Professional C# 2ND Edition

C# is designed to work with .NET to provide a new framework for programming on the Windows® platform. This comprehensive reference prepares you to program in C#, while at the same time providing the necessary background in how the .NET architecture works.

In this all-new third edition, you’ll be introduced to the fundamentals of C# and find updated coverage of application deployment and globalization. You’ll gain a working knowledge of the language and be able to apply it in the .NET environment, build Windows forms, access databases with ADO.NET, write components for ASP.NET, take advantage of .NET support for working with COM and COM+, and much more.

Here is the complete C# resource for developers, packed with code and examples that have been updated for the latest release – the .NET Framework 1.1 and Visual Studio .NET 2003.

What you will learn from this book

• How to program in the object-oriented C# language
• Methods for manipulating XML using C#
• Integration with COM, COM+, and Active Directory
• How to write Windows applications and Windows services
• Distributed applications with .NET Remoting
• An understanding of .NET Assemblies
• How to generate graphics with C#
• Ways to control .NET security, and much more

Who this book is for

This book is for experienced developers who are already familiar with C++, Visual Basic, or J++. No prior knowledge of C# is required.

Wrox Professional guidesare planned and written by working programmers to meet the real-world needs of programmers, developers, and IT professionals. Focused and relevant, they address the issues technology professionals face every day. They provide examples, practical solutions, and expert education in new technologies, all designed to help programmers do a better job.

A thorough guide to C# and its use in a wide range of programming applications offers the latest information and techniques for working with C# and .NET Architecture, Object-Oriented C#, Windows Applications, File and Registry Operations, ASP .NET Pages, .NET Security, Graphics with GDI+, Active Dir

It is no exaggeration to describe the C# language and its associated environment, the .NET Framework, as the most important new technology for developers in many years. .NET provides a new environment within which you can develop almost any Windows-based or web-based application, while C# is a new programming language designed specifically to work with .NET.

This book is the ideal introduction to the C# language and the .NET Framework, and will become an indispensable companion for any user of C# and .NET. With this book, you will:

• Learn the key concepts of the C# language
• Progress onto a complete exploration of programming the .NET Framework with C#

This book is aimed at the experienced developer, although no previous knowledge of C# or .NET programming is assumed.

What you will learn from this book

• How to program in the object-oriented C# language
• Writing Windows applications and Windows services
• Writing web pages and web services with ASP.NET
• Manipulating XML using C#
• Understanding .NET Assemblies
• Using ADO.NET to access databases
• Integration with COM, COM+, and Active Directory
• Distributed applications with .NET Remoting
• Generating graphics using C#
• Accessing files and the Registry, and controlling .NET security

Simon Robinsonis the editor-in-chief of ASP Today, one of the leading sites related to Web programming on the Windows platform. Simon’s first experience of commercial computer programming was in the early 1980s, when a computer project he was working on at college became the school’s student timetabling program, running on the BBC Micro. Later he studied for a Ph.D. in physics and subsequently spent a couple of years working as a university physics researcher. From there he moved on to working as a computer programmer, then writing books about programming, and finally on to his present job at ASP Today.

He has an extremely broad experience of programming on Windows. These days his core specialty is .NET programming. He is comfortable coding in C++, C#, VB, and IL, and has skills ranging from graphics and Windows Forms to ASP.NET to directories and data access to Windows services and the native Windows API.

Simon lives in Lancaster, UK. His outside interests include theater, dance, performing arts, and politics. You can visit Simon’s Web site, http://www.SimonRobinson.com.

Christian Nagelis an independent software architect and developer who offers training and consulting on how to design and develop Microsoft .NET solutions. He looks back to more than 15 years’ experience as a developer and software architect. Christian started his computing career with PDP 11 and VAX/VMS platforms, covering a variety of languages and platforms. Since the year 2000—when .NET was just a technology preview—he has been working with various .NET technologies to build distributed solutions. With his profound knowledge of Microsoft technologies, he has also written numerous .NET books; is certified as Microsoft Certified Trainer (MCT), Solution Developer (MCSD), and Systems Engineer (MCSE); and is the Microsoft Regional Director for Austria. Christian is a speaker at international conferences (TechED, DevDays, VCDC) and is the regional manager of INETA Europe (International .NET User Group Association) supporting .NET user groups. You can contact Christian via his Web site, http://www.christiannagel.com.

