Illustrator Code-Along

Follow the instructions below to build a simple menu-based application that can draw some ASCII art.

Printing the Welcome Message

Start by printing out a message that says "Welcome to the Illustrator!"

After the initial Console.WriteLine, add another empty Console.WriteLine statement just to add a space beneath the first message. Run the program and ensure that the message appears in the console.

Code

using System;

class MainClass
{
    public static void Main(string[] args)
    {
        Console.WriteLine("Welcome to the Illustrator!");
        Console.WriteLine();
    }
}

Printing the Menu

Next, print out the menu for the application. It should start with another empty Console.WriteLine for some more space. It should then ask the user which command they would like to execute. To start, add one option for a command: "1. Draw Bunny". Add empty Console.WriteLine statements to make spaces between the messages where necessary. Run the program and ensure that the menu text appears as expected.

Code

Console.WriteLine();
Console.WriteLine("What would you like to do?");
Console.WriteLine();
Console.WriteLine("1. Draw Bunny");
Console.WriteLine();

Receiving User Input

Once the user has been prompted, it is necessary to receive their input from the console.

1. Create a new string variable named command, and use Console.ReadLine to read the user's command from the console
2. Repeat the command back to the user. For example, if they entered "1" as the command, the program should print "You entered: 1"
3. Add an empty Console.WriteLine to make some space
4. Run the program, enter a command, and verify that it is properly remembered and repeated

string command = Console.ReadLine();
Console.WriteLine("You entered: " + command);
Console.WriteLine();

Executing the User Command

Now that the command is known, it is time to execute it. Currently, it is only possible to execute one command: the "1. Draw Bunny" command. To start, print out the word "bunny" if the user entered "1" for the command.

1. After the command is read from the user, add an if statement
2. Within the conditional for the if statement, check if the command variable is equal to "1"
3. In the body of the if statement, use Console.WriteLine to write "bunny" to the console
4. Run the program, and verify that "bunny" is printed if the command entered is "1"

Code

if (command == "1")
{
    Console.WriteLine("bunny");
}

Updating the Bunny

Instead of simply printing the word "bunny" to the console, the program should draw an ASCII art bunny. Use three Console.WriteLine statements to draw a bunny. Run the program to see the new bunny!

Code

Console.WriteLine("() ()");
Console.WriteLine("(^ ^)");
Console.WriteLine("(___)");

Adding Another Command

So far, the program is not all that interesting. It can only execute one command! Add some code so that the program can execute another command: "2. Draw Fish"

1. In the menu section, add another Console.WriteLine to print out "Draw Fish" option:

    Console.WriteLine("2. Draw Fish");
   

2. Under the existing if statement, create a new if statement
3. In this if statement, check if the command variable is equal to "2"
4. In the body of this if statement, write code to print out a small ASCII fish
5. Run the program, and verify that the fish is printed if the command entered is "2"

Code

if (command == "2")
{
    Console.WriteLine("  _ ");
    Console.WriteLine("><_>");
}

Looping the Process Infinitely

Currently, the program will run once, and then exit. However, to be a true menu-based application, the program should load the menu repetitively. Use a while loop to accomplish this.

1. Find the first empty Console.WriteLine statement, above the one that says "What would you like to do?"
2. Right above that statement, create a while loop
3. Set the condition of the while loop to be true
   • This means the while loop will repeat infinitely!
4. Add the opening curly bracket immediately after the closing parenthesis for the while loop
5. Find the end of the second if statement, and add the closing curly bracket for the while loop immediately following it
6. Indent the code within the while loop so it is easier to read
7. Run the program, and verify that the menu continuously re-appears!

Code

while (true)
{
    Console.WriteLine();
    Console.WriteLine("What would you like to do?");
    Console.WriteLine();
    Console.WriteLine("1. Draw Bunny");
    Console.WriteLine("2. Draw Fish");
    Console.WriteLine();

    string command = Console.ReadLine();
    Console.WriteLine();

    if (command == "1")
    {
        Console.WriteLine("() ()");
        Console.WriteLine("(^ ^)");
        Console.WriteLine("(___)");
    }

    if (command == "2")
    {
        Console.WriteLine("  _ ");
        Console.WriteLine("><_>");
    }
}

Adding an Exit Command

To ensure that the program does not actually run forever, add an additional "3. Exit" command.

1. In the menu section, add another Console.WriteLine to print out "Exit" option:

    Console.WriteLine("3. Exit");
   

2. Under the existing if statement, create a new if statement
3. In this if statement, check if the command variable is equal to "3"
4. In the body of this if statement, add a break command that will break out of the while loop
5. Run the program, and verify that the program exits if the command entered is "2"

Code

if (command == "3")
{
    break;
}

Final Code

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