The first edition of this book was released at the 2001 Tech-Ed conference in Atlanta, Georgia. At that time, the .NET platform was still a beta product, and in many ways, so was this book. This is not to say that the early editions of this text did not have merit—after all, the book was a 2002 Jolt Award finalist and it won the 2003 Referenceware Excellence Award. However, over the years that author Andrew Troelsen spent working with the common language runtime (CLR), he gained a much deeper understanding of the .NET platform and the subtleties of the C# programming language, and he feels that this fifth edition of the book is as close to a “final release” as he’s come yet. This new edition has been comprehensively revised and rewritten to make it accurately reflect the C# 4 language specification for the .NET 4 platform. You’ll find new chapters covering the important concepts of dynamic lookups, named and optional arguments, Parallel LINQ (PLINQ), improved COM interop, and variance for generics. If you’re checking out this book for the first time, do understand that it's targeted at experienced software professionals and/or graduate students of computer science (so don't expect three chapters on iteration or decision constructs!). The mission of this text is to provide you with a rock-solid foundation in the C# programming language and the core aspects of the .NET platform (assemblies, remoting, Windows Forms, Web Forms, ADO.NET, XML web services, etc.). Once you digest the information presented in these 25 chapters, you’ll be in a perfect position to apply this knowledge to your specific programming assignments, and you’ll be well equipped to explore the .NET universe on your own terms. What you’ll learn Be the first to understand the .NET 4 platform and Visual C# 2010. Discover the ins and outs of the leading .NET technology. Learn from an award-winning author who has been teaching the .NET world since version 1.0. Find complete coverage of the WPF, WCF, and WF foundations that support the core .NET platform. Who this book is for This book is for anyone with some software development experience who is interested in the new .NET Framework 4 and the C# language. Whether you are moving to .NET for the first time or are already writing applications on .NET 2.0 or .NET 3.5, this book will provide you with a comprehensive grounding in the new technology and serve as a complete reference throughout your coding career. Table of Contents The Philosophy of NET Building C# Applications Core C# Programming Constructs, Part I Core C# Programming Constructs, Part II Defining Encapsulated Class Types Understanding Inheritance and Polymorphism Understanding Structured Exception Handling Understanding Object Lifetime Working with Interfaces Understanding Generics Delegates, Events, and Lambdas Advanced C# Language Features LINQ to Objects Configuring NET Assemblies Type Reflection, Late Binding, and Attribute-Based Prog Processes, AppDomains, and Object Contexts Understanding CIL and the Role of Dynamic Assemblies Dynamic Types and the Dynamic Language Runtime Multithreaded and Parallel Programming File I/O and Object Serialization ADO.NET Part I: The Connected Layer ADO.NET Part II: The Disconnected Layer ADO.NET Part III: The Entity Framework Introducing LINQ to XML Introducing Windows Communication Foundation Introducing Windows Workflow Foundation 40 Introducing Windows Presentation Foundation and XAML Programming with WPF Controls WPF Graphics Rendering Services WPF Resources, Animations, and Styles WPF Control Templates and UserControls Building ASP.NET Web Pages ASP.NET Web Controls, Master Pages and Theme ASP.NET State Management Techniques