C# Books

Pro C# 2008 and the .NET 3.5 Platform, Fourth Edition (Windows.Net)

Andrew Troelsen

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Total reviews: 33 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

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Book Description

The first edition of this book was released at the 2001 Tech Ed conference in Atlanta, Georgia. Since that time, this text has been revised, tweaked, and enhanced to account for the changes found within each release of the .NET platform (1.1, 2.0, 3.0 and now 3.5).

The last version, .NET 3.0, was more of an augmentative release, essentially providing three new APIs: Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF), Windows Communication Foundation (WCF) and Windows Workflow Foundation (WF). As you would expect, coverage of the "W's" has been expanded a great deal in this version of the book from the previous Special Edition text.

Unlike .NET 3.0, .NET 3.5 provides dozens of new C# language features and .NET APIs. This edition of the book will walk you through all of this new material using the same readable approach as was found in previous editions. Rest assured, you'll find detailed coverage of Language Integrated Query (LINQ), the C# 2008 language changes (automatic properties, extension methods, anonymous types, etc.) and the numerous bells and whistles of Visual Studio 2008.

What you will learn

• Everything you need to know – get up to speed with C# 2008 quickly and efficiently.
• Discover all the new .NET 3.5 features — Language Integrated Query, anonymous types, extension methods, automatic properties, and more.
• Get a professional foothold — targeted to appeal to experienced software professionals, this book gives you the facts you need the way you need to see them.
• A rock-solid foundation – focuses on everything you need to be a successful .NET 3.5 programmer, not just the new features. Get comfortable with all the core aspects of the platform — including assemblies, remoting, Windows Forms, Web Forms, ADO.NET, XML web services, and much more.

Who is this book for?

If you're checking out this book for the first time, understand that it targets experienced software professionals and/or students of computer science (so please don't expect three chapters devoted to "for" loops). The mission of this text is to provide you with a rock-solid foundation to the C# 2008 programming language and the core aspects of the .NET platform (OOP, assemblies, file IO, Windows Forms/WPF, ASP.NET, ADO.NET, WCF,WF, etc.). Once you digest the information presented in these 33 chapters, you'll be in a perfect position to apply this knowledge to your specific programming assignments, and you'll be well equipped to explore the .NET universe on your own terms.

Pro LINQ: Language Integrated Query in C# 2008 (Windows.Net)

Jr., Joseph C. Rattz

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Total reviews: 28 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

LINQ is the project name for a set of extensions to the .NET Framework that provide a generic approach to querying data from different data sources. LINQ will premier in Visual Studio 2008, and will become the next must–have skill for .NET developers. For more information about LINQ, you can check out the author’s portal at www.linqdev.com.

Pro LINQ: Language Integrated Query in C# 2008 is all about code.

Literally, this book starts with code and ends with code. In most books, the author shows the simplest example demonstrating how to use a method, but they so rarely show how to use the more complex prototypes. Pro LINQ: Language Integrated Query in C# 2008 is different. Demonstrating the overwhelming majority of LINQ operators and protoypes, it is a veritable treasury of LINQ examples.

Rather than obscure the relevant LINQ principles in code examples by focusing on a demonstration application you have no interest in writing, Pro LINQ: Language Integrated Query in C# 2008 cuts right to the chase of each LINQ operator, method, or class. However, where complexity is necessary to truly demonstrate an issue, the examples are right there in the thick of it. For example, code samples demonstrating how to handle concurrency conflicts actually create concurrency conflicts so you can step through the code and see them unfold.

Most books tell you about the simple stuff, while few books warn you of the pitfalls. Where Pro LINQ: Language Integrated Query in C# 2008 returns your investment is in the hours, and sometimes days, spent by the author determining why something may not work as expected. Sometimes this results in an innocent looking paragraph that may take you a minute to read and understand, but took days to research and explain.

Face it, most technical books while informative, are dull. LINQ need not be dull. Written with a sense of humor, Pro LINQ: Language Integrated Query in C# 2008 will attempt to entertain you on your journey through the wonderland of LINQ and C# 2008.

What you’ll learn

• How to leverage all the new LINQ relevant C# 2008 language features including extension methods, lambda expressions, anonymous data types, and partial methods.
• How to use LINQ to Objects to query in–memory data collections such as arrays, ArrayLists, and Lists to retrieve the data you want.
• Why some queries are deferred, how a deferred query can bite you, and how you can make deferred queries work for you.
• How to use LINQ to XML to revolutionize your creation, manipulation, and searching of XML data.
• How to query DataSets with LINQ to DataSet so you can co–exist with legacy code and use LINQ to query databases other than SQL Server.
• How to query Databases with LINQ to SQL, write your own entity classes, and understand how to handle concurrency conflicts.

