This article primarily focuses on students and beginners who want to get started with .NET Framework and its related technologies.
Students often asked me this question - How can they learn Microsoft .NET technology and how to get started and improve their skills on the same. This article will guide you with more detailed explanations and useful resources including links for the articles and YouTube videos to start and improve your skills related to .NET
In this article, you will have a learning part as well as an assignment part. In the learning part, you will learn about .NET and in the assignment part, I will give you a small task to complete on your own.
Microsoft .Net Framework Version History
Microsoft .NET supports multiple languages including VB.NET, C#, and F#. C# is the most popular among them and there are more jobs in C#. In this article, we will focus on C# only. Visual Studio 2015 (or 2017) is the major tool used to build .NET applications.
.NET Framework can be used to build various applications. .NET Framework has come a long way. The following table lists various versions and the features announced in that version.
| .Net Framework Version | Visual Studio IDE | Features |
| .Net Frame Work 1.0 | Visual Studio .Net | · CLR 1.0 (Common Language Runtime)· Console/Windows Forms and Object Oriented Web Application development |
| .Net Frame Work 1.1 | Visual Studio 2003 | · Mobile ASP.NET controls· Features added for ASP.NET and ADO.NET· Enables Code Access Security in ASP.NET applications· Build-in support for ODBC |
| .Net Frame Work 2.0 | Visual Studio 2005 | · CLR 2.0· Partial Class· Nullable Types· Data tables· Added more features for ASP.NET |
| .Net Frame Work 3.0 | Expression Blend | · WPF(Windows Presentation Foundation)· WCF (Windows Communication Foundation) |
| .Net Frame Work 3.5 | Visual Studio 2008 | · LINQ (Language Integrated Query)· ASP.NET AJAX· Web Protocol support for building WCF services which include AJAX,JSON,REST· Base Class Library· Entity Framework· ASP.NET MVC 1.0,2.0 |
| .Net Frame Work 4.0 | Visual Studio 2010 | · CLR 4.0· ASP.NET MVC 2.0,3.0· Dynamic Language Runtime· PLINQ(Parallel LINQ) |
| .Net Frame Work 4.5 | Visual Studio 2012 | · Windows Store Application development· ASP.NET MVC 4.0· Asp.NET Web API, SignalR· Asynchronous support· Features added to .NET CLR 4.0, WCF, WPF· Support for new HTML5 form types for ASP.NET· Garbage Collector· Managed Extensibility Framework |
| .Net Frame Work 4.5.1 | Visual Studio 2013 | · JIT (Just in Time) Improvements· ADO.NET Connection Resiliency· ASP.NET App Suspensions· Automatic binding redirections for assemblies· ASP.NET MVC 5.0 |
| .Net Frame Work 4.6 | Visual Studio 2015 | · New JIT(Just in Time) compiler for 64 bit called as RyuJIT· High DPI for WPF and Windows Forms· Support TLS 1.1 and TLS 1.2· ASP.NET 5 (ASP.NET Core)· Support Cloud based application development· ASP.NET MVC 6 |
| .Net Frame Work 4.6.1 | Visual Studio 2015 Update 1 | · Cryptography· Features added to ADO.NET· Improved performance for WPF· ASP.NET Core |
| .Net Frame Work 4.7 | Visual Studio 2017 | · ASP.NET Core 2.0· ASP.NET features added like Object Cache Extensibility, Memory monitoring.· Improved reliability of WCF application and WCF serialization· High DPI support for Windows Forms |
Reference links
- https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/dotnet/framework/whats-new/#v47
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/.NET_Framework_version_history
.NET is a Microsoft technology to build Web and Windows applications.
.NET Framework supports three types of software development.
- Web Application Development
- Windows Forms Application Development
- Windows App development
We will see all of these one by one in detail and how to get started with them.
Microsoft has an IDE tool, Visual Studio, that is used to build most of the .NET applications. You can write .NET applications using other IDEs as well but we will use Visual Studio in this article. The current version of Visual Studio is Visual Studio 2017 but we will use Visual Studio 2015 in this article.
