C# and the .NET Platform, Second Edition

Andrew Troelsen

The mission of this book is to provide you with a solid foundation of the C# language and the key aspects of the .NET platform.

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Introduction:

Introduction

The first edition of thise book was released during the 2001 TechEd conference in Atlanta, Georgia. Since then, C# and the .NET Platform has been translated into eight different languages, nominated as a 2002 Jolt Award Finalst, and named winner of the 2003 Referenceware Excellence Awards in the best programming book category.

For those of you who have read the first edition, we’re happy to report that the text has gone through a substantial upgrade. You will find that every chapter has been updated with additional fresh content. Several new chapters exist, including coverage of the .NET Remoting layer, core CLR atoms, and a much deeper treatment of ASP.NET. As always, the story is told using a friendly and approachable voice.

If you are checking out this book for the first time, understand that this text is intended for developers who already have some experience in a modern object language. The mission of this text is to provide you with a solid foundation of the C# language and the key aspects of the .NET platform (assemblies, Windows Forms, Web Forms, etc.). Once you read and absorb these twenty chapters, you will be in a perfect position to apply this knowldege to your specific programming assignments, and you will be well equipped to explore the .NET universe on your own terms.

Author Information

Andrew Troelsen is a partner, trainer, and consultant at Intertech-Inc., and is a leading authority on both .NET and COM. His book Pro C# 2005 and the .NET 2.0 Platform won the prestigious 2003 Referenceware Excellence Award and is now in its third edition. Also of note are his earlier five-star treatment of traditional COM in the bestselling Developer's Workshop to COM and ATL mirrored in his book, COM and .NET Interoperability, and his top-notch investigation of VB .NET in Visual Basic .NET and the .NET Platform: An Advanced Guide. Troelsen has a degree in mathematical linguistics and South Asian studies from the University of Minnesota and is a frequent speaker at numerous .NET-related conferences. He currently lives in Minneapolis, Minnesota, with his wife, Amanda, and spends his free time investigating .NET and waiting for the Wild to win the Stanley Cup.

What is in this book

Contents

 

About the Author

Acknowledgments

Introduction

 

Part One - Introducing C# and the .NET Platform

 

Chapter 1 - The Philosophy of .NET

 

Understanding the Previous State of Affairs

The .NET Solution

The Building Blocks of the .NET Platform (CLR, CTS, and CLS)

The Role of the .NET Base Class Libraries

What C# Brings to the Table

Additional .NET-Aware Programming Languages

An Overview of .NET Binaries (aka Assemblies)

The Role of the Common Intermediate Language

The Role of .NET Type Metadata

The Role of the Assembly Manifest

Compiling CIL to Platform-Specific Instructions

Understanding the Common Type System

Intrinsic CTS Data Types

Understanding the Common Language Specification

Understanding the Common Language Runtime

A Tour of the .NET Namespaces

Increasing Your Namespace Nomenclature
Deploying the .NET Runtime

Summary

 

Chapter 2 - Building C# Applications

 

The Role of the Command Line Compiler (csc.exe)

Building a C# Application Using csc.exe

Working with csc.exe Response Files

Generating Bug Reports

Remaining C# Compiler Options

The Command Line Debugger (cordbg.exe)

Using the Visual Studio .NET IDE

Building a VS .NET Test Application

Debugging with the Visual Studio .NET IDE

Other Key Aspects of the VS .NET IDE

Documenting Your Source Code via XML

C# “Preprocessor” Directives

An Interesting Aside: The System.Environment Class

Building .NET Applications with Other IDEs

Summary

 

Part Two - The C# Programming Language

 

Chapter 3 - C# Language Fundamentals

 

The Anatomy of a Basic C# Class

Creating Objects: Constructor Basics

The Composition of a C# Application

Default Assignments and Variable Scope

The C# Member Variable Initialization Syntax

Basic Input and Output with the Console Class

Understanding Value Types and Reference Types

The Master Node: System.Object

The System Data Types (and C# Aliases)

Converting Between Value Types and Reference Types: Boxing and Unboxing

Defining Program Constants

C# Iteration Constructs

C# Control Flow Constructs

The Complete Set of C# Operators

Defining Custom Class Methods

Understanding Static Methods

Method Parameter Modifiers

Array Manipulation in C#

String Manipulation in C#

C# Enumerations

Defining Structures in C#

Defining Custom Namespaces

Summary

 

Chapter 4 - Object-Oriented Programming with C#

 

