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The 12 essential C# Programmer skills for the best software development

Let's say that your company needs C# ( C Sharp ) development or ASP.NET development in C#. How can you hire a C# developer with the right skills? If you're trying to develop C# skills internally, what skills will you need to teach your internal C# developer team?

It's probably more than you think.

Today, we're going to take an in-depth look at 12 essential C# programming skills, from basic technical skills to more advanced soft skills.

What is the C# programming language used for?

C# is a versatile object-oriented programming language (OOP) that can be used for developing a wide variety of software solutions that can run on both Linux and Windows operating systems. Whether you want to create desktop applications , web applications , or mobile apps that will run on Android or iOS devices, the C# language is a good choice. It's frequently used in both business web application development and mobile app development —and it's the primary language of quite a few mobile frameworks and web application development kits. Because C# is a general-purpose language, it can really be used for anything. C# also supports the MVC (Module-View-Controller) software architectural pattern. This makes it easier for developers to implement user interfaces.

What are the advantages of C# programming?

Python is another very popular programming language . Why do people choose to use C# instead of Python, Java, or any of the other popular languages? There are many advantages to using C# for software development.

• First, it's a relatively easy language to learn the fundamentals. It does have a bit in common with its predecessors C and C++, which are both incredibly challenging languages. C# was developed specifically to fix several very serious design flaws in C and C++. By learning C# and ASP.NET , you can start branching into other languages.
• Second, it's a powerful and versatile language that can be used for developing a wide variety of software solutions. You can start developing a mobile app right now if you learn C#, whether you want to do it from scratch or use a framework. Speaking of frameworks…
• Third, it has excellent tools and libraries available, making development faster and easier. C# is popular and has a thriving community.

Finally, C# is an open-source language. That means that anyone can contribute to its development and improvement. And you can pop into Github for code whenever you need to.

C# is a great language for interfacing with ASP.NET Core as well. 

The language that your organization chooses for web development will usually relate to the framework, platform, or product that you're creating. If you're writing general-purpose code in ASP.NET Core Web Applications , C# is the language for you.

How is C# programming used to build ASP.NET web applications ?

ASP.NET is a web application development framework that can be used to build dynamic websites, web services, and web applications . It's written in C# and utilizes the .NET Framework. You can use C# easily with ASP.NET web development . C# is the language that you use, while ASP.NET is the web application framework that you work with. At a high level of abstraction, C# is how you tell the application-layer framework what to do.

What are the 12 general skills every C# programmer should have.

Obviously, a C sharp programmer should know the ins and outs of C# and the .NET framework and tools such as Microsoft Visual Studio . One should also have a bachelor's degree in computer science but there are also general skills that will make C# programming much more effective for a developer. If you intend to make C# your programming focus, these are general programmer skills that you will need:

1) Business Analysis

Being good at C# programming also means being good at understanding the business requirements for your code. This encompasses everything from knowing the specific input and output requirements to understanding how your code will be used in the greater context of the application. What is your code supposed to do? Why is it supposed to do it? The better your understanding, the more applicable the code will be.

2) Good Communication

This is a quintessential soft skill, but it's an important one. C# programming is typically done as part of a team, and good communication skills will make working with others much easier. This includes being able to explain your code clearly and concisely, as well as understanding the code that others have written.

3) Software Project Management Skills

If you're working on a software development team , you'll likely be involved in project management to some extent. This means being able to track the progress of your team's work, as well as coordinating with other teams to ensure that deadlines are met.

4) Good Problem-Solving Skills

A C# programmer needs the ability to translate abstract concepts into working code. This means being able to take a problem and break it down into manageable pieces that can be coded. It also means being able to troubleshoot code when things go wrong. And you need to problem solve outside of coding. What happens if your stakeholders want something you just can't do?

5) User Interface Design Skills

If you're working on code that will have a user interface, you need to be able to design it in a way that is both functional and visually appealing. This requires an understanding of human-computer interaction principles.

6) Time Management

Every C# / ASP.NET developer needs the ability to meet deadlines. This means being able to estimate how long it will take to write code and then deliver on that estimate. It also means being able to prioritize tasks and work on multiple tasks simultaneously. As a programmer becomes more experienced, this becomes second nature. But if you work with an entry-level programmer or an inexperienced team, you may find yourself absolutely blowing past deadlines.

7) Client-Side Technology

A developer should also know HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and ReactJS to be able to develop the front end. While C# & ASP.NET are server-side technologies, these client-side technologies (run in the browser, not the server) are used to build the user interface and interactivity for web applications . A good C# programmer should have at least a basic understanding of how these web technologies work.

8) SQL Server

Database design and development are essential to most programs. If you don't know how to use a database, you'll need to. SQL Server is the most popular database platform to use for ASP.NET development . SQL Server has been highly optimized to work efficiently with ASP.NET and C#.

9) Software Debugging Skills

Ever heard of "rubber duck debugging"? It's a technique in which you explain your code line-by-line to an inanimate object. It might sound silly, but it can be really effective in helping you to find bugs in your code. Debugging is an essential skill for any programmer , and C# is no exception.

10) Knowledge of Cloud Technologies

Cloud computing platforms, such as Microsoft Azure Cloud Services and Amazon Web Services (AWS), are becoming more and more popular, and as a C# programmer, you should have at least a basic understanding of how it works. Cloud technologies can be used to host web applications , store data, and more.

11) Application Integration with APIs

If you're working on a web application, chances are you'll need to integrate with at least one API. An API is a set of rules that specify how two applications can communicate with each other. Integration with an API can be a challenge, and it's important to have good problem-solving skills to be able to troubleshoot any problems. Within your industry, you may find that certain APIs are more essential than others. For example, integration with the Salesforce API can create seamless applications that run your business.

12) Knowledge of Third-Party Tool Kits

There are a lot of tool kits available to help with computer programming, and as a C# programmer, you should be familiar with at least some of them. These tool kits can help with anything from user interface design to data storage . One popular third-party toolkit is the Telerik ASP.NET Core UI Component Library , which greatly enhances the UI of an application and reduces the amount of time coding.

