As I mentioned a couple days ago, [Book Review - Preview] "Building Interactive Queries with LINQPad", the team at Packt have given me the opportunity to review Building Interactive Queries with LINQPad by Sébastien Finot.
Building Interactive Queries with LINQPad
What you will learn from this book
- Discover what LINQ can do and how it will help you
- Learn all about LINQ query operators to join, aggregate, select, and filter data
- Write LINQ queries with both method and query syntaxes
- Query databases and remote services using LINQ
- Create and manipulate XML and in-memory collections
- Differentiate LINQPad’s query types
- Handle user input with LINQPad
- Customize LINQPad to fit your taste or workflow
...
In my usual review style, I'm going to give you my impressions, feelings and thoughts about the book. I'm not going to give you chapter-by-chapter blow-by. That you can get from other reviews and by visiting the book's site...
So let's get started then!
I received the eBook on Thursday and two train rides later I was done. The book has 126 pages, but the first part (ToC, author and reviewer notes, etc) and the index at the end take a percentage of those. That just means the rest is more like condensed soup that just needs your brain juices to reconstitute (hum... not sure where I'm going with that... but it sounded kind of cool...lol). Anyway, I pretty much couldn't put it down.
This book isn't for LINQPad Ninja's. It's not really for LINQ Ninja's either.
It's perfect for those that might not be using LINQ as well as they think they should be. It's perfect for those who think they might not be using LINQPad as effectively as they could. If you're anything like me, doc's and help are a last resort. We install the app and just start clicking. If we can get it doing something, well, we're good. This means through that many times we miss features or don't use the app as well as we could be. This book will help you if you use LINQPad like that...
But more importantly, this book is a great tutorial on LINQ. It's like learning LINQ with LINQPad added as extra flavoring. That said, if you're 100% new to LINQ, I'd get a broader book. But if you're using LINQ a little, or know one or two tricks, this book is a great way to expand your existing LINQ knowledge.
I'm gushing aren't I?
Well when I read a book on one day and use what I've read the next to help me solve a problem and save a number of lines of code... well, that causes me to gush a little.
Oh it's not perfect. There's a couple tip sections repeated. The focus on Linq to SQL, while the linq stuff is great and seeing it work in the utility is really cool, it might give the impression that Linq to SQL is something you should use in your app's. Personally, I wouldn't. It's not that the tech is bad, it's just the tech is dead. Linq to SQL has about zero future.
I'd liked to have seen the "other data sources" expanded on.
But in those two chapters, there's Linq learning going on, and I wouldn't skip them, even if you don't use that tech.
Summary
If you're a LINQ Jedi or your already live in LINQPad, this book might not be for you. Think of this book as a 200 Linq & LINQPad class. So if you're already a 300, 400, 500, then, well you get the picture)
If you're looking for a book to help you improve your existing Linq knowledge, to expand beyond a limited/working use, check out this book.
If you're looking to better use the awesome that is LINQPad, check out this book.
Would I recommend this book to a friend or co-worker, knowing they'd have to pay for it? I think I've been doing just that above... :)
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received one or more of the products or services mentioned above for free in the hope that I would mention it on my blog. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe my readers will enjoy. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.
Related Past Post XRef:
[Book Review - Preview] "Building Interactive Queries with LINQPad"
Nothing like a little LinqPad fun for a Friday - "Hosting ASP.NET Web API in LinqPad"
Today's LINQPad fun, SelectExcept! (a tip on selecting all the fields, except...)
LINQPad is just for [no, not "breakfast"... ha.. fooled you] LINQ... Using LINQPad to execute code snippets.
.DumpJson() - LINQPad Extension Fun...
Playing with the TFS API via LINQPad (as in using LINQPad to query TFS via the TFS API)
LINQPad +50 - Adding 50 LINQ examples from DevCurry to LINQPad's sample pallet
Since we're talking about LINQPad... StreamInsight v1.2 Driver and samples for LINQPad
Jesse liberates our LINQ'ness - Learning LINQ, from LINQPad to Visual Studio
LINQ[Pad] to Twitter
LINQPad’ing into Dallas - The latest LINQPad now has “Dallas” support baked in.
OData my LINQPad – LINQPad (beta) now supports Data Services/OData (and there’s .Net 4 rev too)
Need an ad-hoc query tool for your Azure data tables? LINQPad to the rescue
This post title made me laugh, “I've Left Query Analyzer Hell For LINQPad Heaven”
LINQPad and the Entity Framework
Getting External with LINQPad – Advanced LINQPad Dimecast (aka part 3 of 3)
Fun with .Dump() in LINQPad – An intermediate level Dimecast for LINQPad
Link to LINQPad – A Dimecast LINQPad Walkthrough
LINQPad - A Free Interactive LINQ to SQL (and others) Utility (Think "SQL Query Analyzer for LINQ")
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