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1.4 - Setting Up Your Development Environment

Before you can start writing C# code, you need to set up a development environment. This involves installing the necessary software tools that will help you write, compile, and run your C# programs.

Choosing an Integrated Development Environment (IDE)​

An Integrated Development Environment (IDE) is a software application that provides comprehensive facilities for software development. A good IDE includes:

  • A code editor with syntax highlighting and auto-completion
  • A compiler to convert your code into an executable program
  • A debugger to help find and fix errors
  • Project management tools

For C# development, we recommend one of the following options:

Visual Studio is Microsoft's full-featured IDE and offers the most comprehensive C# development experience.

Installing Visual Studio Community Edition​

  1. Go to Visual Studio Downloads
  2. Download the free Community Edition
  3. Run the installer
  4. In the installer, select the ".NET Desktop Development" workload
  5. Complete the installation

Visual Studio Features for C# Development​

  • IntelliSense: Provides code completion suggestions as you type
  • Advanced debugging tools
  • Integrated NuGet package manager for adding libraries
  • Built-in Git support for version control
  • Project templates for different types of applications

Option 2: Visual Studio Code with C# Dev Kit (Cross-Platform)​

Visual Studio Code (VS Code) is a lightweight, cross-platform code editor that can be enhanced with extensions to support C# development.

Installing VS Code and C# Dev Kit​

  1. Download and install Visual Studio Code
  2. Install the C# Dev Kit extension from the Extensions marketplace
  3. Install the .NET SDK (Software Development Kit)

VS Code Features for C# Development​

  • Lightweight and fast
  • Customizable with extensions
  • Integrated terminal
  • Debugging support
  • Git integration
  • Works on Windows, macOS, and Linux

Installing the .NET SDK​

Regardless of which IDE you choose, you'll need to install the .NET SDK, which includes the C# compiler and runtime.

  1. Go to .NET Downloads
  2. Download the latest .NET SDK (not just the Runtime)
  3. Follow the installation instructions for your operating system

Verifying Your Installation​

After installation, open a command prompt or terminal and run:

dotnet --version

This should display the version number of the installed .NET SDK.

Creating Your First C# Project​

Let's make sure everything is set up correctly by creating a simple console application.

Using Visual Studio​

  1. Open Visual Studio
  2. Click "Create a new project"
  3. Select "Console App (.NET Core)" or "Console App (.NET)" template
  4. Name your project "HelloWorld"
  5. Choose a location to save your project
  6. Click "Create"

Visual Studio will create and open a new C# console application with a basic Program.cs file.

Using VS Code and .NET CLI​

  1. Open a terminal or command prompt
  2. Navigate to the directory where you want to create your project
  3. Run the following commands:
# Create a new console application
dotnet new console -n HelloWorld

# Navigate to the project directory
cd HelloWorld

# Open the project in VS Code
code .

This will create a new C# console application and open it in VS Code.

Understanding the Project Structure​

A basic C# console application includes:

  • Program.cs: The main source code file containing the entry point of your application
  • HelloWorld.csproj: The project file that defines how your application is built
  • obj/ and bin/ directories: Generated during build and contain compiled code

Configuring Your IDE for C# Development​

Visual Studio Settings​

Visual Studio comes pre-configured for C# development, but you might want to adjust some settings:

  1. Go to Tools > Options
  2. Under Text Editor > C#, you can customize:
    • Formatting rules
    • IntelliSense behavior
    • Code style preferences

VS Code Settings​

For VS Code, you might want to configure:

  1. Open Settings (File > Preferences > Settings or Ctrl+,)
  2. Search for "C#" to find relevant settings
  3. Consider enabling:
    • Format on Save
    • Editor suggestions and hints

Keyboard Shortcuts for Productivity​

Learning a few keyboard shortcuts can significantly improve your coding efficiency:

Essential Visual Studio Shortcuts​

  • F5: Start debugging
  • Ctrl+F5: Run without debugging
  • F9: Set/remove breakpoint
  • Ctrl+Space: Trigger IntelliSense
  • Ctrl+K, Ctrl+C: Comment selected lines
  • Ctrl+K, Ctrl+U: Uncomment selected lines

Essential VS Code Shortcuts​

  • F5: Start debugging
  • Ctrl+`: Open/close integrated terminal
  • Ctrl+Space: Trigger suggestions
  • Ctrl+/: Toggle line comment
  • Shift+Alt+F: Format document

Conclusion​

Congratulations! You've set up your C# development environment and are ready to start coding. In the next section, we'll write our first C# program and explore the basic structure of C# code.

tip

Take some time to explore your IDE and get comfortable with its interface. Understanding your tools well will make your coding journey much smoother.

Unity Relevance

While we're using a standalone C# development environment for this course, the C# knowledge you gain will transfer directly to Unity. Unity uses the same C# language, though it provides its own integrated development environment and additional APIs for game development.

When you eventually move to Unity, you'll typically use Visual Studio or VS Code as an external code editor that integrates with the Unity Editor.