Why outsourcing C# Development is beneficial for business software development

That was a lot of skills. Not every programmer or even programming team is going to have all those skills. If you don't want to learn C# development or hire a full-time backend developer, consider outsourcing your C# development entirely to a web software application development company .

There are many benefits to outsourcing C# development:

• You can get started quickly and without a large investment. You don't need to hire internal IT staff or try to train people from within; you can start your development and benefit from increased ROI as soon as possible.
• You can tap into a pool of C# talent from around the world. You don't need to rely on those who are in your local area; instead, you can work with the best C# team for your needs. Frequently, you can also save money by getting the most affordable rates globally.
• You can focus on your core business while leaving the C# development to someone else. Why increase the complexity of your internal business operations and business model if you don't have to?
• You can get a team with a wide range of skills, including those soft skills we talked about earlier.

When you outsource your ASP.NET development to a team , you are essentially getting an extension of your in-house team. The right partner will feel like they are part of your company, not just some vendor. Outsourcing software development can give you more flexibility and scalability , giving you a team that is dedicated to your project, and that will see it through to completion.

There are many reasons to outsource ASP.NET development . These are just a few of the most important benefits.

When you are ready to take your business to the next level, consider outsourcing your C# development. It could be the best decision you ever make for your business.

How to Hire C# Developers

If you've decided to build your dream team of C# software engineers, there are a few things you should keep in mind.

• First, identify the specific skills and experience that you need. Do you need a full-stack developer or someone with more focused skills? Do you need an ASP.NET developer , C# developer , or just someone experienced in ASP.NET and ASP.NET Core ? Once you know what you need, you can begin to look for candidates.
• Second, don't be afraid to look outside your local area. With the internet, it's easy to work with software engineers from anywhere in the world. You will find that you can get more bang for your buck by hiring a developer from another country. But be careful. It is better to hire a US-based company that manages offshore teams, so you are protected by American law. That way, you get the lowest price but with US management and oversight.
• Third, take your time. Don't just hire the first person who comes along. Make sure you find someone you can trust and who has the skills you need.
• Finally, don't be afraid to negotiate. You may be able to get a better price if you're willing to haggle. But you could also get a better deal by simply hiring ASP.NET experts who understand your software requirements and can provide complete, all-in-one consulting services for all of your software design and software development efforts.

It can be hard to hire accomplished technical professionals without in-depth technical knowledge of your own by simply creating a job description and a job posting. Think about working with an IT consulting team that has years of experience. An IT consulting firm can identify the talent and skills you need to be successful in your C# project and then build the best custom software development solution for your company.

To discuss outsourcing your C# development for your next big project, or to get answers to any other important questions you might have, please contact Keene Systems today . You can also download our new eBook - Why ASP.NET Development Services Fuels Business Growth  - to learn more about this essential topic. 

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Autor: Codenga 19.02.2024

C# - Four Coding Challenges For Beginners

Here are four C# coding challenges for you to practice. They are a great way to hone your coding skills. Each challenges starts with a task description and excepeted results. Your task is to implement a C# functions that will return expected results. The challenges are meant for beginners. If you have mastered the basic C# concepts like functions, loops, artithmetical operations, you should have no problems dealing with those tasks. Practice your skills to become a Junior C# Developer . Good luck!

1. Sum the odd numbers

Implement an algorithm to sum together all the odd numbers in a collection. Here are the tests that your solution should pass:

• new App().SumOdds(new int[]{1, 2, 3, 4, 5}) -> 9
• new App().SumOdds(new int[]{1, 2, 3}) -> 4
• new App().SumOdds(new int[]{2, 2}) -> 0
• new App().SumOdds(new int[]{1, 1}) -> 2

That one should be fairly easy. You just need to check each number in the collection, to see whether it is odd or even. If it is odd, then add its value to the sum.

Here is the initial code to give you a headstart:

2. Factorial

Here is the classic programming challenge. What is a factorial?

A factorial is a mathematical operation that is applied to a non-negative integer. The factorial of a non-negative integer "n," denoted as "n!," is the product of all positive integers from 1 to "n." In other words:

n! = n × (n - 1) × (n - 2) × ... × 2 × 1

For example:

5! = 5 × 4 × 3 × 2 × 1 = 120 0! is defined to be 1

Take a look at the tests of the Factorial() function. The expected results:

• new App().Factorial(0) -> 1
• new App().Factorial(1) -> 1
• new App().Factorial(2) -> 2
• new App().Factorial(3) -> 6

And here is the initial code. you just need to finish the implementation of the Factorial() function:

3. Convert hours to days

Your job for now: convert hours into days. Here is the basic formula: days = h / 24.

Here are the tests that your function should pass:

• new App().ToDays(24) -> 1
• new App().ToDays(6) -> 0,25
• new App().ToDays(12) -> 0,5
• new App().ToDays(48) -> 2

And, as always, we are giving you an initial code:

That one should be very easy!

4. Count words in text string

And the last one - counting words in a given text string. Let’s start with tests:

• new App().CountWords(null) -> 0
• new App().CountWords("Hello") -> 1
• new App().CountWords("Hello Codenga") -> 2
• new App().CountWords("Hello Codenga !!!") -> 3

And the initial code:

Some hints: split the string ( message ) into separate words, count the number of words, return the result. And that’s it!

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Developed around 2000 by Microsoft as part of its .NET initiative, C# is a general-purpose, object-oriented programming language designed for Common Language Infrastructure (CLI), and widely recognized for its structured, strong-typing and lexical scoping abilities.

This competency area includes understanding the generic system,  using anonymous methods, closures, and lambda syntax, Language Integrated Query (LINQ), resource management, and use of dynamic types, among others.

Key Competencies:

• Generics  - Understand the generic system and its interactions with inheritance via covariance and contravariance.
• Lambda and Delegates  - Use anonymous methods, closures, and lambda syntax to write expressive code.
• Iterators  - Understand IEnumerable, yield, and related facilities.
• Language Integrated Query (LINQ) -  Use C# syntax to access .Net LINQ capabilities and interacting with IEnumerable collections.
• Resource management  - Understanding IDipose and the using construct for explicit resource management.
• Anonymous Types  - Use of dynamic type to interact with types whose shape is determined at runtime.

