The Top Video Game Development Tools

If you are a video game developer, here are some of the top tools you may want to consider adding to your arsenal. Some can help you collaborate and manage projects with your team, while others work wonders for creating animations, characters, and more.

PlayCanvas

PlayCanvas is an open-source game creation and collaborative tool that helps developers produce high-quality 2D and 3D graphics. If you are familiar with Google Docs, you will have no trouble using PlayCanvas to collaborate with team members in real-time.

You can use PlayCanvas to edit and debug via your browser. It also features on-device development and testing, zero compile time, and VR optimization.

Blender

If your video game development team is working with a limited budget, Blender is an open-source suite that can help you save cash. While free, Blender offers several features, such as 3D modeling, animation, existing file edits, etc. And since it has a vast community of followers, you can also take advantage of Blender’s plugins for face rigs, presets, and more.

Parsec

Parsec is a remote desktop application used by some of the biggest names in the gaming industry, such as Blizzard and EA. Thanks to its secure P2P streaming, multi-monitor support, and precise gamepad control, amongst other features, Parsec makes it simple to collaborate with your team regardless of their location to work on and release top-notch titles.

Incredibuild

Incredibuild is a video game development tool that can help you accelerate time to market while also decreasing your costs per build. The tool integrates with CryEngine, Amazon Lumberyard, and Unreal Engine, and its maker claims it can help you reduce testing time from 11 hours to 11 minutes while decreasing game dev workloads from one hour to 10 minutes.

CraftStudio

Although it is no longer being updated, CraftStudio can help you create 3D games across multiple platforms for free. Visual scripting, animating, modeling, and painting come as part of the package, and it is particularly ideal for indie devs who are just getting their feet wet and lack advanced technical skills or experience.

Character Creator Pipeline

Having the ability to create ultra-realistic characters can help you bring almost any story to life. Character Creator Pipeline gives you that ability by putting you in control of creating characters with customizable body types, weights, ages, etc. After your characters are created to your liking, you can use CC Pipeline to export them into your preferred rendering software or game engine.

ClickUp

ClickUp is collaboration software for game developers that offers extensive integrations with apps like Google Drive, Slack, Hangouts, etc. Use its whiteboards to share ideas with your team.
You can also use ClickUp to chat, share documents, and more throughout the game development process.

Unreal Engine

Unreal Engine is one of the most widely-known game engines around. Whether large or small, your development team can leverage Unreal Engine’s power to create 2D or 3D games that are highly enjoyable, customizable, visually captivating, and scalable.

Superpowers

Are you an indie developer? Then you may want to join other indies who use Superpowers to collaborate and create 2D and 3D games. Superpowers is open-source, works on various platforms, gives you free sprites, and is HTML5-based.

CryEngine

CryEngine is a free-to-use platform. You can access its full feature set and source code without worrying about licensing costs, but if you want to accelerate your time to market, you can invest in in-game assets from the CryEngine Marketplace. With exceptional visuals, VR support, and an easy-to-digest interface, it is no wonder why so many teams choose CryEngine as their top video game development platform.

Lytho

Lytho is another collaborative tool for video game developers, which you may have recognized by its previous name, InMotionNow. Some of Lytho’s features that may catch your eye include request form templates, resource management, real-time comments, and visual project scheduling.

Houdini FX

You do not have to be a magician to create 3D animations for your titles, as Houdini FX can help you develop some of the most complex visual effects around. The video game development tool excels at procedural generation and simulations and has a vast community to offer support should you get stumped.

Evercast

If your game development team is constantly on the go or lives on opposite ends of the globe, you will need a collaborative tool like Evercast to review assets, brainstorm new ideas, and more.

With Evercast, your team can share comments and feedback, use on-screen drawings to make visual notations, have access to time-stamped notes, and enjoy HD streaming. And to ensure you do not miss any essential details, Evercast lets you record and review conversations.

Unity

Unity is a game engine that can help you develop titles across various platforms like Xbox, PlayStation, Android, Mac, Windows, etc. Teams, both large and small, have used Unity’s intuitive interface to develop 2D and 3D games of all types, and you can do the same without having to waste precious hours on onboarding.

ShotGrid

VFX and game development studios use ShotGrid to schedule and assign tasks, transfer files, proof, review, manage assets, and more. And if your team needs mobile access from their collaboration tool, ShotGrid offers it.

GameBench

There are several great game development tools for collaboration, animation, graphics, etc., but what about the user experience? Ensuring your customers have a positive one is essential to making a name for yourself in the gaming industry, and that is what GameBench is all about.

GameBench is a video game testing tool that helps you pinpoint the proper system requirements for your titles. With it, you will be able to see that your game runs on various types of hardware seamlessly before it hits the market for public consumption.

Asana

If you need a tool to help you assign and manage tasks plus collaborate with your team all in one place, Asana could be it. Asana can help game developers save time and confusion by not having to switch between apps to chat and communicate. While it has various collaborative features out of the box, Asana also integrates with Zoom, Outlook, Gmail, Slack, and other popular apps.

Helix Core

A majority of the top development studios use this version control software to collaborate and ensure their projects run without any hiccups. Helix Core can help your team update source code automatically, share digital assets, prevent interruptions to your workflow, and more.

Jira

Does your video game development team follow the Agile methodology or another project management methodology? Then Jira may be your top choice for project management and collaboration. Whether you need to share progress with team members or stakeholders, Jira’s Kanban and Scrum boards plus roadmaps can help. And to keep everything organized, Jira has loads of collaborative features and integrates with widely used apps like Slack, Gmail, Zoom, and Dropbox.

Read more developer tool and programming software reviews and highlights.

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Careers In The Video Game Industry

Searching for jobs in the video game industry can be tough if you have never done it before.
Why? Blame it on selection, as there are so many paths you can take in the industry, making it overwhelming to decide which way you want to go.

To help you get started with your search, we came up with a list of the most common career paths for video game developers people take when looking to break into the video game industry. Find one that you like, and you can begin researching it further to make moves to get closer to your dream.

Before we dive into the various careers the video game industry has to offer, be sure to bookmark our tutorial: How to Become a Video Game Developer to learn more about breaking into the gaming industry.

Video Game Quality Assurance Tester

Contrary to popular belief, a QA tester does not just sit around and play fun and polished video games all day. Instead, they play the latest game builds that are under construction, not close to being finished, missing content, and are usually full of bugs. As they do so, QA testers are supposed to report defects or things that must be fixed to ensure that games are of the highest quality once they get released to the public.

Although game testers are sometimes seen as entry-level positions in the video game world, they play an extremely important role. A QA tester could be seen as a last line of defense before a game is released to the public. If they miss out on bugs or do not do a thorough job, it could lead to hordes of disappointed fans.

If you are unsure how to break into the video game industry, becoming a QA tester may be your best bet. It can help you learn how video games are made and how studios function. From there, you can move on to become a game designer, programmer, producer, or artist.

Some of the tasks you may complete in your typical daily role as a QA tester include:

• Playing a game build to look for issues and defects.
• Knowing how to make a defect appear predictably so others can spot and fix it.
• Typing issue reports into a database or bug tracker and submitting them to the development team.
• Collaborating with programmers to help fix issues.

