Where to start looking
When you are looking for an answer when working in C#, there are many places to look and each one has it’s own benefits.
A good place to start is with Microsoft’s own “How to” page: How do I in C#
Now software companies don’t always highlight the limitations of their own software or programming languages so it’s good to have other resources to hand.
There are many C# and .NET resources on the Internet but I’ll highlight some of my favourites:
- C# Corner - In general some very good code written by hobbyists and professionals that cover very wide topics.
- Code Project - Again a wide variety of examples and an especially good source for non-C# examples.
- W3Schools - Not necessary for C# but for any web-related technology, you can’t beat the grounding that W3Schools can give you.
- 4Guys - more of a ASP.NET resource (also excellent for classic ASP) but will often have a simple example that can be adapted for your needs.
When I don’t find what I need there, I’ll look at the other results Google returns or I’ll adapt something from another technology like PHP or Java.
The key thing is to figure out if something is possible and if it has been done before (and posted on the web). If you still can’t find what you are after then look at if it has been done in another technology. If a particular functionality is readily available in another form, can you make use of it without re-creating it for your own purpose?
I will often come across a paid-for component that does what I need. My decision is then will it cost less to buy than to develop AND can I balance this against the need to update or adapt the purchased component? As a developer I have to put down my pride for a moment and consider that scrictly as a business decision. The less time and effort something takes to create, the more time can be allocated to other parts of a project.
If, failing all of the above you still cannot find a solution that works for you, place a request on this website and if it falls within our areas of interest then we’ll open a project up and look into it.
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