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The solutions are implemented in the C# programming language and aim to showcase my problem-solving skills and coding practices.

kawser2133/problem-solving-practice

Folders and files, repository files navigation, problem solving practice.

Welcome to my problem-solving practice repository! This repository contains solutions to various coding problems and challenges that I have tackled. The solutions are implemented in the C# programming language and aim to showcase my problem-solving skills and coding practices.

Happy coding and problem solving!

How to think like a programmer — lessons in problem solving

by Richard Reis

If you’re interested in programming, you may well have seen this quote before:

“Everyone in this country should learn to program a computer, because it teaches you to think.” — Steve Jobs

You probably also wondered what does it mean, exactly, to think like a programmer? And how do you do it??

Essentially, it’s all about a more effective way for problem solving .

In this post, my goal is to teach you that way.

By the end of it, you’ll know exactly what steps to take to be a better problem-solver.

Why is this important?

Problem solving is the meta-skill.

We all have problems. Big and small. How we deal with them is sometimes, well…pretty random.

Unless you have a system, this is probably how you “solve” problems (which is what I did when I started coding):

• Try a solution.
• If that doesn’t work, try another one.
• If that doesn’t work, repeat step 2 until you luck out.

Look, sometimes you luck out. But that is the worst way to solve problems! And it’s a huge, huge waste of time.

The best way involves a) having a framework and b) practicing it.

“Almost all employers prioritize problem-solving skills first.

Problem-solving skills are almost unanimously the most important qualification that employers look for….more than programming languages proficiency, debugging, and system design.

Demonstrating computational thinking or the ability to break down large, complex problems is just as valuable (if not more so) than the baseline technical skills required for a job.” — Hacker Rank ( 2018 Developer Skills Report )

Have a framework

To find the right framework, I followed the advice in Tim Ferriss’ book on learning, “ The 4-Hour Chef ”.

It led me to interview two really impressive people: C. Jordan Ball (ranked 1st or 2nd out of 65,000+ users on Coderbyte ), and V. Anton Spraul (author of the book “ Think Like a Programmer: An Introduction to Creative Problem Solving ”).

I asked them the same questions, and guess what? Their answers were pretty similar!

Soon, you too will know them.

Sidenote: this doesn’t mean they did everything the same way. Everyone is different. You’ll be different. But if you start with principles we all agree are good, you’ll get a lot further a lot quicker.

“The biggest mistake I see new programmers make is focusing on learning syntax instead of learning how to solve problems.” — V. Anton Spraul

So, what should you do when you encounter a new problem?

Here are the steps:

1. Understand

Know exactly what is being asked. Most hard problems are hard because you don’t understand them (hence why this is the first step).

How to know when you understand a problem? When you can explain it in plain English.

Do you remember being stuck on a problem, you start explaining it, and you instantly see holes in the logic you didn’t see before?

Most programmers know this feeling.

This is why you should write down your problem, doodle a diagram, or tell someone else about it (or thing… some people use a rubber duck ).

“If you can’t explain something in simple terms, you don’t understand it.” — Richard Feynman

Don’t dive right into solving without a plan (and somehow hope you can muddle your way through). Plan your solution!

Nothing can help you if you can’t write down the exact steps.

In programming, this means don’t start hacking straight away. Give your brain time to analyze the problem and process the information.

To get a good plan, answer this question:

“Given input X, what are the steps necessary to return output Y?”

Sidenote: Programmers have a great tool to help them with this… Comments!

Pay attention. This is the most important step of all.

Do not try to solve one big problem. You will cry.

Instead, break it into sub-problems. These sub-problems are much easier to solve.

Then, solve each sub-problem one by one. Begin with the simplest. Simplest means you know the answer (or are closer to that answer).

After that, simplest means this sub-problem being solved doesn’t depend on others being solved.

Once you solved every sub-problem, connect the dots.

Connecting all your “sub-solutions” will give you the solution to the original problem. Congratulations!

This technique is a cornerstone of problem-solving. Remember it (read this step again, if you must).

“If I could teach every beginning programmer one problem-solving skill, it would be the ‘reduce the problem technique.’

For example, suppose you’re a new programmer and you’re asked to write a program that reads ten numbers and figures out which number is the third highest. For a brand-new programmer, that can be a tough assignment, even though it only requires basic programming syntax.

If you’re stuck, you should reduce the problem to something simpler. Instead of the third-highest number, what about finding the highest overall? Still too tough? What about finding the largest of just three numbers? Or the larger of two?

Reduce the problem to the point where you know how to solve it and write the solution. Then expand the problem slightly and rewrite the solution to match, and keep going until you are back where you started.” — V. Anton Spraul

By now, you’re probably sitting there thinking “Hey Richard... That’s cool and all, but what if I’m stuck and can’t even solve a sub-problem??”

First off, take a deep breath. Second, that’s fair.

Don’t worry though, friend. This happens to everyone!

The difference is the best programmers/problem-solvers are more curious about bugs/errors than irritated.

In fact, here are three things to try when facing a whammy:

• Debug: Go step by step through your solution trying to find where you went wrong. Programmers call this debugging (in fact, this is all a debugger does).

“The art of debugging is figuring out what you really told your program to do rather than what you thought you told it to do.”” — Andrew Singer

• Reassess: Take a step back. Look at the problem from another perspective. Is there anything that can be abstracted to a more general approach?

“Sometimes we get so lost in the details of a problem that we overlook general principles that would solve the problem at a more general level. […]

The classic example of this, of course, is the summation of a long list of consecutive integers, 1 + 2 + 3 + … + n, which a very young Gauss quickly recognized was simply n(n+1)/2, thus avoiding the effort of having to do the addition.” — C. Jordan Ball

Sidenote: Another way of reassessing is starting anew. Delete everything and begin again with fresh eyes. I’m serious. You’ll be dumbfounded at how effective this is.

• Research: Ahh, good ol’ Google. You read that right. No matter what problem you have, someone has probably solved it. Find that person/ solution. In fact, do this even if you solved the problem! (You can learn a lot from other people’s solutions).