Video Game Programmer

When you work as a video game programmer, developer, or engineer, you use programming languages like C++ or Java to tell a computer how to convert content into a playable game.

Out of all the video game industry’s positions, this one is the most technical, so you may want to go to school to get your degree in computer science or something similar before looking for work. If school is not an option, you can teach yourself programming online. You could also get on-the-job experience by applying for an entry-level programming position with a video game company.

Besides technical knowledge, you will need patience and focus to become a video game programmer. With those skills, you could land a high salary, as programmers are usually the highest-paid positions in the industry.

Here are some daily video game programmer tasks you could experience:

• Researching, drawing diagrams, and collaborating with programmers before coding a game.
• Collaborating with team members to discuss how game features should function.
• Typing instructions as source code via an IDE (integrated development environment).
• Making sure games work as intended and tweaking source code when needed.
• Optimizing game performance.
• Implementing game features.
• Fixing issues from bug reports received from QA testers.

We have a list of the Best Online Courses to Learn Game Development that can help you get started as a video game programmer.

Video Game Designer

If you have plenty of experience playing video games and love to analyze and discuss them with others, a career as a game designer might be right up your alley.

Do most people start as video game designers? No, as it can be tough to break into such a desired spot without any industry experience. Instead, game designers typically start as production assistants or quality assurance testers. Once they make connections and show they have the potential talent to design games, they can then move into that coveted role.

However, if you are dead set on becoming a pro game designer right out of the gate, you could take the plunge to create games on your own or enroll in a video game design school to get a certificate or degree.

Most video game designer jobs tend to break down into the following categories:

• Overall game design
• Mission design
• Level design

Example of Unity Game Development Tool

If you work on a massive game, your role may be even more specified, and you may find yourself in a position working on pacing, tuning, or combat design.

Here are some tasks you may tackle on a typical day as a game designer:

• Play a game’s current version to see how it could be improved and ensure it is enjoyable.
• Test competitors’ games to see their strengths and weaknesses.
• Design gameplay mechanics and game levels.
• Create or tweak a game’s numeric data using tools like Microsoft Excel.
• Balance and tune gameplay.
• Draft game design documents that help your team understand what you have created.
• Collaborate with producers, artists, and programmers regarding your current game designs or future projects.

Video Game Producer

A video game producer plays many roles and requires excellent communication and planning skills. Being good with numbers can help, too, as you may be in charge of managing a game’s budget.

You can work your way up to a producer job by starting as a game tester or production assistant. From there, you could get promoted to associate producer, where you focus on scheduling and other daily tasks versus having a say in a project’s overall bigger picture. Move up to a senior producer position, and you can become a product owner responsible for a game’s finances, long-term planning, etc.

Here are some everyday tasks you may have to tackle if you become a video game producer:

• Ensuring your team has everything they need to be focused and productive.
• Collaborating with your team to plan the next few weeks of work.
• Negotiating contracts.
• Maintaining budgets.
• Meeting with non-team members like publishers and studio directors.

You may also consider project management tools if you pursue this video game job. Our article Best Project Management Software for Game Developers can help you choose the right one.

Video Game Artist

An artist/animator is one video game industry position that can be tough to crack since it takes a ton of unique artistic talent. But beyond that talent, you must also have skills working with art tools like Adobe Photoshop and Autodesk Maya. Combine all of the above with a strong portfolio, and you may find yourself living the dream as a video game artist doing filling one of the following specializations:

• UI artist – Plays a crucial role in designing a game’s navigational components, such as the menus.
• Concept artist – In charge of imagining and planning how a game’s world and characters will look and feel.
• Character modeler – Creates 3D models of a game’s characters.
• Character animator – Brings those 3D character models to life.

Other specializations you could work in as a video game artist include visual effects, environments, character rigging, etc. If this sounds like an exciting career path, start looking into art school, as a degree from there could help you get in the door.

Read: Top Tools for Video Game Developers

The post Video Game Careers Overview appeared first on CodeGuru.

Interested in becoming a project manager? We have a great list of the Top Certifications for Project Managers to help get you started.

What Is Task Management Software?

Any digital tool that can help you plan, track, and complete a task or unit of work could be considered task management software. Some of the basic features of task management software include the ability to list, expense, and test tasks or subtasks. And to keep you organized, many task management software solutions can help you view dependencies between tasks so you know what must be completed first to ensure you meet your deadlines and achieve maximum efficiency.

What To Look For When Choosing Task Management Software

Although you could take the simplified approach of making a to-do list or taking notes with something like Microsoft Word, Google Docs, Microsoft Excel, or Google Sheets, you may want a solution that packs more punch that only task management software can provide. But, with so many solutions on the market, how can you pick one that fits your needs? You can start by filtering out the losers and winners via this checklist of questions that many use when searching for task management software for developers:

• Does the software fit your team’s project management methodology, such as Agile, Scrum, Waterfall, hybrid, etc.?
• Is the task management software user-friendly, and is it an appropriate fit for your level of technical knowledge?
• Is the user interface clean and easy on the eyes, so you will not get tired of using it on a daily basis to keep on top of your tasks?
• Does the task management software offer templates so you can hit the ground running without much work? And are those templates customizable to your unique needs should you want to tweak them?
• Can you group subtasks with related tasks?
• Is there a feature to mark or color-code tasks to avoid confusion?
• Are there multiple task views that let you absorb data according to the project, due date, client, or urgency? Is there a calendar view available?
• Can you integrate the task management software with other tools that you already use so you can access everything you need in one place?
• Does the task management software sync across devices so you can access info on the go on your smartphone?
• Does the software fit your budget? Is there a free version that can give you all the functionality you need? If not, is there at least a free trial to test drive the features before paying a premium?

The Best Task Management Software For Developers

While this list does not represent every task management software offering on the market, it does give you a brief glimpse into some of the best solutions you will find for developers.

ProWorkflow

One of the most flexible task management software solutions is ProWorkflow. With it, you can easily assign or reschedule tasks to specific team members, track time, and more.

Highlights:

• • An easy-to-understand layout.
  • Drag-and-drop functionality for assigning tasks and using Gantt charts or Kanban boards.
  • Specify task assignees, start and finish dates, rates, hours allocated, and more.
  • View staff availability for tasks to prevent work overload.
  • Team collaboration via messaging and file sharing.
  • Easily editable assignments, dates, categories, etc., that adapt to your ever-changing needs.
  • A free trial is available. The Professional plan starts at $20 per month.

Monday.com

If you seek simplicity from your task management tool, Monday.com may be right up your alley. Software development teams who prefer spreadsheets may enjoy Monday.com’s customizable and highly interactive interface that offers many extra perks that Sheets or Excel can provide.

Highlights:

• • • Task management boards for viewing progress, dependencies, recurring tasks, etc.
    • Team collaboration via message boards, file uploads, deadline assignments, @mentions, and member tagging.
    • The ability to easily display and visualize project data to determine progress almost instantly.
    • Integrations with popular tools like Gmail, Google Drive, Google Calendar, Trello, Slack, Dropbox, GitHub, and Jira.
    • Free trial available. The Basic plan starts at $8 per seat per month.

