Introduction to the Visual C# 2005 Express Edition IDE

2006 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

1

2Introduction to the

Visual C# 2005 Express Edition

IDE


2

Form ever follows function.— Louis Henri Sullivan

Seeing is believing.— Proverb

Intelligence …is the faculty of making artificial objects, especially tools to make tools.

— Henri-Louis Bergson


3

OBJECTIVESIn this chapter you will learn: The basics of the Visual Studio Integrated Development

Environment (IDE) that assists you in writing, running and debugging your Visual C# programs.

Visual Studio's help features. Key commands contained in the IDE's menus and

toolbars. The purpose of the various kinds of windows in the Visual

Studio 2005 IDE. What visual programming is and how it simplifies and

speeds program development. To create, compile and execute a simple Visual C#

program that displays text and an image using the Visual Studio IDE and the technique of visual programming.


4

2.1 Introduction2.2 Overview of the Visual Studio 2005 IDE2.3 Menu Bar and Toolbar2.4 Navigating the Visual Studio 2005 IDE

2.4.1 Solution Explorer 2.4.2 Toolbox 2.4.3 Properties Window

2.5 Using Help2.6 Using Visual Programming to Create a Simple

Program Displaying Text and an Image2.7 Wrap-Up2.8 Web Resources


5

2.1 Introduction

• Visual Studio 2005─ Microsoft Integrate Development Environment (IDE)

• Create, run, and debug programs

• Visual Programming ─ Create program by dragging and dropping predefined

building blocks into place


6

2.2 Overview of the Visual Studio 2005 IDE

• Microsoft Visual C# Express Edition ─ Only support Visual C# programming language

• Start page (Fig. 2.1)─ A list of links to resources in the IDE and on the internet

• Visual C# Express Headlines and MSDN (Fig. 2.2)─ This section provides links to information about programming in C#

• Note: MSDN stands for Microsoft Developer Network


7

Hiddenwindow

Start Page links Empty SolutionExplorer (noprojects open)

New Project button

Start Page tab

Fig. 2.1 | Start Page in Visual C# 2005 Express Edition.


8Requested Web page(URL in location bardrop-down menu)

Selected tab requested Web page

Fig. 2.2 | Displaying a Web page in Visual Studio.


9

2.2 Overview of the Visual Studio 2005 IDE (cont.)• Creating a New Project

─ New Project Dialog (Fig. 2.3)• Dialog to choose type of program to build

─ Windows Form Designer (Fig. 2.4)• Design portion of IDE

─ Properties• Change a component of the program (Fig. 2.5)

─ Buttons • Confirm action, change and etc. (Fig. 2.6)


10

Visual C# WindowsApplication (selected)

Default project name(provided by Visual Studio)

Description of selected projecttemplate (provided by Visual Studio)

Fig. 2.3 | New Project dialog.


11

Active tab Tabs Menu Menu barSolution Explorerwindow

Form (Windows application) Properties window

Fig. 2.4 | Design view of the IDE.


12

Text box (displayingthe text Form1), whichcan be modified.

Fig. 2.5 | Example of a text box control in the Visual Studio IDE.


13

OK button

Cancel button

Fig. 2.6 | Examples of buttons in the Visual Studio IDE.


14

2.3 Menu Bar and Toolbar

• Menu Bar (Fig. 2.7)─ The bar of where the commands for managing the IDE

and for developing, maintaining and executing programs are located

• Tool Bar (Fig. 2.9)─ The bar of where the more common commands are located

• Tool Tip (Fig. 2.12)─ Description of a icon


15

Fig. 2.7 | Visual Studio menu bar.


16

Menu Description

File Contains commands for opening, closing, adding and saving projects, as well as printing project data and exiting Visual Studio.

Edit Contains commands for editing programs, such as cut, copy, paste, undo, redo, delete, find and select.

View Contains commands for displaying windows (e.g., Solution Explorer, Toolbox, Properties window) and for adding toolbars to the IDE.

