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You are here: Home / Archives for Software

Software

5 Types of Software every Motion Graphics Designer should know

November 22, 2016 by Julie McGrath

So you’re interesting in becoming a Motion Graphics Designer?

When you are ready to start your journey to becoming a motion designer, there will be numerous programs that you’ll encounter. A great motion designer has a wide range of tools at their disposal which they can utilise for any of their projects. Not only do you need a great artistic eye as a motion designer, but you also need to master these tools. Here are of the most important software packages that you will need to know for designing and creating motion graphics.

 

1. After Effects

After Effects (commonly referred to as AE) is the flagship program for motion graphics. It allows users to animate, alter and composite media in 2D and 3D space. 2D designs created in a program like Illustrator can be brought in, animated and manipulated to create a motion graphics piece. Because After Effects is created by Adobe, it shares a lot of similarities and integration features with their other software.

Not only can you work with 2D elements if After Effects, but you can also work with 3D elements as well. Objects and scenes from popular 3D applications can be used directly as footage inside of After Effects.
If you can imagine an effect, After Effects can most likely help you create it. There are hundreds of built-in plug-ins as well as third party plug-ins that let you extend your effects with things like particles, blurs and a whole lot more.

 

2. Photoshop

At its core, Photoshop is a photo editing software, but its capabilities go far beyond that. This software is used among nearly every 2D or 3D computer graphics pipeline and motion designers are no exception. With Photoshop you can do things like resize images that are too big, cut out images from photographs that can be used in your motion graphics work as well as create great designs with advanced tools and filters. Like After Effects, Photoshop is developed by Adobe and is part of the Creative Cloud.

 

3. Illustrator

While Photoshop excels at pixel-based imagery, Illustrator is an advanced vector-based software from Adobe’s Creative Cloud. Illustrator includes a wide range of design tools that can be essential to your motion graphics work. It has very powerful and sophisticated vector drawing tools, as well as advanced type tools that are great for creating graphics for your motion designs.

A motion designer’s job is to bring elements into a cohesive moving design whether it be an intro, a commercial or advertisement so it’s no surprise that you’ll need to master the 2D programs used to create the initial elements before they are animated. Together, Photoshop and Illustrator are two design programs that you’ll most likely be creating or exporting designs out of to use in the staple motion design program After Effects.

 

4. CINEMA 4D

CINEMA 4D is a 3D modeling, animation and rendering application developed by MAXON. It is known to be very intuitive and has integration into After Effects. Of course, there are many other 3D programs to choose from like Maya or 3ds Max that can be used to create motion graphics, but CINEMA 4D is regarded by most to be the industry-standard for motion designers.

One major draw for CINEMA 4D is the CINEWARE pipeline that is integrated into After Effects. With CINEWARE you are able to import CINEMA 4D scenes and assets into After Effects just by dragging and dropping them into the software, and anytime you make a change to the CINEMA 4D scene you will instantly see the results inside After Effects. CINEWARE also gives you access to the powerful CINEMA 4D render engine directly in After Effects.

There are some very basic 3D capabilities in After Effects, but nothing compares to the flexibility that you can get from a 3D program. For example, creating complex 3D assets inside of After Effects can be very time consuming to do simply because After Effects was never intended to do complex 3D work. In today’s motion graphics market though, adding 3D to your motion graphics pieces is expected and you need to have a strong understanding of a 3D application to be able to keep up with the demand. 3D elements are being integrated into motion graphics more and more. Whether that be in an intro for a news station or an animated logo. The 3D world has found its way into 2D motion graphics, and its here to stay.

With a 3D application you can open up a wealth of new design possibilities like turning 2D artwork into 3D elements. Having CINEMA 4D and experience in a 3D application will make you a much more versatile motion designer that can meet the needs of any project, whether it be 2D or 3D.

 

5. Red Giant Software

Motion designers are often asked to create amazing effects on tight deadline that goes beyond what After Effects can do quickly and easily but still don’t really require setting up a full 3D scene. These scenarios are perfect situations in which plug-ins can be used to create those amazing effects on tight deadlines. Some of the most popular plug-ins that have worked their way to becoming industry-standard for many motion designers are offered by a company called Red Giant.

