Topic: Which language is easy to learn and much powerful C# or VB.net ?

[Coder]

Hello guys .

I have a very limited knowledge in Autolisp and I see lots of people recommending to learn C# or VB.net as a powerful language in programming for Autocad .

I would like to know which language is easy to learn and much powerful for Autocad please ?

thanks in advance . 

[BlackBox]

Rarely is the ease of learning representative of the power of what has been learned.

Perhaps you should first consider the right tool for the job:

http://adndevblog.typepad.com/autocad/2012/07/the-right-tools-for-the-job-autocad-part-1.html



Cheers

[Coder]

Rarely is the ease of learning representative of the power of what has been learned.

Perhaps you should first consider the right tool for the job:

http://adndevblog.typepad.com/autocad/2012/07/the-right-tools-for-the-job-autocad-part-1.html



Cheers

Thank you so much BlackBox for taking the time to reply to my thread 

I am really sorry , I did not get the idea very clearly from that link .

I would like to learn the tools that is not supported in Autolisp things like adding commands to right click menu , digging into database , sheet set manager ... etc and as you know these procedures cann't be handled with Autolisp , right ?

for these reasons ( techniques or  preferences ) and maybe many more that I am not a ware of at the moment , I would like to learn unique things and you are very good example as an expert to me to be like you . 

Hope my description is clear .

Thanks again .

[BlackBox]

That is kind of you to say, but I am no expert, I assure you.

I well understand your motivation, as it is very similar to what motivated me to begin learning more than LISP as well. Picking a language now is not a life altering decision, so feel free to pick one to start.

To share from my own experience, I went from Visual LISP to VB.NET (skipping VBA), as I felt it 'read' similar to the ActiveX syntax I was already familiar with. What I ended up finding was that I kept attempting to program in an ActiveX mindset, which even when it worked functionally, didn't live up to .NET's potential.

So I stepped outside of my comfort zone entirely, and began teaching myself C#, which initially seemed entirely foreign to me. With a great deal of work and effort on my part, and a great deal of patience and mentorship from those I look up to, I was able to overcome a lot of the minor obstacles I faced in approaching .NET development as something entirely different (which it actually is).

I posted that link to the first in a series of articles, to help you better understand that even .NET is not all powerful - it's been great don't get me wrong - but ultimately you want to know more about many APIs, so that you can choose the best tool for any given job.

Cheers

[Coder]

Fantastic , many thanks to you for that nice and clear explanations .

It is a very great from you to tell me about your won experience in programming , that helps a lot .

One more thing , hope you don't mind dear BlackBox , how long have you been learning the C# language ? and did you take a course in a college or just self teaching
in programming fourms as most of users do in Autolisp forums ?

Is there any E-book or a website you depend on to help you with your writings in programming ?

Many many thanks . 

[BlackBox]

I'm glad you found my comments to be helpful.

I've not really thought about it, but I'd guess that I've only been coding in C# for the past year or two, with +/- 6 months of VBA before that. The past year was my first with a new employer, and I've not really done any development at all with upgrading our entire client, server, and network environment hardware and software. That in addition to the ridiculous hours doing actual Civil design work and maintaining our network (90/10 respectively).

When I finally took others advice to start learning C#, I purchased a book by Andrew Troelsen which was easy to understand, and was very helpful to me. I did not take any programming courses back in college; I didn't even know what a LISP Defun was in Fall 2009 when I first started singing up at forums, if I am honest.

TheSwamp, particularly the highly skilled developers and mentors have been invaluable. It doesn't hurt to have an unending curiosity, and drive to become exceptional, but it's a lot easier when those mentors that I've come to so highly respect and admire are willing to take you under their wing!

Ultimately, it all comes down to you, and how much you want this new skill set; it's not for the easily bored, and often requires more of your time than you initially anticipated dedicating to it, but can also yield opportunities that you might not have otherwise been able to consider for your future.

When I was really starting to dig into .NET, I asked a lot of similar questions about seeking formal education in programming, and received a great deal of recommendations to instead just start learning on my own. Now, we each have different capabilities, and opportunities in our lives, but I can say that I've been able to nearly double my income in the past year by finding a job where this skill set is valued. I may not do much AutoCAD development these days in terms of what I post, but I do a great deal of internal development, and PowerShell these days (for client /server, and Exchange/Office 365 management)... Just a different interface, and library of keywords, a object model, etc.

