C# in a Nutshell, Second Edition

Preface

This book is a desktop reference for Microsoft’s C# programming language, designed to sit comfortably next to you while you program and to accompany you faithfully in your travels. The first version of C# shipped in January 2002 as part of Visual Studio .NET and the .NET Framework, after an extensive public beta release.

C# in a Nutshell is divided into four parts (along with five appendixes and a Type, Method, Property, Event, and Field Index). Part I introduces the C# language and the .NET Common Language Runtime (CLR). It is a fast-paced, no-fluff introduction to the C# programming language, from its data types through all of the statements and features that make it the modern component-oriented language it was designed to be.

Part II shows how to use the C# language in conjunction with core classes of the .NET Framework Class Library (FCL) to accomplish a variety of common programming tasks, from manipulating strings to interacting with legacy COM components. Part III contains a number of useful references, including a summary of C# syntax, presented in the unique notation developed for both this title and C# Essentials, as well as a reference to useful command-line tools that ship with Visual Studio .NET and the .NET Framework.

Part IV is a quick reference to 21 of the most important namespaces of the FCL and their more than 700 types, complete with namespace maps, type descriptions, member signatures, and useful cross references and annotations. Also included is a class and method index that can be used to locate the type in which a given member is found or the namespace that contains a given type.

Audience

If you’re a working C# programmer, we think you’ll want C# in a Nutshell to be part of your reference library regardless of your present level of ability. With its thorough coverage of language elements, its compact language and tools reference, and its unique, jam-packed guide to the core FCL APIs, you should easily be able to find answers to most questions of syntax and functionality that you will encounter on the job.

If you are an experienced Java, C++, or Visual Basic programmer encountering the C# language and the CLR for the first time, this book will enable you to master the essentials of the language. Less experienced programmers may wish to first work through an introductory text, such as Programming C#, by Jesse Liberty (O’Reilly & Associates).