Formal Definition of the C# Class

Defining the “Default Public Interface” of a Type

Recapping the Pillars of OOP

The First Pillar: C#’s Encapsulation Services

Pseudo-Encapsulation: Creating Read-Only Fields

The Second Pillar: C#’s Inheritance Support

Keeping Family Secrets: The “protected” Keyword

Nested Type Definitions

The Third Pillar: C#’s Polymorphic Support

Casting Between Types

Generating Class Definitions Using Visual Studio .NET

Summary

 

Chapter 5 - Exceptions and Object Lifetime

 

Ode to Errors, Bugs, and Exceptions

The Role of .NET Exception Handling

The System.Exception Base Class

Throwing a Generic Exception

Catching Exceptions

CLR System-Level Exceptions (System.SystemException)

Custom Application-Level Exceptions (System.ApplicationException)

Handling Multiple Exceptions

The Finally Block

The Last Chance Exception

Dynamically Identifying Application- and System-Level Exceptions

Debugging System Exceptions Using VS .NET

Understanding Object Lifetime

The CIL of “new”

The Basics of Garbage Collection

Finalizing a Type

The Finalization Process

Building an Ad Hoc Destruction Method

Garbage Collection Optimizations

The System.GC Type

Summary

 

Chapter 6 - Interfaces and Collections

 

Defining Interfaces Using C#

Invoking Interface Members at the Object Level

Exercising the Shapes Hierarchy

Understanding Explicit Interface Implementation

Interfaces As Polymorphic Agents

Building Interface Hierarchies

Implementing Interfaces Using VS .NET

Understanding the IConvertible Interface

Building a Custom Enumerator (IEnumerable and IEnumerator)

Building Cloneable Objects (ICloneable)

Building Comparable Objects (IComparable)

Exploring the System.Collections Namespace

Building a Custom Container (Retrofitting the Cars Type)

Summary

 

Chapter 7 - Callback Interfaces, Delegates, and Events

 

Understanding Callback Interfaces

Understanding the .NET Delegate Type

Members of System.MulticastDelegate

The Simplest Possible Delegate Example

Building a More Elaborate Delegate Example

Understanding Asynchronous Delegates

Understanding (and Using) Events

Summary

 

Chapter 8 - Advanced C# Type Construction Techniques

 

The Advanced Keywords of C#

A Catalog of C# Keywords

Building a Custom Indexer

A Variation of the Cars Indexer

Internal Representation of Type Indexers

Using the C# Indexer from VB .NET

Overloading Operators

The Internal Representation of Overloaded Operators

Interacting with Overloaded Operators from Overloaded-Operator-Challenged Languages Final Thoughts Regarding Operator Overloading

Understanding Custom Type Conversions

Creating Custom Conversion Routines

Defining Implicit Conversion Routines

The Internal Representation of Custom Conversion Routines

Summary

 

Part Three - Programming with .NET Assemblies

 

Chapter 9 - Understanding .NET Assemblies

 

Problems with Classic COM Binaries

An Overview of .NET Assemblies

Building a Single File Test Assembly

A C# Client Application

A Visual Basic .NET Client Application

Cross-Language Inheritance

Exploring the CarLibrary’s Manifest

Exploring the CarLibrary’s Types

Building a Multifile Assembly

Using the Multifile Assembly

Understanding Private Assemblies

Probing for Private Assemblies (The Basics)

Private Assemblies and XML Configuration Files

Probing for Private Assemblies (The Details)

Understanding Shared Assemblies

Understanding Strong Names

Building a Shared Assembly

Understanding Delayed Signing

Installing/Removing Shared Assemblies

Using a Shared Assembly

Versioning Shared Assemblies

Building Shared Assembly Version 2.0.0.0

Specifying Custom Version Policies

GAC Internals

Assembly-Centric Odds and Ends

Regarding the VS .NET Add References Dialog Box

Summary

 

Chapter 10 - Processes, AppDomains, Contexts, and Threads

 

Reviewing Processes and Threads

Under Traditional Win32

Interacting with Processes Under the .NET Platform

Understanding the System.AppDomain Type

Understanding Context (or How Low Can You Go?)

