About Programming in C

The aim of this text is to introduce both the general principles of programming in C# and cover some of the theory behind introductory computer science. The target audience are students studying A Level Computer Science who are either learning a new language[^1] or starting to program for the first time, no prior knowledge is assumed. Included in the text are references to an A Level specification in the UK but these can be ignored for self-learners.

The catalyst for writing this text arose when the author took on a new job that required teaching C#. Some fresh learning had to take place, trying out of examples, application of previously known concepts and constructs from other languages but applied to a new platform. Lots of notes were made, lots of programs written to test out the new concepts and many questions asked. The bulk of this text is drawn from those notes and from my colleagues as Hills Road Sixth Form College, Cambridge.

Each chapter explains the syntax of the C# language with plenty of example code. Also a series of programming tasks to reinforce the concepts covered in that chapter and additional questions.

Additionally, each chapter contains a section called Extended Theory. Here we dig into some of the theoretical topics underpinning, where appropriate, the programming concepts from the chapter. They may cover aspects of computer science that are unfamiliar but for students taking a course, e.g. A Level Computer Science, they provide useful supplementary material, explanation and, importantly, further example code. These topics are indicated by a trailing asterisk in the left-hand menu.

The text does not cover object oriented programming, a companion set of notes is being worked on and will be available shortly.