Project Contains commands for managing projects and their files.

Build Contains commands for compiling a program.

Debug Contains commands for debugging (i.e., identifying and correcting problems in a program) and running a program. Debugging is discussed in detail in Appendix C.

Data Contains commands for interacting with databases (i.e., organized collections of data stored on computers), which we discuss in Chapter 20, Database, SQL and ADO.NET).

Format Contains commands for arranging and modifying a form’s controls. Note that the Format menu appears only when a GUI component is selected in Design view.

Fig. 2.8 | Summary of Visual Studio 2005 IDE menus (Part 1 of 2).


17

Menu Description

Tools Contains commands for accessing additional IDE tools (e.g., the Toolbox) and options that enable you to customize the IDE.

Window Contains commands for arranging and displaying windows.

Community Contains commands for sending questions directly to Microsoft, checking question status, sending feedback on Visual C# and searching the CodeZone developer center and the Microsoft developers community site.

Help Contains commands for accessing the IDE’s help features.

Fig. 2.8 | Summary of Visual Studio 2005 IDE menus (Part 2 of 2).


18

Save

Other Windows

Solution Configurations

New project Open File Save All Copy Undo

Navigate backwards Start

Add Item Cut Paste Redo Navigate

forwards

Solution Platforms

Find in files

Solution Explorer

Object browser

Start Page

FindProperties Window

Toolbox Window

a)

b)

Fig. 2.9 | Standard toolbar in Visual Studio.


19Standard toolbar

Build toolbar added to the Standard toolbar

Fig. 2.10 | Adding the Build toolbar to the IDE.


20

ToolbarDown arrow indicatesadditional commands

Fig. 2.11 | IDE toolbar icon showing additional commands.


21

Tool tip displayed when the mouse pointerrests over the New Project icon

Fig. 2.12 | Tool tip demonstration.


22

Solution Explorer Toolbox

Propertieswindow

Fig. 2.13 | Toolbar icons for three Visual Studio windows.


23

2.4 Navigating the Visual Studio 2005 IDE• Auto-Hide (Fig. 2.14 – 2.16)

─ Space saving feature• Solution Explorer (Fig. 2.17 – 2.20)

─ Provides access to all of the files in a solution• Toolbox (Fig. 2.21)

─ Contains icons representing controls used to customize form

• Properties Window (Fig. 2.22)─ The window to change information about a form or

control


24

Tab forhidden

window (auto-hide

enabled)

Fig. 2.14 | Auto-hide feature demonstration.


25

Toolboxtitle bar

Horizontal orientation for

pin icon

Fig. 2.15 | Displaying a hidden window when auto-hide is enabled.


26

Toolbox “pinned down”

Vertical orientation for pin icon

Fig. 2.16 | Disabling auto-hide (“pinning down” a window).


27

Show all files icon

Toolbar

Startup project

Fig. 2.17 | Solution Explorer with an open project.


28

Plus box

Minus box

Fig. 2.18 | Solution Explorer showing plus boxes and minus boxes for expanding and collapsing the tree to show or hide project files.


29

Minus box indicates that the file of folder is

expanded (changed from plus box)

Fig. 2.19 | Solution Explorer expanding the Properties file after clicking its plus box.


30

Plus boxes indicate that the file or folder is

collapsed (changed from minus box)

Fig. 2.20 | Solution Explorer collapsing all files after clicking any minus boxes.


31

Group namesControls

Fig. 2.21 | Toolbox window displaying controls for the Common Controls group.


32

Categorized icon

Alphabetical icon

Description of the Text property

Component selection drop-down list

Toolbar

Properties Properties values

Fig. 2.22 | Properties window displaying the Text property of the Form.


33

2.5 Using Help

• Dynamic Help (Fig. 2.24)─ Excellent way to get information quickly about the IDE

and its features

• Context-Sensitive Help (Fig. 2.25)─ Immediately displays a relevant help article


34

Command Description

How Do I Contains links to relevant topics, including how to upgrade programs and learn more about Web services, architecture and design, files and I/O, data, debugging and more.

