Who this book is for

This book is for you. It will take your through a journey of how to use the API and provide you with enough details so that you can apply these concepts to the other supported languages. However, this book will focus on the .NET version of the SDK because it offers all of the capabilities due to the fact that it runs on a Windows desktop or laptop computer. This book will focus on C# because it is quite popular with the .NET developers and because many long term Esri users have a great deal of experience with previous technologies, such as ArcGIS Desktop and Engine.

This doesn't mean you will only understand the material if you're familiar with Esri's technology. In fact, just the opposite is true. If you're new to Esri technology, you will be introduced to the concepts and then shown where to go to learn more about Esri's platform.

Most of the content was written for new to intermediate developers. However, there are a few cases where more advanced material is presented. This is especially the case if you're new to 3D in Chapter 4, From 2D to 3D, or unit testing and performance testing in Chapter 11, Testing and Performance. When it comes to .NET, you should have a basic understanding of C# and, in particular, of the task parallel library and asynchronous programming in general. You should also understand the basics of Windows Presentation Foundation, with a special emphasis on binding. All the other material will be explained so that you can build a complete native app.