1. Introduction to the Visual C# 2005 Express Edition IDE

2. Form ever follows function.
Seeing is believing.
Proverb
Form ever follows function.
Louis Henri Sullivan
Intelligence …is the faculty of making artificial objects, especially tools to make tools.
Henri-Louis Bergson

3. OBJECTIVES In 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 Introduction
2.2 Overview of the Visual Studio 2005 IDE
2.3 Menu Bar and Toolbar
2.4 Navigating the Visual Studio 2005 IDE
Solution Explorer
Toolbox
Properties Window
2.5 Using Help
2.6 Using Visual Programming to Create a Simple Program Displaying Text and an Image
2.7 Wrap-Up
2.8 Web Resources

5. Fig. 2.1 | Start Page in Visual C# 2005 Express Edition.
Hidden
window
Start Page links
Empty Solution
Explorer (no
projects open)
New Project
button
Start Page
tab
Fig. 2.1 | Start Page in Visual C# 2005 Express Edition.

6. Fig. 2.2 | Displaying a Web page in Visual Studio.
Requested Web page
(URL in location bar
drop-down menu)
Selected tab requested Web page
Fig. 2.2 | Displaying a Web page in Visual Studio.

7. Fig. 2.3 | New Project dialog.
Visual C# Windows
Application (selected)
Default project name
(provided by Visual Studio)
Description of selected project
template (provided by Visual Studio)
Fig. 2.3 | New Project dialog.

8. Fig. 2.4 | Design view of the IDE.
Active tab
Tabs
Menu
Menu bar
Solution Explorer
window
Form (Windows application)
Properties window
Fig. 2.4 | Design view of the IDE.

9. Fig. 2.5 | Example of a text box control in the Visual Studio IDE.
Text box (displaying
the text Form1), which
can be modified.
Fig. 2.5 | Example of a text box control in the Visual Studio IDE.

10. Fig. 2.6 | Examples of buttons in the Visual Studio IDE.
OK button
Cancel button
Fig. 2.6 | Examples of buttons in the Visual Studio IDE.

11. Fig. 2.7 | Visual Studio menu bar.

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

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

14. Fig. 2.9 | Standard toolbar in Visual Studio.
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
Find
Properties Window
Toolbox Window a) b)
Fig. 2.9 | Standard toolbar in Visual Studio.

15. Fig. 2.10 | Adding the Build toolbar to the IDE.
Standard toolbar
Build toolbar added to the Standard toolbar
Fig | Adding the Build toolbar to the IDE.

16. Fig. 2.11 | IDE toolbar icon showing additional commands.
Down arrow indicates
additional commands
Fig | IDE toolbar icon showing additional commands.

17. Fig. 2.12 | Tool tip demonstration.
Tool tip displayed when the mouse pointer
rests over the New Project icon
Fig | Tool tip demonstration.

18. Fig. 2.13 | Toolbar icons for three Visual Studio windows.
Solution Explorer
Toolbox
Properties
window
Fig | Toolbar icons for three Visual Studio windows.

19. Fig. 2.14 | Auto-hide feature demonstration.
Tab for
hidden
window
(auto-hide
enabled)
Fig | Auto-hide feature demonstration.

20. Fig. 2.15 | Displaying a hidden window when auto-hide is enabled.
Toolbox
title bar
Horizontal
orientation for
pin icon
Fig | Displaying a hidden window when auto-hide is enabled.

21. Fig. 2.16 | Disabling auto-hide (“pinning down” a window).
Toolbox
“pinned down”
Vertical orientation
for pin icon
Fig | Disabling auto-hide (“pinning down” a window).

22. Fig. 2.17 | Solution Explorer with an open project.
Show all files icon
Toolbar
Startup project
Fig | Solution Explorer with an open project.

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

24. Minus box indicates that the file of folder is expanded (changed from plus box)
Fig | Solution Explorer expanding the Properties file after clicking its plus box.

25. Plus boxes indicate that the file or folder is collapsed (changed from minus box)
Fig | Solution Explorer collapsing all files after clicking any minus boxes.

26. Group names
Controls
Fig | Toolbox window displaying controls for the Common Controls group.

27. Categorized icon
Alphabetical icon
Description of the Text property
Component selection drop-down list
Toolbar
Properties
Properties values
Fig | Properties window displaying the Text property of the Form.

28. Fig. 2.23 | Help menu commands.

29. Fig. 2.24 | Dynamic Help window.
Contents
Selected Item
How Do I
Search
Index
Dynamic Help window
Relevant help articles on the selected item (e.g., the Form)
Fig | Dynamic Help window.

30. Fig. 2.25 | Using context-sensitive help.

31. Fig. 2.26 | Options dialog displaying Help settings.
Show all settings check box
Help options selected
Show Help using: box
Fig | Options dialog displaying Help settings.

32. Fig. 2.27 | Simple program executing.
Label control
PictureBox
control
Fig | Simple program executing.

33. Fig. 2.28 | New Project dialog.
Template types
Type in the project name
Fig | New Project dialog.

34. Fig. 2.29 | Save Project dialog.

35. Click to set project location
Selected
Project
location
Fig | Setting the project location in the Project Location dialog.

36. Fig. 2.31 | Setting the form’s Text property in the Properties window.
Name and type of object
Property value
Selected
property
Property description
Fig | Setting the form’s Text property in the Properties window.

37. Fig. 2.32 | Form with enabled sizing handles.
Title bar
Fig | Form with enabled sizing handles.

38. Fig | Resized form.

39. Fig. 2.34 | Changing the form’s BackColor property.
Down-arrow button
Current color
Custom palette
Light blue
Fig | Changing the form’s BackColor property.

40. Fig. 2.35 | Form with new BackColor property applied.
New background color
Fig | Form with new BackColor property applied.

41. Fig. 2.36 | Adding a label to the form.
Label control
Fig | Adding a label to the form.

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

43. Fig. 2.38 | GUI after the form and Label have been customized.
Label centered with updated Text property
Sizing handles
Fig | GUI after the form and Label have been customized.

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

45. Fig. 2.40 | Font dialog for selecting fonts, styles and sizes.
Current font
Font sample
Fig | Font dialog for selecting fonts, styles and sizes.

46. Fig. 2.41 | Centering the Label’s text.
Text alignment options
Middle-center alignment option
Fig | Centering the Label’s text.

47. Fig. 2.42 | Inserting and aligning a PictureBox.
Updated
Label
PictureBox
Fig | Inserting and aligning a PictureBox.

48. Fig. 2.43 | Image property of the PictureBox.
Image property value
(no image selected)
Fig | Image property of the PictureBox.

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

50. Image file name
Fig | Select Resource dialog displaying a preview of selected image.

51. Fig. 2.46 | Scaling an image to the size of the PictureBox.
SizeMode property set to StretchImage
SizeMode property
Fig | Scaling an image to the size of the PictureBox.

52. Fig. 2.47 | PictureBox displaying an image.
Newly
Inserted image
Fig | PictureBox displaying an image.

53. Fig. 2.48 | Building a solution.
Build menu
Fig | Building a solution.

54. Form
Running program
Close box
Fig | IDE in run mode, with the running program in the foreground window.