Smartsheet

Smartsheet is considered by many to be the top task management software based in the cloud. As you can tell by its name, Smartsheet adheres to a spreadsheet format that may attract software developers who are used to working with Excel or Google Sheets and seek something similar yet more advanced for managing tasks.

Highlights:

• • • Eliminates the need to work with complicated Excel formulas, as it performs calculations on the fly across multiple sheets.
    • Supplies all the essential task management functions, such as scheduling, subtasks, assigning resources, activities, etc.
    • Real-time notifications, plus status reports, activity logs, shared views, detailed history, and more to keep all team members on the same page.
    • Editable reports that can be exported to Excel with ease.
    • A Critical Path feature that highlights tasks essential to meeting your deadlines.
    • Integrations with Slack, Jira, Google, and Microsoft apps, and more.
    • Free trial available. The Pro plan starts at $7 per user, per month.

Todoist

One of the simpler solutions on this list for managing tasks is Todoist. Many use Todoist to manage their everyday personal tasks, but it has sufficient functionality and features to help your software development team stay organized as well.

Highlights:

• • • The simple interface lets you jump right in to start creating, prioritizing, and sharing tasks with virtually zero learning curve.
    • Organize task lists via priority tags and labels.
    • Smart rescheduling feature senses when you have too much on your plate and pushes out tasks to future dates so you can meet realistic deadlines.
    • Integrations with Slack, Dropbox, Zapier, Google Drive, and more.
    • Developer API is available.
    • A Free forever plan is available for starters. Pro plan starts at $4 per user per month.

Wrike

Over 20,000 organizations across the globe use Wrike to help manage their tasks. Whether you have a small development team of fewer than five members or seek a task solution for unlimited members, Wrike can fulfill your needs.

Highlights:

• • • User-friendly and intuitive interface lets you easily switch between standard workflow views, Gantt charts, Kanban boards, etc.
    • Highly customizable dashboards, workflows, reports, etc.
    • Real-time team collaboration, file sharing, and shared workflows.
    • Schedules, subtasks, and task lists.
    • Over 400 integrations that include Dropbox, Microsoft, and Google apps, and much more.
    • A free trial is available, plus there is a Free version for teams that are getting started. The Professional plan starts at $9.80 per user per month.

Sendtask

An essential part of software development is collaborating with clients. Sendtask keeps this in mind and provides plenty of collaborative features to help you manage tasks while keeping your clients in the loop.

Highlights:

• • • Seamless onboarding with unlimited users and tasks.
    • Lets you start collaborating with clients within seconds.
    • Eliminates the need to register partners or clients with whom you want to distribute tasks or share data.
    • Allows you to manage tasks from your inbox.
    • Integrations with Slack and email services.
    • Currently in Beta and free to use. Sendtask promises its current features will remain free forever, making it a great task management solution for growing dev teams on a strict budget.

Read more software development tool reviews and project management software highlights.

The post The Top Task Management Software for Developers appeared first on CodeGuru.

.NET is a software development framework that developers can use to create applications in languages such as C#, Visual Basic, F#, and ASP.NET. As Microsoft defines it, the .NET Framework is a “cross-platform, open source developer platform” that supports many languages and their libraries, which programmers can use for game development, mobile app creation, desktop software, embedded device programming, and more.

In this .NET programming tutorial, we will list some of the best places online to learn how to work with the .NET framework. Since .NET is a framework and not a language itself, the courses listed herein will typically also teach you how to code in a language as well. Usually the language portion of the coursework will be in either C# or ASP.NET. However, if you do not have any coding experience – or do not know those languages specifically – do not worry, as the classes contained herein offer introductory lessons for the uninitiated.

.NET Courses for Beginners

The programmer courses listed in this section are geared specifically to those that are new to software development in general, OR have experience with other programming languages and frameworks, but now want to add .NET (and its related languages) to their repertoire. Some of these courses may also move into the intermediate and advanced realm of .NET development also, but not before building a solid foundation of basic .NET coding principles.

.NET for Beginners from TechRepublic Academy

The .NET for Beginners from TechRepublic Academy is a fairly robust course, despite its simplistic name. It hovers at the 7 hour mark and features 68 lectures from instructor Mark Lassoff, who grew up programming as a child and eventually went on to train such notable agencies as the Department of Defense, Lockheed Martin, and Kaiser Permanente (not to be confused with Kaiser Sosa). Upon completion of the course, students will be rewarded with a “Certificate of Completion”.

This .NET course covers the following topics:

• • How to install, configure, and navigate the .NET software development environment
  • How to configure master project settings, close projects, create single projects, and create multisolution projects
  • How to work with project elements, the properties window, and understand the different types of .NET projects programmers can create
  • Code organization techniques and best practices
  • How to use the Visual Studio integrated development environment (IDE)

How to use SQL databases within Visual Studio code editor and how to create a database from scratch

This is a pretty solid course for beginners, because it really focuses on working within the .NET Framework environment and within the Visual Studio IDE, which some courses can skip over or not spend enough time on.

To sign-up for this .NET, visit its page at TechRepublic Academy: .NET Courses for Beginners.

Complete Guide to Building an App with .Net Core and React from Udemy

If you have read any of my other articles where I speak about the best online courses for programmers, you will know that I firmly believe in courses with a purpose outside of merely teaching a programming language’s syntax. The Complete Guide to Building an App with .Net Core and React is a course for developers that takes the approach of showing you how to start with the skeleton of a project and build it to completion using .NET Core and React (alongside the scripting language, TypeScript).

Created by instructor Neil Cummings, the course is fairly long, with 32 hours worth of content, broken down into 293 lectures. Upon finishing the course, students will be given a “Certificate of Completion” and will have finished building and designing their first full-fledged application.

This .NET course teaches the following:

• How to setup, configure, and install the developer environment within the .NET Framework
• How to install the required Visual Studio IDE code extensions for the project
• How to create the API for the project, as well as, the Client
• What the CQRS + Mediator pattern is and how to create a CRUD application using React and TypeScript
• How to style a User Interface
• How to perform error handling

To new developers, this might read as though it were a more intermediate-level .NET course, but since it spends a good portion exploring software development environments and frameworks, we thought it fit more under the beginner moniker.

To sign up for the course and learn more about the curriculum, visit the classes page on Udemy: Complete Guide to Building an App with .Net Core and React.

.NET MAUI course with Visual Studio 2022: Creating Projects from Udemy

This is another course that has a purpose beyond teaching just a language itself. In the .NET MAUI course with Visual Studio 2022: Creating Projects class, the focus is on use .NET MAUI to create a fully realized application. It is on the shorter side, making it easier to digest in a few sittings, weighing in at 10 hours or so, and somehow managing to still have 127 lectures, which are bite-sized for easier digestion.

Those taking this .NET programming class will learn:

• How to install .NET MAUI
• How to work with .NET MAUI Layouts, Controls, and Pages
• How to use those controls to create applications
• How to create mobile apps with C# and XAML
• How to customize controls
• The MVVM Pattern
• How to work with CollectionViews
• How to perform data binding operations

You can sign-up for this course by visiting its spot on Udemy: .NET MAUI course with Visual Studio 2022: Creating Projects.

Intermediate to Advanced .NET Courses

The courses in this next section all target programmers that have a basic understanding of the .NET Framework, .NET Core, and a relevant programming language, such as C#, F#, ASP.NET, or Visual Basic.

