C# Fundamentals: Building Your First Application

C# is a powerful, type-safe programming language developed by Microsoft. In this guide, we'll explore the fundamentals of C# and build your first application.

Getting Started with C#

C# is part of the .NET ecosystem and provides:

• Strong typing: Catch errors at compile time
• Memory management: Automatic garbage collection
• Rich ecosystem: Extensive libraries and frameworks
• Cross-platform: Runs on Windows, macOS, and Linux

Your First C# Program

Let's start with the classic "Hello World" example:

using System;

namespace MyFirstApp
{
    class Program
    {
        static void Main(string[] args)
        {
            Console.WriteLine("Hello, World!");
            Console.ReadLine();
        }
    }
}

Object-Oriented Programming

C# is an object-oriented language. Here's a simple class example:

public class Person
{
    public string Name { get; set; }
    public int Age { get; set; }
    
    public void Introduce()
    {
        Console.WriteLine($"Hi, I'm {Name} and I'm {Age} years old.");
    }
}

Collections and LINQ

C# provides powerful collection types and LINQ for data manipulation:

var numbers = new List<int> { 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 };
var evenNumbers = numbers.Where(n => n % 2 == 0).ToList();

foreach (var number in evenNumbers)
{
    Console.WriteLine(number);
}

Exception Handling

Proper error handling is crucial in C#:

try
{
    int result = 10 / 0;
}
catch (DivideByZeroException ex)
{
    Console.WriteLine($"Error: {ex.Message}");
}
finally
{
    Console.WriteLine("This always executes");
}

Next Steps

Now that you understand the basics, explore:

• ASP.NET Core for web development
• Entity Framework for database access
• Xamarin for mobile development
• Unity for game development

C# is a versatile language that opens many doors in software development!