Caveat: Don’t look for a solution to the big problem. Only look for solutions to sub-problems. Why? Because unless you struggle (even a little bit), you won’t learn anything. If you don’t learn anything, you wasted your time.

Don’t expect to be great after just one week. If you want to be a good problem-solver, solve a lot of problems!

Practice. Practice. Practice. It’ll only be a matter of time before you recognize that “this problem could easily be solved with <insert concept here>.”

How to practice? There are options out the wazoo!

Chess puzzles, math problems, Sudoku, Go, Monopoly, video-games, cryptokitties, bla… bla… bla….

In fact, a common pattern amongst successful people is their habit of practicing “micro problem-solving.” For example, Peter Thiel plays chess, and Elon Musk plays video-games.

“Byron Reeves said ‘If you want to see what business leadership may look like in three to five years, look at what’s happening in online games.’

Fast-forward to today. Elon [Musk], Reid [Hoffman], Mark Zuckerberg and many others say that games have been foundational to their success in building their companies.” — Mary Meeker ( 2017 internet trends report )

Does this mean you should just play video-games? Not at all.

But what are video-games all about? That’s right, problem-solving!

So, what you should do is find an outlet to practice. Something that allows you to solve many micro-problems (ideally, something you enjoy).

For example, I enjoy coding challenges. Every day, I try to solve at least one challenge (usually on Coderbyte ).

Like I said, all problems share similar patterns.

That’s all folks!

Now, you know better what it means to “think like a programmer.”

You also know that problem-solving is an incredible skill to cultivate (the meta-skill).

As if that wasn’t enough, notice how you also know what to do to practice your problem-solving skills!

Phew… Pretty cool right?

Finally, I wish you encounter many problems.

You read that right. At least now you know how to solve them! (also, you’ll learn that with every solution, you improve).

“Just when you think you’ve successfully navigated one obstacle, another emerges. But that’s what keeps life interesting.[…]

Life is a process of breaking through these impediments — a series of fortified lines that we must break through.

Each time, you’ll learn something.

Each time, you’ll develop strength, wisdom, and perspective.

Each time, a little more of the competition falls away. Until all that is left is you: the best version of you.” — Ryan Holiday ( The Obstacle is the Way )

Now, go solve some problems!

And best of luck ?

Special thanks to C. Jordan Ball and V. Anton Spraul . All the good advice here came from them.

Thanks for reading! If you enjoyed it, test how many times can you hit in 5 seconds. It’s great cardio for your fingers AND will help other people see the story.

If this article was helpful, share it .

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Find, Fix, and Avoid Performance Problems in C# .NET: 10 Best Practices

Don’t know about you, but I’m obsessed about performance. When my project has a performance problem, I take it as a personal offense and do not rest until that problem is found. That’s probably not the healthiest attitude, but we’re not here to talk about that. Let’s talk about performance problems.

This article will show 10 best practices on dealing with performance problems, starting with when you need to deal with them at all. You will see techniques to detect if a problem exists, find the specific cause, and fix it.

There’s enough to talk about performance in .NET to fill a book and actually, several books already exist on the subject [ 1 ] [ 2 ]. This article is a bird’s eye view on the matter of performance. I’ll show general techniques and strategies to approach problems, introduce you to the most useful tools, and point you in the right direction.

When to worry about performance.

Did you ever hear the quote Premature Optimization Is the Root of All Evil ? That’s a quote by Donald Knuth ( kind of ) that’s meant to say – don’t worry about optimization before there’s a problem.

This approach is often the right one to take. Micro-optimization, or worrying about performance during development can be a waste of time. Most likely the improvement you make won’t be in the critical path, will be negligible, or worst of all increase the complexity and readability of your code for a minimal advantage.

I very much agree with this approach, with some caveats. Those are:

• While premature optimization is bad, testing for performance is good. Repeatedly testing response times of your requests and measuring execution time of your algorithms is a good idea. If it can be done automatically with tests, even better.
• While premature optimization is bad, disregarding performance altogether is a folly. Use some basic common sense in your algorithms and architecture. For example, if you have frequently used data that never changes, and you keep pulling it from the database, go ahead and cache it in advance. There’s no need to wait until you have scaled to a million customers to make that optimization.

In most applications, performance issues aren’t going to be a problem. There are specific scenarios when you absolutely do need to worry about performance. Those are:

• In a high-load server , serving a lot of requests in high frequency. Something like Google’s search engine for example. Those kinds of servers are where performance matters most. A few optimizations can significantly decrease response time or save tens of thousands of dollars in cloud resources. In those servers, you should proactively test for performance all the time.
• In algorithms . Optimizing performance of a long-running algorithm can save the user a lot of time, or allow to handle a much higher load.
• In a library or a plugin . When you develop a library or a plugin, you are potentially being used in a high-load server or another type of performance-sensitive program. You are also living in the same process with other libraries and an application. Your code can be called in hot paths or you might use too many resources, hurting the overall performance of the process. It’s best to plan for the worst-case scenario in library and plugin development.

Let’s continue to some best practices.

1. Measure everything

When dealing with performance, unless you measure it, you’re in the dark. There are way too many factors in a .NET program to assume anything without measuring.

This brings the following questions: When to measure , What to measure , and How to measure .

When to measure:

• For scenarios like a high-load server, measure request times as part of your regular tests. If you can integrate measurements into your CI/CD process, even better.
• Measure during development when developing an algorithm or a piece of code that’s going to be used in a hot path.
• Measure when you’re dealing with an existing performance problem. You’ll be able to know when you’ve fixed the issue, and the measurement itself can help you to find the problem.

What to measure:

For development or testing, measuring execution time might be enough. When facing a specific performance problem, you can and should measure more metrics. With various tools, you can measure an abundance of information like CPU usage, % time waiting for GC, exception counters, time spent in a certain method and more. We’ll see how further on.

For a specific problem, you mostly should measure the smallest part that causes the problem. For example, suppose I have an unexplained delay when clicking a button. I will start measuring as closely as possible before the button is hit and stop measuring as soon as the delay is over. This will pinpoint my investigation just to the problematic delay.

