C# in a Nutshell

C# in a Nutshell provides everything programmers need to know about the C# language in one concise and accessible volume. Designed as a primary reference for daily use, it also includes all the essential background information to become productive quickly. Not a "how-to" book or a rehash of Microsoft's documentation, this book goes to the source of the C# language and the APIs of the .NET Framework to present the content in a way that professional programmers will value above all other books.

Brief introductions to the language and .NET runtime provide the needed preparation for programming with the C# language, whose keywords and syntax are then detailed in subsequent chapters. Next, C# in a Nutshell presents key namespaces and types of the .NET Framework base class library which provides much of the functionality and power of the language. Using C# examples, the .NET Framework covers each core area, including:

• Strings
  
• Collections
  
• XML
  
• Networking
  
• Input/Output
  
• Serialization
  
• Assemblies
  
• Reflection
  
• Custom Attributes
  
• Memory Management
  
• Threading
  
• Integrating with Native DLLs
  
• Integrating with COM Components
  
• Diagnostics
  

Determined to provide even more value, C# in a Nutshell moves into a comprehensive language reference, plus syntax, XML documentation tags, naming and coding conventions, and the various C# development tools--the kind of reference material programmers will use every day.

Next, an extensive and quick reference to the API is presented, featuring the System namespace. Particularly useful are the many figures and tables that present the main features of the namespace. For those looking create alternatives to Microsoft's implementation of the C# Programming Language and the Common Language Infrastructure as submitted to ECMA (an international standards organization), each element included in the ECMA submission is clearly labeled. Finally, the entire reference is based on Version 1 of the .NET Framework and generated by tools written in the C# language itself.

Every once in a while, a book becomes the de-facto standard for a technology, operating system, or programming language--which is exactly what C# in a Nutshell aims to do in a single straightforward and easy to use volume.

Table of Contents

Preface

PART 1: Programming with C#

Chapter 1. Introducing C# and the .NET Framework
Chapter 2. C# Language Basics
Chapter 3. Creating Types in C#
Chapter 4. Advanced C# Features

PART 2: Programming with the .NET Framework

Chapter 5. Framework Class Library Overview
Chapter 6. String Handling
Chapter 7. Collections
Chapter 8. XML I/O
Chapter 9. Networking
Chapter 10. Streams and I/O
Chapter 11. Serialization
Chapter 12. Assemblies
Chapter 13. Reflection
Chapter 14. Custom Attributes
Chapter 15. Memory Management
Chapter 16. Threading
Chapter 17. Integrating with Native DLLs
Chapter 18. Integrating with COM Components
Chapter 19. Diagnostics

PART 3: Language and Tools Reference

Chapter 20. C# Language Reference
Chapter 21. XML Documentation Tag Reference
Chapter 22. C# Naming and Coding Conventions
Chapter 23. C# Development Tools

PART 4: API Quick Reference

Chapter 24. How to Use This Quick Reference
Chapter 25. Microsoft.Win32
Chapter 26. System
Chapter 27. System.Collections
Chapter 28. System.Collections.Specialized
Chapter 29. System.Diagnostics
Chapter 30. System.Globalization
Chapter 31. System.IO
Chapter 32. System.IO.IsolatedStorage
Chapter 33. System.Net
Chapter 34. System.Net.Sockets
Chapter 35. System.Reflection
Chapter 36. System.Reflection.Emit
Chapter 37. System.Runtime.InteropServices
Chapter 38. System.Runtime.Serialization
Chapter 39. System.Runtime.Serialization.Formatters
Chapter 40. System.Text
Chapter 41. System.Text.RegularExpressions
Chapter 42. System.Threading
Chapter 43. System.Timers
Chapter 44. System.Xml
Chapter 45. System.Xml.XPath
Chapter 46. System.Xml.Xsl

PART 5: Appendixes

Appendix A. Regular Expressions
Appendix B. Format Specifiers
Appendix C. Data Marshaling
Appendix D. C# Keywords
Appendix E. Namespaces and Assemblies
Appendix F. Type, Method, Property, Event,
Index