In just 24 lessons of one hour or less, you will be creating your own Windows applications using the power and functionality of Visual C# .NET. Using a straightforward, step-by-step approach, each lesson builds on the previous ones, enabling you to learn the essentials of Visual C# .NET from the ground up. As an added bonus, the book includes a 60-day Trial Version of Microsoft Visual Studio .NET 2003 on DVD-ROM so you will have every tool you need to create the applications demonstrated in the book. Step-by-step instructions walk you through the most common Visual C# .NET tasks while questions and answers, quizzes, and exercises at the end of each hour help you test your knowledge. Notes and tips point out shortcuts and solutions and help steer you clear of potential problems. You will learn... The basics of Visual C# and then quickly begin applying your knowledge to real-world Windows programming tasks. Important features such as building forms, working with controls, looping, debugging, and working with data in the world of .NET. Tips that ease migration from Visual C++ and Visual Basic 6 to Visual c# .NET 2003.

Table of Contents:
(NOTE: Each chapter concludes with Summary, Q&A, and Workshop.) Introduction. I. THE VISUAL STUDIO .NET ENVIRONMENT. Hour 1. Jumping in with Both Feet: A Visual C# .NET Programming Tour Getting Started with Visual C# .NET. Creating a New Project. Understanding the Visual Studio Environment. Changing the Characteristics of Objects. Naming Objects. Setting the Text Property of the Form. Giving the Form an Icon. Changing the Size of the Form. Adding Controls to a Form. Designing an Interface. Adding an Invisible Control to a Form. Writing the Code behind an Interface. Running a Project. Hour 2. Navigating Visual Studio .NET. Using the Visual Studio .NET Start Page. Navigating and Customizing the Visual Studio .NET Environment. Adding Controls to a Form Using the Toolbox. Setting Object Properties Using the Properties Window. Managing Projects. Managing Project Files with the Solution Explorer. Getting Help. Hour 3. Understanding Objects and Collections. Understanding Objects. Understanding Properties. Understanding Methods. Building a Simple Object Example Project. Understanding Collections. Using the Object Browser. Hour 4. Understanding Events Understanding Event-Driven Programming. Building an Event Example Project. II. BUILDING A USER INTERFACE. Hour 5. Building Forms: The Basics Changing the Name of a Form. Changing the Appearance of a Form. Showing and Hiding Forms. Hour 6. Building Forms: Advanced Techniques. Working with Controls. Creating Topmost Windows. Creating Transparent Forms. Creating Scrollable Forms. Creating MDI Forms. Setting the Startup Object. Hour 7. Working with the Traditional Controls. Displaying Static Text with the Label Control. Allowing Users to Enter Text Using a Text Box. Creating Buttons. Creating Containers and Groups of Option Buttons. Displaying a List with the List Box. Creating Drop-Down Lists Using the Combo Box. Hour 8. Using Advanced Controls. Creating Timers. Creating Tabbed Dialog Boxes. Storing Pictures in an Image List. Building Enhanced Lists Using the List View. Creating Hierarchical Lists with the Tree View. Hour 9. Adding Menus and Toolbars to Forms. Building Menus. Programming Menus. Using the Toolbar Control. Creating a Status Bar. Hour 10. Creating and Calling Methods. Creating Class Members. Defining and Writing Methods. Creating the User Interface of Your Project. Calling Methods. Exiting Methods. Working with Tasks. III. MAKING THINGS HAPPEN—PROGRAMMING. Hour 11. Using Constants, Data Types, Variables, and Arrays Understanding Data Types. Determining Data Type. Defining and Using Constants. Declaring and Referencing Variables. Determining Constant and Variable Scope. Naming Conventions. Hour 12. Performing Arithmetic, String Manipulation, and Date/Time Adjustments Performing Basic Arithmetic Operations with Visual C# .NET Comparing Equalities. Understanding Boolean Logic. Manipulating Strings. Working with Dates and Times. Hour 13. Making Decisions in Visual C# .NET Code. Making Decisions Using if Statements. Evaluating an Expression for Multiple Values Using switch. Hour 14. Looping for Efficiency. Looping a Specific Number of Times Using for Statements. Using do…while to Loop an Indeterminate Number of Times. Hour 15. Debugging Your Code. Adding Comments to Your Code. Identifying the Two Basic Types of Errors. Using Visual C# .NET's Debugging Tools. Writing an Error Handler Using try…catch…finally. Hour 16. Designing Objects Using Classes. Understanding Classes. Instantiating Objects from Classes. Hour 17. Interacting with Users Displaying Messages Using the MessageBox.Show() Method. Crafting Good Messages. Creating Custom Dialog Boxes. Interacting with the Keyboard. Using the Common Mouse Events. Hour 18. Working with Graphics Understanding the Graphics Object. Working with Pens. Using System Colors. Working with Rectangles. Drawing Common Shapes. Printing Text on a Graphics Object. Persisting Graphics on a Form. Building a Graphics Project. IV. WORKING WITH DATA. Hour 19. Performing File Operations Using the Open File Dialog and Save File Dialog Controls. Manipulating Files with the File Object. Manipulating Directories with the Directory Object. Hour 20. Controlling Other Applications Using Automation Creating a Reference to an Automation Library. Creating an Instance of an Automation Server. Manipulating the COM Server from the Client Code. Hour 21. Working with a Database Introduction to ADO.NET. Connecting to a Database. Manipulating Data. Using the Data Form Wizard. V. DEVELOPING SOLUTIONS AND BEYOND. Hour 22. Deploying a Visual C# .NET Solution. Creating a Custom Setup Program. Running a Custom Setup Program. Uninstalling an Application. Hour 23. Introduction to Web Development. Understanding ASP.NET. Creating Dynamic Web Content with Web Forms. Understanding XML Web Services. Hour 24. Building a Real-World Application. Building the Interface. Building the Main Menu. Building the Toolbar. Adding the List View to Display Albums. Adding the Browse For Database OpenFileDialog Control. Writing the Code for the CD Cataloger. Testing Your Application. VI. APPENDIXES. Appendix A. The 10,000-Foot View. The .NET Framework. The Common Language Runtime. Microsoft Intermediate Language. Namespaces and Classes in .NET. Common Type System. Garbage Collection. Appendix B. Answers to Quizzes. Hours 1-23. Index.