LINQ

From MSDN: "The LINQ Project is a codename for a set of extensions to the .NET Framework that encompass language-integrated query, set, and transform operations. It extends C# and Visual Basic with native language syntax for queries and provides class libraries to take advantage of these capabilities."

You'll find lots over at the MSDN Linq Project Site as well as the LINQ General Forum.

Featured Information

	LINQ and Functional Programming Anders Hejlsberg, the chief architect of C#, describes the next release of Visual Studio, code-named Orcas. The video explores functional programming and the ways LINQ simplifies how we write database and XML queries in C# and VB.
	LINQ to XML LINQ to XML was developed with Language-Integrated Query over XML in mind and takes advantage of standard query operators and adds query extensions specific to XML.

How do I? Videos on LINQ

• How Do I: LINQ to SQL: Overview - New language features for C# and VB support data access directly from code, without writing SQL. This video shows the minimum steps to use LINQ (Language Integrated Query) to query, update, add and delete rows from the Northwind database.
• How Do I: LINQ to SQL: Data Model - LINQ to SQL relies on an object-to-relational model set of classes that map to your database tables. Visual Studio 2008 includes a visual ORM design surface that maps these tables to code.
• How Do I: LINQ to SQL: Querying the Database - This video shows how to query a database with LINQ, the underlying SQL with a query visualizer, databinding to ASP.NET controls and record paging.
• How Do I: LINQ to SQL: Updating the Database - In this video I demonstrated how to create, update and delete records through LINQ, simple transactions, updates across relationships, and custom column and row validation.
• How Do I: LINQ to SQL: LinqDataSource - The new asp:LinqDataSource control .NET 3.5 makes binding to UI elements easy. In fact, no code was written or harmed in the making of this video. Query, update, delete, paging, sorting, all done through LINQ and the LinqDataSource.
• How Do I: LINQ to SQL: Custom LinqDataSource - The LinqDataSource control can be customized declaritively, as shown in Part 5, or through code by handling the Selecting method.
• How Do I: LINQ to SQL: Using Stored Procedures - Using existing stored procedures and functions is easy with LINQ. We simply drag the stored procedures onto the O/R mapping surface and call them from the generated Data Context object.

Videos

• Future Directions for Data Programming in Visual Basic - Join Paul Vick and Amanda Silver as they discuss some of the features coming in Visual Basic 9.0.
• Using Visual Basic as a Dynamic Programming Language - Paul Vick and Erik Meijer talk about the dynamic aspects of programming in Visual Basic, both in Visual Basic 2005 and Visual Basic 9.0.
• C# 3.0 Language Enhancements in Action - See the changes proposed to C# 3.0 in action. This video showcases implicit variable declaration, extension methods and lambda expressions. This presentation is based on an earlier release of the Microsoft Visual Studio Code Name “Orcas” C# LINQ CTP.  
• C# 3.0 LINQ in Action - This video showcases the use of The LINQ Project with C# 3.0. In this video, LINQ is used to query in-memory data stores. This presentation is based on an earlier release of the Microsoft Visual Studio Code Name “Orcas” C# LINQ CTP.
• C# 3.0 XLinq in Action - This video showcases the use of The LINQ Project with C# 3.0. In this video, LINQ is used to query XML files. This presentation is based on an earlier release of the Microsoft Visual Studio Code Name “Orcas” C# LINQ CTP.  
• C# 3.0 DLinq in Action - This video showcases the use of The LINQ Project with C# 3.0. In this video, LINQ is used to query relational databases. This presentation is based on an earlier release of the Microsoft Visual Studio Code Name “Orcas” C# LINQ CTP.
• Leveraging C# and LINQ (Best practice) - This is a demonstration that shows that LINQ not only impacts data access, but also on the way we architect, design and implement applications.
  

Blog Posts by ScottGu

• LINQ to SQL (Part 1 - Overview)
• LINQ to SQL (Part 2 - Defining our Data Model Classes)
• LINQ to SQL (Part 3 - Querying our Database)
• LINQ to SQL (Part 4 - Updating our Database)
• LINQ to SQL (Part 5 - Binding UI using the asp:linqdatasource)
• LINQ to SQL (Part 6 - Retrieving data using stored procedures)
• LINQ to SQL (Part 7 - Updating our database using stored procedures)
• LINQ to SQL (Part 8 - Executing Custom SQL Expressions)
• LINQ to SQL (Part 9 - Using a Custom LINQ Expression with the <asp:LinqDataSource> control)
• LINQ to XML (How to Build a Custom RSS Reader with it)
• New Language Feature: Automatic Properties, Object Initializer and Collection Initializers
• New Language Feature: Extension Methods
• New Language Feature: Lambda Expressions
• New Language Feature: Query Syntax
• New Language Feature: Anonymous Types
• Recipe: Tagging Data using LINQ
• Null Coalescing Operator and using it with LINQ

Downloads

• LINQPad - Excellent SQL Query Analyzer-like tool to learn and test your LINQ (to SQL) knowlege, by Joseph Albahari

Enjoy! Be sure to take a look at the sub-topics on LINQ in the Table of Contents in this Wiki.