410.  Object-Oriented Programming in C#

Rev. 2.0

 

Microsoft’s .NET is a revolutionary advance in programming technology that greatly simplifies application development and is a good match for the emerging paradigm of Web-based services, as opposed to proprietary applications. Part of this technology is a new language, C#. This new language combines the power of C++ and the ease of development of Visual Basic. It bears a striking resemblance to Java and improves on that language. C# may well become the dominant language for building applications on Microsoft platforms.

 

This thorough and comprehensive course is a practical introduction to programming in C#, utilizing the services provided by .NET. This course emphasizes the C# language. It is recommended for programmers using .NET 1.1, providing project files for Visual Studio .NET 2003. It also contains a chapter introducing new features of .NET 2.0, such as generic types.

 

This course is intended to be fully accessible to programmers who do not already have a strong background in object-oriented programming in C-like languages, such as C++ or Java. It is ideal, for example, for Visual Basic or COBOL programmers who desire to learn C#.

 

An important thrust of the course is to teach C# programming from an object-oriented perspective. It is often difficult for programmers trained originally in a procedural language to start “thinking in objects.” This course introduces object-oriented concepts early, and C# is developed in a way that leverages its object orientation. A case study is used to illustrate creating a complete system using C# and .NET. Besides supporting traditional object-oriented features, such as classes, inheritance, and polymorphism, C# introduces several additional features, such as properties, indexers, delegates, events, and interfaces that make C# a compelling language for developing object-oriented and component-based systems. This course provides thorough coverage of all these features.

 

C# as a language is elegant and powerful. But to utilize its capabilities fully, you need to have a good understanding of how it works with the .NET Framework. The course explores several important interactions between C# and the .NET Framework, and it includes an introduction to major classes for collections, delegates, and events. It includes a succinct introduction to creating GUI programs using Windows Forms. The course concludes with an overview of the new C# features provided by .NET 2.0, including example programs to illustrate each important new feature.

 

Numerous programming examples and exercises are provided, including the case study. The student will receive a comprehensive set of materials, including course notes and all the programming examples.

 

The course includes two electronic supplements, provided as PDF files. The first covers Visual Studio .NET, and the second covers unsafe code and the C# pointer type. Related learning materials include the book Introduction to C# Using .NET, published by Prentice-Hall, and a comprehensive set of supplementary exercises, available from Object Innovations.

 

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

 

·         Acquire a working knowledge of C# programming

·         Learn how to implement programs using C# and classes from the .NET Framework

·         Learn how to implement simple GUI programs using Windows Forms

·         Gain a working knowledge of generic types, iterators, partial classes, and other new features in C# 2.0.

 

Course Duration:  5 days.

 

Prerequisites:  The student should have programming experience in a high-level language.

 

1.      NET: What You Need To Know

.NET Executables and the CLR

A .NET Testbed for C# Programming

Using Visual Studio .NET

 

2.      First C# Programs

Hello, World

Namespaces

Variables and Expressions

Using C# as a Calculator

Input/Output in C#

.NET Framework Class Library

 

3.      Data Types in C#

Data Types

Integer Types

Floating Point Types

Decimal Type

Characters and Strings

Boolean Type

Conversions

 

4.      Operators and Expressions

Operator Cardinality

Arithmetic Operators

Relational Operators

Logical Operators

Bitwise Operators

Assignment Operators

Expressions

Checked and Unchecked

 

5.      Control Structures

If Tests

Loops

Arrays

Foreach

More About Control Flow

Switch

 

6.      Object-Oriented Programming

Objects

Classes

Inheritance

Polymorphism

Object-Oriented Languages

Components

 

7.      Classes

Classes as Structured Data

Methods

Constructors and Initialization

Static Fields and Methods

Constant and Readonly

 

8.      More About Types

Overview of Types in C#

Value Types

Boxing and Unboxing

Reference Types

 

9.      Methods, Properties and Operators

Methods

Parameter Passing

Method Overloading

Variable-Length Parameter Lists

Properties

Operator Overloading

 

10. Characters and Strings

Characters

Strings

String Input

String Methods

StringBuilder Class

Programming with Strings

 

11. Arrays and Indexers

Arrays

System.Array

Random Number Generation

Jagged Arrays

Rectangular Arrays

Arrays as Collections

Bank Case Study—Step 1

Indexers

 

12. Inheritance

Single Inheritance

Access Control

Method Hiding

Initialization

Bank Case Study—Step 2

 

13. Virtual Methods and Polymorphism

Virtual Methods and Dynamic Binding

Method Overriding

Fragile Base Class Problem

Polymorphism

Abstract Classes

Sealed Classes

Heterogeneous Collections

Bank Case Study—Step 3

 

14. Formatting and Conversion

ToString

Format Strings

String Formatting Methods

Bank Case Study—Step 4

Type Conversions

 

15. Exceptions

Exception Fundamentals

Structured Exception Handling

User-Defined Exception Classes

Inner Exceptions

Bank Case Study—Step 5

 

16. Interfaces

Interface Fundamentals

Programming with Interfaces

Using Interfaces at Runtime

Bank Case Study—Step 6

Resolving Ambiguities

 

17. Interfaces and the .NET Framework

Collections

Bank Case Study—Step 7

Copy Semantics and ICloneable

Comparing Objects

Understanding Frameworks

 

18. Delegates and Events

Delegates

Stock Market Simulation

Events

 

19. Introduction to Windows Forms

Creating Windows Applications Using Visual Studio .NET

Buttons, Labels and Textboxes

Handling Events

Listbox Controls

 

20. New Features in C# 2.0

Generic Types

Iterators

Partial Classes

Nullable Types

Anonymous Methods

Covariant and Contravariant Delegates

Simplified Delegate Instantiation

Accessor Accessibility

Namespace Alias Qualifier

Static Classes

extern

Fixed Size Buffers

Friend Assemblies

Compiler Pragma

 

Appendix A.  Learning Resources

 

Electronic File Supplements

 

Supplement 1. Using Visual Studio .NET

 

Overview of Visual Studio .NET

Creating a Console Application

Project Configurations

Debugging

 

Supplement 2.  Unsafe Code and Pointers in C#

 

Unsafe Code

C# Pointer Type

 

System Requirements

 

Course exercises require .NET Framework and a C# compiler. Microsoft Visual Studio .NET 2003 on Windows 2000 or XP is recommended, but other development environments supporting a C# compiler are also feasible. See the appropriate course Setup Guide for details.

 

A good minimal hardware profile for this course would have a Pentium 500-MHz or equivalent CPU, 256 MB of RAM, and at least 3 GB of free disk space for tools installation and courseware.