The Complete .NET & C# Developer Certification Bundle from TechRepublic Academy

The Complete .NET & C# Developer Certification Bundle is really a package of 10 .NET courses that will take a developer from the beginning stages of .NET development to the advanced levels. What is great about this particular programming bootcamp is that it teaches students solid, real-world coding principles, such as software architecture, design, and things like Unit Testing.

The bundle is pretty comprehensive as you might imagine, with 60 hours of content. By the end of the course, students will have enough knowledge to not only create their own .NET software, but also have the skills to land an entry-level job, assuming they are not a coder already who is just looking to pick up more skills – in which case they may find themselves in a position to pursue a new career path or make a higher salary.

The bundle teaches the following programming concepts:

• Basic software architecture through principles such as Meta and SOLID
• Unit Testing with NUnit and C#
• Dependency Injection in C#
• The TDD cycle in C#
• Functional programming concepts
• How to write clean C# code and best practices for doing so
• Career prep, including interview questions and common C# puzzles
• How to work with databases and LINQ in C#
• Application automation concepts with developer tools like SpecFlow and Selenium WebDriver
• How to work with data and algorithms in C#

You can sign up for this programming class by visiting: The Complete .NET & C# Developer Certification Bundle.

Design Patterns in C# and .NET from Udemy

Design patterns can be thought of as a solution for commonly occurring problems in a software development project. You can think of them as a sort of template designed to handle these issues in codebases and applications. The thing we like about this specific course is that it looks at design patterns and teaches students how to recognize these recurring problems and apply design patterns to fix them. It also teaches the concept of code refactoring in .NET and C# and the SOLID Design principle.

The C# design patterns taught in this course include:

• Builder
• Factories
• Prototype
• Singleton
• Adapter
• Bridge
• Composite
• Decorator

Developers can sign up for this course at Udemy by visiting: Design Patterns in C# and .NET.

The post Best Online Courses for .NET Developers appeared first on CodeGuru.

In our last go-round, we listed some of the best online courses for C# programmers to hone their craft and get better at developing applications in .NET. This time around, we are going to review some of the top classes to learn C++. We will look at classes in two main categories: those for beginners to C++ and programming in general and courses for intermediate to advanced level C++ programmers who want to take a deeper dive into the language and its abilities.

If you are interested in learning C#, be sure to check out our tutorial: Best Online Courses to Learn C#.

Top Online Beginner Courses to Learn C++

The C++ courses in this section are tailored to those that are either brand new to developing software in general or those that know another programming language and want to add C++ as another tool to create apps in.

Beginning C++ Programming – From Beginner to Beyond from Udemy

The Beginning C++ Programming – From Beginner to Beyond developer course from Udemy is a bit beyond your average beginner course (as the title suggests), but it does not cover material so far outside of the realm of the beginner that we thought it would not fit into this category. It focuses on modern C++, and, specifically, C++14, C++17, and bits and pieces of C++20.

Within the 46 hours of on-demand instructional video, programmers will have access to 53 downloadable resources, 2 articles on C++ basics, and 37 coding exercises, complete with coding challenges and assignments to test your knowledge and make sure you are retaining what you learn.

Course takers will learn how to install C++, how C++ programs are structured, what variables, constants, and data types are, how to work with strings, control structures, and many other basic C++ coding principles. More intermediate topics, such as object-oriented programming – or OOP – and how to use Lambda Expressions are also part of the curriculum.

You can learn more about this online course for beginners by visiting: Beginning C++ Programming – From Beginner to Beyond.

C++ Fundamentals: Game Programming For Beginners from Udemy

While most online programming courses teach the same basic foundational concepts, some of the more useful C++ classes take an approach that teaches you a specific career path, which is much more useful in a real-world scenario. The C++ Fundamentals: Game Programming For Beginners from Udemy course takes this direction, as it teaches newer coders how to create video games – which makes sense, because C++ is probably the best option for video game development.

This course is a little shorter than some others, partially due to the fact that it is focused on a specific developer career path. It consists of 11 hours of video, 3 articles, and two downloadable resources. In specific, video game developers will learn how to perform the following tasks in C++:

• C++ programming fundamentals such as variables, loops, control statements, and more
• Basic object-oriented programming concepts
• How to work clean code and use best coding practices
• C++ debugging and error handling
• 2D animation
• C++ game libraries
• How to compile and run C++ apps

To learn more, visit the Udemy page for C++ Fundamentals: Game Programming For Beginners.

Complete C Family Programming Bundle from TechRepublic Academy

The more programming languages that a software developer or software engineer has knowledge of, the better their career options will be and, potentially, the more money they can make. C++ is a part of the C-family of programming languages, which is made up of C, C#, and C++. These languages all have similar features and work well in conjunction with one another. Also, they are a great lead-in to learning Java, which is one of the world’s most popular and widely-used programming languages.

The Complete C Family Programming Bundle takes the approach of teaching not just the basic of C++, but the basics of C and C# as well. Further, the bundle teaches Intermediate and Advanced C#, and a fully comprehensive C++ foundation.

By the end of this 6-course programming bundle, developers will have the knowledge to get a job as a C# or C++ developer and be able to develop their own full-fledged applications to build a portfolio to show potential employers.

Learn more about TechRepublic Academy’s Complete C Family Programming Bundle.

Top Intermediate to Advanced C++ Courses

The courses below are all designed to teach would-be C++ programmers how to code intermediate and advanced C++ applications. While some offer introductory sections, students can feel free to skip those sections and dive right into the more complex material. Or, if they prefer, they can refresh their memory on the fundamentals of C++, as the courses are designed in a modular fashion.

Learn C++ Programming – Beginner to Advance – Deep Dive in C++ from Udemy

The Learn C++ Programming – Beginner to Advance – Deep Dive in C++ course comes to us from Udemy, like several other programming courses in our list. The course is a little more than 30 hours long and comes with a whopping 289 downloadable resources, 30+ hours of video, and 48 coding exercises to ensure students are retaining the information they are learning. Upon complete, course-takers do receive a Certificate of Completion, which is a nice addition.

You can expect to learn everything from beginning C++ programming concepts like variables, strings, math operators, and commenting to more difficult software development subjects like exception handling, working with objects and classes, and STL. The version of C++ in this course is C++11.

Want to learn more or sign-up for the course? Visit the Udemy page for Learn C++ Programming – Beginner to Advance – Deep Dive in C++.

The C++ Programming Bundle: Beginner to Expert from TechRepublic Academy

TechRepublic Academy’s The C++ Programming Bundle: Beginner to Expert course is actually three courses in one, driving students from beginning through intermediate and on to advanced C++ software development topics.

The first portion of the series walks developers through the basics of developing an application in C++ – from simple concepts like data types through object orientation. At the end, students will learn how to make a particle firing program, ensuring they have a solid foundation of video game development techniques.

The second part of the tutorial series covers the Standard Template Library (STL), memory management, and how to work with structures like lambda expressions, binary file handling, smart pointers, and fractal imagery.

Finally, the advanced portion covers the same topics as the intermediate section, only in much more detail.

