Microsoft Course 2124 - Programming with C# — A 5-Day Course

 Open Public Course Closed In-House Course

Course Synopsis

The goal of this course is to provide students with the knowledge and skills they need to develop C# applications for the Microsoft .NET Platform. The course focuses on C# program structure, language syntax, and implementation details.

C# was created to be the programming language best suited for writing enterprise applications for .NET. C# combines the high productivity of Microsoft Visual Basic with the raw power of C++. It is a simple, object-oriented, and type-safe programming language that is based on the C and C++ family of languages.

Course Objectives

On completion of this course, delegates should be able to:

• List the major elements of the .NET Framework and explain how C# fits into the .NET Platform
• Analyze the basic structure of a C# application and be able to document, debug, compile, and run a simple application
• Create, name, and assign values to variables
• Use common statements to implement flow control, looping, and exception handling
• Create methods (functions and subroutines) that can return values and take parameters
• Create, initialize, and use arrays
• Explain the basic concepts and terminology of object-oriented programming
• Use common objects and reference types
• Create, initialize, and destroy objects in a C# application
• Build new C# classes from existing classes
• Create self-contained classes and frameworks in a C# application
• Define operators, use delegates, and add event specifications
• Implement properties and indexers
• Use predefined and custom attributes

Intended Audience

This course is intended for experienced developers who already have programming experience in C, C++, Visual Basic, or Java. These developers will be likely to develop enterprise business solutions.

Course Prerequisites

Before attending this course, students must have:

• Experience with programming in C, C++, Visual Basic, Java, or another programming language
• Familiarity with the Microsoft .NET strategy as described on the Microsoft .NET Web site: http://www.microsoft.com/net/
• Familiarity with the .NET Framework

Microsoft Certified Professional Exams

There is no MCP exam associated with this course.

Course Materials

The student kit includes a comprehensive workbook and other necessary materials for this class.

Publicly scheduled dates, locations, and prices

Outline Course Contents

Module 1: Overview of the Microsoft .NET Platform

Take a closer look: Download Sample Module 1 (Portable Document Format, 850 KB).

The following topics are covered in this module:

• Introduction to the .NET Platform
• Overview of the .NET Framework
• Benefits of the .NET Framework
• The .NET Framework Components
• Languages in the .NET Framework

After completing this module, you will be able to list the major elements of the .NET Framework and explain how the C# language fits into the .NET Platform. This includes:

• Describing the .NET Platform
• Listing the main elements of the .NET Platform
• Explaining the language support in the .NET Framework
• Describing the .NET Framework and its components

Module 2: Overview of C#

Take a closer look: Download Sample Module 1 (Portable Document Format, 953 KB).

The following topics are covered in this module:

• Structure of a C# Program
• Basic Input/Output Operations
• Recommended Practices
• Compiling, Running, and Debugging

After completing this module, you will be able to analyze the basic structure of a C# application and be able to document, debug, compile, and run a simple application. This includes:

• Explaining the structure of a simple C# program
• Using the Console class of the System namespace to perform basic input/output operations
• Handling exceptions in a C# program
• Generating Extensible Markup Language (XML) documentation for a C# application
• Compiling and executing a C# program
• Using the Microsoft Visual Studio Debugger to trace program execution

Module 3: Using Value-Type Variables

The following topics are covered in this module:

• Common Type System
• Naming Variables
• Using Built-In Data Types
• Creating User-Defined Data Types
• Converting Data Types

After completing this module, you will be able to create, name, and assign values to variables. This includes:

• Describing the types of variables that you can use in C# applications
• Naming your variables according to standard C# naming conventions
• Declaring variables by using built-in data types
• Assigning values to variables
• Converting existing variables from one data type to another
• Creating and using your own data types

Module 4: Statements and Exceptions

The following topics are covered in this module:

• Introduction to Statements
• Using Selection Statements
• Using Iteration Statements
• Using Jump Statements
• Handling Basic Exceptions
• Raising Exceptions

After completing this module, you will be able to use common statements to implement flow control, looping, and exception handling. This includes:

• Describing the different types of control statements
• Using jump statements
• Using selection statements
• Using iteration statements
• Handling and raising exceptions

Module 5: Methods and Parameters

The following topics are covered in this module:

