Master C# Programming From Scratch

The .NET SDK & CLI (The Core Engine)

Think of the .NET SDK as the engine under the hood. You must install this first. It includes the .NET CLI, which lets you control your projects using text commands.

The .NET SDK provides the tools required to create, build, test, and run .NET applications.

How to Install

Go to the official .NET website, download the installer for your computer (Windows, Mac, or Linux), and run it.

How to Check It

Open your computer's terminal such as Command Prompt, PowerShell, or Terminal and type:

dotnet --version

If a version number appears, the .NET SDK is installed correctly and the command is working.

Useful .NET CLI Commands

Verify Your .NET Installation

After installing the .NET SDK, it is a good practice to verify that the SDK is correctly installed and available from the terminal.

Open Command Prompt or PowerShell and run the following commands one by one:

dotnet --version
dotnet --info
dotnet --list-sdks

What These Commands Show

Visual Studio (The Full Power Tool for Windows)

Visual Studio is a massive, all-in-one software box. It has everything built-in, but it is heavy and primarily used on Windows.

Visual Studio provides many features such as code editing, debugging, project management, testing, NuGet package management, Git integration, and tools for building ASP.NET and .NET applications.

How to Install

Download the Visual Studio Installer from Microsoft's website and start the installation process.

Important Step

During installation, it will ask you to choose Workloads (packages of features). Select the workloads required for the type of application you want to develop.

Best For

Visual Studio is suitable for large business applications and developers who prefer an all-in-one development environment where most tools are already available.

Visual Studio Code (The Lightweight Editor)

Visual Studio Code (VS Code) is a very fast, lightweight text editor. It works on Windows, Mac, and Linux.

It starts simple, but you can add extensions (plugins) to make it powerful for different programming languages and development platforms.

How to Install

Download Visual Studio Code from the VS Code website and install it on your computer.

Make VS Code Work with .NET

1. Open Visual Studio Code.
2. Click the Extensions icon on the left menu. It looks like four small squares.
3. Search for and install the C# Dev Kit.
4. The C# Dev Kit provides support for working with C# and .NET projects inside VS Code.

Create a New .NET Project

Open an empty folder in VS Code. Press Ctrl + Shift + P (or Cmd + Shift + P on Mac) to open the Command Palette.

Then search for:

.NET: New Project

Choose the project type you want to create and follow the instructions provided by VS Code.

Create Your First .NET Project Using CLI

The .NET CLI allows you to create and manage projects directly from the terminal. This is especially useful because developers can create projects without opening an IDE.

Open Command Prompt or PowerShell and run:

dotnet new console -n MyFirstApp

This command creates a new console application named MyFirstApp.

Step 2: Open the Project Folder

cd MyFirstApp

Step 3: Run the Application

dotnet run

Expected Output

WelCome to CIIT World 🌍👨‍🏫...!

Which Tool Should You Use?

Visual Studio vs VS Code

Basic C# Development Workflow

A simple C# development workflow can be understood as:

Install .NET SDK
↓
Choose Visual Studio / VS Code
↓
Create a .NET Project
↓
Write C# Code
↓
Build the Project
↓
Run the Application
↓
Debug and Fix Errors

Understanding this workflow will make it easier to work with C# projects throughout the rest of the course.

Common Problems & Quick Fixes

Beginners may face some common setup problems while starting C# development. The following table provides quick solutions.

Simple C# Code Example

Once the development environment is ready, you can create and run a simple C# program.

using System;

class Program
{
    static void Main()
    {
        Console.WriteLine("WelCome CIIT Institute🤓");
    }
}