Nevron has announced the immediate availability of the new major version release (2009 Vol.2) of Nevron SSRS Vision suite – the leading Data Visualization suite for SQL Server Reporting Services 2005 and 2008. In 2009 Vol.2 we have introduced many improvements in the Chart for SSRS and the new Nevron Gauge for SSRS – 8 new Charting Types with many variations, complete set of Gauge Types, Gauge Formulas, Save/Load Chart and Gauge Templates, Code Customization which allows you to use the full Nevron Chart for .NET API in SSRS and much more.

For full details about this new major release, please visit http://www.nevron.com/Nevron.Company.NewsAndEvents.NevronNews.aspx

Nevron SSRS Vision suite includes two products – Nevron Chart for Reporting Services and Nevron Gauge for Reporting Service. Below are the product URLs:
Nevron SSRS Vision suite (SSRS 2005/2008)

http://www.nevron.com/Products.SQLServerReportingServices.Overview.aspx

Nevron Chart for Reporting Services (SSRS 2005/2008)
http://www.nevron.com/Products.ChartForSQLReportingServices.Overview.aspx

Nevron Gauge for Reporting Services (SSRS 2005/2008)
http://www.nevron.com/Products.GaugeForSQLReportingServices.Overview.aspx

Microsoft’s .NET SDK ships with a command line compiler called csc.exe. It can be executed from within the DOS prompt. In this article, I will show you how to build a simple C# program using this compiler with Notepad as the editor.

Open your editor and enter the code as given in listing 1

Listing 1

001: // HelloWorld.cs

002: // -------------

003: using System;

004: class HelloWorld

005: {

006: public static void Main()

007: {

008: Console.WriteLine("Hello World");

009: }

010: } 

The line numbers are given only for the sake of explanation and does not form part of the source code.

In the above listing, Line 3 defines the namespace System. Line 4 declares our class named HelloWorld. Line 6 defines the Main() method, which is considered as a entry point for all C# programs. Line 8 calls the WriteLine() method of the Console class and prints "Hello World" as output.

Save the file as HelloWorld.cs and compile the code using a C# compiler. I assume you are using the compiler which ship with .NET SDK. For this purpose, you have to give the following command at the DOS prompt as shown in the figure given below

csc HelloWorld.cs 

Figure 1

If you have installed Visual Studio 2008, you can compile a C# program using Visual Studio Command Prompt. You can launch it from Start | All Programs | Microsoft Visual Studio 2008 | Visual Studio Tools

If you have installed Mono C# Compiler then you should compile the above program using the following command:

mcs HelloWorld.cs 

If there are any errors and warnings, the compiler will display them during the above process. You have to go through all those messages and correct them preferably by going back to the source code. As explained earlier, C# is a case sensitive language and hence even if you miss a semicolon or a comma, the compiler will throw error messages. If there are no errors and warnings your screen would look like as shown in the figure given above.

To view the output of the above program, you have to supply the name of the assembly (HelloWorld.exe) at the DOS prompt.

For example, you have to give the following command for executing the above program.

HelloWorld 

The output will be as shown in the figure given below

Figure 2

For mono compiler, the execution statement will be as shown below:

mono HelloWorld.exe 

An Assembly is a file which is created by the compiler upon successful compilation of every C# application.

Commenting the Code

If you look at line numbers 1 and 2 in the above code, you would see two slash lines at the beginning. In programming terminology, these lines are called as comments. C# compiler won’t compile the statements inside these comments and they are given only for documentation and reference purposes. It is a best practice to give comments while coding as it will help you to study the code at a later stage or for others who look at your code.

There are three ways by which you can give comments in C#. The first two will be already familiar to you if you had worked with C++ and Java. They are single-line and multiline comments.

Single-line comments are given with the symbol //, while Multiline comments are applied with /*…..*/ symbols and can spread more than one line (See Listing 2)

Listing 2

// this is a single line comment

/*

This is a

Multiline

Comment

*/

The third type of comment which is given with “///” is a new one introduced by the .NET Framework. It is used to generate documentation for your C# program and they are denoted by using the relevant XML tags as shown in listing 3:

Listing 3

/// <summary>

/// this is a new comment system

/// <summary>


 

[tag]microsoft, c#, java [/tag]

Once you have installed a C# compiler, the next process is to choose an editor to enter source codes. There are different types of editors such as Notepad and Visual C#. In addition to these two, many third party vendors have also developed editors for programming with C#. This FAQ briefly discusses each one of these editors.

Notepad is a commonly used editor among many programmers. It comes with Windows and it is very easy to use as well. But there are lots of disadvantages with this editor like it doesn’t supports syntax coloring and other features such as intellisense. Moreover, you cannot directly compile and execute a C# program from within the editor. Although it doesn’t support features such as line numbering, you can jump to a specific line of the code by using the CTRL+G shortcut.

