First of all let me welcome you to the world of this new programming language. I hope you will have a basic idea about Object Oriented Programming languages because many languages like Java, C++ have come by the past 5 years. However, there will be no difficulty in learning this language if you are a fresher, because this tutorial and the coming ones will explain all the concepts and features right from the beginning.
Wherever required I explained the features involved in C-sharp by comparing them with Java. This will ensure smooth progress for experienced programmers. I recommend you to install the appropriate software’s outlined in the next section before learning this new language.
What you need to begin C-sharp (C#) Programming?
1 .NET Framework Software Development Kit (SDK) and
2 An Editor (like Notepad or DOS Editor) to write source codes.
Optional Requirements
1. Visual Studio .NET, Visual C# .NET Standard Edition, Visual Studio 2005, Visual Studio 2008 or Visual C# Express, Visual Basic Express
2. Visual C++ 6.0 included with VisualStudio 6.0
Installing .NET Framework SDK
As a first step you should install .NET SDK on your computer to begin C-sharp Programming. It can be downloaded from the Microsoft’s Website. It is also available with almost all the popular computing magazine CD’S. It also comes with the complete documentation in the form of HTML Help.
At the time of this writing only beta version of the kit is available. This kit enables you to compile & execute the source code in C#, Visual Basic by using its built-in Command line Compiler (csc and vbc) and runtime Just In Time (JIT) Compiler. This is similar to Java Compiler (javac) and Java Interpreter (java) included with Java Development Kit.
You can also develop applications with C-sharp and Visual Basic by using Visual Studio.NET languages like Visual C#.NET and Visual Basic.NET. This will help you to develop windows based applications easily and with limited effort because you don’t have to devote too much time in designing the user interface. The only work left for you to do is to write the codings appropriately as per the .NET Standards.
About the Editors
Notepad is the best choice among developers using .NET SDK to develop C# applications. However. it is not the most suitable editor since it does not support syntax coloring, code numberings etc.
Developers can use Visual C++ 6.0 included with Visual Studio 6.0. However they should make some tweaking in the registry before using the same. It supports syntax colorings and other features such as finding line numbers (Ctrl+G). However it is dangerous for a new user to make changes in registry. Hence only advanced and experienced users can be able to use Visual Studio 6.0 for developing C#. It is not possible to compile and execute the applications from the Visual C++ 6.0 Environment. Hence there is not much use except some of the features listed above.
Visual Studio provides all the integrated tools and wizards for creating C# and Visual Basic applications. It also supports features such as intellisense, Dynamic help. Moreover you can compile and execute your applications from the IDE itself. Hence in order to experience the power of developing the .NET applications, you should try Visual Studio.
Many Third Party Editors are now available either from magazine CDs or can be downloaded from the internet. However it is up to you to decide upon which editor to use. I recommend you to try one common editor and learn the language in full.