How to measure:

Measuring performance is best done as closely as possible to a production environment setting. That means measuring in Release mode and without a debugger attached . Release mode ensures the code is optimized , which can make a big different in performance for specific scenarios. Similarly, attaching a debugger can also decrease performance.

Having said that, in my experience there’s a lot of insight to be had when measuring in debug mode as well. You just have to keep in mind some of the finding may be due to code optimization and an attached debugger

Optionally, you can measure the part of code after a certain warmup period. That is, run the code several times before starting to measure. This will make sure JIT compiling is not included in the measurement and possibly that the code and/or memory are in CPU cache.

Here are some ways you can measure performance:

• If you’re measuring a specific algorithm, which can be executed as a standalone method, you can use BenchmarkDotNet . It’s an open source project that became the industry standard for performance benchmarks in .NET.
• You can use a performance profiler like dotTrace or ANTS to record a runtime snapshot. Profiling gives you amazing insights into what happened during the recorded time. We’ll get back to profiling further on.
• If you’re measuring execution time in code, use the Stopwatch class. It’s much more accurate than using DateTime timestamps.
• There are profiling tools inside Visual Studio . Specifically, the Diagnostic Tools while debugging and profiling without the debugger . You might need VS Enterprise for some of those features.

2. Start using a performance profiler

A performance profiler is your Chef’s Knife when it comes to performance. You can use it to detect performance problems and pinpoint to the specific cause.

A performance profiler allows you to record a part of your program runtime, save it as a snapshot, and investigate it. You will be able to see:

• Time spent in each method
• Time in SQL requests
• Time in JIT compile
• Time garbage collecting
• Time for various I/O requests File and Network
• Time waiting for a lock to release
• Time in WPF/WinForms code (measuring, rendering, …)
• Time in Reflection code

Here’s a screenshot of dotTrace while analyzing a snapshot:

Here’s what we see:

• The method GetInput took 22.6 seconds. Out of it, only 29 milliseconds were its own. The rest were by other methods it called.
• The (decompiled) source code of the method.
• 36% System code
• 28% Reflection
• 21% WinForms
• 10% User code
• 3% GC Wait (Garbage collection)

We can further explore the methods GetInput called in another screen:

Here we see that GetInput called another overload of GetInput , which called DoEvents , which called Event and so on. We can see how much time each individual method took in milliseconds and percentage.

In summary, a performance profiler is extremely useful to find and fix performance problems.

3. Mind the GC pressure

Garbage collection is very much tied to performance. I daresay that the most important thing to understand in a .NET process performance-wise is the GC.

While allocations are very cheap, GC is expensive and we should constantly keep an eye on it. Specifically, we should be looking at 2 metrics: % time spent in GC and Gen 2 collection frequency . Here’s why:

• % time spent in GC is the time your process spends in garbage collection. If we keep this to a minimum, our process will spend more time executing code. I heard different numbers, but generally speaking, a healthy process should spend up to 10%-20% in GC.
• Gen 2 collection frequency should be kept to a minimum. A gen 2 collection is also known as full garbage collection . It’s very expensive because it reclaims objects in all generations. If you have a lot of gen 2 collections, your process will be very slow and can notably hang in runtime.

We have 3 prime directives in dealing with the GC:

• Keep allocations to a minimum.
• Try to have allocated objects garbage collected as soon as possible. The GGC is optimized for short-lived objects.
• Have as little Gen 2 collections as possible. And Gen 1 collections for that matter.

There are many techniques and best practices to achieve that. In fact, I recently wrote the article 8 Techniques to Avoid GC Pressure and Improve Performance in C# .NET which will help you do just that.

Besides the techniques and optimizations I describe in the linked article, you should always be measuring GC behavior. Here are some ways you can measure GC behavior:

• While debugging, you can use the Diagnostics Tool Window to visualize Garbage Collection .
• A performance profiler like dotTrace will show you % time spent in GC .
• Windows Performance Counters contain useful counters for memory . These counters include both % Time in GC and Gen 2 Collections . Tools like PerfMon can visualize this, or you can get counter values in code . Here’s a great article explaining the meaning of GC performance counters.

4. Mind the JITter

.NET code is compiled to MSIL code instead of native code. This is the same trick used by Java JVM that allows Java to run everywhere. This magic happens with just-in-time compilation (JIT).

The JIT compiler converts MSIL code into native code the first time a method is called. This is pretty fast, but can still cause performance issues, especially at startup. Usually, the JIT is not going to be a problem and you won’t need to optimize anything. But, in some cases, you might want to tweak the JITter.

There are 3 modes to consider for JIT:

• Normal JIT compilation – Works just as described. It’s usually the best mode, especially for long-running applications. For servers, and Asp.NET specifically, this is the preferred option.
• Native images with Ngen.exe – Instead of just-in-time compilation, you can do ahead-of-time (AOT) compilation with a tool called Ngen.exe . The compilation is machine-specific, so it should be run after installation on the deployed machine. This usually means you will integrate Ngen.exe with your installer . When run, Ngen.exe compiles the MSIL code into Native Image Cache. This means that your process uses the image cache and no longer needs to do JIT. The result is a faster startup and smaller assembly size. Ngen is best used for desktop applications where startup time is more important. Don’t use this for an Asp.NET server.
• ReadyToRun images – .NET Core 3 brings another type of AOT compilation: The ReadyToRun (R2R) format . This is already implemented in Mono runtime for a while. Unlike Ngen, R2R is not machine specific (but it is OS specific). That means it can be integrated with your regular build. It reduces startup time but increases assembly size because it contains both IL code and native code. .NET Core 3 is still in preview, so we’ll see how popular this optimization will be in the near future. This method should be used on client-installed applications (Desktop & Mobile).

5. Get to know (about) notable .NET performance tools (Performance counters, ETW events)

When talking about performance in .NET, there are some tools that have to be mentioned.

Performance Counters – Windows supports a feature called performance counters, which allows you to follow a whole lot of very useful metrics innately . You can use the PerfMon tool (included in Windows) to see them interactively. For example, here is me viewing some memory consumption counters:

You can follow exception counters, JIT counters, lock counters, networking counters, and garbage collections counters. Some notable counters are Process | % Processor Time which indicates CPU usage, .NET CLR Memory | % time in GC and .NET CLR Memory | Gen 2 collections which indicate GC pressure. Full list here and explanation on GC counters here .

