The ideal beginner's guide to C# and object-oriented programming
Wrox beginners' guides have the perfect formula for getting programming newcomers up and running. This one introduces beginners to object-oriented programming using C# to demonstrate all of the core constructs of this programming framework. Using real-world situations, you'll discover how to create, test, and deliver your programs and how to work with classes, arrays, collections, and all the elements of object-oriented programming.
- Covers exactly what beginners, even those with no prior programming experience, need to know to understand object-oriented programming and start writing programs in C#
- Explains the advantages and disadvantages of C#, and tips for understanding C# syntax
- Explores properties, encapsulation, and classes; value data types; operands and operators; errors and debugging; variables; and reference types
- Shows how to use statement repetition and program loops, understand arrays and collections, and write your own classes
- Also covers inheritance and polymorphism
Beginning Object-Oriented Programming with C# uses the tried-and-true Wrox formula for making this popular programming method easy to learn.
Table of Contents:
INTRODUCTION xxv PART I: GETTING STARTED
CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCING C# 3
A Short History of Object-Oriented Programming (OOP) 4
Installing C# 5
Downloading Visual Studio Professional 5
A Test Program Using C# 8
Creating a Project 9
The C# Integrated Development Environment 10
The Major IDE Windows 10
Using the Source Code Window 12
Adding a Toolbox Object to a Windows Form 13
Changing the Text of a Label Object 14
Running the Program 16
Summary 16
CHAPTER 2: UNDERSTANDING OBJECTS 19
Understanding Objects 20
Everyday Use of Objects 20
Class Properties 20
Class Methods 22
How Many Properties, How Many Methods? 23
Classes Are Simplifi cations of Objects 23
What Do I Do After I’ve Defi ned a Class? 23
Instantiating an Object of a Class 26
I Have an Object…Now What? 29
Why Hide the Data Inside an Object? 32
Getting Started with Objects 32
Developing a Program Plan 38
Where to Start? The Five Program Steps 38
The Five Program Steps 38
Creating a Simple Application Using Objects 40
Using the Program Steps to Create a Program Plan 40
1: Initialization 40
2: Input 41
3: Process 42
4: Display 43
5: Termination 43
Using C# to Implement Your Program Plan 43
Critique of the btnDisplayOutput Click Event Code 53
Summary 54
PART II: UNDERSTANDING C# SYNTAX
CHAPTER 3: UNDERSTANDING DATA TYPES 59
Computer Data 59
Integer Data Types 60
Range of Integer Data Types 61
Understanding Binary Numbers 61
Signed Integer Values 62
Which Integer Should You Use? 62
Variable Naming Rules and Conventions 63
Floating-Point Data Types 71
Which Floating-Point Data Type Should You Use? 74
Monetary Values: The Decimal Data Type 74
Using IntelliSense to Locate Program Errors 76
Syntax Rules and Error Messages 76
The Boolean Data Type 77
Summary 79
CHAPTER 4: UNDERSTANDING C# STATEMENTS 81
Basic Building Blocks of a Programming Language 82
Operands and Operators 82
Expressions 83
Statements 83
Operator Precedence 84
Overriding the Default Precedence Order 85
Defi ning Variables 87
Defi ning a Variable from the Compiler’s Point of View 87
Step 1: Preliminary Syntax Checking 87
Step 2: Symbol Table Checking 87
Step 3: Defi ning a Variable 89
Using a Variable in a Program 90
Bucket Analogy 91
Types of Program Errors 93
Syntax Errors 93
Semantic Errors 93
Logic Errors 94
The Visual Studio Debugger 94
The Debugging Process 94
Making Repetitious Debugging Easier 95
Using the Visual Studio Debugger 97
Setting a Breakpoint 97
Using a Breakpoint to Examine Variables 98
