Part IV: The Part of Tens in C#.NET

Make Code 3/9 in C#.NET Part IV: The Part of Tens

The Code Project: http://wwwcodeprojectcom/ Working with Range Variables and Let Statements in LINQ: http:// wwwdevelopercom/net/net/articlephp/3731096 Many of these third-party Web sites also provide a newsletter For example, you can subscribe to the DevSource newsletter, which gives you the latest DevSource content at http://wwweweekcom/newsletter-manage/ A few of the Web sites also have discussion forums and other resources you can use to discover more about LINQ Even though LINQ is a relatively new technology, you have a wealth of information at your disposal Don t forget to check sites that offer computer courses For example, Learning Tree (http://wwwlearningtreecom/courses/506htm) now includes LINQ in some of their courses Taking a course can be an expensive way to discover new information about LINQ, but it can also save you time Whether a course makes sense for you depends on how fast you have to get a LINQ application up and running courses often make it possible to fulfill those need-it-yesterday requirements

Third-party newsletters are helpful because they provide you with tidbits of information and tips on how to get the most out of a Microsoft technology In addition, newsletters often provide a forum for you to voice questions or concerns and get a published response from the author One of my favorite newsletters is VB Helper (http://liststopicacom/ lists/VBHelper) The author, Rod Stephens, has a weekly newsletter packed with great code examples and a few helpful tips If you want to see archives of just the Visual Basic NET material that Rod provides, check out http://liststopicacom/lists/VBNetHelper/read You can even ask Rod questions by submitting them at http://liststopicacom/ lists/VBHelperQA A few of the newsletters that you might want to check out are part of news services For example, TechRepublic puts out a newsletter on SQL Server (http://searchtechrepubliccomcom/search/SQL%20Server%20 Newsletterhtml) This newsletter contains a number of interesting articles on LINQ to SQL TechRepublic also provides Webcasts and other resources you should consider adding to your toolbox Another such Web

site is Programmer s Heaven (http://wwwprogrammersheavencom/), which puts out a weekly newsletter containing an assortment of articles and product reviews Groups that sponsor a particular technology can also provide good newsletters For example, the ASPAlliance has a newsletter that contains LINQ topics You can find this newsletter at http://aspalliancecom/news letter/ If you belong to a group or know of a group that focuses on a particular technology, don t be surprised to find that they also have a newsletter packed with useful information for your field of interest Authors are another good source of newsletters, especially when the author has a large organization The Deitel Buzz Online (http://wwwdeitel com/newsletter/) newsletter caters mainly to the books written by the Deitels, but you can still find an interesting assortment of LINQ material for the less skilled developer Deitel products tend to take a very slow, ordered approach to training, so you might find that their newsletter provides helpful information for those difficult LINQ strategies in your application Newsletters are nice, but they re also a one-way communication As with the Microsoft blogs, third-party blogs can contain a wealth of information, only some of which is LINQ specific Following is a list of a few third-party blogs that contain some LINQ topics: B# NET Blog: http://communitybartdesmetnet/blogs/bart/ defaultaspx Barry Gervin s Software Architecture Perspectives: http://www objectsharpcom/cs/blogs/barry/defaultaspx Jeffrey Richter s Blog: http://wwwwintellectcom/cs/blogs/ jeffreyr/defaultaspx Jon Skeet: Coding Blog: http://msmvpscom/blogs/jonskeet/ defaultaspx Oakleaf Systems: http://oakleafblogblogspotcom/ Panopticon Central: http://wwwpanopticoncentralnet/ Saqib Ullah: http://geekswithblogsnet/technetbytes/Default aspx Scott Hanselman s ComputerZencom: http://wwwhanselmancom/ blog/ ScottGu s Blog: http://weblogsaspnet/scottgu/defaultaspx The EntitySpaces Team Blog: http://wwwentityspacesnet/ blog/defaultaspx

LINQ to Objects forms the basis of most of your LINQ applications Yes, you ll probably add other providers to the mix, but when all is said and done, LINQ to Objects will always provide the features required to get the most out of LINQ After all, almost everything you work with in a programming language today is an object, property, method, or event Consequently, you ll want to know the most you can about the LINQ to Objects provider The following list provides some resources you ll want to check as you use LINQ to Objects in your application: Data Points: Standard Query Operators with LINQ: http://msdn2 microsoftcom/en-us/magazine/cc337893aspx LINQ to Objects: http://msdn2microsoftcom/en-us/library/ bb397919aspx LINQ to Objects 5-Minute Overview: http://wwwhookedonlinq com/Defaultaspx Page=LINQtoObjects5MinuteOverview LINQ to Objects: Play with OS Component: http://blogsmsdncom/ wriju/archive/2007/04/26/linq-to-object-play-with-oscomponentaspx