Who is this book for?

This book is written for the proficient C# developer, but you do not need to be up on all the latest C# features to understand the material. When you finish this book, you will be up on all the latest C# features.

Beginning ASP.NET 3.5: In C# and VB (Programmer to Programmer)

Imar Spaanjaars

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Total reviews: 11 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

Beginning ASP.NET 3.5 is an all new book written from scratch for ASP.NET 3.5 (part of the Visual Studio 2008 release previously known as "Orcas") that emphasizes the topics and techniques "Beginning" level readers need to know most. It is written by 1 author – Imar Spaanjaars - who is closely in touch with the beginner ASP.NET developer. This edition includes both C# and VB code for the ASP.NET examples in print and for download so readers with experience in either (or neither) can use the same book.

Beginning ASP.NET 3.5 helps readers learn to build dynamic database driven web sites using ASP.NET 3.5. Starting from scratch, the reader will progressively learn how to design and create web sites with interactive elements. After reading this book, the reader should be able to build a database driven web site on her own, using best practices and current standards.

The book follows the well-known Wrox Beginning approach where theory and demos are intermixed with exercises. Substantial pieces of theory are followed by an exercise that makes use of the things the reader just learned. The 3.5 version of this book is written from scratch with an emphasis on the beginner developer and the order in which they need to learn and work. Steps that are required to set up the development and web server environment are done carefully in sequence to make sure the reader gets off to a good start.

Imar is technical director and software designer for Design IT, an IT company in the Netherlands specializing in Internet and intranet applications built with Microsoft technologies. In addition to extensive ASP.NET writing on his blog and co-authoring a previous Wrox ASP.NET book, he is most well-known amongst the 500,000 monthly developers at p2p.wrox.com for his more than 7000 posts in the Wrox p2p.wrox.com reader discussion forums. He is by far the most well-known Wrox author and participant in this active Wrox discussion area. His answers in the forums have earned him extensive reader praise.

Some of the topics covered in this book include:

• Getting started with ASP.NET 3.5
• Creating Your First Web Site in Visual Web Developer (VWD) 3.5
• Creating Consistent Looking Web Sites
• Programming Your ASP.NET Pages
• Working with ASP.NET Controls
• Navigation
• Using User Controls
• Ajax
• Creating Data Driven Web Forms
• Introduction to Databases, Displaying, Updating, and working with Data
• Working with Data using LINQ
• Security in Your ASP.NET 3.5 Web site
• Personalizing Web Sites
• Debugging and Tracing Pages
• Compiling and Deployment

Pro ASP.NET 3.5 in C# 2008, Second Edition (Windows.Net)

Matthew MacDonald, Mario Szpuszta

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Total reviews: 15 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

ASP.NET 3.5 is the latest version of Microsoft’s revolutionary ASP.NET technology. It is the principal standard for creating dynamic web pages on the Windows platform. Pro ASP.NET 3.5 in C# 2008 raises the bar for high–quality, practical advice on learning and deploying Microsoft’s dynamic web solution.

Seasoned .NET professionals Matthew MacDonald and Mario Szpuszta explain how you can get the most from this groundbreaking new technology. They cover ASP.NET 3.5 as a whole, illustrating both the brand–new features and the functionality carried over from previous versions of ASP. This book will give you the knowledge you need to code real ASP.NET 3.5 applications in the best possible style.

The book will teach you ASP.NET 3.5 starting with core concepts to more advanced topics. You will learn

• Core concepts of ASP.NET 3.5. Why it’s special. What it’s fundamental principals are. The basics of Visual Studio. How ASP.NET 3.5 controls are created, and how they fit into ASP.NET 3.5 pages, ultimately creating full applications
• Data access details. The intricacies of ADO.NET and how to perform data binding to many sources from databases to file streams to XML. We include LINQ coverage so you’re on the bleeding edge
• Security. Once considered the Achilles heel of all Windows web applications, security has vastly improved and is a cornerstone of ASP.NET 3.5. This section explains the various forms of available security, and how to best apply them
• Taking things further using advanced user interface techniques. This includes user controls, customer server controls, client–side JavaScript, and GDI+.
• Web services. In an increasingly connected world, working with web services grows in importance. This book will show you how to work with them.
• ASP.NET AJAX, with an emphasis on comtemporary web development techniques
• Development using Internet Information Services 7, Microsoft’s premier web hosting platform.
• And much more.

