C# API Documentation?

Question

Hi I've just started to consider C# for our projects and am looking for the API documentation. I have the Visual Studio.NET help file but its a huge mess and I can't find the class library anywhere. Is there a list kind of like the organized way Java has it? Thanks!

tsuman_in · Answer

I agree the code is too ugly I have to write in it everyday then cleanse my palate with a cool C# server control. Realistically though I programmed VB and spent 4 months trying to figure out .NET. I always said man this takes 3 times as long to program but it was really the fact that I thought I could begin with what I already know. There are too many libraries to just start into .NET and think you can pick it up it's going to take time. No matter what language you write in you're still writing .NET. Personally I think VB is a little more difficult because there are so many keywords but when I learned C# I had to relearn all the C# keywords which made me look up a lot...and that led to a lot of learning that I wouldn't have done with VB. Half the keywords you think you already know mean something a little different than you'd expect. My favorite book for learning C# was Wrox Press C# Class Design. It's out of print but you can propbably get it at half.com. It's a thin book but it's got a lot of great examples of C# OO and modern class design. Again good luck don't feel stupid posting to forums either most people answer what you may think are dumb questions and half the people learn something new because of it.

james · Answer

Are you really comparing source code to your girlfriends picture? I think you need to get out more!

Amit Mishra · Answer

My biggest complaint with VB is that it doesn't give me the satisfaction of programming something - you know when you write some code that works beautifully and you go back again and again to look at it like it was your girlfriends picture.. I can't do that with VB the code is too ugly. Java and C# rock in this respect.

tsuman_in · Answer

The biggest part of starting .NET stuff was finding things. I'm sure it's the same with Java but in general .NET's 1300+ classes makes it very difficult to just say I'm going to rewrite my 15000 line in .NET and learn .NET as I go. All my buddies are VB/ASP world developers and want .NET to be a simple transition. It doesn't help that MS made VB because now they think they can teach people to write OO code in VB and most of those people shouldn't be programming in the first place. Personally I feel this is a bad decision for someone developing VB because they never try to learn the language--they should start learning .NET by learning C#. That way they will be forced into believing it's a new language. Maybe it can work conversely for you you could write in VB (and yes we C# developers will heckel you until you're comfortably amoung our ranks) and kinda get the feel the frustrations of learning a new language versus one that's simlar to one you already know. Good luck (unfortunately I write in VB for work but C# for everything experimental VB's not that bad...well it's not too good either :-) )

Mahesh Chand · Answer

It's not a mess as long as you know how to read it. Once you know the concept of namespaces and where some functionality is defined you will find easy to use. I agree it may take a while to learn all of them but eventually you will get it.

james · Answer

Amit I agree that at first site the MSDN docs are a bit overwhelming but thats because they are supporting such a broad array of products (the .net classes the languages previous languages...) I find it very easy to do a search on MSDN for things like SqlConnection and it usually pops up with the prototype as the first hit. anyway its worth getting familiar with the long term payoffs of using .Net far outweigh the learning curves. -James

buchholz · Answer

there isn't that much to learn is it? most functions of the single form components are self explanatory(sp?) and if not use alltheweb or google for finding a tutorial for your specific problem ;). if you encounter problems you also can come here and ask the ppl here to solve a specific problem :)

Amit Mishra · Answer

I found the class library thanks for all your replies. But I still maintain my earlier point that its a mess - why do I have to click so many times to get to the core description of a function?? Its just unintuitive to me. I'm not a Java zealot but I do think that its much more easier to view the api documentation for Java than it is for C#. For instance if I want to look up the SqlConnection constructor the steps are: Open the help file type sqlconnection in the index list click on SqlConnection click on SqlConnection members click on the constructor click on the constructor I want (it has multiple constructors). In Java it would've been: Open browser open api page use find as you type (in mozilla) to look up the class click the class click the constructor. See? Anyways I guess I have to live with it..

chrishornberger · Answer

That's why there are so many books available on .NET. Agreed. Every publisher provides a plethora of books from different perspectives and for all levels. And rightly so. I mean Linux is free but there are still companies surviving and making money by Value Adding their time and experience with things like configuration and documentation. Just because the .NET framework is free doesn't mean that anyone is entitled to complete and free documentation. Nor does it mandate that Microsoft et al HAS to provide documentation in several different formats. Microsoft has done a good job of putting the information out there and while it takes a learning curve and some time to get used to things you really *can* do everything without any books. I wouldn't want to... and frankly *every* programmer *SHOULD* have a very extensive library. Google searches is no way to go thru' life as a programmer. Buy the books. I've said it before and I'll say it again. I'll hire one person that knows how to solve problems and do research before I'll hire 100 people that know everything.

Mahesh Chand · Answer

That's why there are so many books available on .NET. API reference is useful for references when you already know what to use and when to use. .NET Framework class library has thousands of classes. The best bet is first you decide what you want and then look for related articles. After that you go for references.

chrishornberger · Answer

Buy the MSDN library. I don't know I just don't seem to have any problem finding what I need.

Amit Mishra · Answer

Sorry but I'm finding the same mess there too :(

chrishornberger · Answer

Start out at: http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/en-us/dnanchor/html/netdevanchor.asp