Description

Microsoft has completely reinvented the beginning programmer's tutorial, reflecting deep research into how today's beginners learn, and why other books fall short. Begin to Code with C# is packed with innovations, starting with its 'Snaps' library of pre-built operations. It's full of 'Make Something Happen' projects that let learners practice and build skills as they create their own programs. Begin to Code with C# balances playful exposition and illustration of programming fundamentals with the readers own creative input. This full-colour book will inspire students to start solving problems and creating programs with code, even if they have absolutely no programming experience.

Features

• A beginner's guide to give you creative, hands-on input
• Packed with 'Make Something Happen' exercises to show off growing skills and help students build original code of their own
• Reflects deep analysis of what hasn't worked in other beginner's guides, and innovative thinking about how to teach programming more effectively

Table of Contents

Contents Introduction Part 1: Programming fundamentals 1 Starting out Building a place to work Getting the tools and demos Using the tools What you have learned 2 What is programming? What makes a programmer? Programming and party planning Computers as data processors Data and information What you have learned 3 Writing programs C# program structure Identify resources Start a class definition Declare the StartProgram method Set the title and display a message Extra Snaps Creating new program files Extra Snaps Creating your own colors What you have learned 4 Working with data in a program Starting with variables

Using a variable in a program Working with numbers Working with different types of data Whole numbers and real numbers in programs Extra Snaps What you have learned 5 Making decisions in a program Understanding the Boolean type Using if constructions and operators Creating blocks of statements

Creating complex conditions using logical operators Adding comments to make a program clearer Funfair rides and programs Working with program assets What you have learned 6 Repeating actions with loops Using a loop to make a pizza picker Performing input validation with a while loop Using Visual Studio to follow the execution of your programs Counting in a loop to make a times-table tutor Using a for loop construction Breaking out of loops Going back to the top of a loop by using continue Extra Snaps What you have learned

7 Using arrays Have an ice cream Making an array Multiple dimensions in arrays Using arrays as lookup tables What you have learned Part 2: Advanced programming 8 Using methods to simplify programs What makes a method? Making a tiny contacts app Adding IntelliSense comments to your methods What you have learned 9 Creating structured data types Storing music notes by using a structure Objects and responsibilities: Making a SongNote play itself Making a drawing program with Snaps Creating enumerated types Making decisions with the switch construction Extra Snaps What you have learned 10 Classes and references Making a time tracker Structures and classes From arrays to lists

Storing data using JSON Fetching data using XML What you have learned 11 Making solutions with objects Creating objects with integrity Managing the object construction process Saving drawings in files What you have learned

Part 3: Making games

12 What makes a game?

Creating a video game

What you have learned

13 Creating gameplay

Creating a player-controlled paddle

Adding sound to games

Displaying text in a game

What you have learned

14 Games and object hierarchies

Games and objects: Space Rockets in Space

Designing a class hierarchy

What you have learned

15 Games and software components

Games and objects

What you have learned

Author

Rob Miles has spent more than thirty years teaching programming at the University of Hull in the United Kingdom. He’s a Microsoft MVP, with a passion for programming, C#, and creating new things. If he had any spare time, he’d spend it writing even more code. He loves making programs and then running them to see what happens. He reckons that programming is the most creative thing you can learn how to do. He also reckons that in a battle between us and the Martians, we’d win, because we’ve got Visual Studio and they don’t–and there isn’t anything better in the universe for building software.

He claims to know a lot of really good jokes, but nobody has ever heard him tell one. If you want an insight into the Wacky WorldTM of Rob Miles, you can read his blog at www.robmiles.com and follow him on Twitter via @RobMiles.