Jay Glynnstarted writing software nearly 20 years ago, writing applications for the PICK operating system using PICK basic. Since then, he has created software using Paradox PAL and Object PAL, Delphi, VBA, Visual Basic, C, C++, Java, and of course C#. He is currently a Project coordinator and Architect for a large financial services company in Nashville, Tennessee, working on software for the TabletPC platform. He can be contacted at jlsglynn@hotmail.com.

Morgan Skinnerbegan his computing career at a tender age on a Sinclair ZX80 at school, where he was underwhelmed by some code a teacher had written and so began programming in assembly language. After getting hooked on Z80 (which he believes is far better than those paltry 3 registers on the 6502), he graduated through the school’s ZX81s to his own ZX Spectrum.

Since then he’s used all sorts of languages and platforms, including VAX Macro Assembler, Pascal, Modula2, Smalltalk, X86 assembly language, PowerBuilder, C/C++, VB, and currently C#. He’s been programming in .NET since the PDC release in 2000, and liked it so much, he joined Microsoft in 2001. He now works in Premier Support for Developers and spends most of his time assisting customers with C#.

You can reach Morgan at http://www.morganskinner.com.

Karli Watsonis a freelance author and the technical director of 3form Ltd (http://www.3form.net). Despite starting out by studying nanoscale physics, the lure of cold, hard cash proved too much and dragged Karli into the world of computing. He has since written numerous books on .NET and related technologies, SQL, mobile computing, and a novel that has yet to see the light of day (but that doesn’t have any computers in it). Karli is also known for his multicolored clothing, is a snowboarding enthusiast, and still wishes he had a cat.

Bill Evjenis an active proponent of the .NET technologies and community-based learning initiatives for .NET. He has been actively involved with .NET since the first bits were released in 2000 and has since become president of the St. Louis .NET User Group (http://www.stlusergroups.org). Bill is also the founder and executive director of the International .NET association (http://www.ineta.org), which represents more than 125,000 members worldwide. Based in St. Louis, Missouri, USA, Bill is an acclaimed author and speaker on ASP.NET and XMLWeb services. He has written XMLWeb Services for ASP.NET, Web Services Enhancements: Understanding the WSE for Enterprise Applications, Visual Basic .NET Bible, and ASP.NET Professional Secrets(all published by Wiley). Bill is a Technical Director for Reuters, the international news and financial services company. He graduated from Western Washington University in Bellingham, Washington, with a Russian language degree. You can reach Bill at evjen@yahoo.com.

Introduction.

Part I: The C# Language.

Chapter 1: .NET Architecture.

Chapter 2: C# Basics.

Chapter 3: Objects and Types.

Chapter 4: Inheritance.

Chapter 5: Operators and Casts.

Chapter 6: Delegates and Events.

Chapter 7: Memory Management and Pointers.

Chapter 8: Strings and Regular Expressions.

Chapter 9: Collections.

Chapter 10: Reflection.

Chapter 11: Errors and Exceptions.

Part II: The .NET Environment.

Chapter 12: Visual Studio .NET.

Chapter 13: Assemblies

Chapter 14: .NET Security.

Chapter 15: Threading.

Chapter 16: Distributed Applications with .NET Remoting.

Chapter 17: Localization.

Chapter 18: Deployment.

Part III: Windows Forms.

Chapter 19: Windows Forms.

Chapter 20: Graphics with GDI+.

Part IV: Data.

Chapter 21: Data Access with .NET.

Chapter 22: Viewing .NET Data.

Chapter 23: Manipulating XML.

Chapter 24: Working with Active Directory.

Part V: Web Programming.

Chapter 25: ASP.NET Pages.

Chapter 26: Web Services.

Chapter 27: User Controls and Custom Controls.

Part VI: Interop.

Chapter 28: COM Interoperability.

Chapter 29: Enterprise Services.

Part VII: Windows Base Services.

Chapter 30: File and Registry Operations.

Chapter 31: Accessing the Internet.

Chapter 32: Windows Services.

At www.wrox.com.

Appendix A: Principles of Object-Oriented Programming.

Appendix B: C# for Visual Basic 6 Developers.

Appendix C: C# for Java Developers.

Appendix D: C# for C++ Developers.

Index.