C#'s resemblances to C++, Java, and C make it easier to learn, but there's a downside: C# programmers often continue to use older techniques when far better alternatives are available. In Effective C#, respected .NET expert Bill Wagner identifies fifty ways you can start leveraging the full power of C# in order to write faster, more efficient, and more reliable software.

Effective C# follows the format that made Effective C++ (Addison-Wesley, 1998) and Effective Java (Addison-Wesley, 2001) indispensable to hundreds of thousands of developers: clear, practical explanations, expert tips, and plenty of realistic code examples. Drawing on his unsurpassed C# experience, Wagner addresses everything from value types to assemblies, exceptions to reflection. Along the way, he shows exactly how to avoid dozens of common C# performance and reliability pitfalls. You'll learn how to:

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Use both types of C# constants for efficiency and maintainability, see item 2
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Use immutable data types to eliminate unnecessary error checking, see item 7
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Avoid the C# function that'll practically always get you in trouble, see item 10
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Minimize garbage collection, boxing, and unboxing, see items 16 and 17
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Take full advantage of interfaces and delegates, see items 19 though 22
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Create CLS compliant assemblies that use noncompliant C# language features, see item 30
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Improve reliability and maintainability by creating small, cohesive assemblies, see item 32
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Leverage the full power of .NET's runtime diagnostics, see item 36
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Know when—and when not—to use reflection, see items 42 and 43
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Preview the major enhancements in C# 2.0, see item 49
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You're already a successful C# programmer—this book can help you become an outstanding one.