ETW Logs – Windows has a built-in logging system called Event Tracing for Windows (ETW). It’s an extremely fast kernel level logging system that .NET and Windows uses internally. What does it mean for us? Well, 2 things.

For one, you can consume (listen to) logs from your process to analyze the performance. The PerfView tool is perfect for that. Those logs contain data on events like GC allocations and deallocations, JIT operations, kernel events, etc. Pretty much everything windows and .NET do is logged with ETW.

The second usage is using ETW yourself for logging. As mentioned, it’s extremely fast, so you’ll even be able to add logs to performance-sensitive hot paths.

Here’s a nice tutorial by Simon Timms on the matter.

For .NET Core, on non-Windows environments, use dotnet-counters as an alternative to PerfMon for performance counters. Similarly, dotnet-trace is an alternative for ETW logs. I didn’t try those tools, so please report in the comments on your experience if you did.

I would say that in many cases, a performance profiler will give you similar information in a more consumable matter. However, there are instances when using the above tools is better. Here are some reasons why you might prefer performance counters and ETW over a performance profiler:

• Counters and ETW are non-intrusive. They don’t disrupt the process like a profiler.
• Performance counters are relatively easy to use
• Sometimes you just can’t profile a specific machine for whatever reason.
• Those tools are free, whereas performance profiler licenses are costly.

6. Save execution time with Caching, but carefully

One important concept to improve performance is Caching . The basic idea is to reuse operation results. When performing some operation, we will save the result in our cache container. The next time that we need that result, we will pull it from the cache container, instead of performing the heavy operation again.

For example, you might need to pull product recommendations from the database. When doing so, you can save it in your in-memory cache container . Next time someone wants to view that same product, you can pull it from memory, saving a trip to the database.

Sounds like a great solution on first glance, but nothing is so easy in software engineering. Consider these possible complications:

• If another product recommendation is added or deleted, you need to know about it and refresh the caching. This adds complexity.
• If you leave your caching forever, you’ll eventually run out of memory. Eviction policies need to be set, adding complexity.
• In-memory caching takes up memory. It’s the worst kind of memory because it’s long-lived. This means it will be promoted to higher GC generations until finally garbage collected, encouraging more Gen 2 collections, which considerably slow down a process.

I mentioned in-memory caching , but you can also use persistent cache (file/database) or distributed cache with a service like Redis . Those will be slower but can solve a lot of the mentioned problems.

To summarize, caching is a very powerful tool that can considerably improve performance. It also comes with a price, which you should carefully consider when implementing. For more information about caching, you can read my article Cache Implementations in C# .NET

7. Optimize UI Responsiveness

When a user interacts with UI, any response under 0.1-0.2 seconds feels instantaneous [1] [2] . 1 second is the limit for the user’s flow of thought to stay uninterrupted. Anything more than 1 second, the user feels they are no longer in control of the interaction .

Here are some rules of thumb in regards to UI performance:

• 0.1-0.2 seconds is a lot of time for a computer. If you’re responding within that time frame, there’s no need for further optimization.
• Whatever you do, don’t freeze the UI thread in client applications. Nothing feels more buggy than an unresponsive window. The async/await pattern is perfect to send work to another thread, then come back to the UI thread when finished.
• When an operation takes a while, give some immediate feedback that the operation started. It’s an infinitely better experience than having the user wait a few seconds after a button click with no feedback at all. A progress bar is great. It shows the system is working, and possibly when it’s going to be finished.
• For operations that don’t require an immediate result, consider using a Job Queue . Have the user know that his job started and let him continue interaction with your system. It’s a perfect solution to level out peak times. Job Queues have many benefits for performance. For more information, check out my article series called Job Queue Implementations in C# .

8. Optimize only the critical path

When solving a specific problem, it’s important to know where to put in the work. In other words, you can spend a lot of effort fixing something that doesn’t make an effect.

The critical path is an important concept in performance. It’s the longest sequence of activities in a task that must be completed for the task to be ready. It’s a bit confusing, so I’ll give an example.

Suppose you work on a web application that does image filters. When the user clicks Filter you do 3 operations simultaneously:

• Add telemetry data on the user’s action (10 milliseconds)
• Apply the filter (25 seconds)
• Backup the initial image to history (10 seconds)

Suppose that you can easily optimize the backup operation to take 5 seconds instead of 10. Should you do it? Well, there’s no point. Since the operations are done simultaneously, the operation will still take 25 seconds. The only operation that’s worth optimizing is the critical path, which is applying the filter.

9. Micro-optimize Hot Paths

Hot paths are code sections in which most of the execution time is spent. They often execute very frequently.

While micro-optimizations are usually unnecessary, hot paths are the one place where they are very helpful. There are lots and lots of optimizations you can do. Here are some of them:

• Avoid LINQ in favor of regular arrays.
• Prefer for loops over foreach loops for non-array direct-access collections like List<T> .
• Allocate as little memory as possible. You can make use of structs , stackalloc , and Span to avoid heap allocations. You can use shared memory like System.Buffers.ArrayPool to reuse memory.
• Use StringBuilder and array concatenations correctly .
• Use Buffer.BlockCopy if you have to copy arrays.

10. Beware of common performance offenders

There are several patterns .NET that you should avoid as much as possible. The following are proven performance offenders:

• Finalizers are bad for performance. Any class with a finalizer can’t be garbage collected in Gen 0, which is the fastest generation. It will be promoted at least one generation. The rule of thumb is to have objects de-allocated as fast as possible or not at all. As mentioned, the GC is optimized for short-lived objects. When you must use finalizers with something like the Dispose Pattern , make sure to call Dispose and suppress the finalizer.
• Throwing Exceptions as normal behavior is bad practice. While adding try/catch is cheap, actually throwing an exception is expensive. For example. checking if something can be parsed by calling int.Parse() and catching an exception, should be avoided. Instead, you can use int.TryParse() which returns false if parsing is impossible.
• Reflection in .NET is very powerful, but expensive. Try avoiding reflection as much as possible. Operations like Activator.CreateInstance() and myType.GetMethod("Foo").Invoke() will hurt performance. That’s not to say you should not use it, just keep in mind not to use it in performance-sensitive scenarios and hot paths.
• The dynamic type is particularly expensive. Try avoiding it entirely in hot paths.
• Multi-threaded synchronization is really hard to get right. Whenever you have locks and threads waiting for each other, you have a potential performance problem on your hands. Not to mention possible deadlocks . If possible, try avoiding locks altogether.
• As mentioned already, memory and performance in .NET are tied to each other. Bad memory management will affect performance. Specifically, try to avoid Memory Leaks and GC Pressure .

