C# is one of the most popular programming languages for Desktop and Web Applications. It is easier to start with than other languages and provides a great foundation for future growth.

It is a general-purpose language that uses the Common Language Runtime (CLR) under Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, and Linux. It supports object-oriented programming, which allows code to be broken into smaller components.

Object-Oriented Programming

Object-oriented programming (OOP) provides a modular way to build programs and create reusable code. OOP combines concepts like classes as blueprints for objects, encapsulation of data and methods, inheritance and polymorphism to provide flexibility in coding.

With encapsulation, code and data are bound within a container that keeps them protected from external interference and misuse. This binding also makes it easier to troubleshoot programs and collaborate with external developers.

Inheritance allows you to extend a class and create a hierarchy of classes with common features. For example, an animal class acts as a general template for all animals and each individual animal is an instance of that class with its own unique characteristics and behavior.

C# uses a unified type system to provide object-oriented programming capabilities. Value types are essentially variables that store data directly, while reference types act as a box for that data. When a reference type variable is cast to a value type, a check is made to ensure that the box holds a valid data item. This prevents the use of unsafe memory pointers.

Data Access

A database is a foundation of many applications and enables functions like inventory, supply chain management and business intelligence. Enterprise data resides in a variety of IT systems, including legacy databases such as Adabas, Db2, IMS, VSAM and Datacom. Modern applications need access to this data, both in motion and at rest.

The C# language supports robust data access with a unified type system that includes value types and reference types. Variables with value types contain their data directly, while variables with reference types store references to their data, enabling operations on one variable to affect the data accessed by another.

The language offers support for functional programming techniques through lambda expressions and LINQ syntax. It also supports exception handling and a structured approach to error recovery. Integrated garbage collection automatically reclaims memory occupied by unreachable unused objects and protects against memory leaks. C# integrates well with Microsoft technologies, making it easy to create Windows-based applications. It requires a little more time to compile and run than other languages and is primarily associated with Microsoft platforms, which may limit its use in some environments.

Graphics

Graphics programming involves the creation and manipulation of visual elements on a computer screen. It’s used in applications such as games, image processing, and data visualization. Incorporating graphics programming into your coding can make software more engaging and user-friendly. The C programming language has a long history of graphics programming and offers low-level access to hardware.

You can draw shapes, text, and images on a window using the Graphics object. It also supports drawing on a bitmap, which allows you to store and display graphics persistently. This can help speed up application performance, reduce memory usage, and increase stability.

The Graphics object’s methods fall into three categories: draw, fill, and miscellaneous. Draw methods create line, curve, and closed-curve drawings, while fill methods paint the interior of a graphics object. Miscellaneous methods include the setfillstyle and floodfill functions, which allow you to use any fill pattern for a shape.

Dialog boxes, such as those used in the Paint program to pick fonts and colors, are an essential part of any GUI-based application. You can add them to your applications by using pre-defined dialogs available in the GDI+ library.

Web Development

C# is one of the most powerful programming languages for web development. It is a high-level object-oriented language that allows developers to create web apps and services with incredible efficiency and smooth scalability. As a result, it has become the top choice for modern web development and is often used in web-based applications.

For example, Ancestry is an online genealogy platform that uses C# to store military data, DNA research and family tree information for users. Additionally, the AngularJS framework is a popular tool for web development with C#. It provides an intuitive UI for creating complex web applications with easy-to-use components.

Although PHP is also a popular programming language for web development, it is not as versatile as C#. This is because PHP is a scripting language, while C# is a high-level object-oriented programming language. Moreover, C# was designed for the Common Language Infrastructure (CLI) framework, which makes it compatible with various computer platforms and architectures. As such, it can be used for desktop, mobile, web, games and AI applications. In addition, it is a very secure programming language.

Asynchronous Programming

In our digital world, responsiveness and performance are critical. Without proper asynchronous programming, applications can become sluggish and unresponsive. Fortunately, C# offers a number of tools to help program independent tasks concurrently.

C#’s asynchronous workflow is accomplished with the async and await keywords, along with Task objects. The async keyword marks a method as asynchronous, and the await keyword tells the compiler to temporarily suspend execution of the method until a Task object is completed. The async and await keywords together provide a streamlined approach to asynchronous programming.

For example, consider an application that makes a series of requests to various microservices in parallel. Each of these requests is an asynchronous operation that yields results as they become available. Then, the application combines these results into a single web page. This is an asynchronous programming scenario where the async and await keywords are used appropriately. This code demonstrates how the async and await keywords work together to improve responsiveness and reduce processing overhead. The application is also more scalable and efficient when using this approach.