As with any plug-in, Red Giant Software is not a program that is a must for creating all motion graphics but when it’s added to your toolkit, these plug-ins can speed up your workflow and help you create great effects for your projects in a very short amount of time. There are a number of suites that Red Giant offers and while you may not need all of them, it is important that you know what these plug-ins can do so that you’ll be able to hit the ground running if your project requires you to use them.

For example, one of the most popular suites from Red Giant is called Trapcode. Trapcode has a large set of plug-ins that allows you to create high quality 3D effects in a short amount of time. These tools help you create amazing realistic effects with an emphasis on flexible 3D content and an extremely powerful particle system that are all built for After Effects.

 

Are you seeking a career in designing Motion Graphics? Get in touch with us on 0330 22 33 047 or send us a message using our contact page to discover how we can help you find the perfect opportunity!

Filed Under: Latest Industry News Tagged With: 4d, adobe, after, beginners, best, CINEMA, design, designer, effects, graphics, illustrator, motion, photoshop, Red Giant, Software, toolkit

Software Dev Feature: Should I learn .NET or PHP?

November 15, 2016 by Julie McGrath

Discover the different aspects of .NET & PHP and which may be most suited to you before you start your journey as a software developer!

If you’re a software developer, there simply isn’t enough time in the world to learn every single technology, language and platform you might need for work, or to land a better job; at some point, you’re going to have to decide in what direction you want to expand your knowledge base.

The choices you make in that regard will have a huge impact on your life. If you devote too much time to learning a technology that’s on the verge of obsolescence, it could make future employment a problematic affair. Fortunately, there are lots of technologies that will continue to grow and prove useful to the world for the next several years—but how do you choose between those?

With all that in mind, let’s look at .NET and PHP, two software programming platforms that enjoy broad bases of support. PHP is a general-purpose scripting language that many people rely upon for Web development (hundreds of millions of websites leverage it today) while .NET is a framework built by Microsoft for Windows-related Web work. While it’s certainly possible to learn the intricacies of both platforms, is there one worth tackling more than the other?

 

What’s the Difference?

As mentioned above, PHP is an open-source software programming language primarily used for developing Web-based applications. There are a few tools out there that allow you to use it to write desktop applications, but the majority of apps written in PHP run on a Web server such as Apache server or Microsoft IIS.

PHP is a language, but .NET is a whole platform comprising a few different technologies. There are two main languages you can use with .NET to create either desktop or Web applications: VB.NET and C# (others exist, of course, but those are the main two). As with PHP, .NET requires a Web server (specifically Microsoft IIS) to create Web applications (it also requires ASP.NET, a technology that’s part of .NET’s broader platform).

While .NET is built into Microsoft Windows, you can run .NET desktop applications on Linux using a free and open source product called Mono. PHP sometimes comes pre-installed on Linux, and if not, it’s quick and easy to install. But to develop with either platform, you need some free tools: for .NET, you’ll want one of the free Visual Studio Express products from Microsoft; For PHP, there are several options—one popular choice is Eclipse.

There are benefits to learning either PHP or .NET. Should you learn both? If you’re new to software programming then you best just focus on one to start off with. At an early stage in your career, you need to focus your energy on getting very good at one thing, which will translate into higher-paying jobs down the road. If you try to go to broad, you will stretch yourself thin and not master anything. Pick one thing and be great at it!

 

Which Should I Pick?

So which do you pick? You could take a look at the entry-level jobs for PHP and .NET in the area, and use that data to influence your decision. But that research will only tell you about today: What about five years from now?

