Customer Reviews

Microsoft® Visual C#® .NET Step by Step--Version 2003 (Step by Step (Microsoft))

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

Granted, it probably helps if you're migrating from another language (like I was - from VB), but it's an excellent text which gives you plenty of background & extra information, then takes you into step-by-step exercises to reinforce what you just read. This methodology really worked for me, and I highly recommend this book. Initially, I was concerned that it was going to be literally just step-by-step instructions on how to use C# and Visual Studio .NET, but the information between the exercises, plus additional notes and best practices really helped me out with learning the language and some potential gotchas.

I've been using Visual C++ 6.0 at work for the past few years and was looking for something to help me with transitioning to C# and .NET. I settled on the 2003 version of this book and was not disappointed. The title says it all really - it's a concise and tutorial-like introduction to C# programming using Visual Studio.NET. The book is very well organized with "how-to" summaries at the end of each chapter, and numerous notes/hints throughout that list the sometimes subtle differences between C++/Java and C#.

This was my first step-by-step book and I liked how the exercises were presented. In the early chapters, you are typically asked to open an existing project and make code or design modifications that demonstrate the topic at hand. This approach helps to speed things along and I didn't feel at any time that I was bogged down on any one chapter or exercise for too long. Before each exercise, I made a point of reviewing all of the application code first, including the forms code generated by Visual Studio. For example, as early as Chapter 2, I could see more or less how GUI event handlers are registered, even though I hadn't yet reached the section on WinForms or delegates.

One suggestion I do have for the authors in any future editions is to talk more about configuring your PC before doing any ADO.NET or ASP.NET programming, e.g., how to troubleshoot when things aren't working. Even though I had MSDE and IIS installed properly, I initially had problems creating the Northwind sample database, and also with creating new ASP projects in Visual Studio (VS needs to be able to connect to your IIS server first before it can create/open ASP projects). The book didn't help me much here (neither did Visual Studio's cryptic error messages) and I had to dig around on MSDN and CodeGuru to get things working.

With regards to content, there are a couple of noteworthy items. The chapter on value and reference types does a very good job of explaining concepts such as "boxing" using diagrams and sample code. The diagrams show you exactly what are the contents of stack versus heap memory as each line of sample code is executed. Another section I liked was the sample exercise in the chapter on inheritance, which simulated a source file parser using the Visitor design pattern. The authors could have explained the program better though, by using class diagrams possibly.

Overall I am quite pleased with this book and the outcome of having gone through all of the exercises. Now it's time for me to look for something more advanced on topics such as threading, .NET remoting, GDI+, ...

This book is a great introduction to the C# language. The only drawback is that you need Visual Studio.NET to be able to complete the exercises; but then again, C# is an invention of Microsoft si it is understandable.
Some reviewers have expressed concern for it not being for beginners. Be aware that the object oriented model of programming has been an integral part of every language since the invention of C++ in the 1980's. If you are interested in non-OOP languages you can try C. If you like to understand a little more about OOP before starting this book grab Beggining C# Objects as an intro both to the language and the method.

Coming from a VB background I chose two books to step up to C#. The first was Charles Petzolds excellent book, programming in the key of C#. My second book was this one. While this fills in many holes left out of Petzolds book, (mainly to do with the .NET framework & the .NET IDE, since Petzold deals purely with the C# language) it does so at the expense of clarity & in depth explanations as to `why' we do certain things. Often this book uses explanations dealing with as yet explained methods or objects, hence its flow is not contiguous, & the information supplied shallow. Had I not first worked through the `Key of C#' book, I would have been left scratching my head with this one. As in one example, it uses the conditional ternary operator statement having not yet explained this simple yet enigmatic little piece of code. (Fortunately I'd learnt this in the previous book). At other times, it gives examples that don't result in anything of value as code methodology. In another example the authors declare a property as 'money' without any prior indication of creating a money class, which led me to search MSDN online documentation for a non existent money data type that i may have overlooked. Not good. They have a skill of muddying simple concepts with overly complex examples. I came away thinking this book would be more for the experienced C++ developer, however, it doesn't really supply any ground breaking information on C# or its framework; it only skims over what could be discovered by yourself with a bit of exploration.
As I said originally, it does serve to fill in some gaps left out by other books, but I would steer away from this book if you are a beginner or even new to OOP. Another thing that in fact annoyed me about this book was its false claim that the .NET guidelines recommend against ANY use of Hungarian Notation at all. In fact the guidelines only recommend against using hn for exposed members. Private variables are still up to the team to decide upon. This was personal point of view & not related to true recommendations.

