C# in CAD projects

C# Spelled As .NET*

C# is an extremely powerful yet flexible programming language that is used by programmers around the world to develop the widest variety of applications on many platforms.

C# was developed by Microsoft, and so it is closely integrated with many of the company's own technologies, such as the .NET framework and Visual Studio IDE (integrated development environment). This makes it a good choice for developing applications that will run on Microsoft platforms.

Fortunately, C# can also be used to develop applications that run on platforms other than Windows. For Linux and macOS, there is Microsoft's modern, open-source, cross-platform .NET (network-enabled technologies) platform, initially named .NET Core.

To build Web applications and services, C# is used with the ASP.NET (active server pages) framework. And with the Xamarin platform, which is now part of .NET, C# can be used for mobile app development on Android and iOS.

For the sake of fairness .NET can be programmed with other languages, such as VisualBasic and F#. But VisualBasic sounds like something out of the 1980s, and F#-- is that the name of a programming language or something else?

C# remains the top choice for .NET platform programming, and so has become one of the most popular programming languages in the world.

What Makes C# and .NET Perfect?

C# has a relatively simple syntax and is intuitive to use, accompanied by a rich set of documentation and tutorials. In combination with various suitable IDEs and helper — such as Visual Studio, Visual Studio Core, JetBrains Rider, and ReSharper — the C# language makes it easy for us to write programs, read code, understand intent, and maintain applications. These benefits provide our programmers with a high rate of development, making enhancements cost-efficient.

The .NET framework is designed to deliver high performance, with features like just-in-time (JIT) compilation and garbage collection. The .NET framework includes a vast library of pre-built components from Microsoft and third-parties. They offer easy integration with other technologies, such as databases, Web services, and messaging systems, which we use to easily build applications quickly.

One key .NET component is WPF (Windows presentation foundation), a framework for building desktop applications with rich user interfaces using C#. WPF, in combination with the MVVM (model-view-viewModel) pattern, allows our programmers to build flexible applications that can be automatically tested.

Another important component is Entity Framework, an ORM (object relational mapping) tool that allows our developers to use C# code with databases. Also worth mentioning is LINQ (language integrated query), a feature of C# that provides a unified syntax for querying data from different sources, such as databases and XML files.

To gain performance that is even higher or to use a variety of efficient C++ computation libraries, C++/CLI (common language infrastructure) is a set of C++-language extensions from Microsoft that are designed to easily interoperate between managed and native code. (Both C++ and C# are based on C, the programming language of the Unix operating system, the basis of all operating systems today, except for Windows, ironically.)

C++/CLI is not just a way for us to use C++ libraries within C# .NET-based software, but one of the most powerful software technologies available today, because it allows us to use existing C++ code and C++ classes with unmanaged memory.

And if our applications need functions not readily available in the .NET framework, there are many third-party libraries available for .NET that help us save time and reduce our effort. We can find a helper for literally any possible case — GUI components, database helpers, messaging helpers, data validation, logging, hardware access libraries, and so on.

C# and LEDAS

Ready to build your application in C# with LEDAS?

Our team has decades experience both in developing standalone software products and in implementing components/plugins for third-party CAD systems. As we develop client-server applications with C#, we have a broad background in cross-platform application development, including implementation of mobile applications for Android and iOS.

Our developers have deep experience in using the .NET framework and are experts in using C# to create high-quality, scalable applications. We offer ongoing support and maintenance services to ensure that your application continues to function smoothly long after it is deployed.

We have a proven track record of delivering customised solutions to clients across a variety of industries, on budget and on time.

So, if you're looking for a reliable partner for your .NET C# development needs, look to LEDAS. Contact us today to learn more about how we can help take your business to the next level.

Ready to build your C# software in LEDAS?

Have any questions? Get In Touch