Here are some questions to help you work through a possible decision:

  • First, do you want to create desktop applications on Windows? Then .NET is a great way to go.
  • What about Web applications on Windows?Again, .NET is an excellent choice. However, you can do PHP on Windows (although it’s probably more commonly used on Linux).
  • Do you love Linux and want to focus on it?Then go for PHP if you’re doing Web development. While .NET can run on Linux with the help of Mono, it’s more suited to desktop and not Web.
  • So what about desktop apps on Linux, then?In that case, you probably want to move away from both PHP and .NET and study other languages and technologies, such as C++ and Gtk+, or perhaps wxWidgets combined with a language such as C++ or Python. While Mono works on Linux, it’s a bit too narrow in terms of entry-level job opportunities.
  • What if you want to do both Windows and Linux?That’s moving away from what was mentioned earlier about focusing; focus on one or the other early in your career. Later on, you can start to think about things like cross-platform development. But for learning a new technology and landing an entry-level job, please stay focused—with one caveat: If you’re going to go for Web development, don’t forget the client side. Also learn some JavaScript
  • If you’re going to go for Windows, do you choose C# or VB.NET?This is a potentially contentious question, with strong opinions on either side. One thing to bear in mind is that they’re actually very similar languages underneath, just with different syntax; you can accomplish the same thing with either. For a beginner, the best route to go down is the C# route. Reason being, things become contentious: VB.NET has a bit of stigma attached to it as an “amateur” language (even though it’s not). As a result, advanced programmers are more likely to choose C# when starting a new project.

Conclusion

As your programming knowledge becomes more advanced, you’ll find it’s easier to pick up new languages. Many of the popular languages today share similar syntax that has its roots in the original C programming language. (Such as C++, Java, C#, PHP and JavaScript.) That makes it easy to learn them later, and multiple languages may indeed lie in your future—but for now, stay focused. And most importantly: Have fun!

 

Are you already knowledgeable in the field of .NET and C#? If the answer is yes, check out our latest Software Developer vacancy by clicking on this link!

 

– Jeff Cogswell

Filed Under: Latest Industry News Tagged With: .net, apache, applications, ASP.NET, desktop, development, internet, linux, microsoft, php, platform, server, Software, vb.net

How your Business can benefit from HTML & CSS

November 10, 2016 by Julie McGrath

What is HTML?

HTML stands for Hyper Text Mark-up Language. HTML5 is a revised version of the original HTML standard created in 1990 by the World Wide Web Consortium to define an Open Web Platform.  HTML is a language used for structuring and presenting content on the Web consistently, across web browsers. HTML5 is the evolution of that standard to meet the increasing demands presented by today’s rich media, cross device and mobile internet access requirements.  As such, it is a great candidate for cross-platform mobile application development, as many of its features have been adapted with the consideration of running on low powered devices, such as Smart Phones and Tablets and providing web developers with tools like CSS3.  Importantly whilst running within a web browser, (as HTML5 does) it is not tied to the underlying operating system, freeing applications from the significant development and support overhead of multiple native applications (e.g. iOS, Android, Blackberry etc.)

HTML5 is already supported in the latest web browsers on PCs and tablets and the number of these products being produced increases rapidly every year. This increase means that it is impossible to ignore the importance of HTML5 when considering your mobile site. Indeed, in some B2C and retail ecommerce client implementations, 40% of visitors are accessing sites on mobile devices; this is only going to rise.

 

What is CSS?

CSS stands for ‘Cascading Style Sheets’ and is the language of design for web pages, giving site designers the ability to suggest how their site documents are styled. CSS is interpreted by all graphical web browsers regardless of device or operating system. It allows a logical division between the structure of a web page, (handled by the HTML) and the way it should look. CSS can be used to tailor the appearance of a web page specific to a particular device or screen size. In short, CSS is the language used for implementing front-end web design.

 

Advantages of HTML5 and CSS

Using HTML5 and CSS3 provides advantages to businesses that develop and deploy web content and web applications, to create refined and accurate web pages and web systems that operate across devices, operating systems and web browsers. Write once, run anywhere.  The plethora of devices, operating systems and screen sizes present numerous design, functional and layout considerations and problems if standards are not adhered to.

