1. The Philosophy of NET


2. Building C# Applications


3. Core C# Programming Constructs, Part I


4. Core C# Programming Constructs, Part II


5. Defining Encapsulated Class Types


6. Understanding Inheritance and Polymorphism


7. Understanding Structured Exception Handling


8. Understanding Object Lifetime


9. Working with Interfaces


10. Understanding Generics


11. Delegates, Events, and Lambdas


12. Advanced C# Language Features


13. LINQ to Objects


14. Configuring NET Assemblies


15. Type Reflection, Late Binding, and Attribute-Based Prog


16. Processes, AppDomains, and Object Contexts


17. Understanding CIL and the Role of Dynamic Assemblies


18. Dynamic Types and the Dynamic Language Runtime


19. Multithreaded and Parallel Programming


20. File I/O and Object Serialization


21. ADO.NET Part I: The Connected Layer


22. ADO.NET Part II: The Disconnected Layer


23. ADO.NET Part III: The Entity Framework


24. Introducing LINQ to XML


25. Introducing Windows Communication Foundation


26. Introducing Windows Workflow Foundation 40


27. Introducing Windows Presentation Foundation and XAML


28. Programming with WPF Controls


29. WPF Graphics Rendering Services


30. WPF Resources, Animations, and Styles


31. WPF Control Templates and UserControls


32. Building ASP.NET Web Pages


33. ASP.NET Web Controls, Master Pages and Theme


34. ASP.NET State Management Techniques

The first edition of this book was released at the 2001 Tech-Ed conference in Atlanta, Georgia. At that time, the .NET platform was still a beta product, and in many ways, so was this book. This is not to say that the early editions of this text did not have merit-after all, the book was a 2002 Jolt Award finalist and it won the 2003 Referenceware Excellence Award. However, over the years that author Andrew Troelsen spent working with the common language runtime (CLR), he gained a much deeper understanding of the .NET platform and the subtleties of the C# programming language, and he feels that this fifth edition of the book is as close to a "final release" as he's come yet.

This new edition has been comprehensively revised and rewritten to make it accurately reflect the C# 4 language specification for the .NET 4 platform. You'll find new chapters covering the important concepts of dynamic lookups, named and optional arguments, Parallel LINQ (PLINQ), improved COM interop, and variance for generics.

If you're checking out this book for the first time, do understand that it's targeted at experienced software professionals and/or graduate students of computer science (so don't expect three chapters on iteration or decision constructs!). The mission of this text is to provide you with a rock-solid foundation in the C# programming language and the core aspects of the .NET platform (assemblies, remoting, Windows Forms, Web Forms, ADO.NET, XML web services, etc.). Once you digest the information presented in these 25 chapters, you'll be in a perfect position to apply this knowledge to your specific programming assignments, and you'll be well equipped to explore the .NET universe on your own terms.

Andrew Troelsen is a partner, trainer, and consultant at Intertech Inc., and is a leading authority on both .NET and COM. His book Pro C# 2005 and the .NET 2.0 Platform won the prestigious 2003 Referenceware Excellence Award and is in its third edition. Also of note are his earlier five-star treatment of traditional COM in the bestselling Developer's Workshop to COM and ATL mirrored in his book, COM and .NET Interoperability, and his top-notch investigation of VB .NET in Visual Basic .NET and the .NET Platform: An Advanced Guide. Troelsen has a degree in mathematical linguistics and South Asian studies from the University of Minnesota, and is a frequent speaker at numerous .NET-related conferences. He currently lives in Minneapolis with his wife, Amanda, and spends his free time investigating .NET and waiting for the Wild to win the Stanley Cup. You can check out his blog at AndrewTroelsen.blogspot.com.