Professional ASP.NET 3.5: In C# and VB (Programmer to Programmer)

Bill Evjen, Scott Hanselman, Devin Rader

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Total reviews: 23 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

Building on the revolutionary ASP.NET 2.0 release, ASP.NET 3.5 adds several key new developer features including AJAX, LINQ, and a new CSS designer in Visual Web Developer 2008. The dramatic reduction in code that developers realized from the more than 50 new server controls in ASP.NET 2.0 now allows developers the time to make their applications more interactive with AJAX, to work with data in their preferred language with LINQ, and to build visually attractive and consistent standards-based sites with CSS.

Professional ASP.NET 3.5 helps the experienced programmer put these new technologies into action. Greatly expanded from the original best-selling Professional ASP.NET 2.0, Professional ASP.NET 3.5 covers all the key technologies retained from 2.0 in new depth alongside the hundreds of pages of coverage of the important new 3.5 features. Written by 3 of the most well-known and influential ASP.NET developers who were highly praised by ASP.NET creator Scott Guthrie for their ASP.NET 2.0 books, Professional ASP.NET 3.5 is the book you’ll learn the language from and turn to day after day as you write web applications. And as always, Professional ASP.NET 3.5 features language examples in the book and in the code download in both C# and VB!

Key new coverage for ASP.NET 3.5 includes:

• Thorough coverage of how to implement ASP.NET 3.5 AJAX and the ASP.NET AJAX Toolkit
• An introduction to LINQ and many LINQ examples throughout the book side-by-side with the related SQL example to show you the differences between the two
• Enhanced coverage of XML use in ASP.NET including the new XML Schema Designer Add-on, LINQ to XML, LINQ for XML examples, and XSLTC.exe, a command-line XSLT compiler
• A new chapter on CSS design for ASP.NET and the Visual Web Developer CSS design tools
• A new chapter on the ASP.NET lifecycle and architecture best-practices
• Increased coverage of ASP.NET with SQL Server 2005 and Oracle as the databases
• Coverage of enhancing your ASP.NET applications with Microsoft’s new Silverlight for stunning video and animation uses
• Coverage of Scott Hanselman’s famous productivity tool picks for developers to help make you a more productive ASP.NET developer
• Updated coverage of migrating applications for previous ASP.NET versions

Key coverage retained and improved from the ASP.NET 2.0 book:

• The idea of the server control and its pivotal role in ASP.NET development
• How to create templated ASP.NET pages using the master page feature
• Techniques for debugging and handling errors
• Ways to package and deploy ASP.NET applications
• How to retrieve, update, and delete data quickly and logically
• How to implement the cultures and regions features to localize your web site into multiple languages for different visitors
• An understanding of how to use and extend the provider model for accessing data stores, processes, and more
• How to keep track of your application's performance and health with monitoring tools

Who this book is for

This book is for experienced programmers and developers who are looking to make the transition to ASP.NET 3.5.

Murach's C# 2008

Joel Murach

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Total reviews: 8 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

This is the .NET 3.5 edition of Murach's best-selling C# book on Windows Forms development. Here's what developers have said about earlier editions:

"I have to tell you that your C# book is far and away the best resource I have seen to date. It really does do what the learner needs. It is simple, straightforward, presents logical examples, and the two-page format is the best."

"With this book, I have quickly moved from being intimidated by C# to making it my language of choice, The fact that this process took me only 3 days should speak volumes about how effective this book is."

"I am actually flying through the C# 2005 book! And a lot of the topics I had problems with in the past are now making perfect sense."

What makes this book so effective? Here are several things it does that other C# books don t do:

#1: The OOP section deals with business objects, not cats and dogs
Object-oriented programming is the basis for C# 2008. But while other books try to explain it using whimsical examples (like mammals or cars), our book explains it in terms of true business objects, like customers, invoices, and products. So right from the start, you ll see how OOP is applied in the real world.

#2: There s a 4-chapter section on database programming
Business applications require database processing. So instead of glossing over this crucial function in a chapter or two, this book gives you 4 full chapters that show you how to use RAD tools like data sources as well as ADO.NET code to do fairly sophisticated database processing. There s certainly more to learn. But you ll have a solid set of skills that will let you easily prototype typical database applications in business.