 

Advantages of HTML 5 & CSS3
  1. Cost effective Multi-Platform Development

A single batch of code can be used across platforms, devices and different markets; this is an advantage because it results in lower development and maintenance costs over the web site or web application’s lifetime, enabling you to use your resources elsewhere. Current best practice for cross platform (e.g. IOS and Android) application development is a ‘hybrid’ approach, whereby web standards are followed within a native application ‘wrapper’ that can be placed in the iOS or Android store.  The LinkedIn ‘Application’ is one of the best examples of a mobile web site, widely considered to be a great ‘app’ that is not an ‘app’

  1. Good page ranking

If the foundation of a website is not semantically accurate (i.e. unreadable, non-standard based code) then the page itself will not attain a good rank within serahc engines. No amount of Content Marketing in conjunction with Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) will make a difference to rankings if your page is not well structured HTML, easily readable by the Search Engine, in a logical document structure. HTML5’s new elements can be relied on when sites are being re-indexed on search engines, as specific mark-up features of HTML5 are of value when search engine results pages (SERPs) are being calculated.  Search Engine Land outline well the main benefits that HTML5 offers in terms of content mark-up and SEO.

  1. Offline browsing

In a similar way that ‘apps’  can be used offline, without an internet connection, HTML5 supports local storage of web application code and content, through the offline application cache. This is a tremendous advantage to businesses, like publishers, who can provide an offline web experience for readers on the move. The offline cache also produces significant performance enhancements as more of the site or system code and content is accessed quickly, locally.

  1. Consistency across multiple browsers

Not all browsers support all web pages or web applications; however, the implementation of HTML5 and CSS3 helps the designer to create a compatible site or system within all browsers.

  1. Better mobile access to Business Intelligence

Future development of HTML5 applications may lead to better access to business intelligence as all devices that are compatible with HTML5 will have the same ability to collect, collate and use data using standard (cross device) browser based analytics tools.

  1. Extension of video to a wide range of platforms

According to studies, nearly two-thirds of web video was already encoded for HTML5 in 2010, and one of the biggest benefits for marketers now is that HTML5 has native video support and can be directly built in to the supporting browsers which allow faster, high-quality video’s to be distributed. The inclusion of direct video content on a web page can also impact positively on SEO, as it is unique, engaging and therefore is included in ‘quality content’ that search engines are looking to send users to.

  1. Geolocation

HTML5 supports geolocation. Once a user opts to share their location an HTML5 application can use the user’s location. This can be of primary importance when developing location based services or apps.

  1. A better user experience

HTML5 offers a wider range of design and presentation tools across media types, giving the developers greater scope to produce a better web sites and web applications. This is vital from a business point of view, as user engagement and retention is key to increased site and system use and conversion. Creating an accessible and usable site or system means that users will be more likely to engage.

 

Conclusion

Both languages represent numerous opportunities in web development for businesses that develop and deploy online content and web applications. Overall, by using both of these tools in your businesses’ web development you can optimise your users’ web experience, provide a solid foundation for your SEO and content marketing strategy and significantly reduce your cross-platform web development and support costs whilst increasing your reach and optimising web experience.

Do you already have knowledge regarding HTML & CSS languages? Our latest job role might be just right for you. Check it out by following this link!

 

– byte9

Filed Under: Latest Industry News Tagged With: business, Careers, css, css3, html, html5, IT, jobs, programmer, programming, shropshire, Software, telford

Making a Mobile App: 6 Key Factors You Should Consider Before Starting

October 23, 2016 by Julie McGrath

Building a mobile app can be time consuming and challenging however, extremely rewarding afterwards.

If you’re considering making your first mobile app, check out these 6 factors you should take into consideration before attempting to do so.


  1. Are you making a mobile app to promote an existing business or to make money from it?

Do you want your mobile app to be a promotional tool for an existing business? If your app will showcase your own business, boat club, local pub or community centre, then the fastest way to get it done is probably to hire a local app development company to make it for you. You don’t need to learn too much about the process. Just show them some apps that you like in the store, and bring along the text, photos and videos you want in your app. If you can, try to design your app to do something useful. Apple have tightened up a lot and will not publish apps that are primarily marketing material. If you want the most possible downloads, set your app’s price to ‘free’. Then once it’s live tell all your customers about it.

