Starting out with Visual C#

Fourth Edition

Chapter 1
Introduction to Computing
and Programming

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Topics
1.1 Introduction
1.2 Hardware and Software
1.3 How Computers Store Data
1.4 How a Program Works
1.5 Graphical User Interfaces
1.6 Objects
1.7 The Program Development Process
1.8 Getting Started with the Visual Studio Environment

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1.1 Introduction
• A program is a set of instructions that a computer follows
to perform a task
– Programs are commonly referred to as software
– Without software, computers cannot do anything
• Programmers, or software developers, create software
– They are people with the training and skills necessary
to design, create, and test programs
• This book introduces fundamental programming concepts
using C#

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1.2 Hardware and Software
• Hardware refers to all physical devices
– A computer consists of many pieces of hardware that
all work together
– Each piece of hardware does its own work
• A typical computer system contains:
– The CPU
– Main memory
– Secondary storage devices
– Input devices
– Output devices

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The CPU
• The central processing unit is the part that actually runs
programs
– The most important part of a computer
– Today CPUs are microprocessor
– Commonly used CPU vendors are Intel and AMD

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Main Memory
• The computer’s work area
• Where the computer loads instructions of programs and
data for processing
• Commonly known as RAM, random-access memory
– Designed for CPUs to quickly access data stored at
any random location in the RAM
• They are a volatile type of memory
– When the computer is powered off, the contents in
RAM are erased

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Secondary Storage Devices
• Devices that can hold data for long periods of time, even
when the power is off
– Where important data and system files are stored
– Most commonly used is the disk drive which stores
data by magnetically encoding it onto a circular disk
– Solid state drives have no moving parts, and
operate faster than a traditional disk drive.
– Optical devices such as DVD-ROMs and CD-ROM
sare also popular
– USB drives and SD memory cards are small devices
that plug into a port
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Input Devices
• Input is any data the computer collects from people and
devices
• Devices that collect the data and send them to the
computer are called input devices
• Commonly used input devices are touch screens,
keyboards, mouses, scanners, microphones, and digital
cameras

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Output Devices
• Output is any data the computer produces for people or
devices
• The device that generates output for a computer is called
an output device
• Commonly used output devices are screens, speakers,
and printers

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Software
• Categorized mainly into system software and application
software
– System software are programs that control and
manage the basic operations of a computer.
Subcategories are:
▪ Operating systems
▪ Utility programs
▪ Software development tools
– Application software are programs that perform
special tasks

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1.3 How Computers Store Data
• All data stored in a computer is converted to sequence of 0s
and 1s; each sequence is called a bit
• A computer’s memory is divided into tiny storage locations
called bytes
– Eight bits make a byte
• Combinations of bits, 0s and 1s, are used to represent
characters. For example,
– The character ‘A’ is 65 in ASCII code, which is converted to
binary format 1000001
– When you press ‘A’, 1000001 will be stored in computer’s
memory

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Digital and Digital Data
• “Digital” refers to anything that can only have two
possible values
– Digital data is the data that is stored in binary.
– Digital devices are devices that work with binary data
– Computers are digital devices

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1.4 How a Program Works
• CPU reads instructions written in machine language
called instruction set
• A program will be copied into memory for CPU to execute
• CPU uses the “fetch-decode-execute” cycle for
processing
– Fetch: Reads instructions from memory
– Decode: Decodes the instructions that were just read
to determine how to perform operations
– Execute: Actually performs the operations

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Programming Languages
– Machine languages: sequences of 0s and 1s
– Assembly languages: use short words known as
“mnemonics” to write program
▪ Must be translated by assembler
▪ Still considered low-level languages
– High-level languages: more human readable
languages that allow programmers to create
programs without knowing how CPU works.
▪ Modern languages are high-level

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Keywords, Operators, and Syntax
• High level languages use keywords that have special
meaning and cannot be used for any purpose other than
to write programs
• Operators are keywords that represent special program
functions such as addition, subtraction, and multiplication
• Syntax is a set of rules that must be strictly followed to
write computer-understandable instructions
– Syntax error is a mistake or violation of these rules
• Each instruction in a program is called a statement

