Programming Microsoft Windows with C# (Developer Reference)

C# and .NET were made for each other. So, it seems, were Windows and Charles Petzold. Petzold's Programming Windows, first published in 1988 and now in its fifth edition, has been the most authoritative guide to Windows development for one generation of programmers after another. Now, it's joined by a new classic: his new Programming Microsoft Windows with C#.Web apps get the hype nowadays; Petzold focuses elsewhere: on the powerful .NET Windows Forms tools that enable state-of-the-art Windows development. Whether you're building traditional standalone "client" apps or front-ends for distributed systems, he guides you through the "Windows" side of .NET with unprecedented depth and insight.This isn't "Harry Potter" coding: No wizards allowed. Petzold doesn't even use the Windows Forms Designer: It can take you only so far, he says, and if you don't understand how to manually code your controls, you'll be up a creek without a paddle. Prepare to get your hands dirty.Petzold begins with the basics of Windows Forms, the essential data types required to program graphical applications, and the basics of text output. Then, he moves on to the two large collections of .NET framework classes - user and graphics - that encompass the "visual" aspects of Windows development. While these can be traced all the way back to Windows 1.0, they've been refined again - and, of course, C# and .NET change how you get at them.On the "graphics" side of the house, the book's systematic coverage includes lines, curves, fills, pages, transforms, text, fonts, images, bitmaps, Bйzier curves, paths, regions, clipping, brushes, pens, fonts, printing, and vector graphic metafiles. On the UI side, he starts with mouse and keyboard programming (showing how to provide the oft-neglected keyboard equivalents, and raising a few thorny issues that seem to require recourse to the old Win32 API). Next, he covers all the GUI elements of a modern Windows application: buttons, labels, scrolling, dialog boxes, edit, list, and spin boxes, toolbars, status bars, tree views, list views, clipboards, and more.One more note: Whether you're writing Windows or web apps, you'll often find yourself dealing with file I/O, floating-point mathematics, and string manipulation. Each are significantly changed in the C#/.NET environment. Failing to find reliable guides to them, Petzold has written his own and included them as appendices.As Windows programming continues to evolve, one thing fortunately remains constant: Charles Petzold's still there to explain it to us - brilliantly. “Look it up in Petzold” remains the last word on Windows development. In this.NET-ready Windows programming guide, the best-selling author shows you how to get the most out of Windows Forms—the next-generation Windows programming class library. You'll discover how to use C# to create dynamic user interfaces and graphical outputs for Windows applications. With dozens of examples of client applications to illustrate common techniques and plenty of no-nonsense advice on best programming practices, you'll be C# sharp in no time. Topics covered in this guide include: A tour of C# Windows Forms Essential structures An exercise in text output Lines, curves, and area fills Tapping into the keyboard Pages and transforms Taming the mouse Text and fonts The timer and time Images and bitmaps Buttons, labels, and scrolls Béziers and other splines Menus Paths, regions, and clipping Dialog boxes Brushes and pens Edit, list, and spin controls Font fun Toolbars and status bars Printing Tree view and List view Metafiles Clip, drag, and drop INCLUDED ON CD-ROM: • Sample source code for all the examples presented in the book A Note Regarding the CD or DVD The print version of this book ships with a CD or DVD. For those customers purchasing one of the digital formats in which this book is available, we are pleased to offer the CD/DVD content as a free download via O'Reilly Media's Digital Distribution services. To download this content, please visit O'Reilly's web site, search for the title of this book to find its catalog page, and click on the link below the cover image (Examples, Companion Content, or Practice Files). Note that while we provide as much of the media content as we are able via free download, we are sometimes limited by licensing restrictions. Please direct any questions or concerns to booktech@oreilly.com. Look it up in Petzold remains the last word on Windows development. In this .NET-ready Windows programming guide, the best-selling author shows you how to get the most out of Windows Formsthe next-generation Windows programming class library. Youll discover how to use C# to create dynamic user interfaces and graphical outputs for Windows applications. With dozens of examples of client applications to illustrate common techniques and plenty of no-nonsense advice on best programming practices, youll be C# sharp in no time. Topics covered in this guide include: A tour of C# Windows Forms Essential structures An exercise in text output Lines, curves, and area fills Tapping into the keyboard Pages and transforms Taming the mouse Text and fonts The timer and time Images and bitmaps Buttons, labels, and scrolls Bziers and other splines Menus Paths, regions, and clipping Dialog boxes Brushes and pens Edit, list, and spin controls Font fun Toolbars and status bars Printing Tree view and List view Metafiles Clip, drag, and drop INCLUDED ON CD-ROM: * Sample source code for all the examples presented in the book A Note Regarding the CD or DVD The print version of this book ships with a CD or DVD. For those customers purchasing one of the digital formats in which this book is available, we are pleased to offer the CD/DVD content as a free download via O'Reilly Media's Digital Distribution services. To download this content, please visit O'Reilly's web site, search for the title of this book to find its catalog page, and click on the link below the cover image (Examples, Companion Content, or Practice Files). Note that while we provide as much of the media content as we are able via free download, we are sometimes limited by licensing restrictions. Please direct any questions or concerns to booktech@oreilly.com. This core reference provides the expert guidance that professional developers need to build applications with Windows Forms-the next-generation Microsoft Windows programming class library. Best-selling author on programming for the Windows operating system Charles Petzold shows readers how to use Microsoft Visual C#-the advanced, object-oriented language for the Microsoft .NET platform-to create dynamic user interfaces and graphical outputs for distributed or stand-alone applications. Numerous application examples-with reusable code on companion CD-ROM-help developers increase their productivity. In that succinct and (perhaps consequently) much-beloved classic tutorial The C Programming Language, authors Brian Kernighan and Dennis Ritchie begin by presenting what has come to be known as the hello-world program: #include main() { printf("hello. world\n"):} While such a program hardly exploits the power of today's computers, it's certainly useful on the practical level because it gives the eager student programmer the opportunity to make sure that the compiler and all its associated files are correctly installed. "'Look it up in Petzold' remains the last word on Windows development. In this.NET-ready Windows programming guide, the best-selling author shows you how to get the most out of Windows Forms--the next-generation Windows programming class library."--Résumé de l'éditeur