This guide assumes that the reader has a basic understanding of what ArcGIS and the .Net framework is, as well as a rudimentary understanding of how object oriented programming works. For more information about .Net and object oriented programming, follow the links in Appendix B.

In order to program with ArcGIS there are two products that you will need to have installed on your computer. First, you must have either ArcGIS Desktop, ArcGIS ArcInfo or else have the ArcGIS Engine installed. Once these one of these are installed you will be able to run the code you compile in the ArcGIS environment. The other ArcGIS product you need is the Developer Tools for Microsoft.Net that provides access to the .Net framework and the functions that ESRI has made for .Net as well as the Developer tools that install an API for ArcObjects. It is also important to make sure that your software is up to date, which you can do by checking the ESRI website to see if there are updates or service packs for your software (this tutorial was written using ArcGIS 9.2 Service Pack1).
Read the rest of this entry »