C# 5.0 Pocket Reference: Instant Help for C# 5.0 Programmers 1st Edition

O'reilly is a class act and this little C#-5 intro/ref -->5 update is outstanding. The hot topic in C#-5 is Linq and databasing, and that just happens to be where this author shines. I was surprised that it covers a lot of procedures, tips and tricks in way more than just 5.0, but does hit the major highlights and differences from the 4.0 series. This is NOT a book for oop or C# beginners! I recommend Herb Schildt's 950 page opus on  C# 4.0 The Complete Reference  for beginners instead. Schildt assumes NO programming background (I mean no-- not even basic, cobol, fortran, pascal... let alone the C series), whereas this 5 update assumes you know both C# and oop. Insiders know that since C++ has the whole C library, old time programmers like me can "get away" with using C++ without a single non-structured, oop command. Not so with the 5 reference-- all the examples, tips and hints assume you've got a solid background in not just the C series, but oop techniques. In fact, I'd even go so far as to say that if you haven't done at least intermediate work with Linq and databasing, you might get a little lost, but with help from the web and or Safari (co owned by Oreilly) most any C# programmer will get a LOT out of this ref. (BTW 200 pages isn't exactly a "pocket" fit unless you don't want anything else in that pocket! The awesome index does make it an outstanding reference to keep right near your computer).A caveat a lot of reviewers forget to add: this book, like most others, assumes your development work is in .NET and "traditional" business type applications of the framework, and NOT XNA/gaming. Since that's my field, I just want to let fellow game programmers know that this one is no different, however, the database and Linq info are equally helpful if you're programming agent/avatar functions in MMOGs using SQL or other dbms calls. Sooner or later, we all are going to have to get up to speed on these hot database topics in 5 as well as half dozen others, and this book is a great place to get both the 40,000 foot view and a lot of detail in one place. The fact that there are very few good, up to date 5 books out there cuts two ways-- there also hasn't been a lot of time to evalutate the code in this book. The few I've tried compile just fine, but I'm also leaning heavily on O'reillys reputation for scrubbing the heck out of their author's code with technical reviewers PLUS the fact that most of the examples used are very short. That said, I've NEVER found a book that doesn't have some coding errors, but that can be half the fun if you don't mind a little sleuthing and the errors aren't severe/logic level, but fairly simple syntax debugs. The one's I've tried from this book have zero "bottom debugger" warnings in Visual Studio, which you'd (at least) expect when buying a "finished" product!A few cool tables, exhibits and highlights include: -- Full list of identifiers and keywords; -- Full list of operators in order of precedence; -- 6 kinds of constraints; -- Most commonly used exception types; -- Composing sequences diagram; -- Table of query operators; -- Complete list of preprocessor directives; and much more, including a GREAT index. There is NO BLOAT in this little book-- headings are immediately followed by glossary-like, practical applications, limits, and practical advice, then code examples and exceptions.One warning: I ordered this with a couple other texts and it is so small that it came crushed to heck by the big boys it rode with. I had to sandwich it between two texts for two days to get the pages to straighten out. Advice-- order it alone due to it's small size, not with other bigger books!

I already have the C# in a nutshell, but its a big book and its great! but it has soo much stuff i will probably Never use.. I got this little book so that anywhere iam i can read a little about C# and hopefully become a Pro at it.this book is pretty small, and thats great! can bring it anywhere and easily read it in bed, laying on your back, sure alot easier than the bigger in a nutshell book.love it.

Just like all the other O'Reilly pocket references, this one is a little gem and if you are like me it will be sitting on your desk within arms reach. This is a great companion to the C# in a nutshell (that I highly recommend if you are ever using C# on a daily basis).While this pocket reference doesn't cover everything about C#, it does cover the most common methods and you will find yourself constantly flipping through the pages.This little (ok it's thicker than most of my other pocket reference books) book has led to many "aha" moments.I dropped one star because being so small it's easy for my coworkers to reach over and grab it while I am distracted.I'm seriously contemplating buying a few more copies they can share so they leave me the heck alone.

This book really fit the bill. As a Windows 8 developer, I needed to come up to speed with some of the data structures used in C#. Right away this book filled me in and I was back on track! I purchased the kindle edition in the interest of getting answers to my questions quickly, however I plan to purchase again in hard copy because it will make an excellent reference which I will want to have on my book shelf.

If you are already a programmer and just want the essential information on how c# works, this is the book for you. So many programming books spend 100's of pages on the very basics, which makes them difficult to parse. This might not be the best book for absolute beginners, but highly suggested for someone that wants to jump right in to production level C# coding. I picked it up to help with Unity scripting and its been wonderful.

Great book. Very useful for getting a quick understanding C#. For example - "Why would I use a delegate again?" - flip to the index/Delegate/read - "Oh yeah." Much better than trying to find a concise answer from a google search.

As a long time software developer I often need to boost my memory of a certain syntax or feature of C#. Also new features are added each new release of C# and I do not want to read a whole book starting at a beginner level and this little pocket book fits the bill. I can quickly locate information in it and it also allows me to check out new features in C# 5.0.

Very well written, concise and excellent index.I keep a copy of this on my desk and in my backpack. When I teach C#, I buy copies and hand them out to students.It's that important.

A very handy for all those who want brush up their c# concepts and fundamentals.This book has all concepts of c# explained in a very concise but in very simple manner that can be easy to understand.

J'ai toujours ce livre sur moi. J'ai aussi l'édition sur le langage C, que je trouve nettement moins bien écris.C'est un bon pense-bête lorsqu'il faut passer assez souvent d'un langage de programmation à un autre.

Excellent book.

Se quello che vi serve è un piccolo testo per tenere a mente la sintassi di un linguaggio questo testo fa per voi.Per il resto ci sono le reference online.

Most of the examples are very basic, and it goes through the essential of C#. I was sort of hoping for a little bit more deeper knowledge thought. Either way. Great book, great buy.