C# Kickstart

A comprehensive, beginner-friendly C# curriculum.

Learn modern C# and .NET development through hands-on exercises, real projects, and automated testing. This course provides structured learning with immediate feedback to build solid programming foundations.

Overview

C# Kickstart is a complete educational curriculum that takes students from zero programming experience to confident C# developers. The course emphasizes practical learning through:

• Progressive skill building with 9 comprehensive chapters
• Hands-on exercises with automated validation
• Real-world projects that demonstrate practical applications
• Professional development practices including testing and debugging
• Immediate feedback through comprehensive test suites

What You'll Learn

Core Programming Concepts

• Variables and Data Types: Understanding int, double, string, bool
• Operators: Arithmetic, comparison, and logical operations
• Control Flow: Conditional statements and decision making
• Loops and Iterations: Repetitive operations and data processing
• Functions and Methods: Code organization and reusability
• Data Structures: Arrays, lists, and collections

Professional Skills

• Problem Solving: Structured approach with pseudocode and flowcharts
• Code Quality: Best practices, naming conventions, and documentation
• Testing: xUnit framework and test-driven development
• Debugging: VS Code debugging tools and techniques
• Version Control: Git basics and collaborative development

Prerequisites

• Computer: Windows, macOS, or Linux
• Internet Connection: For downloading .NET SDK and VS Code
• Time Commitment: 2-3 hours per week for 8-10 weeks
• No Prior Programming Experience Required

Quick Start

1. Install Development Environment

.NET SDK Installation

1. Visit dotnet.microsoft.com/download
2. Download the latest LTS (Long Term Support) version
3. Run the installer and follow the setup wizard
4. Verify installation in terminal:

   dotnet --version

   Expected output: 8.0.xxx or higher

Visual Studio Code Setup

1. Download from code.visualstudio.com
2. Install VS Code following the platform-specific instructions
3. Install the C# Dev Kit extension:
   • Open VS Code
   • Press Ctrl+Shift+X (Windows/Linux) or Cmd+Shift+X (Mac)
   • Search for "C# Dev Kit"
   • Click Install

2. Get Course Materials

Option A: Download ZIP (Recommended for Beginners)

1. Click the green "Code" button on this repository
2. Select "Download ZIP"
3. Extract to your preferred location (e.g., Documents/Programming/)
4. Open the extracted folder in VS Code

Option B: Clone with Git

git clone https://github.com/r-/c-sharp-kickstart.git
cd c-sharp-kickstart

3. Verify Setup

Test Console Application Template

cd templates/console-app
dotnet run

Expected output: Hello, World!

Test xUnit Testing Template

cd ../xunit-project
dotnet test

Expected output: Passed! - Failed: 0, Passed: 3, Skipped: 0

Using Project Templates

The templates folder provides ready-to-use project blueprints that save time and ensure consistency across all your work.

When to Use Templates

• Starting a new exercise: Copy the console-app template
• Creating practice projects: Use console-app for experimentation
• Writing tests: Copy the xunit-project template for test projects

How to Use Templates

Creating a New Console Application

# Copy the console app template
cp -r templates/console-app my-new-project
cd my-new-project

# Rename the project (optional)
mv ConsoleApp.csproj MyProject.csproj

# Start coding in Program.cs
code Program.cs

Creating a Test Project

# Copy the xUnit template
cp -r templates/xunit-project my-tests
cd my-tests

# Rename the project (optional)
mv XUnitProject.csproj MyTests.csproj

# Start writing tests in UnitTest1.cs
code UnitTest1.cs

Template Contents

Template	Contains	Purpose
console-app	Program.cs, ConsoleApp.csproj	Standard C# console application
xunit-project	UnitTest1.cs, XUnitProject.csproj	xUnit test project with examples

Note: The templates include all necessary dependencies and are pre-configured for .NET 8.0, so you can start coding immediately without setup overhead.

Course Structure

Learning Path

Chapter	Topic	Key Concepts	Exercises	Status
01	Introduction & Hello World	Setup, first program, compilation	2	Complete
02	Sequential Execution	Expressions, execution order	2	Complete
03	Variables & Data Types	int, double, string, bool	2	Complete
04	Operators	Arithmetic, comparison, logical	2	Complete
05	Input/Output	Console interaction, validation	2	Complete
06	Conditional Logic	if/else, switch statements	2	Complete
07	Loops & Iterations	for, while, foreach	2	Complete
08	Functions & Methods	Parameters, return values, scope	2	Complete
09	Collections	Arrays, Lists, algorithms	3	Complete
10	Code Quality	Standards, refactoring	2	Planned
11	Testing & Debugging	xUnit, VS Code debugger	2	Planned

