C# - urgent crash course needed

Berserker · 23 May 2008 at 22:14

I need to get a head start on learning to write software in C# for a project starting next week. I've done C for 20 years and C++ for 10, so I doubt I'll have much bother with the syntax - it's the groundrules - what, why and how - that I need to pick up.

So, does anyone know of a good tutorial that will get me 'up to speed' in C# programming?

Thanks for reading.

Gman · 23 May 2008 at 22:38

kind of difficult, theres no right way just different ways

also depends on the company your working for, for example my company has its own DAL which we have use, as well as inheriting base pages which are already created.

I think generally if you use good OO Design you'll be fine which ever approach you take.

Might be worth downloading an open source c# web app and looking at the source to see how things have been structured, then say to yourself could this be improved etc and just progress from there.

Berserker · 23 May 2008 at 23:02

Sorry, I think you have the wrong end of the stick. This isn't for the web and we have no standards I know of (other than general coding standards that apply regardless of language). As I said - I just need the basics of writing 'good' (as in reliable, working) code, not specific coding standards. Consider that I've not seen a single line of C# code in my life - because I haven't. I can pick up all the more detailed stuff later.

Gman · 23 May 2008 at 23:28

well if its just the syntax you need advice with then google is your best friend. That and msdn. The msdn quickstart tutorials should give you most things you need, although a lot of it is web related.

But if your coding in vs it'll provide you with plenty of code hints

Psyk · 23 May 2008 at 23:55

Ever done Java? If so, you already know it.

Inquisitor · 24 May 2008 at 00:07

Writing "good, reliable code" is a skill that's more specific to paradigms than to individual languages. If you can write good code in C++/Java/Smalltalk then you can probably write good code in C#, as long as you know the different libraries and feature sets.

This may not be exactly what you want but it's quite good nonetheless:
http://www.idesign.net/idesign/download/IDesign CSharp Coding Standard.zip

Berserker · 24 May 2008 at 01:29

A quick perusal of the Microsoft documents shows you're right. It's somewhere stuck in the middle between C++ and Java.

Thanks.

Inquisitor · 24 May 2008 at 01:34

It's definitely closer to Java than C++, though. The only things that it has in common with C++ are the syntax and the ability to access memory directly via pointers, though this is discouraged and generally unnecessary.

Mickey · 24 May 2008 at 03:42

Inquisitor said:
It's definitely closer to Java than C++, though. The only things that it has in common with C++ are the syntax and the ability to access memory directly via pointers, though this is discouraged and generally unnecessary.

You think C# syntax is closer to C++ than Java? Weird.

Honestly though, forget the language differences, you'll pick that up easily. It's the .NET framework you'll really have to dive into, it's huge. As others have said, MSDN is your friend.

Sic · 24 May 2008 at 07:12

Mickey said:
You think C# syntax is closer to C++ than Java? Weird.

read it again.

Berserker · 24 May 2008 at 07:20

Mickey said:
As others have said, MSDN is your friend.

MSDN is very much my friend already - gets almost daily use. Just didn't realise there was much on the basics (I use it as a function/method reference more than anything).

Haircut · 24 May 2008 at 07:51

As already said if you can do C and C++ you won't have a problem with C#.

Do you use managed C++ at all? (you say you use MSDN daily already) If so the transition to C# will be pretty painless as tha main thing to learn is the .NET API really.

Mickey · 24 May 2008 at 17:26

Sic said:
read it again.

Yep, no matter how many times I read it, he still says "The only things that it has in common with C++ are the syntax and the ability to access memory directly via pointers"

Inquisitor · 24 May 2008 at 19:30

Mickey said:
Yep, no matter how many times I read it, he still says "The only things that it has in common with C++ are the syntax and the ability to access memory directly via pointers"

I didn't say C#'s syntax is closer to C++ than it is to Java :confused:

Mickey · 24 May 2008 at 19:49

Inquisitor said:
I didn't say C#'s syntax is closer to C++ than it is to Java

That's how it reads.

NickK · 24 May 2008 at 23:34

Often it's not the language that the problem - the foundation libraries and the standardised rules take time to learn.

Una · 24 May 2008 at 23:49

Mickey said:
That's how it reads.

Read it again carefully.

Mickey · 24 May 2008 at 23:54

Una said:
Read it again carefully.

Why don't you read it again carefully.

It reads like "It's closer to Java, apart from the syntax and being able to use pointers if you really want". Why else mention the syntax separately from saying C# is closer to Java?

Una · 25 May 2008 at 01:05

Mickey said:
Why don't you read it again carefully.

It reads like "It's closer to Java, apart from the syntax and being able to use pointers if you really want". Why else mention the syntax separately from saying C# is closer to Java?

Inquisitor said:
It's definitely closer to Java than C++, though.

Anyhow, point is the syntax for both Java,C,C++,C# all have their roots in Algol style syntax. However, semantically they are different.

Mickey · 25 May 2008 at 01:08

Una said:
Anyhow, point is the syntax for both Java,C,C++,C# all have their roots in Algol style syntax. However, semantically they are different.

Yes, but don't just quote the bit which agrees with you. Read the whole paragraph, then you'll see I'm right