• Using Methods
• Using Parameters
• Using Overloaded Methods

After completing this module, you will be able to create methods (functions and subroutines) that can return values and take parameters. This includes:

• Creating static methods that accept parameters and return values
• Passing parameters to methods in different ways
• Declaring and using overloaded methods

Module 6: Arrays

The following topics are covered in this module:

• Overview of Arrays
• Creating Arrays
• Using Arrays

After completing this module, you will be able to create, initialize, and use arrays. This includes:

• Creating, initializing, and using arrays of varying rank
• Using command-line arguments in a C# program
• Describing the relationship between an array variable and an array instance
• Using arrays as parameters for methods
• Returning arrays from methods

Module 7: Essentials of Object-Oriented Programming

The following topics are covered in this module:

• Classes and Objects
• Using Encapsulation
• C# and Object Orientation
• Defining Object-Oriented Systems

After completing this module, you will be able to explain the basic concepts and terminology of object-oriented programming. This includes:

• Defining the terms object and class in the context of object-oriented programming
• Describing the three core aspects of an object: identity, state, and behavior
• Describing abstraction and how it helps you to create reusable classes that are easy to maintain
• Using encapsulation to combine methods and data in a single class and enforce abstraction
• Explaining the concepts of inheritance and polymorphism
• Creating and using classes in C#

Module 8: Using Reference-Type Variables

The following topics are covered in this module:

• Using Reference-Type Variables
• Using Common Reference Types
• The Object Hierarchy
• Namespaces in the .NET Framework
• Data Conversions

After completing this module, you will be able to use common objects and reference types. This includes:

• Describing the key differences between reference types and value types
• Using common reference types such as string
• Explaining how the object type works and becoming familiar with the methods it supplies
• Describing common namespaces in the .NET Framework
• Determining whether different types and objects are compatible
• Explicitly and implicitly converting data types between reference types
• Performing boxing and unboxing conversions between reference and value data

Module 9: Creating and Destroying Objects

The following topics are covered in this module:

• Using Constructors
• Initializing Data
• Objects and Memory
• Resource Managements

After completing this module, you will be able to create, initialize, and destroy objects in a C# application. This includes:

• Using constructors to initialize objects
• Creating overloaded constructors that can accept varying parameters
• Describing the lifetime of an object and what happens when it is destroyed
• Creating destructors and using Finalizemethods

Module 10: Inheritance in C#

The following topics are covered in this module:

• Deriving Classes
• Implementing Methods
• Using Sealed Classes
• Using Interfaces
• Using Abstract Classes

After completing this module, you will be able to build new C# classes from existing classes. This includes:

• Deriving a new class from a base class and calling members and constructors of the base class from the derived class
• Declaring methods as virtual and override or hiding them as required
• Sealing a class so that it cannot be derived from
• Implementing interfaces by using both the implicit and explicit methods
• Describing the use of abstract classes and their implementation of interfaces

Module 11: Aggregation, Namespaces, and Advanced Scope

The following topics are covered in this module:

• Using Internal Classes, Methods, and Data
• Using Aggregation
• Using Namespaces
• Using Modules and Assemblies

After completing this module, you will be able to create self-contained classes and frameworks in a C# application. This includes:

• Using internal access to allow classes to have privileged access to each other
• Using aggregation to implement powerful patterns such as Factories
• Using namespaces to organize classes
• Creating simple modules and assemblies

Module 12: Operators and Events

The following topics are covered in this module:

• Introduction to Operators
• Operator Overloading
• Creating and Using Delegates
• Defining and Using Events

After completing this module, you will be able to define operators, use delegates, and add event specifications. This includes:

• Defining operators to make a class or struct easier to use
• Using delegates to decouple a method call from a method implementation
• Adding event specifications to a class to allow subscribing classes to be notified of changes in object state

Module 13: Properties and Indexers

The following topics are covered in this module:

• Using Properties
• Using Indexers

After completing this module, you will be able to implement properties and indexers. This includes:

• Creating properties to encapsulate data within a class
• Defining indexers to gain access to classes by using array-like notation

Module 14: Attributes

The following topics are covered in this module:

• Overview of Attributes
• Defining Custom Attributes
• Retrieving Attribute Values

After completing this module, you will be able to use predefined and custom attributes. This includes:

• Using common predefined attributes
• Creating simple custom attributes
• Querying attribute information at run time