C Mastery Course: Advanced Section Summary

Overview of the Course

• Designed to help create games, websites, apps, and robotics.
• Covers concepts from basic to advanced levels:
  • Basic: How code executes, variables.
  • Intermediate: Interfaces, generics, events.
  • Advanced: Reflection, async programming, multi-threading.

Course Structure

• Free and premium versions available:
  • Free videos cover beginner and intermediate sections.
  • Premium includes all video lectures, bonuses, companion project.

Premium Version Bonuses

• Companion project with extra content and exercises.
• Detailed answers to FAQs and quizzes.
• Interactive exercises to practice learned concepts.
• AI assistance available for answering questions.
• Access to a private Discord community and live study groups.

Instructor Credentials

• Over 25 years in programming, specializing in C for 10 years.
• Professional indie game developer with successful games on Steam.
• YouTube channel with over 800 free video tutorials.

Key Topics Covered in the Advanced Section

Reflection

• Dynamically inspect code without calling functions directly.

Function Extensions

• Extend types without modifying their code.

Static Constructors

• Run initialization code once for the entire class.

Type of Keyword

• Retrieve System.Type object for any type.

Name of Operator

• Get string names for types to avoid hard-coded strings.

Size of Operator

• Determine memory size of types (e.g., INT, BYTE).

Default Operator

• Get default values for types easily.

Expression Bodied Members

• Compact syntax for simple functions.

Records

• Create immutable types for organizing data.

Null Conditional Operators

• Simplify null checks in code.

Null Coalescing Operator

• Quickly test for null and return default values.

Ternary Conditional Operator

• Compact syntax for simple if-else logic.

Main Function in Console Apps

• Passing command line arguments.

Nullable Types

• Allow value types to support null.

Span

• Efficiently manipulate slices of arrays without memory allocations.

Bitwise Operators

• Perform operations on individual bits of data.

Enum Flags

• Use bit masks to combine enums for more complex operations.

Pre-processor Directives

• Provide compiler instructions for conditional compilation.

Ref, Out, and In Keywords

• Return multiple values and pass by reference.

Data Boxing

• Convert value types to reference types and vice versa.

Dynamic Type

• Handle types that are determined at runtime.

Class Indexers

• Access custom types using index syntax.

Attributes

• Add metadata to your code for reflection.

Anonymous Types

• Create temporary, unnamed types for organizing data.

Tuples

• Group multiple pieces of related data together efficiently.

Custom Operators

• Define how operators behave for custom types (e.g., +, ==).

LINQ (Language Integrated Query)

• Query collections easily with fluent syntax.

Windows Forms

• Create GUI applications by dragging and dropping controls.

DLL Import and Extern Keyword

• Interact with external libraries, such as the Windows API.

Asserts and Unit Testing

• Validate code behavior during development.

Unsafe Code

• Access raw memory and pointers with caution.

Asynchronous Programming

• Use async and await to handle long-running tasks without blocking.

Multi-threading

• Utilize multiple threads for performance improvements in applications.

Conclusion

• Course covers a wide range of advanced C topics.
• Emphasizes practical applications of learned skills.
• Encouragement to practice and apply knowledge.