Whirlwind screencasts profile new features in C# 2 and 3

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Ever wonder what the new syntax is in C#? Or how you might go about learning what is new in the .NET language?

Stuart Celarier of CheckFree and I explore the new languages features in C# in a series of screencasts. It's a whirlwind tour of the important language features since C# 1. Stuart describes the feature and why it is useful. But doesn't get into best practices nor suggested usages. Just the facts about the feature.

Whirlwinds are bite-sized webcasts, usually is shorter than 15 minutes. You can start anywhere in the series to learn about the parts you're most interested in.

The style is short and to the point. The content is for new developers or those wanting to learn more.

What's new in C# 2

  • Whirlwind 1 - Generics Stuart describes what generics are, how generics compare with collections, and how the compiler treats generics. He also describes how they increase performance and save memory.
  • Whirlwind 2 - Iterators Stuart compares iterators with enumerables, describes the advantages of iterators, and tells how you can use the yield keyword to simplify iterating through your complex objects.
  • Whirlwind 3 - Partial types, Anonymous methods Stuart describes partial classes and anonymous methods. He describes why you'd use them and the syntax of each language feature.
  • Whirlwind 4 - Accessors, Static Classes, Nullable Types Stuart shows how the features are similar to features in C# 1. Stuart explains how to write diferent accessors on properties. He explains the syntax of the ? that can be added to a type and the ?? operators. He shows how to determine if a value is null.

What's new in C# 3

  • Whirlwind 5 - Automatically Implemented Properties, Type Inference, Initializer These are features that can save you tons of typing.
  • Whirlwind 6: Anonymous types, Extension method  Extension methods are static methods that can be invoked using instance method syntax. Anonymous types are used without you having to name the type.
  • Whirlwind 7 - Lambda Expressions Ever wondered about lambda for use in expressions or in statements? Stuart describes them in part 7. He describes what a declarative syntax applies to lambda expressions. He describes to use the 'goes to' operator =>. And then describes the steps for using lambda in C# in both expressions and statements.
  • Whirlwind 8 - Linq Stuart ties together all of the language features C# 2 and C# 3 in Part 8 when Stuart describes LINQ. He uses a code example in Visual Studio to show to use the C# language features to write a query using LINQ to Objects. He compares the same query using LINQ and extension methods that each contain a lambda expression. Next he describes the use of LINQ providers.

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