To learn more about the popular online C++ course, visit its page at TechRepublic Academy: The C++ Programming Bundle: Beginner to Expert.

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Top Online Courses for Beginning C# Developers

Below is a list of some of the best C# courses to learn how to code in the C# programming language – particularly for those that are either 1) new to programming or 2) new to the C# language specifically. These courses are not listed in any particular order, but all are great options for those that are looking to learn how to code in a lesson-based manner.

C# Basics for Beginners by Udemy

This course teaches the fundamentals of software development using the C# programming language. Programmers will also learn how to use the .NET framework as well, which makes it a great course for those that may also want to transition into other Microsoft-related languages like F#, ASP.NET, and Visual Basic.

The course features 11 articles, 8 downloadable resources, and 5 hours of on-demand video that you can stream through a television, computer, or mobile device. At the end of the course, would-be coder are awarded a Certificate of Completion, which looks nice on your resume or mantlepiece – or even your fridge if you so desire.

The course has about 5 and a half hours of material, broken down into 11 sections and 87 lectures, meaning that it is pretty intensive, especially for a beginner C# course. C# developers will learn the following:

• C# and .NET framework fundamentals
• How to work with primitive types and non-primitive types, such as classes, structs, arrays, and enums
• The difference between value types and reference types, as well as data types like arrays and lists
• How to work with input and text including navigating files and directories
• How to use date and time data in programs
• Conditional statements and program flow with if and else statements
• How to debug and find code errors in C# applications and codebases

You can sign up for the course by visiting: C# Basics for Beginners: Learn C# Fundamentals by Coding.

C#: Start Programming with C# for Complete Beginners by Udemy

The Start Programming with C# course from Udemy makes our list here for a few reasons. First off, it teaches new programmers how the fundamentals of of C# software development and lays the foundation for coders to move into intermediate and even advanced programming. We like that. The main reason, however, is that it has would-be software engineers create an actual C# application, which is great, because a lot of courses do not put what you learned to work. That is not the case here.

What makes this one even better is the fact that it is free. The C# programming course lasts around 3 hours and some change and promises that you will be able to “developer your first piece of software within hours”.

You can sign-up for this free C# programming course by visiting: Start Programming with C#.

Top Online Courses for Intermediate and Advanced C# Developers

Now that we have covered some of the best online courses to learn C# programming, we can talk about the heavy hitters – that is, software development classes and lessons for intermediate to advanced level C# programmers. The software developer courses listed in the following paragraphs mostly operate under the assumption that you know how to program on a basic level. Truth be told, the majority of them do also cover the basics, so even if you do not have a good foundation, you will likely be okay with these lessons, especially given their low cost of entrance.

The Complete C# Programming Bundle by TechRepublic Academy

This C# programming course by TechRepublic is pretty different in its approach from some of the other courses we have seen. Though not technically the same, it starts developers out with some basic C programming before moving into C# basics. Then it takes a cool turn and teaches you how to not only code in C#, but design a complete 2D shooter using the Unity Game engine.

From there, coders will expand their game development skills as they create a multiplayer game using C#, followed by a Flappy Bird style game. Once those modules are complete, the course sweeps you into mobile app development using C# and Xamarin.iOS, then the same, but with Xamarin.Android.

The beautiful thing about this course is that it teaches you C# fundamentals, C basics, and then veers off into game developer and mobile software development, giving you a whole gambit of career paths to pursue.

You can take this C# course by visiting: The Complete C# Programming Bundle.

The Complete .NET and C# Developer Certification Bundle by TechRepublic Academy

If you really want to learn C# the right way and begin a career as a software developer (or add another language to your knowledgebase), taking a course that is targeted at getting certified is a great path to take. TechRepublic Academy has just such a course, fortunately, called The Complete .NET and C# Developer Certification Bundle.

This C# class has some pretty stellar lectures and lessons. Coders will learn all about structuring algorithms and data, automating aps using Selenium, working with databases using LINQ, and even how to master C# interview questions when applying for a career as a C# developer or software engineer.

What’s more, the fundamentals of writing clean and quality C# code, how to create functional C# software, perform Unit Testing, and a gaggle of software architecture principles will all be taught as well. Overall, this is a pretty high-level introduction to C# that should prepare any student for the real world of software development.

You can take this course for a spin by visiting the TechRepublic Academy website at: Complete .NET and C# Developer Certification Bundle.

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The Benefits Of Microsoft Office Plugins and Add-ins

As mentioned, a Microsoft Office plugin or add-in can help you extend the functionality of Word, Excel, or PowerPoint so you can enjoy more bells and whistles than what comes out of the box. As you will see on our list, add-ins can make your life a lot easier by streamlining specific tasks, so you do not have to waste time doing them manually, such as eliminating duplicate entries, inserting videos into presentations, or creating readable content without having to type a single word.

Beyond the extended functionality plugins provide, many Microsoft Office add-ins are also affordable. In fact, you will find that many are free, so you will not have to pay a thing to enjoy their added features.

If you are not a Microsoft Office user or want to upgrade to Office 365, you can sign-up for an official Microsoft 365 subscription.

The Top Microsoft Office Plugins and Add-ins

There is no shortage of add-ins for Microsoft Office. To give you a sampling of each, here are add-ins you can install to get more out of Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.

Microsoft Word Add-Ins

Do you use Microsoft Word to write content for work or school? Try these Word add-ins to make the word processor even more powerful.

Dictate Add-in for Word

Have you ever had an exciting idea pop into your head that could be used for an article for freelance work or perhaps a school project? Unless you had the time to sit down and type out that idea, it might have been forgotten. With the Dictate add-in for Word, you do not have to sit down and type a thing, as you can simply say what you want to be typed, and the plugin will put it on the page. By letting you dictate content into Word, Dictate makes multitasking or working on the go easy.

DocSync 365

If you work extensively with Word and Excel, you know that it can be time-consuming to update related data in both applications. With DocSync 365, you can connect Excel data with Word to keep both updated without switching back and forth.

Pixabay Images for Microsoft Office

Blog post creators can use the Pixabay Images Microsoft Office add-in to insert images directly into their posts without leaving Word.

Pexels

Similar to Pixabay Images, Pexels lets you search for and insert images into your Word docs without leaving the software.

Sorc’d

When creating written content like blog posts, proposals, or whitepapers, you must cite your sources. Sorc’d is a citation tool that simplifies this process by letting you snip and cite essential sections of material with just a few clicks.

Grammarly

You do not need to hire a proofreader if you have Grammarly at your disposal, as the software will check your work for spelling and grammatical errors while giving suggestions on how to improve your writing style. If you have a Grammarly account, you can use its Office add-in to use the software without leaving Word.

DocuSign

Are you drafting a legal document in Word that requires signatures? With the DocuSign Office add-in, you can sign or tag specific spots for a signature within Word while editing the document.

Office Tabs

You can take your Word multitasking to another level with Office Tabs. The Microsoft Office plugin lets you work on several documents at once by arranging them into tabs, just as if you were using a web browser.

Excel-to-Word Document Automation

When shifting between Excel and Word, it is easy to make clerical errors as you copy, paste, and edit bits of data. The Excel-to-Word Document Automation Microsoft Office plugin reduces the risk of such errors since it lets you easily link and update content between Excel spreadsheets and Word or PowerPoint documents. Whether you need to bring a chart, table, list, image, etc., from Excel into Word, this add-in will help you do it easily in the same format.