Summarizing Processes, AppDomains, and Context

The Process/AppDomain/Context/Thread Relationship

Multithreaded Programming via Delegates

The System.Threading Namespace

Spawning Secondary Threads

A More Elaborate Threading Example

Concurrency Revisited

Synchronization Using the C# “lock” Keyword

Synchronization Using the System.Threading.Interlocked Type

Synchronization Using the [Synchronized] Attribute

Thread Safety and the .NET Base Class Libraries

Programming with Timer Callbacks

Summary

 

Chapter 11 - Type Reflection, Late Binding, and Attribute-Based Programming

 

The Necessity of Type Metadata

Understanding Reflection

The System.Type Class

Investigating the System.Reflection Namespace

Reflecting on a Private Assembly

Reflecting on Shared Assemblies

Understanding Dynamic Invocation (Late Binding)

Understanding Attributed Programming

Building Custom Attributes

Restricting Attribute Usage

Assembly- (and Module-) Level Attributes

Reflecting on Attributes at Runtime

Putting Reflection, Late Binding, and Custom Attributes in Perspective

Summary

 

Part Four - Leveraging the .NET Libraries

 

Chapter 12 - Object Serialization and the .NET Remoting Layer

 

Object Persistence in the .NET Framework

The Role of Object Graphs

Configuring Objects for Serialization

Serialization Using a Binary Formatter

Serialization Using a SOAP Formatter

Serialization Using an XML Formatter

Customizing the Serialization Process

Defining .NET Remoting

The .NET Remoting Namespaces

Understanding the .NET Remoting Framework

All Together Now!

Terms of the .NET Remoting Trade

Object Marshaling Choices (MBR or MBV?)

Final Notes Regarding MBR/MBV Objects

Activation Choices for MBR Types (WKO or CAO?)

Basic Deployment of a .NET Remoting Project

Building Our First Distributed Application

Testing the Remoting Application

Understanding the ChannelServices Type

Understanding the RemotingConfiguration Type

Revisiting the Activation Mode of WKO Types

Deploying the Server to a Remote Machine

Leveraging the TCP Channel

Remoting Configuration Files

Working with MBV Objects

Understanding Client-Activated Objects (CAO)

The Lease-Based Lifetime of CAO/WKO-Singleton Objects

Server-side (and Client-side) Lease Sponsorship

Alternative Hosts for Remote Objects

Asynchronous Remoting

The Role of the [OneWayAttribute] Type

Final Thoughts

Summary

 

 

Chapter 13 - Building a Better Window (Introducing Windows Forms)

 

A Tale of Three GUI Namespaces

Overview of the System.Windows.Forms Namespace

Interacting with the Windows Forms Types

Building a VS .NET Windows Forms Project Workspace

The System.Windows.Forms.Application Class

The Anatomy of a Form

The Component Class

The Control Class

Control Events

Responding to Keyboard Events

The Control Class Revisited

The ScrollableControl Class

ContainerControl Class

The Form Class

The Life-Cycle of a Windows Form Type

Handing Form Level Events a la VS .NET

Building Menus with Windows Forms

Building Your Menu System

Creating a Pop-Up Menu

Adorning Your Menu System

Building a Menu Using Visual Studio .NET

Understanding Status Bars

Building a Tool Bar

Building ToolBars at Design Time

Building an MDI Application

Summary

 

Chapter 14 - A Better Painting Framework (GDI+)

 

Survey of the GDI+ Namespaces

Overview of the System.Drawing Namespace

Examining the System.Drawing Utility Types

Regarding the Disposal of System.Drawing Types

Understanding Paint Sessions

Understanding the Graphics Class

The GDI+ Coordinate Systems

Establishing an Active Color

Manipulating Fonts

Building a Font Application

The FontDialog Class

Survey of the System.Drawing.Drawing2D Namespace

Rendering Images

Dragging, Hit Testing, and the PictureBox Control

Understanding the .NET Resource Format

System.Resources Namespace

Working with ResourceWriters

Working with ResourceManagers

Automatic Resource Configuration a la Visual Studio .NET

Summary

 

Chapter 15 - Programming with Windows Forms Controls

 

Understanding the Windows Forms Control Hierarchy

Adding Controls to Forms (IDE-Free)

Adding Controls to Forms (via VS .NET)

The TextBox Control

The Mighty Button Type

Working with CheckBoxes

Working with RadioButtons and GroupBoxes

ListBoxes and ComboBoxes

The MonthCalendar Control

More on the DateTime Type

Setting the Form’s Default Input Button

Configuring the Tab Order

Assigning ToolTips to Controls

The TrackBar Control

Working with Panel Controls

The UpDown Controls: DomainUpDown and NumericUpDown

Working with the ErrorProvider

Configuring a Control’s Anchoring Behavior

Configuring a Control’s Docking Behavior

Building Custom Dialog Boxes

Understanding Form Inheritance

Building Custom Windows Forms Controls

Building a Custom UserControl

Creating the Images

Building the Design Time GUI

Implementing the CarControl

Controlling the Animation

Rendering the Pet Name

Testing the CarControl Type

Select Members of the System.ComponentModel Namespace

Enhancing the Design Time Appearance of CarControl

Summary

 