Practical Projects

Project	Description	Skills Applied	Status
Number Guessing Game	Interactive console game with random numbers	Loops, validation, user input	Available
Word Statistics	Text analysis and reporting tool	Strings, collections, file I/O	Available
Calculator	Multi-operation calculator	Switch statements, decimal arithmetic	Planned
Store Checkout	Point-of-sale system	Object-oriented design, data persistence	Planned

How to Use This Course

For Students

1. Study the Chapter: Read the theory and examples in book/chapters/
2. Practice with Exercises: Complete hands-on coding in exercises/XX-topic/
3. Validate Your Work: Run dotnet test to check your solutions
4. Debug and Iterate: Fix issues until all tests pass
5. Apply Knowledge: Work on chapter projects
6. Reflect and Review: Understand the concepts before moving forward

For Educators

• Lesson Plans: Structured teaching materials in docs/teacher/
• Assessment Tools: Rubrics aligned with PRRPRR01 standards
• Reference Solutions: Complete solutions for all exercises in solutions/
• Common Issues: Troubleshooting guide for typical student problems
• Progress Tracking: Automated testing provides objective assessment

Development Workflow

Working with Exercises

# Navigate to an exercise
cd exercises/03-variables

# Edit your solution
code Program.cs

# Test your work
dotnet test

# View detailed test results
dotnet test --verbosity normal

# Run your program
dotnet run

Understanding Test Results

• Passed (Green): Your implementation meets all requirements
• Failed (Red): Code needs modification to meet specifications
• Skipped (Yellow): Test intentionally disabled (usually for advanced features)

Essential Commands

Task	Command	Description
Create console app	dotnet new console	Initialize new C# console application
Create test project	dotnet new xunit	Initialize new xUnit test project
Build project	dotnet build	Compile code and check for errors
Run application	dotnet run	Execute the compiled program
Run tests	dotnet test	Execute all unit tests
Clean artifacts	dotnet clean	Remove compiled files

Testing Infrastructure

Comprehensive Validation

This course includes 134 automated tests across 9 test suites ensuring:

• Structural Integrity: All required files and folders exist
• Code Quality: Solutions compile without warnings
• Functional Correctness: Programs produce expected outputs
• Cross-Platform Compatibility: Works on Windows, macOS, and Linux

Test Execution

# Test specific chapter
cd tests/01-intro.Tests
dotnet test

# Test all chapters (Windows)
cd tests && for /d %i in (*) do (cd %i && dotnet test --verbosity quiet && cd ..)

# Test all chapters (macOS/Linux)
cd tests && for dir in */; do (cd "$dir" && dotnet test --verbosity quiet); done

Assessment & Standards

PRRPRR01 Alignment

This curriculum fully aligns with Swedish Programming 1 (PRRPRR01) requirements:

Standard	Implementation
Planning & Design	Pseudocode exercises, flowchart creation
Implementation	Progressive C# programming exercises
Testing & Validation	Comprehensive xUnit test suites
Code Quality	Style guides, best practices, documentation
Reflection & Ethics	Discussion questions, design choice analysis

Learning Outcomes

Upon completion, students will be able to:

• Design and implement console applications using C#
• Apply fundamental programming concepts (variables, control flow, functions)
• Write clean, well-documented code following industry standards
• Use testing frameworks to validate program correctness
• Debug programs using modern development tools
• Collaborate using version control systems

Support & Resources

Getting Help

• Instructor Support: Contact your teacher for personalized assistance
• Peer Learning: Collaborate with classmates on concepts (not solutions)
• Documentation: Comprehensive guides in docs/ directory
• Issue Reporting: Use GitHub Issues for technical problems

External Resources

• Microsoft C# Documentation
• .NET API Reference
• xUnit Testing Framework
• VS Code C# Development

Troubleshooting

Common issues and solutions are documented in:

• Troubleshooting Guide
• Setup Problems
• Testing Issues

Contributing

We welcome contributions to improve this educational resource:

1. Report Issues: Use GitHub Issues for bugs or content problems
2. Suggest Improvements: Propose enhancements via Pull Requests
3. Share Feedback: Help us improve the learning experience
4. Translate Content: Assist with localization efforts

Project Statistics

• 9 Chapters: Complete theoretical foundation
• 17 Exercises: Hands-on programming practice
• 17 Reference Solutions: Professional-quality implementations
• 2 Major Projects: Real-world application development
• 134 Automated Tests: Comprehensive validation coverage
• 95% Complete: Ready for classroom deployment

License

This project is licensed under the MIT License - see the LICENSE file for details.

Acknowledgments

• Swedish Education Agency: For PRRPRR01 curriculum standards
• Microsoft: For excellent C# and .NET documentation
• xUnit Community: For robust testing framework
• Open Source Community: For inspiration and best practices
• Educators and Students: For feedback and continuous improvement

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Ready to begin your C# journey? Start with Chapter 01: Introduction & Hello World