Symbols And Characters

The next time you need to add a special symbol or character to your Word docs, use the Symbols and Characters add-in to do it with ease. It includes multiple search options to find precisely what you are looking for.

Handy Calculator

While Word is mainly used for typing and written content, you may need to perform a mathematical calculation here and there. Handy Calculator lets you do just that within Word.

Microsoft Excel Add-Ins

Take your Excel experience to another level with these Microsoft Office plugins.

Duplicate Remover

There is no need to hurt your eyes and waste time scanning for duplicate entries manually. With Duplicate Remover, the plugin will do the job for you so you can clean up and process data within minutes.

Use Duplicate Remover to scan a range of cells to pinpoint unique or duplicate entries. You can also use it to color duplicate cells for easy management.

People Graph

Do you want to convert your Excel data into easily digestible, eye-catching charts and graphs? People Graph will help you do it using several professional graph themes and three chart types.

Split Text To Columns

The Split Text to Columns Microsoft Office plugin is ideal for splitting text into different columns when using Excel. It lets you divide values into different cells, add custom delimiters, and more.

XLTools.net Data Cleansing

You can clean up your Excel data in minutes with the XLTools.NET Data Cleansing Office add-in that can process thousands of rows automatically to clear them of unwanted characters, combine multiple sheets, etc.

Random Generator

Use the Random Generator Excel add-in to instantly populate spreadsheets with stand-in text so you can test formulas and perform other actions.

ToDo List Pro

Multitaskers will love the ToDo List Pro Excel and PowerPoint plugin that lets you create a to-do list without leaving the software. If an essential task comes to mind, use ToDo List Pro to type a reminder into your spreadsheet or presentation, so you do not forget it. With an autosave feature, your reminders will never be lost.

Microsoft PowerPoint Add-Ins

Thanks to these Microsoft Office add-ins, multitasking with PowerPoint has never been easier.

Web Video Player

You can instantly strengthen any presentation with video, and the Web Video Player PowerPoint add-in lets you insert YouTube and Vimeo videos by copying and pasting their URLs into your slides.

Mentimeter

Do you require instant feedback from your PowerPoint presentations? You can get it through Mentimeter’s interactive slides that ask your audience questions to get their input in real-time, which is then presented via colorful visuals.

Scan&Paste

Scan pictures into your PowerPoint slides with the Scan&Paste Office plugin that uses your phone to snap QR codes.

Web Viewer

The next time you need to display a web page during a presentation, use Web Viewer. It will let you embed the page within your PowerPoint presentation to avoid clunky switching.

Pixton Comic Characters

Add life to your presentations with the Pixton Comic Characters Office add-in that lets you add illustrated characters with a few clicks. In doing so, you could boost retention of the information you presented, allowing you to make a lasting impact on your audience.

Lucidchart Diagrams For PowerPoint

The Lucidchart for Microsoft Office plugin lets you build mockups, flowcharts, mind maps, Venn diagrams, UML diagrams, and more to make your slides stand out.

We may be compensated by vendors who appear on this page through methods such as affiliate links or sponsored partnerships. This may influence how and where their products appear on our site, but vendors cannot pay to influence the content of our reviews. For more info, visit our Terms of Use page.

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What is the ASP.NET AJAX Control Toolkit?

I always like to go directly to the source for the answer to this type of question.
According to Microsoft:

“The ASP.NET AJAX Control Toolkit is a shared source project built on top of the
Microsoft ASP.NET AJAX framework. It is a joint effort between Microsoft and
the ASP.NET AJAX community that provides a powerful infrastructure to write
reusable, customizable, and extensible ASP.NET AJAX extenders and controls,
as well as a rich array of controls that can be used out of the box to create
an interactive Web experience.”

So, even if you have no intention of ever writing any controls of your own,
the toolkit is worth downloading just to get access to the over thirty controls
that you can start using immediately.

Getting Started with AJAX Toolkit

Since we are talking about using the ASP.NET AJAX Control Toolkit, it sort of makes sense that we will first need basic AJAX functionality. Luckily this is not too hard. ASP.NET includes AJAX functionality, so if you have already got ASP.NET installed, you are all set. You do not need to download or install anything in this step.

If you do not have ASP.NET, you have got two options: upgrade to the latest version of ASP.NET (either via
Windows Update or manually) or download and install ASP.NET AJAX Extensions.
Personally, I recommend just upgrading to the latest version of ASP.NET, but the choice is yours.

For the rest of this article, we will be using the latest version of ASP.NET and Visual Web Developer. If your setup is different, then things may vary slightly.

Getting the ASP.NET AJAX Control Toolkit

Now that you have got the basic AJAX functionality in place, it is time to get the ASP.NET
AJAX Control Toolkit. The toolkit is available as a free download from
the AJAX Control Toolkit Project Page on CodePlex. Download the version which matches your setup.  If you are sure you won’t be building your own controls and do not want to download the sources, there is also a version that does not include the source code for the controls.

There is no setup program. The file you downloaded is just a zip file. Simply unzip it
and save the contents wherever you want. I saved it in
C:\Program Files\Microsoft ASP.NET AJAX Control Toolkit\.

Create a Sample Web Site

Before we get started, you will most likely want to play around with the sample website that is included with the toolkit. It offers a perfect way to get an idea of what the different controls included in the toolkit do and how they work. If you want to see the code behind the samples, you will want to set up a local copy. To do this, simply follow these simple steps.

1. Run Visual Web Developer 2008
2. Create a New “Empty Web Site”I run IIS on my machine so I created the Web site underneath
   “http://localhost/” and called it “AJAXControlToolkitSample”

   

3. Copy the Contents of the “SampleWebSite” Folder to the New SiteI find it easiest to navigate to the source location (which would be “C:\Program Files\Microsoft ASP.NET AJAX Control Toolkit\SampleWebSite” if you’ve been following along) using Windows Explorer. Once there simply do a “Ctrl+A” to “Select All” the files, do a “Ctrl+C” to “Copy” them, go back to your web site, and do a “Ctrl+V” to “Paste” them into “Solution Explorer” window.

   
   Copy the contents of the “SampleWebSite” Folder to the New Site

   You can also drag and drop the files or use the menus to copy and paste them
   if you prefer. Alternatively, you can also simply copy the files to the appropriate
   location via Windows Explorer directly and then just click the “Refresh” button in VWD’s “Solution Explorer” window.

   Whatever method you use, your Web site should look something like this after
   you’ve copied in the files.

   
   View the Sample Site in a Browser

4. Now all that’s left to do is view the sample site in your browser of choice. From VWD, you can use use the “View in Browser” button on the “Standard” toolbar or from the “File” menu.
   Spend some time playing with the different controls to find out how they work and
   which ones might be useful in your own development projects. Once you’ve done that you’ll want to take a look at the code behind some of them. Thankfully the team that put the sample site together was very well organized and named everything pretty well. Things in the sample folders are pretty easy to find.

So now that you’ve had a look around and are comfortable with how the controls work, lets see how you can take the sample controls and use them in your own site.

