introduction to c# and .NET framework

C# is an elegant and type-safe object-oriented language that enables developers to build a variety of secure and robust applications that run on the .NET Framework. You can use C# to create Windows client applications, XML Web services, distributed components, client-server applications, database applications, and much, much more. Visual C# provides an advanced code editor, convenient user interface designers, integrated debugger, and many other tools to make it easier to develop applications based on the C# language and the .NET Framework.

As an object-oriented language, C# supports the concepts of encapsulation, inheritance, and polymorphism. All variables and methods, including the Mainmethod, the application's entry point, are encapsulated within class definitions. A class may inherit directly from one parent class, but it may implement any number of interfaces. Methods that override virtual methods in a parent class require the overridekeyword as a way to avoid accidental redefinition. In C#, a struct is like a lightweight class; it is a stack-allocated type that can implement interfaces but does not support inheritance.

The C# build process is simple compared to C and C++ and more flexible than in Java. There are no separate header files and no requirement that methods and types be declared in a particular order. A C# source file may define any number of classes, structs, interfaces, and events.

We normally use visual studio community edition for code purposes. The latest version is visual studio 2019. C# could theoretically be compiled to machine code, but in real life, it's always used in combination with the .NET framework. Therefore, applications written in C#, requires the .NET framework to be installed on the computer running the application. While the .NET framework makes it possible to use a wide range of languages, C# is sometimes referred to as THE .NET language, perhaps because it was designed together with the framework

Visual Studio Express can be downloaded for free from the Microsoft website. Visual Studio is separated into desktop development IDEs and web development. We'll focus on the web development download, but C# syntax is the same throughout each version. You should download the version that corresponds with what you plan to do. If you plan to code web applications, download Visual Studio for Web. If you plan to create desktop applications, download Visual Studio for Desktop.

The Visual Studio installation process takes several minutes. It can take up to an hour if your desktop isn't up-to-date with the latest, fastest software. You can use any database application with .NET as far as the database provider includes drivers for the Windows and .NET environment. This means you can choose an open-source platform, such as MySQL. Oracle is another database used commonly with .NET applications. It's best to use Microsoft SQL Server since it integrates seamlessly into your applications.