The short version of the review for this book is that by the time you complete it, you’ll know how to write basic C# applications and have some knowledge of intermediate topics as well. You won’t become an expert by reading this book, but that’s not the author’s intent.

What is it all about?

C# 2008 for Dummies is all about learning to write code using C#. The author, Chuck (he took the book over from Stephen Randy Davis), gets going right away. In the first chapter, the reader discovers how to create a project and write some very simple code. In fact, that first chapter is very busy because you actually write several simple examples in the space of 14 pages. You’ll also discover some very simple basics of the IDE such as creating a project and using the toolbox. However, the coverage is so light that I feel most readers won’t be able to do much useful with the IDE when they finish this chapter.

Part II of the book takes you through the same topics that you’ll find in any other novice-level language book. You’ll discover how to work with variables, operators, and program flow. The author moves on to collections next (which includes arrays), probably a smart move considering the capabilities that C# provides. Of special interest is Chapter 6 where the author spends considerable time working through the vagaries of strings. Most applications today make heavy use of strings, so it was nice to see a chapter dedicated to the topic of comparing, searching, trimming, splitting, concatenating, parsing, and formatting strings. More books should include this depth of coverage. I was a bit surprised to see that the StringBuilder didn’t get much coverage, considering how useful this particular object is when working with some types of code.

In Parts III and IV of the book, you begin working with objects. Part III focuses on the basics of using objects, while Part IV tells how to create objects of your own. There isn’t anything earth shattering about the coverage in either part. Chuck provides a good evenhanded discussion of object orientation that should get anyone started in the right direction. The information is definitely right on the mark. I did find some of the headings in these two parts a little odd and even counterintuitive—the author was trying to be clever at the expense of clarity. For example, in Chapter 7 you see the rather laborious heading, “Classes that Contain Classes Are the Happiest Classes in the World.” I’m not entirely sure what the author was trying say with that heading, but there were probably easier and clearer ways to say it.