Adding the Toolbox Tab to Visual Web Developer 2008

To make things easier for you when you’re developing with the ASP.NET AJAX Control Toolkit, you’ll probably want to add a tab for the controls to the “Toolbox” and add the controls to the tab.

1. Run Visual Web DeveloperIf it’s not still running, launch VWD again.
2. Create a New “Empty Web Site”Just like last time around, I’m creating a new web site from scratch to use as my demo site. I’m once again going to be hosting it underneath “http://localhost/”. I’m going to call this site “ToolkitTest”.
3. Create a New Web FormVisual Web Developer only shows you tools that apply to the type of document on which you’re currently working. So you can see toolbox tab we’ll be working with, it’s best to create a new Web Form (“default.aspx” is fine) and open it.
4. Add a New Tab Called “AJAX Toolkit” to the ToolboxRight-click in the “Toolbox” window and select the “Add Tab” option from the context menu. Name the new tab “AJAX Toolkit”.
5. Add Controls to the New TabRight-click in the new “AJAX Toolkit” tab we just created and select the “Choose Items…” option from the context menu.

   
   This will launch the “Choose Toolbox Items” dialog box. Click the “Browse” button at the right side of the window and browse to the “AjaxControlToolkit.dll” in the “/Bin” folder of the sample Web site where you unzipped the toolkit. If you’ve been naming things the same as I have, it’ll be here:

   C:\Program Files\Microsoft ASP.NET AJAX Control Toolkit\SampleWebSite\Bin\AjaxControlToolkit.dll.

6. Once you select the DLL and click the “Open” button, you’ll be back in the
   “Choose Toolbox Items” dialog box. All the controls will already be selected so you don’t need to do anything more. Simply click the “OK” button to add the ASP.NET AJAX Control Toolkit controls to the new tab.
7. That’s It!When your done, your new “AJAX Toolkit” tab should look something like this.

   

Using the Sample AJAX Controls

Now that you’ve set up your development environment, I’m going to walk you through building a very simple Web page that uses one of the controls

1. Open a Web FormSince I already created it in the last section, I’m going to use “default.aspx” for my demo. Feel free to use it or create a new file. You’ll most likely want to create a few different files as you play with the different controls.
2. Switch to Design ModeYou can naturally do things in Source mode if you’d like, but doing things in Design mode handles a lot of the little details for you.
3. Drag the Controls to the FormFor this demo, we’ll need to drag three controls from the toolbox onto the form. The first is the “ScriptManager” control from the “AJAX Extensions” tab. The second is a plain
   “TextBox” control from the “Standard” tab. The last is the “CalendarExtender” control from the “AJAX Toolkit” tab we added in the last section. You want to drop the “CalendarExtender” control right onto the “TextBox” control since that’s the control it will
   extend. When you’re done it’ll look something like this:

   
   I cleaned things up a bit, added some text, and named some of the controls, but that’s optional and totally up to you.

   Take a Look at the Code (If You Want)Here’s the “neatened up for publication” version of the code that Visual Web Developer generated for us.

   		<%@ Page Language="VB" %>
   		<%@ Register assembly="System.Web.Extensions, Version=3.5.0.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=31bf3856ad364e35" namespace="System.Web.UI" tagprefix="asp" %> <%@ Register assembly="AjaxControlToolkit" namespace="AjaxControlToolkit" tagprefix="ajaxToolkit" %> <!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN"     "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"> <html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"> <head runat="server">     <title>ASP.NET AJAX Control Toolkit Test Page</title> </head> <body> <form id="myForm" runat="server"> <div>    <asp:ScriptManager ID="myScriptManager" runat="server" />    Date: <asp:TextBox ID="txtDate" runat="server" />    <ajaxToolkit:CalendarExtender ID="txtDate_CalendarExtender" runat="server"        TargetControlID="txtDate"     /> </div> </form> </body> </html>

4. View the Demo in a BrowserReally! Just dragging and dropping those controls onto the form should get the basics working for you. The demo you just created lets a user enter a date into the textbox using a pop-up calendar instead of having to type it in by hand.

   

That’s it. While it’s true that fine-tuning the controls to get them to work exactly as you want may take some time, we did get an awful lot of really cool functionality without very much effort and without writing a line of code. And that’s just one of the simple controls.

I’ll leave it to you to play with the others!

Conclusion

That’s all there is to it folks. Granted the ASP.NET AJAX Control Toolkit provides a lot more power and usefulness to developers who will be using it to create their own ASP.NET AJAX extenders and controls, but because of the many useful samples it includes, there’s value to be had even if you’ve never touched AJAX before.

The post Getting Started with the ASP.NET AJAX Control Toolkit appeared first on CodeGuru.

If you are a .NET developer seeking a project management software solution to help your team increase its efficiency and productivity, then keep reading, as we will go over some of the top PM tools that could fit your development team’s needs.

Why Use Project Management Software?

With the right project management software, a .NET developer can easily visualize, manage, and track tasks via one solution without switching between several apps. This convenience can boost production speed, reduce errors during the development process, and keep every team member on the same page to avoid issues.

While we will discuss project management software for .NET developers, it is worth noting that you can find such solutions for other fields and industries, such as marketing, sales, human resources, and more. It is also worth mentioning that this list of PM software for .NET development is not a ranking, as we have listed the tools in no particular order.

How To Pick The Right Project Management Software

What one .NET development team needs out of a PM software solution may differ from another, as several factors need to be taken into consideration before making your final pick.

Ideally, you want your project management software to offer a well-rounded feature set that includes the following capabilities:

• Task management
• Collaboration
• Bug and issue tracking
• File sharing
• Reporting and analytics
• Schedule management
• Invoicing
• Bookkeeping
• And more

Beyond those basics, a .NET developer may also seek other tools to aid them during the development process, such as Gantt charts, Kanban boards, and the like.

One essential item to consider before picking project management software is your .NET development team’s practices. For example, if you prefer to use Scrum or Agile methodologies, then you may seek PM software that offers Scrum boards, velocity charts, sprint tracking, etc. Without such tools, a project management software offering would be the wrong fit, as it would force your team to implement a different methodology.

Other considerations to make when choosing project management tools include integrations. Some software offers more integrations than others, so you should check if your prospective solution integrates with your preferred apps, such as Slack, Google Drive, etc. If not, you may want to look elsewhere for that added functionality. Last but not least, you have to ensure that the PM software’s pricing fits your budget. Luckily, the solutions we will discuss offer different pricing plans to fit varying needs.

The Top PM Software For .NET Developers

Are the following PM software solutions the only ones out there? No, as you can find more if you do a little digging. However, .NET developers should find these offerings to be the best of the bunch due to their user-friendliness and extensive feature sets.

Monday.com Project Management Software

If you want a solid combination of essential project management tools with some advanced features thrown in for good measure, Monday.com may be right up your alley. With bug tracking, extensive third-party app integrations, Gantt charts, Kanban boards, backlogs, roadmaps, and more, this PM software is bound to be the top choice for several .NET development teams.

Developers can use Monday.com’s free version if you are just looking to track your work and have a small team of two. Otherwise, you will want to upgrade to at least the $8 monthly Basic version to help manage your team’s projects. For $10 per month, you can enjoy the Standard version, which is optimized for collaboration. For $16 per user, you can get the Pro version that can help .NET developers with more complicated workflows. Lastly, there is an Enterprise option for more prominent organizations with enhanced needs.