This book may better well serve as a reference but definitely not as a step by step beginner's book. It will leave you with more questions than answers. I would go for a book more dedicated to a particular facet of .NET, rather than this `all in one' step by step. For that reason, I'd probably choose Petzolds if you're looking to learn the C# `language', (It is also an excellent start in learning about OOP, though it doesn't touch upon Interfaces). There are also other excellent books on OOP, ADO & the .NET framework.

The style of this book leads me to believe it was written with the C++/Java developer in mind who want a quick jump to C#, rather than the VB developer who needs to adapt to the new framework. I'd only buy it if what you're looking for is a brief overview of the lot.

This is by far one of the best programming books I have ever bought. The authors explain the C# concepts very well and walk you through examples that not only teach the language concepts but also give you useful programming tips that you will need. For example, the chapter on using Methods gives you an example of the method that shows you how to read input from a console.

That said, this is not a beginners programming book. You really need some knowledge of object oriented programming and it helps to be familliar with the Microsoft IDE (either VC++ or VB). If you have some experience with those then this is a great book to learn C#. Also I find the Microsoft Press "Step By Step" book much easier to follow then their other reference books.

Note to Amazon staff:

Please take down the review by:
Reviewer: alleyrat001 from Watervliet, NY United States
March 6, 2004

"alleyrat" is obviously talking about a different book for C++ not c#. You must clear up with him which text he is referring to but it is obvious that none of the page references even remotely match.

This erroneous low score is dragging down the overall review rating.

I liked the book so much that I took it upon myself to help right this wrong.

PERFECT FOR BEGINNERS!

I bought about a dozen C# books from a store that does close-outs. For a few dollars I stocked a full C# reference library with all the major titles. I may not be an expert but if there is a C# text I have read at least parts of it.

Even though it is not a reference text and they do not go into some fancier stuff in too much detail, the way the authors explain and properly use the power of Visual Studio is so good that I wind up using this book more than any other.

I may dig more for speciific examples in other ref. books or on the net(who doesn't) but if I want to get the solid explanation I start here.

You cannot write productively .net code without VS!

when you see a book that says in the the Intro that you can whip out your ole' Notepad and go just keep going... Those are the geeks that will keep you going in circles with cryptic explanations of a term that include three or more new never previously defined terms.

Ole' Notepad is like a flight instructor coming to class and saying: "You can fly from Houston to Seattle and you can also walk so class, put on your walking shoes and bon voyage!" "But sir, what about flying?" "Well we'll get into that when you walk back from Seattle."

So if you do not want to walk( or crawl) with .net you have to start with the Visual Studio IDE right off the bat and this book does just that best.

Even though I had a whole shelf of other books already I had to pay full price for this one and it was worth every penny.

Cudos!

This book is detail oriented, and goes into some depth into the structure and capablities of the language.Overall it is well organized and focused with little fluff, and does touch on relavant topics. However, there is little in the way of the 'hands on' projects that can be found in a tutorial or most college textbooks..I found this aspect annoying since this is the primary way I learn. Ultimatley, I will end up using it for a referance

If you are already familiar with C++ and/or Java, this book is most likely too basic for an introduction to C#. I have been using "Microsoft Visual C# .NET Step by Step--Version 2003" by Jon Jagger for about 2.5 months now and the level of information feels like a first course in compsci (title is "Step by Step" - suppose that makes sense). There are (very important) details in Visual Studio, such as defining references and dependencies, that are not covered. In addition, the section on Windows Forms is rather weak. Most Windows applications have multiple controls and forms and the important mechanisms to allow communication between multple controls and forms is not mentioned. Despite the shortcomings, it is useful to at least see the concepts in the book and have some idea of the meaning. I was rusty on C/C++ and this book did serve as a nice refresher to object oriented programming. In summary, an basic/adaquate introduction to C# suitable for object oriented programming beginners- it holds true to the "Step by Step" name. For more information regarding Windows forms and controls, seek out another more detailed C# book.

this is pretty good book for a beginner who has some programming experience and wish to learn C#. i have read some of the comments such as "Definitely Not For Beginners". i would like to say, probably the reader doesn't know how to program at all. the example is easy to follow. i have to admit that i didn't test on all the sample code from CD, but with the thorough elaboration learned from the book, it's enough for me to write my own testing code. For example, there is some topic about ArrayList and the book provide a sample for playing card, instead of using the sample provided, i rather write my own to test it out.

this book is not for those who want to learn windows programming in c# or web development. if you already know c# but want to know more about windows / asp.net programming. this is not the book for you.

If you're looking for a book to teach you how to program C# using Visual Studio, this is the book for you. The authors put as much focus on how to use the development environment as they put into the language. Previous exposure to programming and object-oriented concepts are helpful, but not required. I strongly recommend the book to those who are new to C# and/or Microsoft's Visual Studio environment. *Note that this is for version 2003, not the 2002 edition.