Single-Stepping the Program 100
Defensive Coding 101
Write Your Code So That Someone Else Can Easily Understand It 101
Use Program Comments 101
Use Meaningful Variable Names 103
Avoid Magic Numbers 104
Use a Consistent Coding Style 105
Take a Break 105
Use a Second Set of Eyes 105
Summary 106
CHAPTER 5: UNDERSTANDING REFERENCE DATA TYPES 109
String Variables 110
Defi ning a String Reference Variable 110
The Meaning of null 111
Why Reference Types Are Diff erent from Value Types 113
Reference Variable Rules 113
Reference Type Variables Versus Value Type Variables 115
Why Do Reference Variables Work the Way They Do? 115
Pass by Value Versus Pass by Reference 116
A Little Effi ciency Gain 116
Using String Variables 117
String Concatenation 117
Shorthand Assignment Operators 117
String Manipulation 118
String Length 118
Letting IntelliSense Show You Properties and Methods 119
Using an IntelliSense Option 120
An Important Distinction Between Properties and Methods 120
Thinking About Object Properties and Methods 120
Strings and Escape Sequences 131
Verbatim String Literals 132
DateTime Reference Objects 133
DateTime and ToString( ) Conversions 133
Class Constructors 139
Invoking the Application 139
The UpdateTimeInfo( ) Method 140
Overloaded Methods 141
Method Signatures 142
The Refresh Button 143
Summary 144
CHAPTER 6: MAKING DECISIONS IN CODE 147
Relational Operators 148
Using Relational Operators—The if Statement 148
The if-else Statement 152
Shorthand for Simple if-else: The Ternary Operator 154
Style Considerations for if and if-else Statements 155
Nested if Statements 157
RDC 158
Logical Operators 160
Using the Logical Operators 162
Associativity 163
The switch Statement 164
Summary 167
CHAPTER 7: STATEMENT REPETITION USING LOOPS 169
Program Loops 170
Good Loops, Bad Loops 170
The Three Conditions of a Well-Behaved Loop 170
The for Loop 171
Increment and Decrement Operators 172
Sequencing in a for Loop 173
When to Use a for Loop 179
Nested for Loops 179
Use the Debugger as a Learning Tool 182
while Loops 182
Why Have More Than One Type of Loop? 184
do-while Program Loops 185
The continue Statement 189
Summary 190
CHAPTER 8: UNDERSTANDING ARRAYS AND COLLECTIONS 193
What Is an Array? 194
Some Array Details 195
Array Element Versus Array Index 195
N – 1 Rule 196
Casts 201
The ListView Object 201
Arrays Are Objects 206
Multidimensional Arrays 207
Initializing Arrays 211
Variations for Initializing an Array 212
Which Array Defi nition/Initialization Syntax Is Best? 212
Code Like a User 212
Initializing Multidimensional Arrays 213
Initializer Lists for String Objects 213
Ragged Arrays 215
Defi ning Ragged Arrays at Runtime 215
Collections 216
ArrayList Objects 218
Summary 221
PART III: WRITING YOUR OWN CLASSES
CHAPTER 9: DESIGNING CLASSES 227
Class Design 228
Scope 230
Block Scope 231
Local Scope 232
Class Scope 232
Namespace Scope 233
Visualizing Scope 233
Why Does C# Support Scope? 235
Think Before You Write 235
Designing a Program 236
The Five Program Steps 236
Initialization Step 236
Input Step 238
Process Step 238
Display Step 238
Termination Step 238
Look at the Forest, Not Just the Trees 238
UML Light 239
Access Specifi ers 239
Access Specifi ers and Scope 240
The static Keyword 241
UML Methods 242
Design Intent and Access Specifi ers for Methods 242
Class Property and Method Names 244
Think Like a User 245
The clsDates Design 245
namespace Modifi er 247
Class Organization 248
static Data Versus Instance Members 248
Property and Helper Methods 249
General Methods 249
User Interfaces Versus User Interfaces 252
Summary 252
CHAPTER 10: DESIGNING AND WRITING CUSTOM CLASSES 255
Constructors 256
Default Constructors 256
Nondefault Constructors 256
Constructor Overloading 257
Constructor Sloppiness 257
