C# learning guide for an ex MFC programmer

Folks,

I want to become proficient with C#. I’m aware that it will take no less than 6 months. There’s a desktop app that I want to design and write while using the best practices during this time. The app is a real-time data plotter (components from National Instruments Measurement Studio will do the heavy plotting).

I know C++ and used to be somewhat proficient with MFC and COM. However I was staying away from C++ for the last 6 years. I was writing in C (for microcontrollers), VB6 and MATLAB.

Would anybody recommend good books or other resources?
What puzzles me at the moment is the document/view architecture in .NET .

- Nick

Maybe use one of the MS VS C# 2005 Step by Step ( or similar ) Which is a good step introducing C# and a bit of how to design WinForm apps. Easy to read. For getting an idea about design pattens there are much books like 'C# Design Pattens' on the market. Shouldn't be too difficult for someone who already has doen a lot in programming. But you will heve to be fee of the design patterns of C++MFC its totally others. Its more going into the direction of a great mixture of Java and VB :D

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What puzzles me at the moment is the document/view architecture in .NET

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There isn't really any document/view architecture for .NET. In fact the world has moved on from this design to a Model/View/Presenter architecture.

You might want to look at Microsoft Composite Application Blocks (CAB). See here.

However it'll be pretty heavy going (using a lot of .NET specific language elements such as attributes) for someone coming at this from new.

Darwen.

I'd recommend skipping learning WinForms and go directly to WPF instead.

WPF will give you more flexibility with your app in terms of graphics, custom controls, and has much better data binding than the WinForms approach.

Download the samples from the link in my signature, then try every program. Make sure that it runs. Then, step thru it, line by line to see HOW it works.

You'll see a wide variety of useful tidbits that will give you a general overview of the language.

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Originally Posted by Arjay

I'd recommend skipping learning WinForms and go directly to WPF instead.

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From what I've read (and may be I've interpreted in incorrectly), WinForms and WFP have different purposes. WinForms occupies the niche of MFC (or Java AWT), and WFP is more for media-rich applications.

WPF is just a newer way to build applications and isn't limited to creating media apps.

Building simple form UI's probably is easier with WinForms, but if you need custom controls, more complex interaction between controls, or advanced data binding, WPF is the way to go.

I'd second the recommendation to go with WPF. Since you have to learn C# anyway, might as well learn what's on the cutting edge. I don't write any Winforms apps anymore. Everything (including business apps) I do in WPF.