Search Finds help articles based on search keywords.

Index Displays an alphabetized list of topics you can browse.

Contents Displays a categorized table of contents in which help articles are organized by topic.

Fig. 2.23 | Help menu commands.


35

ContentsSelected Item How Do ISearch Index

Dynamic Help window

Relevant help articles on the selected item (e.g., the Form)

Fig. 2.24 | Dynamic Help window.


36

Fig. 2.25 | Using context-sensitive help.


37

Show all settings check box

Help options selected Show Help using: box

Fig. 2.26 | Options dialog displaying Help settings.


38

2.6 Using Visual Programming to Create a Simple Program Displaying Text and an Image• Creating a Simple Program

─ Create the new project (Fig. 2.28-2.30)─ Set the text in in the form’s title bar (Fig. 2.31)─ Resize the form (Fig. 2.32-2.33)─ Change the form’s background color (Fig. 2.34-2.35)─ Add a Label control to the form (Fig. 2.36)─ Customize the label’s appearance (Fig. 2.37-2.38)─ Set the label’s font size (Fig. 2.39-2.40)


39

2.6 Using Visual Programming to Create a Simple Program Displaying Text and an Image (Cont.)

• Creating a Simple Program (Cont.)─ Align the label’s text (Fig. 2.41)─ Add a PictureBox to the form (Fig. 2.42)─ Insert an image (Fig. 2.43-2.47)─ Save the project ─ Run the project (Fig. 2.47-2.49)─ Terminate execution


40

Label control

PictureBoxcontrol

Fig. 2.27 | Simple program executing.


41

Template types

Type in the project name

Fig. 2.28 | New Project dialog.


42

Fig. 2.29 | Save Project dialog.


43

Click to set project location

Selected Project location

Fig. 2.30 | Setting the project location in the Project Location dialog.


44

Name and type of object

Property valueSelected property

Property description

Fig. 2.31 | Setting the form’s Text property in the Properties window.


45

Enabled sizing handles

Title bar

Fig. 2.32 | Form with enabled sizing handles.


46

Fig. 2.33 | Resized form.


47

Down-arrow button

Current color

Custom palette

Light blue

Fig. 2.34 | Changing the form’s BackColor property.


48

New background color

Fig. 2.35 | Form with new BackColor property applied.


49

Label control

Fig. 2.36 | Adding a label to the form.


50

AutoSize property

Fig. 2.37 | Changing the Label’s AutoSize property to False.


51

Sizing handles Label centered with

updated Text property

Fig. 2.38 | GUI after the form and Label have been customized.


52

Ellipsis button

Fig. 2.39 | Properties window displaying the Label’s properties.


53

Current font

Font sample

Fig. 2.40 | Font dialog for selecting fonts, styles and sizes.


54

Fig. 2.41 | Centering the Label’s text.

Text alignment options

Middle-center alignment option


55

UpdatedLabel

PictureBox

Fig. 2.42 | Inserting and aligning a PictureBox.


56

Image property value(no image selected)

Fig. 2.43 | Image property of the PictureBox.


57

Fig. 2.44 | Select Resource dialog to select an image for the PictureBox.


58

Image file name

Fig. 2.45 | Select Resource dialog displaying a preview of selected image.


59

SizeMode property set to StretchImageSizeMode property

Fig. 2.46 | Scaling an image to the size of the PictureBox.


60

NewlyInserted image

Fig. 2.47 | PictureBox displaying an image.


61Build menu

Fig. 2.48 | Building a solution.


62

Form

Running program Close box

Fig. 2.49 | IDE in run mode, with the running program in the foreground window.

Introduction to the Visual C# 2005 Express Edition IDE

Documents

Transcript of Introduction to the Visual C# 2005 Express Edition IDE