Is your main goal to make money from your app? If you want to make money, the app should not be targeted towards one country. You will not make money by creating an app about something which is native to only one country. Steer clear of making an app for a seasonal events as well at the start. To maximise your revenue, start small and use your first few apps as a hands on education. You can buy source code, reskin it by updating all the graphics and publish it, often for under £400-£800 per app. The less you spend, the faster you will become profitable. Ideally spend no more than £400 per app on your first few apps. Researching what is currently popular in the store by looking at the top charts is a great way to reduce risk, and make an app type that already has proven market demand. Of course the more work you can do yourself, the more money you will save on developers.

 

  1. Should you make an iPhone app, an Android app, or both?

Android and iPhone/iPad use different languages so most people usually choose to develop one at the beginning to keep costs down. If you want to make money,  for now choose the iPhone/iPad. A lot of app developers find it’s more difficult to get downloads and revenue from an Android app. Learn more about How to Make an iPhone App. But if you think Android suits your market demographic better, choose Android development.  If you want the app to promote a business, think seriously about Android. There are no ‘reviews’ prior to your app being published, and your app will go live automatically about 20 minutes after you have submitted it.

 

  1. Should the mobile app be free?

Pricing works differently for different app categories. Free is very popular in games and entertainment, especially on Android. Unless it’s an incredibly complex niche app, the safest option is to make two versions, paid and free. See which makes you the most money and work from there. To start making money from a free app, try putting some ad networks into your app. After a few months once you get up to speed, you can experiment with in-app purchases and other monetization options. If you want the most downloads, make your app free.

 

  1. What kind of app should you make?

The best way to make money from your app is to know that there is market demand for your app before you start to develop it. Go into the iTunes store every day, look at the top free, top paid, and top grossing apps in the categories you are interested in. Download the apps and play with them. Are people downloading the type of app you want to make? If they are not, maybe put that idea aside and move on to your next app idea. Don’t ever fall in love with an idea. (If you do, only make it from the profit you have earned from your other apps!). From my experience and from talking to many other developers, the category with the most revenue generating potential, both from ads and in-app purchases, is games. And if you want to start your own app business, that’s probably the best tip which can be given.

 

  1. Should you hire someone or learn how to make the mobile app yourself?

If you want to start an app business, then it would be advised that you start to learn about making apps. Learn the common pitfalls and how the app market works. Learn from success stories and what they did to get there. You can lose a lot of money in the beginning paying developers WAY too much money to make an app if you do not have a basic knowledge of what’s involved and how much effort it should take. Check out the Chocolate Lab developer blog for insights and tips, and teach yourself how to reskin a game and integrate ads with our Udemy courseLearn xCode, reskin an iPhone game, integrate ads and upload to Apple (FREE preview.)

If you only want to make one app, for example to promote a business, you probably want to hire a team. Hiring locally is probably the easiest but may cost more. Outsourcing has its own challenges but may come with a lower cost. Attend networking events, try and meet contacts either in person or over LinkedIn. The quality of your team’s skills will be critical, so keep searching for contractors until you have put together an AAA Level Team.

 

  1. How much risk should you take when making an app?

Aim to create a portfolio of successful apps, rather than putting all of your energy into one big app. Keep your risk low and your prospects for success high. At the beginning, it’s easier to make money from lots of small apps than it is from one big app. You will learn a lot from every app you publish, so the quality of your apps will keep increasing. You will make mistakes and learn valuable lessons. So keep your costs low at the start so you don’t bankrupt yourself. Apps can be created and published at very little expense. It is possible. By learning the basic coding skills yourself,  you can save a lot of money. Aim to be profitable as fast as you can, ideally in 14 days after launch. Do not spend 6, 12 or 18 months by yourself working on getting your app perfect. Get a small section of the app done, maybe just one module or chapter, and upload it to the store straightaway. Ship fast. Customer feedback will be invaluable to you. Validate your assumptions – pricing, app type, design, theme, features, marketing material, etc – as soon as possible. The information you learn from going through the publishing process and confirming your monetization choices were correct will allow you to make more educated choices and increase your revenue in the future.

