CHAPTER 2 BUILDING C# APPLICATIONS
Note At the risk of sounding like a broken record, I really can’t emphasize enough how important it is that you learn
to use the .NET Framework 4.5 SDK documentation. No book, no matter how lengthy, can cover every aspect of the
.NET platform. Make sure you take some time to get comfortable using the help system—you’ll thank yourself later.
Summary
So as you can see, you have many new toys at your disposal! The point of this chapter was to provide you
with a tour of the major programming tools a C# programmer may leverage during the development
process. You began the journey by learning how to generate .NET assemblies using nothing other than
the free C# compiler (csc.exe) and Notepad/Notepad++ applications, and were walked through the
process of using these tools to edit and compile *.cs code files.
You were also introduced three feature-rich IDEs, starting with the open source SharpDevelop,
followed by Microsoft’s Visual C# Express and Visual Studio Professional. While this chapter only
scratched the surface of each tool’s functionality, you should be in a good position to explore your
chosen IDE at your leisure (and remember that you’ll see additional features of Visual Studio as you
progress through the book).
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