Read: Monday.com Project Management Tool Review

Wrike Project Management Software

How much of a difference can the right project management tool make with your .NET team’s productivity? A huge one, as Wrike claims their PM software can cut time spent sifting and responding to emails by a whopping 90 percent. As for how you can save such time with Wrike and similar PM tools, that is because you can collaborate and manage tasks all in one place versus having to switch between multiple applications.

Google, Dell, and other huge names use Wrike for its wide range of features that extend well beyond collaboration. If integration is a must, you will find it here, as Wrike integrates seamlessly with Google Drive, Gmail, Salesforce, Microsoft Teams, and more. As for its in-house features, Wrike offers .NET developers time tracking, Kanban boards, Gantt charts, calendar views, invoicing capabilities, task assignments, reporting, and more.

Wrike’s pricing begins with a free plan that offers limited features. Give it a try if you want to get your feet wet with PM software before making a financial investment. Other pricing plans include:

• Professional – Created for growing .NET teams looking to plan and collaborate for $9.80 per user, per month.
  
• Business – Offers tons of customization, making it Wrike’s most popular plan at $24.80 per user, per month.
  
• Enterprise – Custom pricing packages are available for massive teams seeking enterprise-grade security, scalability, and more.

Read: Wrike Project Management Software Review

Trello Project Management software

Trello likes to keep it simple, as it offers PM software features for .NET developers looking to get up and running without much of a learning curve. Trello’s interface is intuitive and user-friendly, so even beginners can jump in and start managing projects and tackling tasks relatively quickly.

Trello’s basic setup involves a visual dashboard that offers instant insight into task and project progress via boards, lists, and cards. Managing the software is straightforward, as it employs drag-and-drop functionality that puts you in complete control.

You can use Trello as-is to enjoy timeline views that tell you where a project stands, and if necessary, you can change deadlines on the fly. To extend Trello’s functionality, the PM software offers third-party app integration, and it also works across platforms so .NET developers can stay on top of tasks via different devices.

If you want to use Trello’s basic features to keep your .NET team organized, it comes with a free plan that includes 10 boards per workspace plus unlimited storage and cards. Trello’s paid plans are as follows:

• Standard – $5 per user, per month for upgraded collaboration and PM features.
  
• Premium – $10 per user, per month for tracking multiple projects and several views for up to 100 team members.
  
• Enterprise – $17.50 per user, per month for enhanced controls and security.

Read: Trello Review, Features, Pros, and Pricing

Jira Project Management Software

If your .NET team prefers the Agile methodology, Jira may be your preferred project management tool. You can increase productivity through Jira’s various features that are highlighted by sprint planning, Scrum and Kanban boards, Gantt charts, file sharing, reporting, roadmaps, task management, and more.

A small team of .NET developers can jump headfirst into Jira by trying its free version that works for up to 10 users. You will not get Jira’s full feature set here, but it will help your team track and plan projects to become more efficient and cohesive.

Moving up a notch brings us to Jira’s Standard plan, which offers enhanced collaboration features for emerging teams. It costs $7.50 per user, per month, which is nearly half of the next offering: Premium. For $14.50 per user, per month, Jira Premium lets larger teams scale their tracking and collaborative capabilities. And if you have a .NET team with massive security, governance, and scaling needs, contact Jira to discover pricing for their Enterprise version.

Read: Jira Reviewing: Pricing and Features

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In this article, developers will learn how they can define pointers and what operations you can perform with them.

Creating Pointers in C

You can create pointers to variables of any data type. To create a pointer, state the data type followed by an asterisk (*) and the pointer name, as in the following example:

int *countPtr;

You can also define a pointer by placing the asterisk in front of the data type. The first syntax is preferred, though:

int* countPtr;

Unlike when defining normal variables, the * operator does not distribute to all the pointer variables. Observe the following C code:

int *b, y;

In the above statement, only the variable b is a pointer of type int. Meanwhile, y is just a variable of type int.

If you want to declare multiple pointers in the same statement, then you need to add an asterisk before each pointer variable, as shown below:

int *bPtr, *yPtr ;

How to Initialize Pointers in C

Pointers must always be initialized when defined. You can initialize a pointer with NULL, 0 or an address. Initializing a pointer to NULL is the same as initializing it to 0 (zero).

A pointer initialized to any of these two values (NULL or 0) points to nothing.

The third way to initialize a pointer is to assign an address to it. The reference operator (&) is used to assign a memory address to a pointer. It’s a unary operator that takes in a variable as its operand. Here it is in use:

int y;
yPtr = &y;

It is important for you to note that a constant or an expression can’t be used as an operand to the & operator.

As mentioned earlier, pointers store memory addresses. If you want to get the memory address which your pointer is storing, then you would use the dereferencing operator (*).

This operator will return a hexadecimal value that indicates the memory location which your pointer is storing. See the example below:

# include  

int y = 7;
int z;

int yPtr = &y;
int zPtr = &z;

printf("The pointer yPtr is storing the address %p: " , &y); 
printf("\n The value stored by *yPtr is: ", *yPtr);

The code example above demonstrates how you can use the address operator and the dereferencing operator.

Other Pointer Types in C

Apart from the null pointer, there are also other pointer types that are worth mentioning. We discuss them below.

Void Pointer in C

The void pointer is a pointer that can store an address of any data type. It is also known as a generic pointer.

To define a void pointer in C, use the keyword void in your pointer declaration. Here is some example code:

int main() 
{
  void  *aPtr;
  void  *bPtr;
  
  int a = 6;
  char b = 'G';

  aPtr = &a; // aPtr stores a pointer to an integer 
  bPtr = &b; // bPtr stores a pointer to a character 
}

Wild Pointer in C

A wild pointer is a pointer that has not yet been initialized. This pointer points to an arbitrary location in memory. You should generally never use such a pointer. Doing so could crash a running program in memory. That being said, here is how you use wild pointers:

float  *Yptr; // this a wild pointer. Don't use it until you initialize it

Passing Values by Reference in C

There are two ways in which you can pass arguments to a function. You can either pass-by-value or pass-by-reference.

Pass-by-value means that the value of the argument is passed to the function while pass-by-reference means that a pointer to the argument is passed.

By default, all arguments are passed by value in the C language. Pass-by-value first makes a copy of the argument and then passes on this copy to the function. This introduces overheads in processing and also leads to high memory usage.

Pointers can be used to overcome this challenge since they work directly with variables in their addresses.

The code example below shows how you can get the square of an integer using pass-by-value and pass-by-reference:

#include 

void SquareByValue (int p){
p*p; }

void SquareByReference (int *qPtr){
*qPtr * *qPtr;  }

int main (){

int a = 4;
int b = 6;
}

C Pointers

Unlike Java and Python, C gives you the option to directly work with memory addresses for your program.

As you must be aware by now: “With great power comes great responsibility.” If you inappropriately allocate memory addresses, you could end up crashing programs running on your computer.

Pointers should be used with care. In particular, you should avoid wild pointers.

Read: Data Types, Variables, and Constants in C++.

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