#3: Complete applications show how all the pieces interact
The key to mastering C# development is to have plenty of real-world examples that show you how the features you're learning interact...and that help you avoid the problems that you can run into as you build complex applications. That's why this book gives you complete applications for everyday business functions (these can be downloaded for free from the Murach web site).

#4: The paired-pages format lets you set your own pace
Murach books have a distinctive format, where each two-page spread presents a single topic. You can read every page...skim or skip material you already know...quickly pinpoint the reference details you need...use the book however it works best for you. To see how this works, you can look at some pages in "Search Inside" above or download sample chapters for free from the Murach web site.

Professional C# 2008 (Wrox Professional Guides)

Christian Nagel, Bill Evjen, Jay Glynn, Morgan Skinner, Karli Watson

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Professional C# 2008

Updated for .NET 3.5 and Visual Studio® 2008, this book is the ultimate guide to C# 2008 and its environment. Beginning with a look into the architecture and methodology of .NET, the team of superlative authors explains why the C# language cannot be viewed in isolation, but rather, must be considered in parallel with the .NET Framework. After gaining an understanding of the foundation of C#, you'll then go on to examine the fundamentals of C# programming with each successive chapter.

New examples provide helpful explanations on how to use C# to solve various tasks. Plus, completely new chapters on LINQ, SQL, ADO.NET entities, Windows Communication Foundation, Windows Workflow Foundation, Windows Presentation Foundation, arrays, system transactions, tracing, and event logging all deliver essential information to help you gain a clear and thorough understanding of all that C# 2008 has to offer.

What you will learn from this book

• How to write Windows® applications and Windows® services

• Ways to use ASP.NET 3.5 to write web pages

• Techniques for manipulating XML using C#

• How to use ADO.NET to access databases

• Ways to generate graphics using C# 2008

• Numerous C# add-ins

• How to use LINQ to easily work with your SQL Server databases and XML

Who this book is for
This book is for experienced developers who are interested in learning the latest version of the number one developer language: C#.

Wrox Professional Guides are planned and written by working programmers to meet the real-world needs of programmers, developers, and IT professionals. Focused and relevant, they address the issues technology professionals face every day. They provide examples, practical solutions, and expert education in new technologies, all designed to help programmers do a better job.

Head First C# (Brain-Friendly Guides)

Andrew Stellman, Jennifer Greene

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Total reviews: 49 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

Do you want to learn C#? Programmers around the world have learned that C# lets them design great-looking programs and build them fast. With C#, you ve got a powerful programming language and a valuable tool at your fingertips. And with the Visual Studio IDE, you ll never have to spend hours writing obscure code just to get a button working. C#, Visual Studio and .NET take care of the grunt-work, and let you focus on the interesting parts of getting your programs written. Sound appealing?

Unlike other C# books, which just show you examples and expect you to just memorize them and move on, Head First C# gets you writing code from the beginning. You're given the tools you need, and then you're guided through fun and engaging programming projects. You'll build programs to play a card game, explore a house, and help lazy programmers manage their sick day excuses. But it's not all fun and games: you'll build business applications too, like a contact database and a program to help a party planner estimate her dinner parties. You'll build a dungeon role-playing game and a fully animated, colorful simulation of a beehive. And by the end of the book, you'll build a fast-paced, full-featured retro Invaders arcade game.

Make no mistake: by the time you're done with Head First C#, you'll be able to build full-scale, complex, and highly visual programs. And you'll have all of the C# tools you need to tackle almost any programming problem that comes your way.

Head First C# is built for your brain, using the revolutionary approach that was pioneered by the highly acclaimed and popular Head First series. You'll never get that bored, "eyes glazed over" feeling from Head First C#, because it guides you through one challenging project after another until, by the end of the book, you're a C# rock star!

Here's what you'll learn:

• Core C# programming concepts
• How to use the Visual Studio 2008 IDE to build, debug and run your programs
• Important .NET 3.5 features, including generic collections, Windows forms, GDI+ graphics, streams, serialization and more
• Using object oriented programming concepts to help you build well-designed programs
• How to build robust applications with good error handling
• The latest C# 3.0 features, including LINQ, object and collection initializers, automatic properties, extension methods and more

Throughout the book, you'll confront and conquer advanced C# concepts. Some of the most mysterious ideas are demystified and explained with clear examples: how Unicode works, events and delegates, references versus value types, the stack versus the heap, what's really going on with garbage collection, and more.

