NET
Microsoft. NET is one of the latest and new technologies introduced by Microsoft
Corporation. Nowadays we use to connect to the internet using a computer
and a remote computer responses via a web page and a collection of web pages
are called as Web Sites. The Concept in .NET is that these websites can
integrate with other sites and services using Standard Protocols like HTTP.
- .NET Building Block Services such as file storage, calendar called Passport. NET
- .NET Device Software which will run on latest Internet Devices like Mobile Phones.
We can build robust, scalable, distributed applications with the help of .NET
and the part that helps us to develop these applications is called the .NET
Framework.
The .NET Framework contains Common Language Runtime (CLR) and the
.NET Framework class libraries also called as Base Class Libraries.
All the .NET languages (like C-sharp, VisualBasic.NET, Visual C++. NET etc) have
the .NET Framework class libraries built into them. The .NET class Libraries also
supports
File I/O, database operations, XML (Extensible Markup Language) and
SOAP (Simple Object Access Protocol). For example you can develop XML Pages
by using C-sharp language.
When someone talks about .NET development, then you should understand that they
are talking
about .NET Framework. It includes a Runtime environment and a set of Class
Libraries which is
being used by a new language called C-sharp abbreviated as C#
(more or less similar to C/C++/Java family of languages) and all other .NET
Languages.
Simply speaking C-sharp is a new language for developing custom solutions
for Microsoft's .NET Platform.
You should note that the syntaxes and other programming structures differ from each of these
languages. The only difference is that a developer well versed with a language such as C-sharp
can easily program in Visual Basic.NET or Visual C++.NET without investing a lot or spending too
long to learn a new language.
First of all let me welcome you to the world of this new programming language.
I hope you will have a basic idea about Object Oriented Programming languages
because
many languages like Java, C++ have come by the past 5 years.However there will
be no
difficulty in learning this language if you are a fresher, because this tutorial and the
coming ones will explain all the concepts and features right from the beginning.
As a first step you should install .NET SDK on your computer to begin C-sharp
Programming.
It can be downloaded from the Microsoft's Website. It is also available with almost all
the
popular computing magazine CD'S. It also comes with the complete documentation
in the form of HTML Help.
At the time of this writing only beta version of the kit is available. This kit enables
you to
compile & execute the source code in C#, Visual Basic by using its built-in
Command line Compiler (csc and vbc) and runtime Just In Time (JIT) Compiler.
This is similar to Java Compiler (javac) and Java Interpreter (java) included
with Java Development Kit.
You can also develop applications with C-sharp and Visual Basic by using Visual
Studio.NET
languages like Visual C#.NET and Visual Basic.NET. This will help you to develop
windows based
applications easily and with limited effort because you don't have to devote too much
Notepad is the best choice among developers using .NET SDK to develop C#
applications.
However it is not the most suitable editor since it does not support syntax coloring,
code numberings etc.
Developers can use Visual C++ 6.0 included with Visual Studio 6.0. However they
should make some tweaking in the registry before using the same. It supports
syntax colorings
and other features such as finding line numbers (Ctrl+G). However it is dangerous
for a new user
to make changes in registry. Hence only advanced and experienced users can be
able to use
Visual Studio 6.0 for developing C#. It is not possible to compile and execute
the applications from the Visual C++ 6.0 Environment.
Hence there is not much use except some of the features listed above.
VisualStudio.NET provides all the integrated tools and wizards for creating C# and
Visual Basic applications. It also supports features such as intellisense, Dynamic
help.
Moreover you can compile and execute your applications from the IDE itself.
Hence in order to experience the power of developing the .NET
applications, you should try VisualStudio.NET.
Many Third Party editors are now available either from magazine's CD'S or
can be downloaded from the internet. However it is up to you to decide
upon which editor to use. I recommend you to try one common
editor and learn the language in full.
After understanding the fundamentals of .NET and its Structure, let us now move on
to
look at a classic Hello C# Program. As I mentioned in the previous tutorial, you can
use any text editor as per your Convenience.
Listing 3.1 gives the coding for this simple Hello C# Program.
What to do next: -
- If there are compile errors then you will be prompted accordingly, otherwise you
will be getting a command prompt with the copyright information. Keep in mind
that the compiler generates MSIL.
- Your next job is to execute the program to view the final Output. For that purpose
you have to simply give Hello at the command Prompt. If everything goes on well,
a message Hello C# will be printed on the Screen.
You can view the MSIL Code generated by any .NET Language with the help of an
Utility
called Intermediate Language Disassembler or shortly ILDASM. This utility will
display
the application's information in a tree like fashion. Since the contents of this file is
read only, a Programmer or anybody accessing these files cannot make any
modifications to the output generated by the Source Code.
To view the MSIL Code for the above Hello C# Program, open Hello.exe file from
the ILDASM tool. In Windows 98, ME & NT this tool can be accessed via
start - programs - Microsoft .NET Framework SDK - Tools - IL Disassembler
I am giving below the process occurring to the source code, during the compilation
and
execution stages once again for your reference.
Compilation Stage: -
C# Compiler produces MSIL as output after compilation. It is itself a complete
language
and it is more or less similar to Assembly language. MSIL stands for Microsoft
Intermediate Language.
The same thing happens to any application written in any CLR Compliant
Language like Visual Basic.NET, Visual C++.NET etc.
Execution Stage: -
The MSIL is then compiled into native CPU instructions by using JIT (Just in Time)
compiler
at the time of the program execution. The Source Code is recompiled and
executed only after making any changes to it .
Now let us analyze the Hello C# Program as a whole. I am giving below the code
once again for your reference. Please note that the line numbers are given for
clarification
and explanation and is not a part of the Source Code.