Chapter 16 - The System.IO Namespace

 

Exploring the System.IO Namespace

The Directory(Info) and File(Info) Types

Enumerating Files with the DirectoryInfo Type

Creating Subdirectories with the DirectoryInfo Type

The Static Members of the Directory Class

The FileInfo Class

The Abstract Stream Class

Working with StreamWriters and StreamReaders

Working with StringWriters

Working with StringReaders

Working with Binary Data (BinaryReaders and BinaryWriters)

“Watching” Files and Directories

A Brief Word Regarding Asynchronous IO

A Windows Forms Car Logger Application

Summary

 

Chapter 17 - Data Access with ADO.NET

 

The Need for ADO.NET

The Two Faces of ADO.NET

The Role of ADO.NET Data Providers

Understanding the ADO.NET Namespaces

The Types of System.Data

Examining the DataColumn Type

Examining the DataRow Type

Details of the DataTable

Building a Complete DataTable

Understanding the DataView Type

Understanding the Role of the DataSet

Expressing Relations Using the DataRelation Type

Reading and Writing XML-Based DataSets

Building a Simple Test Database

Selecting a Data Provider

The Types of the System.Data.OleDb Namespace

Working with the Connected Layer of ADO.NET

Working with the OleDbDataReader

Inserting, Updating, and Deleting Records Using OleDbCommand

Executing a Stored Procedure Using OleDbCommand

The Disconnected Layer and the OleDbDataAdapter Type

Working with the SQL Data Provider

Auto-Generating SQL Commands Using CommandBuilder Types

A Complete ADO.NET Windows Forms Example

Filling a Multitabled DataSet (and Adding DataRelations)

Bring In the Wizards!

Working with DataSets at Design Time

Summary

 

Part Five - Web Applications and XML Web Services

 

Chapter 18 - ASP.NET Web Pages and Web Controls

 

The Role of HTTP

Understanding Web Applications and Web Servers

The Role of HTML

HTML Form Development

The Role of Client-Side Scripting

Submitting the Form Data (GET and POST)

Building a Classic Active Server Page

The Problem(s) with Classic ASP

Some Benefits of ASP.NET

The ASP.NET Namespaces

Creating an ASP.NET Web Application by Hand

The ASP.NET Compilation Cycle

Creating an ASP.NET Web Application via VS .NET

Coding the BetterAspNetCarApp Web Application

The Composition of an ASP.NET Page

The Derivation of an ASP.NET Page

Interacting with the Incoming HTTP Request

Interacting with the Outgoing HTTP Response

The Life Cycle of an ASP.NET Web Page

Understanding the ASP.NET Web Controls

Key Members of the System.Web.UI.Control Type

Key Members of the System.Web.UI.WebControl Type

Select Examples of ASP.NET WebForm Controls

The Role of the Validation Controls

Understanding the Role of ASP.NET HTML Controls

And Now for Something Completely Different: GDI+ on the Web Server Debugging and Tracing ASP.NET Pages

Summary

 

Chapter 19 - ASP.NET Web Applications

 

The Issue of State

ASP.NET State Management Techniques

Understanding the Role of ASP.NET View State

The Role of the Global.asax File

Understanding the Application/Session Distinction

Working with the Application Cache

Maintaining Session Data

Understanding Cookies

Configuring Your ASP.NET Web Application Using web.config

Configuration Inheritance

Summary

 

Chapter 20 - XML Web Services

 

Understanding the Role of XML Web Services

The Building Blocks of an XML Web Service

The .NET XML Web Service Namespaces

Examining the System.Web.Services Namespace

Building an XML Web Service in the Raw

Testing Your XML Web Service

Building an XML Web Service Using Visual Studio .NET

Understanding the System.Web.Services.WebService Base Class

Understanding the [WebMethod] Attribute

Understanding the [WebService] Attribute

Exploring the Web Service Description Language (WSDL)

The Basic Format of a WSDL Document

Viewing the HelloWS WSDL Document

The wsdl.exe Command Line Utility

Revisiting the XML Web Service Wire Protocols

Transforming WSDL into C# Code (Generating a Proxy)

Leveraging the Proxy (Synchronous Invocations)

Leveraging the Proxy (Asynchronous Invocations)

Avoiding Hard-Coded Proxy Logic

Generating a Proxy with VS .NET

Exposing Arrays of Types from Web Methods

A Windows Forms Client

Exposing Custom Types: The Details

Consuming Custom Types: The Details

Updating the CarsSalesInfoWS Project

Understanding the Discovery Service Protocol (UDDI)

Summary

 

Index

 

Note:

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