Microsoft Visual Studio is a full featured development tool and it includes project templates for all .NET languages in an Integrated Development Environment (IDE). Other than C#, the IDE supports the development of major .NET languages such as Visual Basic , Visual J#  and Visual C++. In other words, it provides a single development environment for all these languages. You need to master the various elements found on the IDE such as Toolbox, Properties window apart from learning the C# language.

Will I get Visual C# as a separate product?

Yes. Microsoft sells a standard version of the product named “Visual C# .NET Standard Edition” at a reduced price. It comes with four CD’s along with a printed manual. This product doesn’t supports advanced features such as Crystal Reports which is available with Visual Studio. This product is a big boon for developers with limited budget.
Visual C# .NET provides you with the required templates and wizards for building applications. It also supports features such as Intellisense and Dynamic Help. Dynamic Help is a new functionality which will provide you help according to the relevant situation while developing a project. It will be available only if you have installed MSDN Library collection. Moreover, it ships with powerful debugging capabilities and automatic syntax/clause completion features. For instance, if you enter the keyword “try”, remaining clauses like catch and finally will be automatically get listed on the code editor.

What do you mean by IntelliSense?

IntelliSense refers to popping up of methods and properties according to the context. For instance, if you enter Console followed by a dot, a menu automatically pops up, which gives you all the methods and properties of the Console class. You should already be aware of this useful feature, if you had used any of the languages in Visual Studio 6.0.

Where will I get MSDN Library?

MSDN Library ships with all editions of Visual Studio. You will be automatically prompted to install the same after the installation of Visual Studio. You will get periodic updates of the library if you have subscribed to MSDN. Alternatively, you can access the library online at any time. The biggest advantage of using Visual C# is that it significantly reduces the development time of projects by integrating all parts of a project under a single roof. Even though there are lots of benefits, Visual C# is not compulsorily required for programming with C#.

In addition to Visual C#, many third party vendors have also released editors for C#. They can be downloaded from the websites of the respective vendors. One of the most popular editors is SharpDevelop. It supports syntax coloring, compilation and execution from the IDE apart from other features. With the help of this editor, you can also build Visual Basic, User controls and Web Services applications. You can also create XML and XSL files. Moreover, the developers of SharpDevelop have provided the complete source code for this editor under an Open Source License Agreement. The product and its source code can be downloaded from www.isharpdevelop.com.

Another editor is Antechinus C# editor developed by c-point but it is not as much popular due to its limited capabilities. Some of the other popular editors are given below

Borland C# Builder
CodeWright
EditPlus

Even though there are many editors available on the market its up to you to decide which editor to use. I strongly recommend you to install one editor and learn the language completely.

Common Language Runtime shortly called as CLR provides a universal execution engine for .NET applications and it is provided by the .NET Framework. Every target computer should require CLR for executing .NET applications. One of the most interesting points to note is that the CLR itself manages the life of objects. This is the effect of Automatic Garbage Collection system built into it. When the CLR finds an object that is not being used, it destroys them and thus freeing memory allocation.

The corresponding compilers (C#, Visual Basic .NET) generate meta code upon successful compilation. This meta code contains lot of information about code types, its members and references used. The CLR generates Simple Object Access Protocol (SOAP) when it makes remote procedure calls. SOAP is a protocol used to access .NET Web Services. In addition to the garbage collection, CLR also provides support for Managed Code, Effective Memory Management, Type Safety Verification, Conversion of IL to native code, Structured Exception Handling and Effective Interoperability between COM components and Unmanaged Code. You can build secured applications using the runtime since the .NET Framework provides support for advanced security features as well.

C#, pronounced as C-Sharp, is one of the powerful programming languages provided by the .NET Framework. According to Microsoft “C# is a modern, object-oriented language that enables programmers to quickly build a wide range of applications for the new Microsoft .NET platform, which provides tools and services that fully exploit both computing and communications”. The main brains behind C# were Anders Hejlsberg and Scott Wiltamuth. However, many other personalities like Rob Howard, Scott Guthrie were also involved behind C# and the .NET Framework. The programming language has been standardized by European Computer Manufactures Association (ECMA).

Microsoft originally released beta versions of .NET Framework to get feedback about the product from developers and customers. Based on the massive response and suggestions received from them for the first beta, Microsoft released second beta in early 2001. Finally, they released final versions of C# under the name, .NET Framework 1.0 in 2002 and that of 1.1 in 2003. With each release, the product shipped with improved features for developing secured and scalable applications along with high quality documentation.

Microsoft .NET is one of the latest and powerful technologies introduced by Microsoft Corporation. It is comprised of several programming languages and each of these languages works under a common framework called .NET Framework. Developers had faced lot of difficulties while working with earlier languages. These difficulties were completely eliminated with the introduction of .NET. Microsoft .NET platform comprises of core components like .NET building block services such as Passport .NET, .NET device software’s that will run on latest Internet devices like mobile phones, handhelds and pocket PC’s. You can also integrate the .NET technology into self describing documents like XML. For example, you can manipulate XML documents using any one of languages under the .NET Framework. Passport .NET provides a single window access to all Microsoft Resources like Hotmail, Microsoft Chat, MSDN subscriber downloads and others.

