LINQ Quickly with Language Integrated Queries - General Overview
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The book has a total of 252 pages, of which around 20 pages are its table of contents and index. Compared to some of its “competitors," it is relatively short. But this definitely does not mean it delivers less. We have all heard the cliché saying that more isn’t always better. Jokes aside, let’s see the table of contents.
Table of Contents:
Preface
Chapter 1: Overview
Chapter 2: LINQ to Objects
Chapter 3: LINQ to XML
Chapter 4: LINQ to SQL
Chapter 5: LINQ over DataSet
Chapter 6: LINQ to XSD
Chapter 7: Standard Query Operators
Appendix A: Building an ASP.NET Application
Appendix B: LINQ with Outlook
Index
(Back Cover of the Book—LINQ Quickly)
The preface explains what the reader should expect from the book and introduces the concept of LINQ for the first time. Some conventions are also laid out (such as the style of code snippets). Later on, in the first chapter, we can read a general overview of LINQ and how it’s going to make our programming life easier. This chapter teaches us about the latest .NET 3.5 features along with C# 3.0 functions.
During the next five chapters (2-6) we learn about LINQ implementations: LINQ to Objects, to XML, to SQL, over DataSet, and to XSD. This means that the author shows us how to work with each technology appropriately. We learn what LINQ does, how to do this and that, and what the correct syntax is to accomplish what we want using those five technologies (Objects, XML, SQL, DataSets, XSD).
I was pleasantly surprised by the seventh chapter. It is packed with tons of helpful information regarding standard query operators. Each method is described in detail, just as you would expect from comprehensive documentation. It sort of follows the following scheme: explain what it does, give a code sample, and show the results.
I must admit that this is the chapter I consider the most valuable. I'm not saying that the others are sub-par and/or unnecessary. None of them should be ignored because they are building the required foundation chapter by chapter. The seventh chapter can be used as a reference and I know that I’m going to take it off the shelf as a refresher. It is literally filled with content; it’s the pure gold of LINQ querying.
We cannot disregard the adjective practical from the subtitle. Apparently, the author puts a strong emphasis on practicality. The first appendix (Appendix A) leads the reader through the creation of an ASP.NET web application that makes use of LINQ features to populate a grid based on a drop-down box selection. The step-by-step approach is thoroughly accompanied with comments and explanations.
In the second appendix (Appendix B), the development of another web application is detailed. It’s based on LINQ and it accesses an Outlook object, grabbing the details of its contacts. Each section of the book contains lots of code samples where various functions are exemplified, but these two appendices are particularly worthwhile—they are building on the acquired LINQ foundation.
That covers the general overview of the book’s content. In the upcoming section, we’re going to continue our analysis by pointing out other characteristics and qualities of the book. And we are slowly approaching the stage where we must draw conclusions and rate this title. Read on.
Next: Continued Analysis >>
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