More Effective C#: 50 Specific Ways to Improve Your C#

by Bill Wagner

Book Overview

"Shining a bright light into many of the dark corners of C# 3.0, this book not only covers the 'how, ' but also the 'why, ' arming the reader with many field-tested methods for wringing the most from the new language features, such as LINQ, generics, and multithreading. If you are serious about developing with the C# language, you need this book." -Bill Craun, Principal Consultant, Ambassador Solutions, Inc. "More Effective C# is an opportunity...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0321485890
• ISBN13: 9780321485892
• Release Date: October 2008
• Publisher: Addison-Wesley Professional
• Length: 297 Pages
• Weight: 1.40 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 6.9" x 9.1"

Customer Reviews

Excellent book

As said before, this book isn't for begginers, this book isn't meant to be your first book in C# arena. But I think intermediate level of C# is enough to fully understand what's going on here. It's a must have for API designers and highly recommended for those who want to empower their skills of C#. The book covers topics like generics, threads, LINQ, magic yield keyword etc. Eg. it gives you some hint in uncertain situations where to use inheritance, composition, interfaces, delegates combined with generics and why. This book reveals great tips, that you will use in your daily programming.

A must read for C# developers

Anyone who is writing C# on a daily basis has to read this book. In 50 very easy to read short modules, Bill shows you how to improve your C# code. I have been coding with C# since 2002 and I learned many new techniques about Generics and the new language features from 3.0. With LINQ, I *finally* know why an implicitly typed local variable is better and the implications of not using IQueryable. A wealth of knowledge. After you read your C# 101 books, read this one next! It will make you a better developer.

A book of magic tricks

I've been waiting on this book for ages. Mr. Wagner's original "Effective C#" was a revelation to me. He raised questions I never thought to ask myself about why we do things certain ways in C# rather than others, and then provided insights into what the stakes were. Reading "Effective C#" basically taught me to take programming seriously. I learned to always question my own decisions and to look for better ways to do what I already knew how to do moderately well. The only shortcoming of "Effective C#" was that it was written for the 1.1 framework, and new editions were never forthcoming. I assumed that Mr. Wagner was spending all these intervening silent years updating his original book. With "More Effective C#" however, we actually get something quite different. Of course, there are plenty of chapters detailing the post-1.1 features of the C# language, and these are extremely valuable. For instance, the first chapter in this new book is a fresh take on generics, which I found quite interesting. The real differences become apparent in the subsequent chapters, however. Whereas the original book was a sort of guide for the perplexed, teaching developers to think in new ways, I think of "More Effective C#" as a book of party tricks for programmers. Mr. Wagner already dealt with the fundamental problems of C# programming in his original book, and a rehash of that, while fascinating, would have provided little new. With this sequel, the author instead moves from principles to possibilities. He stretches and extends our minds with the possibilities that the much more powerful C# 3.0 language offers us as programmers. In my case, he then turned my poor programming mind inside out and backwards and left me breathless in front of my computer screen. There are things I didn't know could be done with C#, things I never would have thought to do with C#, and things I would have preferred not to know I could do with C# and now can't seem to forget. Bill Wagner's book of wonders reveals it all. I'm not sure that I will take all of the advice that he provides, such as preferring generic tuples to output and ref parameters (item 9) or preferring implicitly typed local variables (item 30) but, as with the original book, Mr. Wagner has expanded my thinking about C# language, and I highly recommend it to anyone else interested in having an unexpected and enjoyable adventure in programming.

Another great book by Bill Wagner

"More Effective C#" continues in the same style as Bill's first book, "Effective C#": short, concise articles around a specific topic you'll need to pay attention to when figuring out how to write the best C# code you possibly can. Bill starts off with a deep dive into Generics and some of the many subtleties you need to consider. He points out things like considering how you write generic code in base classes, genericized algorithms, and working with generic interfaces. Bill moves through other broad categories including LINQ, C# Design, and enhancements in the 3.0 release of C#. There's also a great section on multithreading in C# which hits some great points in this very arcane but critical aspect of development. This book definitely isn't a tutorial on C#, but I'd say that it's critical for all devs, regardless of experience, to read through. I'd also say, although Bill will likely disagree with me, that many of the tenets he puts forth can apply to folks working in other languages on the .NET platform. Even VB devs can learn some high-level concepts from reading through this book. I can't recommend this book enough. It's right alongside Jon Skeet's "C# in Depth" and Bill's "Effective C#".

Still Great. Still Essential!

I really found Bill's previous book (Effective C#: 50 Specific Ways to Improve Your C# (Effective Software Development Series)) very useful. I've recommended in many classes I've taught and also to clients while consulting. More Effective C# enhances the original with C# 3.0 and LINQ additions. Bottom line: If you want to be a serious developer that continually hones his (or her) craft, then you need this book. Bill has done an excellent job of taking his considerable development expertise and distilling it into very practical pointed advice. I cannot recommend this great book enough!