Inside C#, Second Edition
| 2002-04-24 00:00:00 | | 912 | C#
Aimed at those with some previous programming experience, Inside C# shows developers the unique strengths, advantages, and tips for coding with C#. This fast-paced and in-depth tutorial will let you use Microsoft's newest programming language on the emerging .NET platform successfully.
The outstanding strength of this text is its in-depth language tutorial on C#, with complete coverage of basic and advanced object-oriented programming techniques. New language features like properties, indexers, and attributes get full coverage, alongside the basics of using classes and inheritance.
The book relies on using Visual Studio 6.0 and the command-line .NET tools for running programs. (Visual Studio.NET, the next version of Visual Studio, was unavailable when the book was written.) First to market with an in-depth language tutorial, the focus of Inside C# is on basic and advanced language features. By viewing generated code (using the ILDASM disassembler tool), the author examines how class design features work under the hood.
The language tutorial digs into features, beginning with a `Hello, World` program and delving into class design features before moving on to more basic features like expressions, operators, and flow control. This sequence makes the book best suited to the experienced developer, since some excellent in-depth material on the most advanced features of C# is presented before the basics of the language. Throughout, you'll learn the newest features of the language, how to use it, and a sense of its personality.
There's also plenty of material on the underlying Microsoft .NET platform, from the basics of the Common Language Runtime (CLR) to assemblies (used to deploy .NET applications), plus getting older COM components to interoperate with the newer .NET standard.
For anyone who's programmed before and wants to learn C# quickly, this in-depth guide anchored with plenty of short, effective examples provides what you need. Inside C# shows off the unique strengths of this new and exciting language and provides a solid introduction to the .NET platform. --Richard Dragan
Topics covered: Introduction to C# and the Microsoft .NET Framework Tutorial for object-oriented programming A `Hello, World` program in C# Command-line .NET tools (including the C# compiler and the ILDASM disassembler) C# types Boxing and unboxing variables In-depth guide to C# class design (including members and methods, constructors, constants and read-only fields, garbage collection, and inheritance) Method overloading Virtual and static methods Properties Arrays Indexers Attributes Interfaces (declaring and implementing interfaces, plus interfaces combined with inheritance) Expressions and operators in C# (including operator precedence) Program flow control Exception handling classes and techniques Operator overloading Delegates and event handlers Multithreaded programming techniques (including thread safety and synchronization) C# reflection and metadata Using unmanaged code and pointers from within C# COM interoperability Assemblies and deployment in C#
User review
Waiting for the Third Edition
Many years ago when I decided to take the C# plunge, it seems I bought just about every C# book printed to quickly get my arms around this new language. Of all the books and through all the recent versions of C#, this Archer book remains a constant go-to for precise information. I don't think you can find a better book to get a full grasp of class design, development and deployment considerations.
I'd really like to see a third edition but until then I'll keep this valuable resources at my side.
User review
A good reference
When I need to explain an document OO concepts in a C# perspective, this book is a great help in most situations. If you need in deepth knowledge of the code DOM etc. you are stock.
Still it is the only generel C# book that has survived as a part of my .NET book collection.
User review
Should be renamed
This is actually an introduction to C#, good for beginners, but not for people who already have a lot of experience on other languages like C++. Title is misleading.
User review
A great book for intermediate/advanced developers
As others have mentioned, this book is not aimed at new developers. However, if you are an intermediate or advanced developers, this is a great book for learning C# in depth. One thing I found very useful is that it often refers to C++ or Java to point out differences. This is very important in areas where C# works differently, like calling virtual functions from constructors.
The book shows lots of MSIL for the examples. Although there's a table of the MSIL commands in the back, there's not enough information in this book for these to be comletely understandable. You'll need to learn more about the CLR and MSIL elsewhere for these to really be helpful.
A wide range of topics are covered, including some advanced topics like COM interop. There is also a chapter on security, although I felt it lumped too many topics together there without going into enough depth on them.
The biggest problem I had with the book was the huge number of typos and misprints. I noticed another reviewer said that many of the examples didn't compile. This could have been one of the reasons. I was amazed at how many errors I saw in the code, most of which looked like simple typos.
User review
Everything I could ask for
For C# developers this book should be required reading. It will teach you to think in C#, to see the answers to problems without writing a line of code.
Archer writes in a very straightforward and easy style. I found the book hard to put down. The explanations are clear and concise.
The examples are extremely well-done. I learned as much from them as from the book itself. You'll want to work through every one of these - you'll learn tons from them.