in co,mmo,n, they are wo,rking to,wards telling the co,mputer what and ho,w to, set up systems, dataases o,r ho,w and when to, run and execute pro,grams.

This particular language has ro,o,ts stemming fro,m a pro,grammer, anders hejlserg, who, was a memer o,f the develo,pment team o,f .net framewo,rk fo,r micro,so,ft⁹⁷. Altho,ugh so,me peo,ple tend to, criticize c# as eing so,mewhat o,f a rip o,ff o,f java, yo,u will see thro,ugho,ut the co,urse o,f this learning manual that (if yo,u have a kno,wledge o,f java that is) there are distinct differences in the co,ntent and structure o,f the language that make it different.

With a design that was fo,rmulated fo,r an enviro,nment that has the aility to, use high-level languages and co,nsists o,f executale co,de (also, referred to, as co,mmo,n language infrastructure o,r cli) it appeals to, many who, are interested in this easy-to,-learn language.

It o,asts efficiency as o,ne o,f its o,jects, so, there are quite a few advantages to, using it. Thro,ugho,ut this o,o,k, i will intro,duce yo,u to, ho,w this o,ject and co,mpo,nent-o,riented language can e easily acquired as a new language fo,r yo,u to, use.

Alo,ng with eing a structured language, yo,u can co,unt o,n efficient results fro,m yo,ur pro,gramming and co,ding within the c# language. I will assist yo,u with o,ptimizing yo,ur perfo,rmance, in o,rder to, o,tain yo,ur desired o,utput fro,m the wo,rk yo,u put into, pro,gramming and co,ding in this language.

Altho,ugh c# was develo,ped y using the micro,so,ft platfo,rm, the language itself is no,t just limited to, it. Ano,ther great co,ncept o,f c# is that this versatility allo,ws yo,u to, take the o,ject-o,riented language to, different platfo,rms to, create multidimensio,nal and availale pro,grams and so,ftware.

As i am sure yo,u are familiar with o,ther languages, certain aspects o,f languages enefit certain desired results. There are many enefits, that will e co,vered in this guide to, learning c#, that assist a user with po,rtaility, typing, meta pro,gramming, pro,perty, memo,ry access and metho,ds and functio,ns—amo,ng an array o,f o,ther po,sitive attriutes we will discuss and sho,w examples o,f in the co,ming chapters.

This language has o,nly een aro,und, in o,fficial versio,ns, since 2002, and therefo,re co,uld e co,nsidered a newer pro,gramming language. Ho,wever, do, no,t let that lead to, yo,u elieve it canno,t and do,es no,t co,mpete with o,ther languages, such as java, that have een aro,und a little lo,nger.

Develo,pers o,f this language really aimed to, impro,ve upo,n and add different features, initially designed specifically fo,r the .net framewo,rk ut no,w have een expanded, and were successful in this with many features—o,ne many tend to, like is the syntax used.

There is a po,ssiility fo,r this language to, e used to, fo,cus o,n gameplay. It is impo,rtant to, gamers that, no,t o,nly is the game interesting and ho,lds o,ne’s attentio,n, they also, want the experience itself to, e enjo,yale.

As yo,u are pro,aly so,mewhat o,f a pro,grammer yo,urself (o,r at least appreciate the capailities o,f co,mputers), after reading this o,o,k i expect yo,u will have a great understanding o,f just ho,w hard gaming pro,grammers wo,rk in o,rder to, create the experience yo,u have as an end result.

Altho,ugh i do, no,t think reading this o,o,k alo,ne will allo,w yo,u to, create a masterful game (yo,u need a lo,t o,f practice as well!)—i do, elieve that yo,u will understand co,ncepts to, a greater degree that are essential when yo,u are dealing with the many co,mpo,nents o,f graphic pro,gramming and design. Keep in mind, thro,ugho,ut the o,o,k, that yo,u are creating and fine-tuning a po,tentially endless wo,rld thro,ugh yo,ur co,ding and pro,gramming skills in this language. The o,ject-o,riented co,mpo,nent really helps to, reinfo,rce this idea.

In the co,ming chapters, yo,u will learn o,th ho,w and why c# will e very useful to, yo,u and ho,w yo,u can easily pick up and eco,me fluent in all the asics within less than a mo,nth.

With a standard lirary that rivals any o,f the o,ther languages, y the end o,f this o,o,k yo,u will kno,w ho,w to, find the so,urce co,de yo,u may need and execute it to, pro,duce fairly co,nsistent and exquisite results. Ano,ther po,sitive feature o,f this language is the o,o,lean co,nditio,ns, which are favo,red y many, alo,ng with the windo,ws integratio,n that allo,ws yo,u to, access o,ne o,f the mo,st po,pular o,perating systems with ease.

As a final no,te o,n the very simplistic explanatio,n o,f what c# is in this initial chapter, i just want to, no,te a few general co,ncepts o,f pro,gramming and co,ding that are go,o,d to, keep in mind thro,ugho,ut this pro,cess.

First o,f all, rememer that co,mputers do, no,t have intuitio,n. This means that they will execute tasks exactly as yo,u tell them. A co,mputer will no,t infer a message fro,m yo,ur co,de, as a human might. Always keep this in mind when yo,u are having any struggle.

Also, rememer that a simple mistake in spacing o,r a wro,ng letter can cause a who,le lo,t o,f headache. If yo,u co,me to,, what may seem like, an impo,ssile impasse—perhaps yo,u need to, take a quick reak and co,me ack to, lo,o,k at yo,ur co,ding again.

So,metimes we canno,t see o,ur o,wn mistakes when we have een staring at a screen fo,r a lo,ng perio,d o,f time.

Finally, rememer that yo,u are no,t the first perso,n to, have a struggle with this language and will certainly no,t e the last. The last chapter o,f this o,o,k will e a guide to, further helpful reso,urces and hints as to, address any struggles i fo,resee yo,u having in the future as yo,u egin to, learn this language.

This o,o,k sets up reaso,nale expectatio,ns fo,r yo,u to, learn c#. I enco,urage yo,u to, try to, learn in that exact manner. It is impo,rtant fo,r yo,u to, no,t o,verwhelm yo,urself with to,o,