Visual Studio comes in several versions but Visual Studio Community is absolutely free.
Download and Install Visual Studio 2015
To download Visual Studio 2015 click on this link, register for free and download the community version.
Click on this link to download Visual Studio 2015.
If you still need help, here is a youTube video that explains how to install Visual Studio 2015.
If you want to use Visual Studio 2017, download here: Download Visual Studio 2017
Note: If you already have a previous version Visual Studio install on your machine, you can use that as well.
Note
This article has tons of information and I am going to give you steps and links to other articles and resources.
Getting Started with C# OOP (Object Oriented Programming)
First thing we need to learn is C# language and OOP concepts. C# language is a modern, simple, and object-oriented programming language. Object Oriented Programming is the combination of classes, objects, and few other features.
Here are some more free ebooks in C# language:
Web Application Development
After you've learn C# langauge basics, we will start with web development using ASP.NET. You can build web applications using ASP.NET Web Forms and ASP.NET MVC. These days, ASP.NET MVC is more popular but its not a bad idea for you to know ASP.NET Web forms as well.
Index 1 ASP.NET Web Forms Development
Step 1 - Creating ASP.NET Web Form Application
Here is an article written by Nimit Joshi that is written for beginners: AGetting Started With ASP.NET Web Application.
Go through the above links and try to create your first web form application and run it to test if it's working.
Step 2 - Know about ASP.NET Page Life Cycle
So, now you've just finished your first ASP.NET web application. Now, it's time to learn how ASP.NET works and understand a page life cycle. Read article ASP.NET Page Life Cycle in detail by Anupam Jain.
Step 3 - Know about ASP.NET Server Controls
Now, let's go little more advanced and learn how to work with Server side controls and use then in ASP.NET web applications. A website needs controls for actions and data input. For example, a TextBox is used to accept user input. A Radio button is used to provide a selection, a Button is used to click for some action, and a Grid is used to display data in a tabular form. All these controls run on the server and called Server side or Server controls or ASP.NET Server controls.
Visual Studio IDE allows you to use the Toolbox and simply drag and drop these controls from the Toolbox to your Web pages. To learn more about Server controls, read this MSDN article:
ASP.NET web form server controls with example.
Step 4 - Know about ASP.NET Session
Now, it’s time to learn ASP.NET sessions. A browser session in a website is used to store the user information from the login until logout. The information is stored in browser memory. For example, an online booking website keeps a list of all items we have selected, add them to a shopping cart, and once we buy or logoiut, the items disappear.
Here is a C# Corner article that explains ASP.NET sessions in more details: How To Create and Use Sessions in ASP.NET.
Step 5 - Getting Started with SQL Server
Most of the Web applications are data driven and you need a database to store the data. Microsft SQL Server is one of the most popular and used database when building ASP.NET Web applications.
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You will need to download and install SQL Server here:
Download SQL Server. Please make sure to read space and memory requirements. You can also use SQL Server Expression version, that is light and free to use.
Check this below YouTube video which explains in details - How To Install SQL Server 2012 Express Version.
After installing check this link to getting started with SQL Server
Check my article for more details on working with SQL Server. You can download my free eBook from the Csharp Corner link
Step 6 - Creating and working with Database and user Login
Now it’s time to create your complete web application with user Login and CRUD (Create/Read/Update and Delete data from SQL Server Database) operations. Check out my article, which explains in detail about how to create a simple website with User login and CRUD operation.
This article also explains authentication and authorization in ASP.NET.
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Step 7 - Assignment
I hope, now you have enough understanding of how to build your own simple website using ASP.NET. Here is an assignment for you.
Project name: Online Bus Ticket Booking
This project has two user roles - First is Admin and second are customers. The project allows customers to book their travel tickets online.
Admin part
Administrator user of the website can add city information, bus information, bus routes (From City to To City), Bus details(bus information/Bus ticket price per city to city details), No of Seats per bus, Available seats per bus on booking date, Bus Available and Booked status.
Customer
Customers can search available buses for booking tickets by Bus Name/ Traveling City From and To / Date of traveling with one way or return and by price.