A big part of almost any application is the Database. DB optimizations are obviously important, but they aren’t directly related to .NET. It’s a huge subject on its own, which I’ll leave for another post.

.NET is elusively simple, which gives the impression you can do anything without repercussions. While that’s true to some extent, you can easily get into trouble when you don’t have in-depth knowledge. Moreover, it can go unnoticed until you’ve scaled to a million users and it’s too late.

The important things that can get you into trouble when your application has grown are those that are hardest to fix. It might be fundamentally bad architecture, incorrect memory management, and badly planned database interaction. Just keep in mind that your application might grow huge or wildly successful with a billion users. Cheers.

Welcome to my blog! I’m a software developer, C# enthusiast, author, and a blogger. I write about C#, .NET, memory management, and performance. Working at Microsoft, but all opinions in this blog are my own. More about me →

Check out my book Practical Debugging for .NET Developers to become an expert problem solver

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Are Real-World Problem-Solving Skills Essential for Students?

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Many school districts and policymakers are stepping up efforts to teach students the skills they need to be prepared for the jobs of the future.

One big area of focus is STEM.

Jobs in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics fields are expected to grow at a faster rate than all other occupations, according to the U.S. Department of Labor . But less than one-third of teens and young adults listed a role in those fields as their first-choice career, according to a 2023 Gallup/Walton Family Foundation survey .

“With increasingly rapid change being the only constant due to factors such as AI and climate change, yes, it’s important and essential for students to learn a [real-world] problem-solving approach to math and science,” said Maud Abeel, a director at Jobs for the Future, a national nonprofit that develops programs and public policies to boost students’ college and career readiness. “STEM is probably the best conduit for learning problem-solving available to all young people.”

Because of its focus on hands-on, problem-based learning, STEM education nurtures skills that are transferable to almost any field students pursue after graduation, experts say. These are skills that are highly valued by employers. The National Association of Colleges and Employers’ Job Outlook 2024 report found that nearly 90 percent of employers said they’re looking for people with proven problem-solving skills.

Most educators agree that, to be prepared for the jobs of the future, students need to learn math and science through a problem-solving approach that encourages them to tackle real-world challenges, according to a nationally representative EdWeek Research Center survey of 1,183 teachers, principals, and district leaders conducted in March and April. Most educators also say that this approach is important for all students, not just those who plan to go into STEM careers.

“I believe that problem-solving skills and critical thinking are imperative to the survival of students,” said an elementary teacher in Georgia in an open-ended response to the survey. “The skills will be needed to address issues that occur in everyday life. In addition, problem-solving and critical thinking are at the very core of the evolution of humanity and its continued existence.”

Still, there are plenty of educators who counter that students need to learn the basics before moving on to real-world problem-solving lessons.

“While learning math through ‘real problem-solving’ projects is interesting, engaging, and important, overlooking the foundational necessities is a huge, and common, mistake,” said a high school teacher in New York. “While this process can often feel like a repetitive grind full of rote, formulaic practice, it is nevertheless essential. First things must come first.”

Having solid foundational knowledge in science and math is important, because students could get discouraged if they aren’t good in those areas, experts agree. But a real-world problem-solving approach could help students be more engaged in the learning and gain a better understanding of how the topics they’re studying will be useful to them in the future, experts also point out.

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AI will make coding skills more, not less, valuable—and it’s more important than ever for children to learn them

The year 2024 has continued to see the long-awaited rise of generative AI in many aspects of life. Every day, we see news of the latest tools and developments to help with our needs, from generating a grocery list to coding a program. Artificial intelligence promises a bright future, an exciting prospect that also carries fears of the technology replacing humans and eliminating jobs . While this future is further ahead than many will claim, two facts remain true: AI and its fast growth present more opportunities rather than dangers, and we must continue to teach our children how to code so they can take advantage of the freedom of creativity that AI provides.

Generative AI is driven using LLMs, or large-language models. It learns by combining the prompts and queries you enter with the information available from many sources, including the web. Generative AI can create base code with a simple prompt, but it still needs an engineer or programmer to check that code, understand what needs to be modified, and then apply it to the right context and use in a program. AI frees the programmer from debugging and instead allows for a focus on creativity. It lets us reinvent a better wheel—a wheel that more people can access and benefit from.

With that in mind, consider the benefits of learning how to code in our increasingly technological world. Instead of having to go through hours of courses to learn base code, we are free to be creative, to think critically, and to problem-solve. With easier access to generating starting code, our children face lower barriers in learning how to use code to solve the problems of today and tomorrow. They can more freely collaborate, communicate, and create. The power of learning how to code is in the intangible skills of breaking down a problem piece by piece and approaching it in different ways to find a solution. Coding is one of the best mediums to combine problem-solving and technology.

For example, take the case where you need to use generative AI to draft an email. You wouldn’t simply copy and paste what your prompt yields; you would read through it, evaluate the word choice and tone, and then make edits to ensure accuracy. You would integrate your personal voice and reformat the AI’s results for consistency and style. AI provides the starting point, but you are ultimately responsible for the final product. You use your critical thinking skills and creativity to apply the generated results in the way you want and need.

Teaching our children how to code ensures that they can focus on their best work by being creative, modifying, and problem-solving. They won’t have to spend hours starting from scratch repeatedly or redoing work that’s already been done.