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Compilers and Interpreters
• A compiler translates a high-level language program to a
separate machine program for CPU to read and execute
– Source code: the statements a programmer writes in
a high-level language
– Compilation: translates a text-based source code to
binary codes
• Interpreter reads, translates, and executes the
instructions of a high-level language program
– Examples are PHP, Perl, Python, and ASP.NET

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1.5 Graphical User Interface
• User interfaces allow users to interact with the computer. Categories
are:
– Command line interface (aka console interface)
– Graphical user interface (GUI)- now the most commonly used

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1.6 Objects
• Most programming languages use object-oriented programming in
which a program component is called an “object”
• Program objects have properties (or fields) and methods
– Properties – data stored in an object
– Methods – the operations an object can perform

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Controls
• Objects that are visible in a program GUI are known as
controls
– Commonly used controls are Labels, Buttons, and
TextBoxes
– They enhance the functionality of your programs
• There are invisible objects in a GUI such as Timers, and
OpenFileDialog

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The .NET Framework
• The .NET Framework is a collection of classes and other
codes that can be used to create programs for Windows
operating system
• C# is a language supported by the .NET Framework
• Controls are defined by specialized classes provided by
the .NET Framework
• You can also write your own class to perform a special
task

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1.7 The Program Development Process
• The process of creating a program is known as the
programming development cycle
• It has six phases:
– Understand the program’s purpose
– Design the GUI
– Design the program’s logic
– Write the code
– Correct syntax errors
– Test the program and correct logic errors

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Algorithm, Pseudocode, Flowchart
• An algorithm is a set of well-defined, logical steps that
must be taken to perform a task
• An algorithm that is written out in plain English is called
pseudocode
• A flowchart is a diagram that graphically depicts the steps
of an algorithm

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1.8 Getting Started with the Visual Studio
Environment (1 of 5)
• Visual Studio 2012 is a professional integrated
development environment (IDE)
• The Visual Studio Environment includes:
– Designer Window
– Solution Explorer Window
– Properties Window

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1.8 Getting Started with the Visual Studio
Environment (2 of 5)

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1.8 Getting Started with the Visual Studio
Environment (3 of 5)

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1.8 Getting Started with the Visual Studio
Environment (4 of 5)

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1.8 Getting Started with the Visual Studio
Environment (5 of 5)
• Auto Hide allows a window to display only as a tab of the
edges

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Menu Bar and Standard Toolbar
• Menu bar provides menus such as File, Edit, View,
Project, etc.

• Standard toolbar contains buttons that execute frequently

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The Toolbox (1 of 2)
• Toolbox is a window for selecting controls to use in an application
– Typically appears on the left side of Visual Studio environment
– Usually in Auto Hide mode

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The Toolbox (2 of 2)
• Toolbox is a window for selecting controls to use in an application
– Divided into sections such as “All Windows Forms” and
“Common Controls”

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Tooltips
• A Tooltip is a small box that pops up when you hover the
mouse pointer over an item on the toolbar or toolbox.

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Docked and Floating Windows
• When a window such as Solution Explorer is docked, it is
attached to one of the edges of the Visual Studio
environment
• When a window is floating, you can click and drag it
around the screen
– A window cannot float if it is in Auto Hide mode
• Right click a window’s title bar and select Float or Dock to
change between them

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Projects and Solutions
• Each Visual Studio application  including Visual C#  you will
create is a project
– A project contains several files.
– Typically they are Form1.cs, Program.cs, etc.
• A solution is a container that can hold one or more Visual
Studio  including Visual C#  projects
– Each project, however, is saved in its own solution

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Specifying the Project Name
• You can specify the project name the first time you save
the project.

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Displaying the Designer
• Sometimes when you open an existing project, the
project’s form will not be automatically displayed in the
Designer
• You should:
– Right click
Form1.cs in
the Solution
Explorer
– Click View
Designer in
the pop-up menu
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Copyright

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