Microsoft Applied Skills: Get started in C# (for beginners)

Learn to install Visual Studio Code, configure a project folder, and add essential extensions, including C# Dev Kit, C# extension, Net Install Tool, and IntelliCode, to start writing C# programs.

Create your first C# console app by generating a new project, inspecting dot cs and dot csproj files, writing hello world as a string, and running with dotnet run.

Learn about namespaces, classes, methods, and types; create objects from classes and structure programs with a main method and implicit usings for simple console output.

Create a basic C# console app named practice activities by scaffolding a namespace, a class, and a main method, then print hello everyone with Console.WriteLine and run with dotnet.

Create and use int variables in C#, initialize with values, update them with assignment, and display results using string interpolation or concatenation, including calculating a total.

Explore the integral data types in C#: byte, short, int, and long, their ranges and storage sizes, and how signed versus unsigned variants affect memory use.

Explore floating-point data types in C#: float, double, and decimal, including literal suffixes f, d, and m, precision limits, and how to choose the right type for your data.

Explore four non-numeric data types in C#: bool, string, char, and date time, including true/false, quoted strings, single-quoted chars with unicode, and date time values.

declare four variables in a beginner c# practice activity, choosing string, int, and floating point types, and demonstrate outputs like hello John Smith and program numbers with 9.75 minutes.

Learn to define a class with methods and properties, create an instrument object with new, and call its play and tuning methods from code.

Create an instrument class with an auto-implemented string property type of instrument using get and set accessors, and implement a play method that returns a string.

Turn an auto implemented property into a manually implemented one with a private variable, separate get and set blocks, and conditional logic using value to handle guitar, piano, or unknown.

Explore private, protected, internal, and public access modifiers and how they govern visibility within a class, in derived classes, and across assemblies, with instrument and banjo class examples.

Create a vehicle class with a public or internal name of vehicle property, instantiate car and bicycle, and implement a read-only sound that returns vroom, ring ring, or noise.

Learn to pass values to new objects in C# with object initializers using curly braces, initializing type of instrument and age at creation.

Explain how constructors create objects, overload constructors for different parameters, and use static classes and constants to access version and developer data without instantiation.

Move the static and instrument classes to a new cs file, and use namespaces or using directives; implement nullable strings and default values, plus a static instrument counter.

Learn how to overload methods in C#, creating parameterless and parameterized versions differentiated by parameter types, as shown with a tuning method for a number of strings.

Practice activity 4 demonstrates implementing a vehicle class in C# with a get/set property backed by a nullable private field, a parameterized constructor, and testing the fish name.

Review the study guide, complete practice activities, and take the free Microsoft assessment. Log in, retry after 72 hours if needed, and share your credential on LinkedIn or your CV.

Build your first C# program in Visual Studio Code, master integral and floating point variables, and create classes with methods, properties, constructors, and overloaded methods for Microsoft Applied Skills credential.