Just figure out what you want to do, and intentionally set a seemingly unreachable goal... Work your arse off to get there, will yourself to overcome challenges, and make smart choices... Then come back, and let us know when you've achieved your goal. :beer:

Cheers

[Coder]

very good , I enjoyed readying what you wrote  that means alot to me to start .

The book by Andrew Troelsen that you bought , is it general C# learning language or is it specially to work in Autocad's environment ( the book I mean )?

I am asking you this because I would like to know where can I find the related C# functions that work in Autocad ? for example how to change a color of the selected line ...etc

Should I have the ObjectARX SDK installed on my system ? and what is the need of them ? I have read that they must be installed but did not understand why ?

Have a very great day Mr BlackBox 

[BlackBox]

When I first started out with .NET development, I too did not understand why others recommended that I first attempt to become adept at .NET development outside of AutoCAD *before* digging into the AutoCAD .NET API - I do now, and can tell you that there a great deal to be gained from this approach.

That said, you've got a world of new things ahead of you to even get started... The book I purchase was about C# and the .NET Platform generally (nothing to do with AutoCAD), which helped to fill in a lot of the gaps that the AutoCAD .NET documentation failed to make clear, as they assume that you're already adept at .NET development.

Here are some threads to help get you started:

http://www.theswamp.org/index.php?topic=32381.0

http://www.cadtutor.net/forum/showthread.php?69646-Where-to-start-with-.Net


Cheers

[Coder]

That is great BlackBox .

The last thing to ask about if you don't mind , where can I find a library of Autocad functions in C# in Visual Studio ? and is there a help document in C# for Autocad functions to read and to get started ?

Many many thanks .

Cheers 

[BlackBox]

For this, you're going to want to become familiar with the ObjectARX documentation provided in the SDK, specifically for your version(s) of AutoCAD, as the API does change often.

Some of this information is available online, but the version-specific SDK has a lot more relevant content, code samples, etc.

http://usa.autodesk.com/adsk/servlet/index?id=1911627&siteID=123112



Cheers

[Coder]

This is really nice .

The SDK tools is having the documentation that has the functions to use in the world of C# or VB.net . correct ?

I have AutoCAD 2014  installed on my system and I see at the bottom of the link you posted that they have ObjectARX 2014 and at the same time they have AutoCAD 2014 DOTNET Wizards . Which one should I install for my use ? maybe the SDK for C# and the DOTNET one is for the VB.net coding ?

Cheers BlackBox .

[Kerry]

Coder,

I'd recommend you start to learn the core language before you start running around trying to hook up to AutoCAD.

Try this first to start with C# or VB.net
http://www.visualstudio.com/en-us/products/visual-studio-community-vs

then come back in a month or so and we'll point you to this:
http://www.theswamp.org/index.php?topic=32381.0
( which is about 5 years out of date but still relevant)

[BlackBox]

...

then come back in a month or so and we'll point you to this:
http://www.theswamp.org/index.php?topic=32381.0
( which is about 5 years out of date but still relevant)

As a result of the latter, I've already posted a link to this above. 

[BlackBox]

The SDK tools is having the documentation that has the functions to use in the world of C# or VB.net . correct ?

I have AutoCAD 2014  installed on my system and I see at the bottom of the link you posted that they have ObjectARX 2014 and at the same time they have AutoCAD 2014 DOTNET Wizards . Which one should I install for my use ? maybe the SDK for C# and the DOTNET one is for the VB.net coding ?

C# and VB are just two of the .NET languages, that use the same framework with slightly different syntax (as a simple generalization).

The SDK provides required assembly references, and documentation, whereas the 'wizard' provide Visual Studio Project Template(s).

Cheers

[Coder]

Thank you so much BlackBox for your replies in this thread , you have been amazing and very generous with clear explanations . thanks again .

Mr Kerry , yes you are right , now I have a very good information to start with C# or maybe Vb.net . thank you for your nice reply .

I am sure this thread would help lots of people as beginner as me and great thanks to BLACKBOX , really I can't thank him enough .