Concise but thorough, this second edition of C# Essentials introduces the Microsoft C# programming language, including the Microsoft .NET Common Language Runtime (CLR) and .NET Framework Class Libraries (FCL) that support it. This book?s compact format and terse presentation of key concepts serve as a roadmap to the online documentation included with the Microsoft .NET Framework SDK; the many examples provide much-needed context.This new edition has been updated to cover the final release of the C# language. In addition to overviews of C#, the CLR, and the FCL, this new edition of C# Essentials covers:
* Every C# language element and its syntax, in reference format, including new keywords
* The major C# datatypes, with code examples
* Common C# programming tasks
* Interoperation with legacy Win32 APIs and COM components, and the use of C/C++ style pointers within the managed context of the CLR
* Common development issues
C# Essentials is an easy way for experienced programmers to evaluate and get up to speed quickly on the language best suited to developing web applications and services on the new Microsoft .NET platform.

Ben Albahari is cofounder of Genamics, a provider of tools for C# and J++ programmers, as well as software for DNA and protein sequence analysis. He is author of A Comparative Overview of C#, a frequently cited comparison of C# with C/C++ and Java that was recently named by DevX as one of the top 10 .NET sites. Ben is a resident of Perth, Australia, and in his spare time enjoys composing music on his computer. He can be reached at ben@genamics.com.

Peter Drayton is an independent consultant, helping early-stage companies define and build systems that take advantage of technologies such as .NET, SOAP, XML, and COM+. Peter is also an instructor for DevelopMentor, where he teaches Essential C#.NET. Originally from Cape Town, South Africa, Peter now lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with his wife, Julie. He spends his spare time researching .NET and tinkering with a small flotilla of computers cluttering up their a partment. He can be reached at peter@razorsoft.com.

Brad Merrill works as a software engineer in the .NET Framework Integration team at Microsoft. He previously worked as a software engineer at Digital Equipment Corporation and Sybase. His areas of expertise are in distributed systems, transaction processing, operating systems, and compiler technology. Brad lives in Redmond, Washington, and is an avid tournament chess player and bridge player. He can be reached at zbrad@gte.net or http: //www.cybercom.net/ zbrad.

Preface;
Audience;
About This Book;
C# Online;
Conventions Used in This Book;
How to Contact Us;
Acknowledgments;
Chapter 1: Introduction;
1.1 C# Language;
1.2 Common Language Runtime;
1.3 Framework Class Library;
1.4 A First C# Program;
Chapter 2: C# Language Reference;
2.1 Identifiers;
2.2 Types;
2.3 Variables;
2.4 Expressions and Operators;
2.5 Statements;
2.6 Organizing Types;
2.7 Inheritance;
2.8 Access Modifiers;
2.9 Classes and Structs;
2.10 Interfaces;
2.11 Arrays;
2.12 Enums;
2.13 Delegates;
2.14 Events;
2.15 try Statements and Exceptions;
2.16 Attributes;
2.17 Unsafe Code and Pointers;
2.18 Preprocessor Directives;
2.19 XML Documentation;
Chapter 3: Programming the.NET Framework;
3.1 Common Types;
3.2 Math;
3.3 Strings;
3.4 Collections;
3.5 Regular Expressions;
3.6 Input/Output;
3.7 Networking;
3.8 Threading;
3.9 Assemblies;
3.10 Reflection;
3.11 Custom Attributes;
3.12 Automatic Memory Management;
3.13 Interop with Native DLLs;
3.14 Interop with COM;
Chapter 4: Framework Class Library Overview;
4.1 Core Types;
4.2 Text;
4.3 Collections;
4.4 Streams and I/O;
4.5 Networking;
4.6 Threading;
4.7 Security;
4.8 Reflection and Metadata;
4.9 Assemblies;
4.10 Serialization;
4.11 Remoting;
4.12 Web Services;
4.13 Data Access;
4.14 XML;
4.15 Graphics;
4.16 Rich Client Applications;
4.17 Web-Based Applications;
4.18 Globalization;
4.19 Configuration;
4.20 Advanced Component Services;
4.21 Diagnostics and Debugging;
4.22 Interoperating with Unmanaged Code;
4.23 Compiler and Tool Support;
4.24 Runtime Facilities;
4.25 Native OS Facilities;
4.26 Undocumented Types;
Chapter 5: Essential .NET Tools;
C# Keywords;
Regular Expressions;
Format Specifiers;
Picture Format Specifiers;
DateTime Format Specifiers;
Data Marshaling;
Working with Assemblies;
Building Shareable Assemblies;
Managing the Global Assembly Cache;
Using nmake;
Namespaces and Assemblies;
Colophon;