- There needs to be a search feature thaa will list all available buses and bus details.
- For search and details, customers don't need to be logged in. Any user can search and check for available bus and their routes.
- But for booking, Customer needs to be logged in, Customer can register to the web application for booking tickets .
- After a customer is logged in, he or she can book a Bus Ticket by entering number of seats they need, date of travel, and From City and To City.
- No need for payment details for now.
- Customer can register and book tickets. Admin can view all booked information.
Steps: If you complete this part then your website is completed. Once completed, please share with me the status on your project completion in the comment box below in this article. I will follow up with you.
Index 2 - ASP.NET MVC Application Development
Now let’s focus on developing ASP.NET MVC web Applications. In ASP.NET MVC, MVC stands for Model View and Controller.
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As a fresher or Computer Science student if you never worked on developing your own website applications using .NET, then this is the right time for you to getting started and work on developing your own web application.
Check this C# Corner article for Getting Started with ASP.NET MVC by Nitin Pandit
Step 1 - Creating your first ASP.NET MVC Application
Check this link for creating your first ASP.NET MVC web application
Step 2 - Know about Entity Framework and MVC
Here is my presentation image which describes Entity Framework with its features.
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Now, it’s time to work with ASP.NET MVC and Entity Framework.
Step 4 - Know about ASP.NET MVC and Web API
Here is my presentation image which describes Web API with its features.
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Step 5 - Getting Started with SQL Server
Your Web application will not be completed without a database. The database is used to store and retrieve data.
In this article, I recommed using SQL Server database to store and retrieve data.
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If you do not have SQL Server on your machine, I recommend you download SQL Server. It is free to download. You can download the SQL Server free edition from this
link.
Check this below YouTube video which explains in details about how to install SQL Server 2012 Express version
After install check this link to Getting started with SQL Server.
Check my article for more details on working with SQL Server. You can download my free eBook from the Csharp Corner link.
Step 6 - Working with ASP.NET MVC CRUD
For all Web or Windows Form application, once you get know about how to create your own application, then your important task will be to work on the CRUD operations
CRUD Stands for
- C: (Create): Insert new record to Database Tables.
- R: (Read): Select record ‘s from Database Tables.
- U: (Update): Update record to Database Tables.
- D: (Delete): Delete record’s from Database Tables.
Check this article for more details on working with ASP.NET MVC CRUD operations from the Csharp Corner link by Vithal Wadje.
Index 3 - ASP.NET MVC and AngularJS Application Development
Step 1 Working with AngularJs
We might be familiar with what the Model, View, View Model (MVVM) and what Model, View and Controller (MVC) are. AngularJs is a JavaScript framework that is purely based on HTML, CSS and JavaScript.
The AngularJs Model View Whatever (MVW) pattern is similar to the MVC and MVVM patterns. In our example I have used Model, View and Service. In the code part let's see how to install and create AngularJs in our MVC application.
If you are interested in reading more about AngularJs then kindly go through the following link.
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Note
Now Angular2 and Angular 4 is available. Angular is not a required but if you have time, give it a try and get familiar with Angular.
Follow this link Getting Started with AngularJS.
Step 2 Working with ASP.NET MVC and AngularJS
Now it’s time to work with ASP.NET MVC and AngularJS. If you work with ASP.NET MVC and AngularJS application, your application will be super powerful with performance and also you can create SPA (Single Page Applications) using AngularJS in MVC.
I recommend you to first start with my article which explains about AngularJS Filtering Sorting and Animations
Step 3 Working with ASP.NET MVC CRUD
For all the Web or Windows Form application once you get know about how to create your own application, then your important task will be to work on the CRUD operations
CRUD Stands for
- C: (Create): Insert new record to Database Tables.
- R: (Read): Select records from Database Tables.
- U: (Update): Update record to Database Tables.
- D: (Delete): Delete record’s from Database Tables.
Check my article for more details on working with ASP.NET MVC CRUD operations using AngularJS and Web API from the Csharp Corner link.
Here you can find a few more article of mine which explains working with ASP.NET MVC and AngularJS.
