Async in C# 5.0: Unleash the Power of Async

by Alex Davies

If you’re writing one of several applications that call for asynchronous programming, this concise hands-on guide shows you how the async feature in C# 5.0 can make the process much simpler. Along with a clear introduction to asynchronous programming, you get an in-depth look at how the async feature works and why you might want to use it in your application. Written for experienced C# programmers―yet approachable for beginners―this book is packed with code examples that you can extend for your own projects.

Genres: Programming, Technology, Computer Science, Nonfiction, Technical

104 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2012

Reviews

[Ivan Ivanov · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you don't have experience with async/await(like me), this is a great first book on the topic.

I've tried to start reading about async/await from "C# In Depth", but I had difficulties digesting the topic there. As a result I've bought "Async in C# 5.0" and now feel that I am ready to get back to "C# in Depth"

I think that the chapter on how the async code is transformed by the compiler could've been written better. Personally I like this explanation.

Also I didn't like the explanation about the SynchronizationContext. I think that this blog is doing better job at explaining it.

[Mikhail Kumachev · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good book focused strictly on async and TAP. Can be used as reference guide.

[Axel Prieto · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you already have an idea of C# async feature and been working with it for a while, you'll probably find this book a bit repetitive or boring at times. It does dive on some more advanced topics like decompiling async code to understand what the compiler is doing under the hood, so it's not exclusively for beginners though.

Personally I found it useful to get a more complete picture of this language in terms of asynchronous techniques.

[Ieva Gr · Rating 5 out of 5]

Quite perfect. Short, detailed and yet written in a way that is easy to grasp. Some things might be slightly outdated but it is definitely worth to read. Helps to get a mental picture on how async works.

[Jon Ferguson · Rating 4 out of 5]

A nice, short book covering a broad overview of how Async programming works in C#. A new version is out now, but this is still has good information for people who, like me, have used Async programming in the past but never really understood what is happening under the hood. A good book to have for reference in the future.

[Mikhail Filippov · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nice small book about async await.

Good book to review async await C# feature. Nice examples and some usefully tips and tricks. I like it book.

[Krzysztof · Rating 5 out of 5]

Clear and concise book, would recommend to anyone struggling with async's basics in C#.

[Dana Goosen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Okay, it contains simple intuitive examples of what is being explained. Liked it.

[Paulo José · Rating 5 out of 5]

The best content that I've studied about asynchronous programming.

[Rene Stein · Rating 4 out of 5]

Asi nejlepší a určitě nejpodrobnější kniha o asynchronním kódu psaném v C# za pomoci klíčových slovech async/await.

Knihu ale potřebujete pouze tehdy, když:

1) Nečtete blog PFX teamu http://blogs.msdn.com/b/pfxteam/), kde jsou všechna témata v knize vyložena lépe a podrobněji - snad s výjimkou Actor modelu, který ale podle mě ani v knize není vysvětlen moc dobře. Prohlédl jsem si i projekt n-act (https://code.google.com/p/n-act/), jehož autor je shodný s autorem této knihy, a myslím si, že jde jen o letmé načrtnutí toho, jak by mohl Actor model dnes v C# fungovat za pomoci dynamické proxy a klíčových slov async/await.

2) Nejste nadšenci, kteří se od prvních beta verzí koukali do dekompilovaného kódu, abyste pochopili, jak kompilátor C# a s využitím jakých datových struktur generuje "continuations".

Předpokládám, že i tak je ale cílová skupina této velmi slušné knihy docela početná.:)

[Kevin Garner · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was short and sweet (108 pages). It provides the big picture and goes into some specifics with clarity on how to write, test, and debug asynchronous code in a .NET 4.5+ environment. All in all, it is worth having around for reference. I read it from cover to cover in a short amount of time and plan to go back through and savor a bit more when time permits. I would not look to it as an end-all for your every concurrency programming need, as it is extremely brief.

[Subramanian · Rating 4 out of 5]

It explains the obscure art of async style of programming in C# 5.0, something that for a person who thinks synchronously is a huge mental shift.

But it lacks in hands on examples to understand, and at the end I felt like I crammed in too much new theory without practicing and feeling confident about it.

[Stefan Haas · Rating 3 out of 5]

It is a good read to get into the topic, but there are way too less examples. Overall the book is too thin and the chapters cover some topics very briefly. But It is a good start.
If you want to go deep into this with lots of explanations and examples go and get Pro Asynchronous Programming with .NET from Richard Blewett ands Andrew Clymer.

[Sascha · Rating 4 out of 5]

Contains just one topic (as its title says) but handles that very well. There's also a chapter that dives into some details of how async/await works.

[Pavel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good quick book that goes into a lot of different examples and good technical detail (TLS, synchronization contexts, WinRT, etc.).

[Ivo Stoykov · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very well written, short without boring 1 page long paragraphs, clear and on the point. Highly recommended for C# developers.

[Andrei Tarutin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice book, read it again 9 years later and still opened new areas for myself. Specifically, I haven’t used Puppet task.

[Darrel Carver · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a very good book for the new async/await and task<> features in c#. Highly recommended

[Jeff Patterson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent explanation of using Async / Await in C#. The book has aged only slightly and I didn't notice any areas that were outdated.

[Jonathan Coello · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great intro to async

Very good introduction to async. Short, easy to read book with good examples and some useful techniques and libraries to get the most out of async.