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Introduction to C Sharp(C#) Programming Language
Introduction to C#
C Sharp (C#) is a programming language designed for building a wide range of applications that run on the .NET Framework. Microsoft introduced C Sharp (C#) as a new programming language to address problems posed by traditional languages. C# was developed to provide the following benefits:
- Create a very simple yet powerful tool for building interoperable, scalable, and robust applications.
- Create a complete object-oriented architecture.
- Support powerful component-oriented development.
- Allow access to many features previously available only in C++ while retaining the ease of use of a rapid application development tool such as Visual Basic.
- Provide familiarity to programmers coming from C or C++ backgrounds.
- Allow to write applications that target both desktop and mobile devices.
1: Purpose of C# Language
Microsoft NET Was formerly known as Next Generation Windows Services (NGWS). It is a completely new platform for developing the next generation of Windows/Web applications. These applications transcend device boundaries and fully harness the power of the Internet. However, building the new platform required a language that could take full advantage. This is one of the factors that led to the development of C#.
C# is an object-oriented language derived from Cand C++. The goal of C# is to provide a simple, efficient, productive, and object-oriented language that is familiar and yet at the same time revolutionary.
Note: C# has evolved from C/C++. Hence, it retains its family name. The # (hash symbol) in musical notations is used to refer to a sharp note and is called Sharp; hence, the name is pronounced as C Sharp.
2. Language Features
C# has features common to most object-oriented languages and in addition, it has language-specific features, such as type safety checking, generics, and indexers that make it the preferred language for creating a wide variety of applications.
Some of its key features are as follows:
- Object-oriented Programming: C# application programming focuses on objects so that code written once can be reused. This helps reduce time and effort on the part of developers.
- Type-safety Checking: Uninitialized variables cannot be used in C#. Overflow of types can be checked. C# is a case-sensitive language.
- Garbage Collection: Performs automatic memory management occasionally and spares the programmer the task.
- Standardization by European Computer Manufacturers Association (ECMA): This standard specifies the syntax and constraints used to create standard C# programs.
- Generic Types and Methods: Generics are a type of data structure that contains code that remains the same throughout but the data type of the parameters can change with each use.
- Iterators: Enable looping (or iterations) on user-defined data types with the for-each loop.
- Static Classes: Contain only static members and do not require instantiation.
- Partial Classes: Allow the user to split a single class into multiple source code (.cs) files.
- Anonymous Methods: Enable the user to specify a small block of code within the delegate declaration.
- Methods with Named Arguments: Enable the user to associate a method argument with a name rather than its position in the argument list.
- Methods with Optional Arguments: Allow the user to define a method with the argument with a default value. The caller of the method may or may not pass the optional argument value during the method invocation.
- Nullable Types: Allow a variable to contain an undefined value.
- Accessor Accessibility: Allows the user to specify the accessibility levels of the get and set accessors.
- Auto-implemented Properties: Allow the user to create a property without explicitly providing the methods to get and set the value of the property.
- Parallel Computing: In .NET Framework and C#, there is strong support for parallel programming which develops efficient, fine-grained, and scalable parallel code without working directly with threads or the thread pool.
3. Applications of C#
C Sharp (C#) is an object-oriented language that can be used in several applications. Some of the applications are as follows:
- Web applications
- Web services
- Gaming applications
- Large-scale enterprise applications
- Mobile applications for pocket PCs, PDAs, and cell phones
- Simple standalone desktop applications such as Library Management Systems, Student Mark Sheet generation, and so on
- Complex distributed applications that can spread over many cities or countries
- Cloud applications
Note: The security features built into C# make it possible to provide safe and secure solutions for enterprises.
4. Advantages of C#
C# has become a preferred programming language over C++ because of its simplicity and user-friendliness. The advantages of C# are as follows:
- Cross-Language Support: The code written in any other .NET language can be easily used and integrated with C# applications.
- Common Internet Protocols: .NET offers extensive support for XML, the preferred choice for formatting information over the Internet. Additionally, support for transfer via SOAP is also integrated.
- Simple Deployment: Deployment of C# applications is made simple by the concept of assemblies. An assembly is a self-describing collection of code and resources. It specifies the exact location and version of any other code it requires.
- XML Documentation: Comments can be placed in XML format and can then be used as required to document your code. This documentation can include example code, parameters, and references to other topics. It makes sense for a developer to document his or her code because those comments can become documentation independent of the source code.
Note: SOAP is a lightweight protocol for information exchange.
5. Memory Management
In programming languages like C and C++, the allocation and de-allocation of memory is done manually. Performing these tasks manually is both, time-consuming and difficult.
The C Sharp (C#) language provides the feature of allocating and releasing memory using automatic memory management. This means that there is no necessity to write code to allocate memory when objects are created or to release memory when objects are not required in the application. Automatic memory management increases code quality and enhances performance and productivity.
6. Garbage Collection
The process of allocating and de-allocating memory using automatic memory management is done with the help of a garbage collector. Thus, garbage collection is the automatic reclaiming of memory from objects that are no longer in scope. This means that when the object is out of scope, the memory will be free for use so that other objects can be allotted the memory.
Note: The garbage collection process involves two steps:
- Determine which objects in a program will not be accessed in the future
- Reclaim the storage used by those objects
In garbage collector, the memory is segregated into three ages Generation 0, Generation 1, and Generation 2. Generation 0 stores the newly created objects. The objects get stored until Generation O is full. Once Generation 0, is full it marks the objects which are not been in use for a long time. Once it marks the object it removes those objects and then transfers the remaining objects to Generation 1.
A similar process is performed in Generation 1 and 2.
The three ways in which the objects are removed from the memory are as follows:
- Dispose method - This method is called by the user and is used to remove those objects from memory that have no reference.
- Finalize method - The system calls this method, and it is used to clean up memory.
- Gc.collect method - This method is used for removing the object from memory forcefully.
Introduction to C# 9.0
C# 9.0 is the latest version of C# launched by Microsoft. C# 9.0 offers several new features, some of which include:
- Records - A record type provides immutability supported by the 'with' expression.
- Relational pattern matching - Almost in every C# version in recent years, a new pattern matching is added. In C# 9.0, relational pattern matching is added which extends pattern-matching capabilities to relational operators for comparative evaluations and expressions. The new keywords that have been added in pattern matching are AND, OR, and NOT.
- Top-level statement - It is used to make programs simpler and by using this feature, the main method can be omitted and the length of the program can be reduced.
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