Thousands of readers have learned C# using this innovative book, including:

• Beginning programmers who want to learn programming from the ground up
• More advanced programmers who are proficient in another language (like Visual Basic, Java, SQL, FoxPro) and want to add C# to their toolbox
• Programmers who understand basic C# syntax, but are still looking to get a handle on how objects work
• Anyone who's tried to learn C#, but had to deal with books full of dull examples and nothing but boring console applications
• Lots of people who just want to learn how to build cool games!

Head First C# is built to work with any version of Visual Studio 2008, including the free express edition. (It can also can be used with any version of Visual Studio 2005.)

C# 3.0 in a Nutshell: A Desktop Quick Reference (In a Nutshell (O'Reilly))

Joseph Albahari, Ben Albahari

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Total reviews: 25 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

This is a concise yet thorough reference to C# 3.0 programming as implemented in Microsoft's Visual Studio 2008. C# 3.0 in a Nutshell gets right to the point, covering the essentials of language syntax and usage as well as the parts of the .NET base class libraries you need to build working applications. But unlike earlier editions, this book is now organized entirely around concepts and use cases, providing greater depth and readability. C# 3.0 introduces the most significant enhancements yet to the programming language, and C# 3.0 in a Nutshell delves deep into the subject while assuming minimal prior knowledge of C#-making it accessible to anyone with a reasonable background in programming. In addition to the language, the book covers the .NET CLR and the core Framework assemblies, along with the unified querying syntax called Language Integrated Query (LINQ), which bridges the traditional divide between programs and their data sources. Free of clutter and long introductions, this book provides a map of C# 3.0 knowledge in a succinct and unified style: Opening chapters concentrate purely on C#, starting with the basics of syntax, types and variables, and finishing with advanced topics such as unsafe code and preprocessor directives Later chapters cover the core .NET 3.5 Framework, including such topics as LINQ, XML, collections, I/O and networking, memory management, reflection, attributes, security, threading, application domains and native interoperability Designed as a handbook for daily use, C# 3.0 in a Nutshell is an ideal companion to any of the vast array of books that focus on an applied technology such as WPF, ASP.NET, or WCF. The areas of the language and .NET Frameworkthat such books omit, this one covers in detail.

Mastering Regular Expressions

Jeffrey Friedl

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 123 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Will take you a long way down the rabbit hole 3 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

How deep down the rabbit hole do you really NEED to go? I had a serious need to get on top of regular expressions to solve one particular problem. I looked at several online tutorials which didn't take me where I needed to go, so I ordered Mastering Regular Expressions after reading the Amazon reviews. I always look at the negative reviews first. In spite of the negative reviews I ordered the book with an open mind.
When the book arrived I began reading it with enthusiasm. In the preface there is a small section on "How to Read This Book". I bought into the author's suggestion to read the book's first six chapters first. I was captivated through the first three chapters, and then somewhere in chapter 4 I began to get very weary with information overload. After putting the book down for a couple of days I decided to skip the rest and use what I needed to write the one regular expression I had need of. The book did successfully help me accomplish this, so I gave it 3 stars. Not only did it give me the information I needed that the online tutorials didn't, it also gave me the confidence I needed. For that, which I am grateful, I would have liked to have given it more stars. I think many of those in need of learning about regular expression could be well served by a "lite-edition" of this book. Perhaps someday when I have the time and the need I may try to wade through the rest of the book, but as it is now Mastering Regular Expressions took me far farther down the rabbit hole than I really needed or wanted to go.
If you need to get on top of Regular Expressions, I would recommend this book, however just be ready to be taken far deeper than the average coder probably needs to go.

Editorial Review:

Regular expressions are a central element of UNIX utilities like egrep and programming languages such as Perl. But whether you're a UNIX user or not, you can benefit from a better understanding of regular expressions since they work with applications ranging from validating data-entry fields to manipulating information in multimegabyte text files. Mastering Regular Expressions quickly covers the basics of regular-expression syntax, then delves into the mechanics of expression-processing, common pitfalls, performance issues, and implementation-specific differences. Written in an engaging style and sprinkled with solutions to complex real-world problems, Mastering Regular Expressions offers a wealth information that you can put to immediate use.