Mark J. Price
An easy-to-follow guide for beginners and students to learn C# 15 and .NET 11 through practical examples, responsible AI-assisted learning, cross-platform projects, and MCP-enabled web servicesKey Features:- Build strong C# foundations with clear explanations and expanded knowledge checks- Create data-driven apps with, EF Core, LINQPad, and Blazor- Explore union types, async processes, xUnit v3, Zstandard compression, and Minimal APIsBook Description:C# and .NET are used to build console apps, websites, cloud services, and enterprise software. Updated for C# 15 and .NET 11, this eleventh edition offers a clear and practical introduction to the Microsoft development platform. You’ll begin with C# essentials, including types, control flow, functions, object-oriented programming, debugging, exception handling, and testing with xUnit v3. Hands-on exercises teach current practices without unnecessary comparisons with older versions.Next, you’ll work with .NET libraries, packages, processes, asynchronous tasks, files, streams, serialization, collections, and regular expressions. You’ll also explore union types and closed class hierarchies, the major new language features in C# 15. The final chapters introduce data and web development with Entity Framework Core, LINQ, LINQPad, Blazor, and Minimal APIs. You’ll create data-driven applications, test web services, and use MCP to make application features available to AI clients.Throughout the book, suggested AI prompts help you explore challenging topics with your preferred chatbot, while expanded questions at the end of each chapter reinforce what you’ve learned. By the end, you’ll have the skills to build modern apps, websites, and services with C# and .NET.What You Will Learn:- Control program flow, convert values, and handle exceptions- Design reusable types with classes, interfaces, and inheritance- Package and distribute reusable .NET libraries- Use collections, Unicode text, and regular expressions- Read, write, compress, and serialize files and streams- Scaffold database models and improve read-only query performance- Connect interactive Blazor components to application data- Test HTTP services and connect them to AI clientsWho this book is for:This book is for absolute beginners, students, self-taught programmers, and early-career developers who want a structured introduction to C# and .NET. It is also suitable for developers returning to the Microsoft ecosystem or updating their skills for C# 15 and .NET 11. No professional C# or .NET experience is required, although basic familiarity with programming concepts can be helpful.Table of Contents- Hello, C#! Welcome, .NET!- Speaking C#- Controlling Flow, Converting Types, and Handling Exceptions- Writing, Debugging, and Testing Functions- Building Your Own Types with Object-Oriented Programming- Implementing Interfaces and Inheriting Classes- Packaging and Distributing .NET Types- Working with Common .NET Types- Processes, Files, Streams, and Serialization- Working with Data Using Entity Framework Core- Querying and Manipulating Data Using LINQ- Building Web Apps Using Blazor- Building and Consuming Web Services- Epilogue