You will sometimes come across the following error in a message box if you execute an ASP.NET application using Visual Studio 2005/2008

A project with an Output type of Class Library cannot be started directly. In order to debug this project, add an executable project to this solution which references the library project. Set the executable project as the startup project. 

Resolution

In order to fix the above error, right click the Solution name in Visual Studio 2005/2008 and select Set as StartUp Project option from the popup menu.

Applicability

Visual Studio 2005
Visual Studio 2008

Microsoft has finally released Visual Studio 2005. In fact, developers were eagerly waiting for the same. Prior to this release, Microsoft had released several preview editions and developers (including beta testers) had got a chance to explore the product and provide feedback to Microsoft.

Visual Studio 2005 can be freely downloaded by clicking here. The product is also available in the form of CD’s for those enrolled in Microsoft’s Beta Testing Program.

You can submit bug reports and other issues associated with the product through MSDN Product Feedback Center. You can also view submissions posted by other developers.

In this article, I will examine three of the interesting features included with Visual Studio 2005 such as:

• (1) Surround With

• (2) Refactoring

• (3) Insert Snippet

Now let us examine each of the above features in detail

Surround With

Applicability – Visual C#

The Surround With feature enables you to automatically add a portion of the respective code syntax very easily. The main benefit of this feature is that the relevant code will be added instantly with the help of Visual Studio .NET and hence errors can be avoided. Your job is to dress up the blank spaces with the work to be done.

For instance, if you would like to add a do-while loop, it can be done by following certain simple steps

Double click the form to open the code window. Right click and select the option Surround With from the IntelliSense option of the popup menu (See Figure 1)

You will view a list box with lot of options as shown in Figure 2

For the purpose of this article, I’ve selected the do statement option. Double click on it and your code window will look like as shown below

You can add code snippets similar to the one shown above for almost every important task using this feature.

Refactoring

Applicability: Visual C#

Refactoring is one of the interesting features included with Visual Studio 2005. It enables you to automatically extract a certain portion of code snippet to a method. For instance, this feature will be useful if you have a source code with 2000 lines and you need to extract 550 lines of code from it.
The original code will be replaced with the created method call. Have a look at the walkthrough given below and you will understand the scene behind this cool feature
In order to work with this feature, you need to first add some code and select the same. Otherwise, IDE will show a message box as shown below.

Code Window before Refactoring

Right click the selected code and choose the Refractor -> Extract Method option. You will be presented with a dialog box as shown below

Enter a new method name. The method is a static method and is having private scope. Upon clicking OK, the selected code snippet will be enclosed inside the above method signature as shown in the figure given below

Code Window after Refactoring

You can download express editions of different products (Visual Basic 2005, Visual Web Developer 2005). Express editions are light weight products intended for students and hobbyists and their look and feel are very similar to that of Visual Studio 2005 IDE.

Insert Snippet
Applicability – Visual Basic 2005
This feature enables you to add full code snippet to your project. In order to see this in action, start a new Windows Application project by choosing the Visual Basic project type from within Visual Studio 2005. Add a Button control and double click on it to open the code window. Right click on the designer and select Insert Snippet menu from the popup menu (See Figure

Upon selecting the above option, an IntelliSense window pops up with various options (See Figure 9)

These options enable you to add code snippets for performing a wide variety of tasks such as Accessing Databases, Performing Math operations and much more. Upon double clicking an option, the IDE will produce another set of IntelliSense window as per your selection.

For the purpose of this article, I have selected Processing Folders, Drives and Files option. You will be presented with an option box and the corresponding code as shown in Figures 10 and 11.

Even though Visual Studio provides this useful feature, you have to sometimes tweak the inserted code snippet to suit your requirements. You can also learn how to achieve various tasks by studying the code provided by this functionality.

Essential Resources

Visual Studio 2005 Beta Home
Visual Studio 2005 Product Feedback Center
MSDN Documentation for Visual Studio 2005
The .NET Show: Introduction to Visual Studio 2005
Visual Studio 2005 Express Beta Products

Related Books

Introducing Microsoft Visual Basic 2005 for Developers
Introducing Microsoft ASP.NET 2.0

Conclusion

As you can see from the above explanations, Visual Studio 2005 greatly simplifies the costly development time of developers than its previous versions. There are many features available with Visual Studio 2005 Beta 1 and it is not possible to discuss all of them in an article. I suggest you to refer to the essential resources listed above if you require further information regarding Visual Studio 2005.

[tag]microsoft, visual studio, msdn, visual c#, asp.net[/tag]