C# 0 The Complete Reference

microsoft.com/express/

. All 

of the code in this book has been tested against this compiler.

Using Visual C#, there are two general approaches that you can take to creating, compiling, 

and running a C# program. First, you can use the Visual Studio IDE. Second, you can use 

the command-line compiler, 

csc.exe

. Both methods are described here.

Using csc.exe, the C# Command-Line Compiler

Although the Visual Studio IDE is what you will probably be using for your commercial 

projects, some readers will find the C# command-line compiler more convenient, especially 

for compiling and running the sample programs shown in this book. The reason is that you 

don’t have to create a project for the program. You can simply create the program and then 

compile it and run it—all from the command line. Therefore, if you know how to use the 

Command Prompt window and its command-line interface, using the command-line 

compiler will be faster and easier than using the IDE.