Step 7 Create your own ASP.NET MVC and AngularJS Shopping Cart Application
Note
You can create the below Shopping Cart application using ASP.NET MVC or with the combination of ASP.NET MVC and AngularJS.
Hope so now you are familiar with working on ASP.NET MVC web application and now it’s time for your homework and you need to do it on your own. So here are your project details.
PROJECT: Online Shopping Cart Web Application using ASP.NET MVC (AngularJS is optional)
This project has 2 types of users; one is Admin and another is Customer.
Admin part
Admin user can add categories and sub categories. A sub category belongs to a category. Items belongs to a sub cateogry and category. Admin users can add items to a sub category. For example, in Electronics category, Household Items is a sub category that can have items like camera, smartphone, TV, and computer.
Items details includes
- Name
- Description
- Price
- Sub Category
- Category
- Quantity
Admin user can add, update, and delete categories, sub categories, and items details.
Customer
Customers of the website can search shopping cart for items and buy them. The search results will display matching items based on name and category. The Items details will include name, price, and availability.
A customer doesnt have to be logged in to search items.
A customer can add number of items to his/her shopping cart and at this time, a customer has to provide login information including Email, Password, and Name.
Customers can also see the history of their items purchased.
No need for the payment details for now.
Note
You will need to create a database and its tables, columns and relationships. Once your application is completed, pleae do share with me. Also feel free to post comments in this article if you have any questions about the assigments.
Sample Help:
Index 4 ASP.NET Core
Are you looking to learn ASP.NET Core and AngularJS? Here you can find my list of articles which will explain to you all in detail on working with ASP.NET Core.
ASP.NET Core is a new open-source and cross-platform framework for building modern cloud-based Internet-connected applications, such as web apps, IoT apps and mobile backends.
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Windows Forms Application Development
If you are looking for Windows Forms application, you can also do that using .NET. I have already mentioned,it’s good to start with C# coding. If you want to learn C# OOPs concept, then read my article which explains in detail about getting started with C# OOP in Details.
Note
In this article I have used the Microsoft .NET Console application development
Step 1 Creating your first Windows Form
Follow this link to create your first C# Windows Forms application.
Step 2 Working with Windows for Controls
Follow this link to create and work with Windows Forms Controls.
Step 3 Working with CRUD Operations and DataGridView in C# Winforms Application
You can read my article which explains in detail about working with CRUD Operations in Windows Forms.
This article will explain:
- In this sample demo we will learn how to perform CRUD operation for Student Profile Management using DatGridView WinForms.
- How to upload and insert/edit image for Students to SQL Server Database.
- How to display images from SQL Server to DataGridView Image Column.
- Edit and delete Image column in DataGridView.
- Create DataGridView dynamically using my DataGridview Helper Class (Refer my previous article for DataGridView helper Class Create a DatagGridView helper class using C# ).
- We will be using DAL Class and BizClass for performing CRUD Operation.
- How to display round shape image to the DataGridview Student Profile Image Column.
Windows App development
For Windows App development, we will be using Universal Windows Platform (UWP). UWP application is the combination of C# and XAML Code. Note in this article we are only working with C# code.
Check this links to get started with UWP,
- https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/uwp/get-started/your-first-app
- https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/uwp/get-started/create-a-hello-world-app-xaml-universal
Here we have one more details article by Mahesh Chand the founder of C# Corner. I recommend you to read his article for Getting started with UWP application development.
Hope now you are ready develop your own UWP Application . Are you looking for some simple game development using UWP? Then read my article which explains developing Windows 10 Universal App For Name Puzzle Game
- http://www.c-sharpcorner.com/UploadFile/asmabegam/vs2015-rc-windows-universal-app-for-name-puzzle-game/
- http://www.c-sharpcorner.com/UploadFile/asmabegam/vs2015-rc-windows-universal-app-with-windows-10-technical-pr/
Other Microsoft Technologies
If you want to know more about other important Microsoft technologies, here is a list of some in-demand technoloigies.
I hope you like this article. If this article really helps you, kindly leave me your comment and also let me when you are working on any related projects.