Common concerns from people making an app for the first time:

  • “There is an app like mine in the store already“ That is great news. Go to the website www.topappcharts.com and type in the name of the app. If it’s not in any of the top rankings for its category, then you’ve just saved yourself a lot of time and money, and you have now found out that demand for that app type is not as strong as you would like it to be. “I truly think my app idea is INCREDIBLE and I still want to make it.” Ok, great enthusiasm! What you need to do now is to put that idea in a drawer. If this is an excellent idea, you want to give it every chance of success. So for the next 2 months, plan on publishing 10 small apps. A good way to keep costs low is to buy source code on the internet, change the graphics, integrate ads and upload it yourself, or hire a developer to put in some ads, so you can start to earn money. After the 2 months you will be MUCH more knowledgeable, hopefully profitable, and in a much better position to do justice to your big app idea. If you want to do justice to you app, it has to look INCREDIBLE. It should look like it was made by a multimillion pound studio. People download beautifully designed apps.
  • “I don’t have any money.” It’s still possible to make apps. The cheapest way to get started is to use the machine you have right now. If you have a mac, build iPhone/iPad apps. If you have a PC, build Android apps. You do not need to buy a smartphone in the beginning. The software you use (xCode and Eclipse) to make the apps comes with a free phone simulator so you can view the app on your Mac or PC. To build an app, check out online app building platforms for an affordable way to start. To publish an app, you will need to pay Android $25, or Apple $99 for a developer’s license.
  • “I have this app idea but I don’t want to tell you in case you steal it.”  Don’t say this too often. Instead say “I have an idea for a photography/health/game/entertainment iPhone/Android app. Do you have any experience publishing apps in this area?”


To do it right, there is a lot of hard work involved and you will get addicted to your laptop. There’s a steep learning curve at the start, and you might not see your family and friends for a good while. But if you can stick it out and start getting things working, it is definitely worth it. The people who are the most successful in this area learn as fast as they can and execute every day.

Are you interested in mobile phones? Take a look out our new IT Repair Technician role specialising in mobile phone repairs and problem diagnostics. You can view it by following this link!

If you are interested in Software Development, we also have Software Developer vacancies covering both Junior and Senior levels. If you’re a junior software developer, explore our junior role vacancy by following this link.

If you’re an experienced Software Developer looking to take the next step in your career, check out what could be waiting for you by clicking here!

– Elaine Heney

Filed Under: Latest Industry News Tagged With: Android, app, Apple, applications, Developer, development, ipad, iphone, mobile, phones, smartphones, Software

What is C#?

October 11, 2016 by Julie McGrath

We have put together a top list of C# questions and answers to give you an overview of one of the most powerful languages in the world!  If you just want to brush up on your C# knowledge prior to an interview or simply understand its functions in more details, check out some of the most commonly asked questions.

  1. What is C#?

C# is an object oriented, type safe and managed language that is compiled by .Net framework to generate Microsoft Intermediate Language.

  1. What are the types of comment in C#?

i. Single line

ii. Multiple line (/* */)

iii. XML Comments (///).

  1. Can multiple catch blocks be executed?

No, Multiple catch blocks can’t be executed. Once the proper catch code executed, the control is transferred to the finally block and then the code that follows the finally block gets executed.

  1. What is the difference between public, static and void?

Public declared variables or methods are accessible anywhere in the application. Static declared variables or methods are globally accessible without creating an instance of the class. Static member are by default not globally accessible it depends upon the type of access modified used. The compiler stores the address of the method as the entry point and uses this information to begin execution before any objects are created. And Void is a type modifier that states that the method or variable does not return any value.

  1. What is an object?  

An object is an instance of a class through which we access the methods of that class. “New” keyword is used to create an object. A class that creates an object in memory will contain the information about the methods, variables and behavior of that class.

  1. Define Constructors?  

A constructor is a member function in a class that has the same name as its class. The constructor is automatically invoked whenever an object class is created. It constructs the values of data members while initializing the class.

  1. What is Jagged Arrays?

The array which has elements of type array is called jagged array. The elements can be of different dimensions and sizes. We can also call jagged array as Array of arrays.

  1. What is the difference between ref & out parameters?

An argument passed as ref must be initialized before passing to the method whereas out parameter needs not to be initialized before passing to a method.

  1. What is the use of using statement in C#?  

The using block is used to obtain a resource and use it and then automatically dispose of when the execution of block completed.

