Introduction to C#

Welcome to the C# basics tutorial, part of the comprehensive MSDN .NET documentation. This guide will introduce you to the fundamental concepts of the C# programming language, enabling you to start building your own applications.

What is C#?

C# (pronounced "C sharp") is a modern, object-oriented, and type-safe programming language developed by Microsoft. It is designed for building a wide range of applications on the .NET platform, from desktop applications to web services and mobile apps.

Key Features of C#:

Object-Oriented: C# supports encapsulation, inheritance, and polymorphism, allowing for modular and reusable code.
Type-Safe: The language enforces strict type checking at compile-time, helping to prevent many common programming errors.
Managed Code: C# code runs within the Common Language Runtime (CLR), which provides services like memory management (garbage collection) and exception handling.
Versatile: It can be used for developing Windows applications, web applications (ASP.NET), mobile applications (Xamarin), cloud services, games (Unity), and more.
Modern Syntax: C# has a clear and expressive syntax, making it relatively easy to learn and use.

Getting Started

To begin writing C# code, you'll need a development environment. The most popular choice is Visual Studio, a powerful Integrated Development Environment (IDE) from Microsoft. You can also use Visual Studio Code with the C# extension for a lighter-weight experience, or the .NET SDK directly from the command line.

Your First C# Program: "Hello, World!"

Let's write a simple program to display "Hello, World!" on the console.


using System;

public class HelloWorld
{
    public static void Main(string[] args)
    {
        Console.WriteLine("Hello, World!");
    }
}

When you run this code, it will output:


Hello, World!

Explanation of the Code:

using System;: This line imports the System namespace, which contains fundamental classes like Console.
public class HelloWorld: This defines a class named HelloWorld. In C#, all code resides within classes.
public static void Main(string[] args): This is the entry point of your program. When you run the application, the code inside the Main method is executed first.
Console.WriteLine("Hello, World!");: This line uses the WriteLine method from the Console class to print the string "Hello, World!" to the standard output (usually your terminal or console window).

Next Steps

Now that you've seen a basic C# program, you're ready to dive deeper. The next tutorial will cover Variables and Data Types, which are essential for storing and manipulating data in your programs.

The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.