Coding jobs will evolve as AI improves

This also leads to the idea that not all coding jobs will be eliminated, they will just evolve. Programming positions today require an intensive number of hours to learn and master the coding languages that a specific job requires (i.e. Python, C#, etc.). This requirement for highly specialized knowledge to be qualified for a job will go away as AI continues to improve. It will continue to be critical to learn how to code in the future, but the knowledge and training a programmer needs will shift to knowing how to leverage tools and AI-built programs, rather than the hundreds of hours needed to master a specific programming language.

While there is a long pathway ahead for a generative AI tool to be 100% accurate and free of errors, there will be a time in the future when AI becomes the everyday tool to support our lives. Also, for every disruptive tool or invention, there are new jobs to improve and maintain such creations. In the programming world, there will always be a need for those who understand the code that drives the technology that we use.

In February, when Google’s AI Gemini was prompted to generate an image of a U.S. senator from the 1800s, the results were incorrect and comical —users reported images ranging from a group of Asian men dressed in Western period attire to Native American women in their traditional garb. Google engineers with the proper programming skills had to fix the logic and data being used by the AI. How many other times have we already seen so-called advanced generative AI tools require fixes or elimination of false statements in the past year alone?

The rise of AI presents unparalleled opportunities to innovate and expand our technological capabilities. By integrating AI into our lives, we free ourselves from the constraints of specialized knowledge, allowing us to focus on creativity and problem-solving. To fully leverage AI’s benefits, we must continue to teach our children the invaluable skills of coding. In doing so, we prepare them to thrive in a future where technology and creativity go hand in hand. Embrace AI and let us inspire the next generation to innovate and create like never before.

Ed Kim is vice president of education and training at Code Ninjas .

More on artificial intelligence:

I’ve read over 100 ai requests for proposals from major companies. here’s the matrix of guardrails and obligations that is emerging.

• The race for human-AI interaction usage data is on—and the stakes are high
• For Gen Zers like me, AI regulation isn’t happening fast enough —and our future depends on it
• AI’s ability to write for us—and our inability to resist ‘The Button’ —will spark a crisis of meaning in creative work

The opinions expressed in Fortune.com commentary pieces are solely the views of their authors and do not necessarily reflect the opinions and beliefs of  Fortune .

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Retired firefighter teaches problem-solving skills to Indy-area kids

Retired indy firefighter teaches problem-solving skills.

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — A retired Indianapolis firefighter is igniting leadership in Indianapolis. He created an organization to teach problem-solving skills to as many kids as possible.

In 1992, Anthony Williamson co-founded a youth leadership and development program named after Saint Florian, the patron saint of firefighters.

The Saint Florian Center began as a summer camp and evolved into a year-round youth program. Their motto is “to foster leadership opportunity and respect in all neighborhoods.”

“They have to be able to think about what they do before they act and then they can go and respond in an appropriate way. So many times our kids get into trouble because somebody steps on their shoes or they call them out of their name and they just respond and react and we don’t want them to react,” Williamson explained to News 8’s Brittany Noble.

The center now offers a variety of  programs including youth employment training, college prep, Readers are Leaders , and Rites of Passage.

“We were contacted by (a school) principal because they had some young people, specifically boys, that seemed to not understand community, not understand how to remain focused on their classwork and not be disruptive in the classroom, therefore, they were sent to the office on multiple occasions. So they were looking for ways on how to empower young people to understand why education is so important,” Williamson said.

The  Saint Florian Center  thrives on volunteers to expand their reach. So far, Williamson says he’s worked with more than 30,000 kids but he hopes he can reach more children.

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Explained: Importance of critical thinking, problem-solving skills in curriculum

F uture careers are no longer about domain expertise or technical skills. Rather, critical thinking and problem-solving skills in employees are on the wish list of every big organization today. Even curriculums and pedagogies across the globe and within India are now requiring skilled workers who are able to think critically and are analytical.

The reason for this shift in perspective is very simple.

These skills provide a staunch foundation for comprehensive learning that extends beyond books or the four walls of the classroom. In a nutshell, critical thinking and problem-solving skills are a part of '21st Century Skills' that can help unlock valuable learning for life.

Over the years, the education system has been moving away from the system of rote and other conventional teaching and learning parameters.

They are aligning their curriculums to the changing scenario which is becoming more tech-driven and demands a fusion of critical skills, life skills, values, and domain expertise. There's no set formula for success.

Rather, there's a defined need for humans to be more creative, innovative, adaptive, agile, risk-taking, and have a problem-solving mindset.

In today's scenario, critical thinking and problem-solving skills have become more important because they open the human mind to multiple possibilities, solutions, and a mindset that is interdisciplinary in nature.

Therefore, many schools and educational institutions are deploying AI and immersive learning experiences via gaming, and AR-VR technologies to give a more realistic and hands-on learning experience to their students that hone these abilities and help them overcome any doubt or fear.

ADVANTAGES OF CRITICAL THINKING AND PROBLEM-SOLVING IN CURRICULUM

Ability to relate to the real world:  Instead of theoretical knowledge, critical thinking, and problem-solving skills encourage students to look at their immediate and extended environment through a spirit of questioning, curiosity, and learning. When the curriculum presents students with real-world problems, the learning is immense.

Confidence, agility & collaboration : Critical thinking and problem-solving skills boost self-belief and confidence as students examine, re-examine, and sometimes fail or succeed while attempting to do something.

They are able to understand where they may have gone wrong, attempt new approaches, ask their peers for feedback and even seek their opinion, work together as a team, and learn to face any challenge by responding to it.

Willingness to try new things: When problem-solving skills and critical thinking are encouraged by teachers, they set a robust foundation for young learners to experiment, think out of the box, and be more innovative and creative besides looking for new ways to upskill.

It's important to understand that merely introducing these skills into the curriculum is not enough. Schools and educational institutions must have upskilling workshops and conduct special training for teachers so as to ensure that they are skilled and familiarized with new teaching and learning techniques and new-age concepts that can be used in the classrooms via assignments and projects.

Critical thinking and problem-solving skills are two of the most sought-after skills. Hence, schools should emphasise the upskilling of students as a part of the academic curriculum.

The article is authored by Dr Tassos Anastasiades, Principal- IB, Genesis Global School, Noida. 

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