  1. What is serialization?  

When we want to transport an object through network then we have to convert the object into a stream of bytes. The process of converting an object into a stream of bytes is called Serialization. For an object to be serializable, it should implement ISerialize Interface. De-serialization is the reverse process of creating an object from a stream of bytes.

  1. Can “this” be used within a static method?  

We can’t use ‘This’ in a static method because we can only use static variables/methods in a static method.

  1. What is difference between constants and read-only?  

Constant variables are declared and initialized at compile time. The value can’t be changed afterwards. Read only is used only when we want to assign the value at run time.

  1. What is an interface class?  

Interface is an abstract class which has only public abstract methods and the methods only have the declaration and not the definition. These abstract methods must be implemented in the inherited classes.

  1. What are value types and reference types?  

When a variable is declared using one of the basic, built-in data types or a user defined structure, it is a value type. An exception is the string data type, which is areference type. A value type stores its contents in memory allocated on the stack.

  1. What are Custom Control and User Control?  

Custom Controls are controls generated as compiled code (Dlls), those are easier to use and can be added to toolbox. Developers can drag and drop controls to their web forms. Attributes can be set at design time. We can easily add custom controls to Multiple Applications (If Shared Dlls), If they are private then we can copy to dll to bin directory of web application and then add reference and can use them.
User Controls are very much similar to ASP include files, and are easy to create. User controls can’t be placed in the toolbox and dragged – dropped from it. They have their design and code behind. The file extension for user controls is ascx.

  1. What are sealed classes in C#?  

We create sealed classes when we want to restrict the class to be inherited. Sealed modifier used to prevent derivation from a class. If we forcefully specify a sealed class as base class then a compile-time error occurs.

  1. What is method overloading?  

Method overloading is creating multiple methods with the same name with unique signatures in the same class. When we compile, the compiler uses overload resolution to determine the specific method to be invoke.

  1. What is the difference between Array and Arraylist?  

In an array, we can have items of the same type only. The size of the array is fixed. An arraylist is similar to an array but it doesn’t have a fixed size.

  1. Can a private virtual method be overridden?  

No, because they are not accessible outside the class.

  1. Describe the accessibility modifier “protected internal”.

Protected Internal variables/methods are accessible within the same assembly and also from the classes that are derived from this parent class.

  1. What are the differences between System.String and System.Text.StringBuilder classes?

System.String is immutable. When we modify the value of a string variable then a new memory is allocated to the new value and the previous memory allocation released. System.StringBuilder was designed to have concept of a mutable string where a variety of operations can be performed without allocation separate memory location for the modified string.

  1. What’s the difference between the System.Array.CopyTo() and System.Array.Clone() ?

Using Clone() method, we creates a new array object containing all the elements in the original array and using CopyTo() method, all the elements of existing array copies into another existing array. Both the methods perform a shallow copy.

  1. How can we sort the elements of the array in descending order?

Using Sort() methods followed by Reverse() method.

  1. What’s the difference between an interface and abstract class?

Interfaces have all the methods having only declaration but no definition. In an abstract class, we can have some concrete methods. In an interface class, all the methods are public. An abstract class may have private methods.

  1. What is the difference between Finalize() and Dispose() methods?

Dispose() is called when we want for an object to release any unmanaged resources with them. On the other hand Finalize() is used for the same purpose but it doesn’t assure the garbage collection of an object.

  1. What are circular references?

Circular reference is situation in which two or more resources are interdependent on each other causes the lock condition and make the resources unusable.

  1. What are generics in C#.NET?

Generics are used to make reusable code classes to decrease the code redundancy, increase type safety and performance. Using generics, we can create collection classes. To create generic collection, System.Collections.Generic namespace should be used instead of classes such as ArrayList in the System.Collections namespace. Generics promotes the usage of parameterized types.

  1. What is an object pool in .NET?

An object pool is a container having objects ready to be used. It tracks the object that is currently in use, total number of objects in the pool. This reduces the overhead of creating and re-creating objects.