Fixing the Constructor Problem 258
Always Call the Default Constructor 259
Property Methods 259
Property Methods and Getters and Setters 260
Property Method Rules 261
How the get Property Methods Work 262
How Does Visual Studio Know Whether to
Use the get or set Statement Block? 263
What to Do if an Error Occurs in a Property Method 264
Method Coupling and Cohesion 266
Cohesion 266
Coupling 266
Class Design for Deck-of-Cards Program 267
UML Class Diagram for Shuffl e Deck Program 268
Class Constants and Properties 268
Class Methods 269
The clsCardDeck Code 273
Class Properties, Constructor, and Property Methods 275
Class General Methods 276
Designing a Card Game Using clsCardDeck 278
Design Considerations 279
What Kind of Architecture? 279
Sideways Refi nement 280
Summary 291
CHAPTER 11: EXCEPTION HANDLING AND DEBUGGING 295
Overview 296
Bugs 296
Syntax Errors 296
Semantic Errors 296
Logic Errors 297
Input Errors 297
Data Validation 297
Limit User Input 298
Check Boxes 301
Combination Boxes 302
Date and Time Input 304
Exception Handling 306
try-catch Statement Blocks 308
Anticipating a Specifi c Exception 310
Fuzzy Exception Messages 312
The fi nally Statement Block 313
Program Debugging 314
The Nature of the Beast 314
Detection 314
Isolation 316
The Visual Studio Debugger 316
The Locals Window 317
The Immediate Window 318
Single-Stepping Through the Program 318
Backing Up from a Breakpoint 319
The Debug Toolbar 319
Finding the Bug 320
Scaff old Code 321
Toggling Scaff old Code 322
Defensive Coding 322
Summary 323
CHAPTER 12: GENERICS 327
What Are Generics? 327
Recursion 333
Data Problems 333
Introduction to Generics 334
Generics Versus ArrayLists 334
Boxing and Unboxing 335
Generic Quicksort 343
Using Generics with Constraints and Interfaces 347
Interfaces 347
Why Use an Interface? 348
Using an Interface 349
How Do You Know an Interface Is Implemented for a Data Type? 350
Summary 354
PART IV: STORING DATA
CHAPTER 13: USING DISK DATA FILES 359
Directories 360
The DriveInfo Class 360
Directory Class 360
DirectoryInfo Class 361
File Class 367
FileInfo Class 368
Types of Files 369
Textual Versus Binary Data Files 370
Sequential Versus Random Access Files 380
Sequential Files 380
Advantages and Disadvantages of Sequential Files 380
Random Access Files 381
Fixed Record Sizes 381
Advantages and Disadvantages of Random Access Files 383
Serialization and Deserialization 411
To Serialize or Not to Serialize 417
MDI, Menus, and File Dialogs 418
Summary 422
CHAPTER 14: USING DATABASES 425
What Is a Database? 425
The Structure of a Database 426
Database Tables, Fields, and Records 426
Designing Fields for a Database Table 427
Data Normalization 428
Creating Your Own Databases 432
Using SQL Server Management Studio 432
Using SQL 435
The SELECT Statement 435
The WHERE Predicate 436
The ORDER BY Clause 436
Aggregates 437
A DBMS System 438
Displaying Database Data Without Data Binding 451
Performing the Query 452
Edit a Record (UPDATE) 454
Summary 456
CHAPTER 15: USING LINQ 459
Using LINQ 459
Query Keywords 460
Summary 470
PART V: ADVANCED TOPICS
CHAPTER 16: INHERITANCE AND POLYMORPHISM 475
What Is Inheritance? 476
An Inheritance Example 476
The Base and Derived Classes 478
The protected Access Specifi er 479
Advantages of Inherited Relationships 480
Base Classes Are Not Derived Classes 491
Abstract Classes 491
Polymorphism 492
Extension Methods 495
Summary 498
CHAPTER 17: PRINTING AND THREADING 501
Using a Printer 501
Threading 509
A Threading Program 510
What Have You Gained with Threading? 515
Refactoring 516
Rename 516
Extract Method 516
Summary 520
CHAPTER 18: WEB PROGRAMMING 523
Static Web Pages 523
Dynamic Web Pages 530
Summary 535
APPENDIX: ANSWERS TO EXERCISES 539
INDEX 577
