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How to Start a Project in C#?

Introduction

When we want to start a project in any language first question that occurs in our mind are “How to Start?” and “What steps need to be done initially?”. Here is the guide that will help you to start a Project in C#.

Starting a C# project involves several steps, from setting up the development environment to choosing the right project template. This guide will walk you through the essential steps to get your project up and running efficiently.

Development

Setting up your development environment

Before you start coding, you need to set up your development environment. Here’s how.

Installing Visual Studio

Visual Studio is the most comprehensive Integrated Development Environment (IDE) for C# development. Here’s how to install it:

  1. Download Visual Studio
  2. Install Visual Studio
    • Run the installer.
    • Select the workloads you need. For C# development, ensure you select.
      1. ASP.NET and web development for web applications.
      2. .NET Core cross-platform development for cross-platform applications.
      3. Desktop development with .NET for Windows desktop applications.
    • Click Install and wait for the installation to complete.

Installing Visual Studio Code

If you prefer a lightweight editor, Visual Studio Code is a great option. Here’s how to set it up:

  1. Download Visual Studio Code
  2. Install Visual Studio Code
    • Run the installer and follow the instructions.
    • Install the C# extension by OmniSharp from the Extensions marketplace.

Creating a New Project

Once your development environment is set up, you can create a new C# project. Here’s how:

Using Visual Studio

  1. Open Visual Studio.
  2. Start a New Project: Click on Create a new project.
  3. Choose a Project Template
    • Console App: Ideal for simple command-line applications.
    • ASP.NET Core Web App (MVC): Suitable for building web applications following the Model-View-Controller pattern.
    • Blazor App: For building interactive web UIs using C# instead of JavaScript.
    • ASP.NET Core Web API: For creating RESTful APIs.
  4. Configure Your Project
    • Enter a project name and location.
    • Select the framework version (usually the latest stable version).
    • Click Create.

Using Visual Studio Code

  1. Open Visual Studio Code.
  2. Open Terminal: Use Ctrl + (backtick) or navigate to View > Terminal.
  3. Install .NET SDK: If not already installed, download and install the .NET SDK from the .NET download page.
  4. Create a New Project
    • In the terminal, navigate to your desired project directory.
    • Use the dotnet new command to create a project.
      1. For a console app: dotnet new console
      2. For a web app: dotnet new mvc
      3. For a Blazor app: dotnet new blazorserver or dotnet new blazorwasm
      4. For a Web API: dotnet new webapi
  5. Open the Project: Use the code. command to open the current directory in Visual Studio Code.

Configuring Your Project
 

Dependency Injection

C# projects, especially those built on ASP.NET Core, heavily utilize Dependency Injection (DI). This helps in managing dependencies and promoting loose coupling. Here’s a basic setup.

Register Services: In the Startup. cs or Program.cs file, add services to the DI container.

public void ConfigureServices(IServiceCollection services)
{
    services.AddControllersWithViews();
    services.AddScoped<IMyService, MyService>();
}

Configuration Management

Managing configurations is crucial for any project. Use appsettings.json to store configuration settings.

  1. Add Configurations
    • Create an appsettings.json file if it doesn't exist.
    • Add your configuration settings. 
      {
    "ConnectionStrings": {
        "DefaultConnection": "Server=.;Database=mydatabase;Trusted_Connection=True;"
    }
}
  2. Access Configurations: In your application, use the IConfiguration interface to access these settings. 
    public class MyService
{
    private readonly IConfiguration _configuration;

    public MyService(IConfiguration configuration)
    {
        _configuration = configuration;
    }

    public void DoSomething()
    {
        var connectionString = _configuration.GetConnectionString("DefaultConnection");
    }
}

Logging and Monitoring

Implement logging to track application behavior and diagnose issues.

Setup Logging: In Startup. cs or Program.cs, configure logging.

public void Configure(IApplicationBuilder app, IWebHostEnvironment env, ILogger<Startup> logger)
{
    if (env.IsDevelopment())
    {
        app.UseDeveloperExceptionPage();
    }
    else
    {
        app.UseExceptionHandler("/Home/Error");
        app.UseHsts();
    }

    app.UseHttpsRedirection();
    app.UseStaticFiles();
    app.UseRouting();
    app.UseAuthorization();
    app.UseEndpoints(endpoints =>
    {
        endpoints.MapControllerRoute(
            name: "default",
            pattern: "{controller=Home}/{action=Index}/{id?}");
    });
    logger.LogInformation("Application started.");
}

Entity Framework Core

Use Entity Framework Core for data access.

  1. Install EF Core: '1: Install the EF Core package using NuGet. 
    dotnet add package Microsoft.EntityFrameworkCore
dotnet add package Microsoft.EntityFrameworkCore.SqlServer
  2. Configure DbContext: Create a DbContext class and configure it. 
    public class ApplicationDbContext : DbContext
{
    public ApplicationDbContext(DbContextOptions<ApplicationDbContext> options)
        : base(options)
    {

    }
    public DbSet<MyModel> MyModels { get; set; }
}
  3. Add DbContext to DI: Register DbContext in Startup. cs or Program. cs. 
    services.AddDbContext<ApplicationDbContext>(options =>
    options.UseSqlServer(Configuration.GetConnectionString("DefaultConnection")));

Building and Running your project
 

Running the Project

  1. Using Visual Studio
    • Click the Run button or press F5 to start debugging.
    • Use Ctrl + F5 to run without debugging.
  2. Using Visual Studio Code
    • Open the terminal and navigate to your project directory.
    • Use the dotnet run command to build and run your project.

Testing Your Project

Incorporate unit tests to ensure code quality.

  1. Create a Test Project
    • In Visual Studio, add a new project to your solution: Unit Test Project.
    • In Visual Studio Code, use dotnet new xunit or dotnet new mstest.
  2. Write Tests: Add test methods to your test project. 
    public class MyServiceTests
{

    [Fact]
    public void DoSomething_ReturnsExpectedResult()
    {
        // Arrange
        var configuration = new ConfigurationBuilder().Build();
        var service = new MyService(configuration);
        // Act
        service.DoSomething();

        // Assert
        // Add assertions here
    }
}
  3. Run Tests
    • In Visual Studio, use the Test Explorer.
    • In Visual Studio Code, use the dotnet test command.

Conclusion

Starting a C# project involves setting up the right development environment, choosing the appropriate project template, and configuring various aspects like dependency injection, configuration management, logging, and data access. By following these steps, you can lay a solid foundation for a maintainable and scalable C# application.


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