  1. List down the commonly used types of exceptions in .Net?

ArgumentException, ArgumentNullException , ArgumentOutOfRangeException, ArithmeticException, DivideByZeroException ,OverflowException , IndexOutOfRangeException ,InvalidCastException ,InvalidOperationException , IOEndOfStreamException , NullReferenceException , OutOfMemoryException , StackOverflowException etc.

  1. What are Custom Exceptions?

Sometimes there are some errors that need to be handle as per user requirements. Custom exceptions are used for them and are used defined exceptions.

  1. What are delegates?

Delegates are same as are function pointers in C++ but the only difference is that they are type safe unlike function pointers. Delegates are required because they can be used to write much more generic type safe functions.

  1. How do you inherit a class into other class in C#?

Colon is used as inheritance operator in C#. Just place a colon and then the class name.

  1. What is the difference between method overriding and method overloading?

In method overriding, we change the method definition in the derived class that changes the method behavior. Method overloading is creating a method with the same name within the same class having different signatures.

  1. What are the different ways a method can be overloaded?

Methods can be overloaded using different data types for parameter, different order of parameters, and different number of parameters.

  1. Why can’t you specify the accessibility modifier for methods inside the interface?

In an interface, we have virtual methods that do not have method definition. All the methods are there to be overridden in the derived class. That’s why they all are public.

  1. How can we set class to be inherited, but prevent the method from being over-ridden?

Declare the class as public and make the method sealed to prevent it from being overridden.

  1. What happens if the inherited interfaces have conflicting method names?

When using explicit interface implementations, the functions are not public on the class. Therefore in order to access these functions, you have to first cast the object to the interface type, or assign it to a variable declared of the interface type.

  1. What is the difference between a Struct and a Class?

Structs are value-type variables and classes are reference types. Structs stored on the stack, causes additional overhead but faster retrieval. Structs cannot be inherited.

  1. How to use nullable types in .Net?

Value types can take either their normal values or a null value. Such types are called nullable types.

  1. How we can create an array with non-default values?

We can create an array with non-default values using Enumerable.

  1. What is difference between is and as operators in c#?

“is” operator is used to check the compatibility of an object with a given type and it returns the result as Boolean.

“as” operator is used for casting of object to a type or a class.

  1. What’s a multicast delegate?

A delegate having multiple handlers assigned to it is called multicast delegate. Each handler is assigned to a method.

  1. What are indexers in C# .NET?

Indexers are known as smart arrays in C#. It allows the instances of a class to be indexed in the same way as array.

  1. What is difference between the “throw” and “throw ex” in .NET?

“Throw” statement preserves original error stack whereas “throw ex” have the stack trace from their throw point. It is always advised to use “throw” because it provides more accurate error information.

  1. What are C# attributes and its significance?

C# provides developers a way to define declarative tags on certain entities eg. Class, method etc. are called attributes. The attribute’s information can be retrieved at runtime using Reflection.

  1. How to implement singleton design pattern in C#?

In singleton pattern, a class can only have one instance and provides access point to it globally.

  1. What is the difference between directcast and ctype?

DirectCast is used to convert the type of an object that requires the run-time type to be the same as the specified type in DirectCast.

Ctype is used for conversion where the conversion is defined between the expression and the type.

  1. Is C# code is managed or unmanaged code?

C# is managed code because Common language runtime can compile C# code to Intermediate language.

 

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– Guru99

Filed Under: Latest Industry News Tagged With: C++, Careers, development, Interview, jobs, knowledge, language, preparation, programming, questions, Software

8 Amazing Browser Functions made with JavaScript Power

October 9, 2016 by Julie McGrath

Check out how the expanding power of JavaScript can make browsing the web much more entertaining

The use of JavaScript (JS) is increasing year by year. It’s use ranges a great yield from basic computer functions, to the operation of start-of-the-art machines such as drones and virtual reality technology. Discover some other amazing creative capabilities which can be generated using the incredible power of JS in the video below:

 

 

If you found this interesting, be sure to check out our Junior Software Developer role by following this link!

Filed Under: Latest Industry News Tagged With: Bookmarklets, Browers, development, Functions, games, Javascript, Software, technology, Tools

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