C
C#12mo ago
Mekasu0124

✅ What's the easiest type of information storage?

I'm new to C# and when I was starting out with Python, the first type of data storage I learned was working with json files and I'm curious to know what is the easiest file storage to learn with C#? After learning how to create a math game and that involved database storage, I can't seem to replicate what I've done and get the database to work when I work and create a different project, so I'm wanting to learn an easier data storage thing. Any ideas? Thanks.
320 Replies
Vi Ness
Vi Ness12mo ago
Honestly, json is a pretty common and easy way to do data storage in C# too. Here's some Microsoft docs on how to use System.Text.Json https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/dotnet/standard/serialization/system-text-json/how-to?pivots=dotnet-8-0
How to serialize and deserialize JSON using C# - .NET
Learn how to use the System.Text.Json namespace to serialize to and deserialize from JSON in .NET. Includes sample code.
Mekasu0124
Mekasu012412mo ago
ty 🙂
Denis
Denis12mo ago
In general, the storage type is not language specific, and you can use the very same with Python or C#, or even Java. JSON is a valid and performant choice. What it comes to JSON and C# you can either use a popular third-party library called Newtonsoft JSON, or the native System.Text.Json However, if you e.g. wish to write a JSON schema and validate incoming JSON against it, it is only possible with Newtonsoft. Then you can always use XML for storing data. Or, you can store your data in databass
Mekasu0124
Mekasu012412mo ago
I definitely appreciate that. The big problem that I'm coming into with C# in general is balancing between the scripting files .cs and the window pages .xaml. I get the window pages pretty easy as it's really similar (in my opinion) to web design on the front end. I've picked that up rather simply, but when it comes to moving around the .cs files and making them match up to the window files, and making the schemas in the .cs files like
using SQLite;

namespace MeksMathGameGUI.Models
{
[Table("game")]
public class Game
{
[PrimaryKey, AutoIncrement, Column("Id")]
public int Id { get; set; }
public GameOperation Type { get; set; }
public int Score { get; set; }
public DateTime DatePlayed { get; set; }
}

public enum GameOperation
{
Addition,
Subtraction,
Multiplication,
Division,
}
}
using SQLite;

namespace MeksMathGameGUI.Models
{
[Table("game")]
public class Game
{
[PrimaryKey, AutoIncrement, Column("Id")]
public int Id { get; set; }
public GameOperation Type { get; set; }
public int Score { get; set; }
public DateTime DatePlayed { get; set; }
}

public enum GameOperation
{
Addition,
Subtraction,
Multiplication,
Division,
}
}
like this one, and knowing when and where and how to use it, it just becomes a nightmare for me. I guess that's the step that Python took out because I don't need files like this in Python unless I'm wanting to be super nit-picky in my code. Otherwise, I just write my stuff right into my logic and continue on about my day. Sometimes I'll write helper modules like
def add_to_json(items):
with open(...) as f:
data = json.load(f)

data[x] = items[0]
def add_to_json(items):
with open(...) as f:
data = json.load(f)

data[x] = items[0]
if I'm going to be writing stuff to my json file frequently and then i'll just add in a trigger word with an if statement like
def add_to_json(trigger,items):
if trigger == "won":
# add winning to json
else:
# add losing to json
def add_to_json(trigger,items):
if trigger == "won":
# add winning to json
else:
# add losing to json
but in C# everything is on a much lower language level aspect and it's honestly a lot annoying to me. Same with Java. I built a number guessing game in java using swing and dropped the project and forgot about java because of how nit-picky the langauge was and how much of a nightmare it was to use a json file
Pobiega
Pobiega12mo ago
Do yourself and everyone else a favor and use System.Text.Json instead of Newtonsoft as a beginner. It's literally two lines of code to serialize an object and write it to a JSON file on disk
Denis
Denis12mo ago
Kudos for starting out with WPF and not WinForms
Mekasu0124
Mekasu012412mo ago
and I really don't doubt that, however, I started learning code with someone sitting next to me going "no bitch that's wrong" and "there you go chick" and if I just couldn't figure it out, I'd slide the keyboard over and now I'm on my own so like trying to use docs and such is like really difficult even though I understand how they work. I figured out how to read the docs with developing discord bots in Python, but using that knowledge and trying to do other languages just kills it lol don't honestly know that acronym....I just open visual studio, click new project, select .net maui project and go from there....I can do console apps like no ones business though if they're strictly in the console
Denis
Denis12mo ago
Hopefully I don't get roasted for this, but ChatGPT is a great pair programmer. Only you also have to be conscious and know when it generated nonsense Oh maui, that's different, but also a valid choice
Mekasu0124
Mekasu012412mo ago
but that's soon retired as I'm running out of space on my computer and therefore am going to spend some time getting vscode prepped for c# programming just over the last few years, being able to determine bad code (for me) is as simple as putting it into a test file and seeing if it 1) works and 2) does what I need it to do
Pobiega
Pobiega12mo ago
Vscode is a subpar experience for C# compared to a full-blown IDE
Denis
Denis12mo ago
I really recommend getting a larger hard drive. Vs code is a nightmare for beginners.
Mekasu0124
Mekasu012412mo ago
you're not wrong there, I'm just running out of space on this poor laptop lol I've been setup to use VSCode for - Web Design - Python projects - Java Projects and Visual Studio for - C# projects
Denis
Denis12mo ago
As for C# and ease of use. Yes, you do tend to do a bit more than python. However, it is so much less than in Java. That language makes you write a lot of unnecessary code. While C# is sweet with a ton of syntax sugar that hides away the complicated stuff and makes programming easier
Mekasu0124
Mekasu012412mo ago
not that I disagree, but for me I learned how to use VSCode faster and more easily than I did visual studio
Denis
Denis12mo ago
Yep, bigger tool, steeper learning curve. But look on the bright side, you are stepping outside of your comfort zone Be a masochist like me, and go a step further by installing the VIM extension
Mekasu0124
Mekasu012412mo ago
oh absolutely. Java is just full of boiler plate code that honestly is useless. Why should I have to instantiate objects like they want you to do when in Python it would be like instantiating everything in your init method and then having to call self.something everywhere you need it. It's globalizing variables that don't need to be globalized haha I'm definitely a sadist. So this will be a new trick haha
Denis
Denis12mo ago
harold
Mekasu0124
Mekasu012412mo ago
https://github.com/mekasu0124/MeksDiary https://github.com/mekasu0124/MeksPeriodicTableGame https://github.com/mekasu0124/MeksWordle https://github.com/mekasu0124/MeksBattleShip these are the python projects that I've started, retired, or am currently working on that I'd love to learn how to do in C#. C# is better for game design and desktop applications, but it's just so......complicated between c# and xaml
Denis
Denis12mo ago
Stack Overflow
How to read JSON file into string specifying values and using Syste...
I have a .Net Core 3.1 console application (not an ASP.NET Core) with SQL Server connection, where connection string is stored in appsettings.json file {"ConnectionStrings": { "DefaultConnection":"
Denis
Denis12mo ago
You'll get used to it I moved from python to C#, and I'm never touch that snake again.
Mekasu0124
Mekasu012412mo ago
ok so let's say on my console app, it prompts the user for their username
Console.Write("What Is Your Username: ");
var username = Console.ReadLine();
Console.Write("What Is Your Username: ");
var username = Console.ReadLine();
how would I store that username into a json file like this
{
"user_info": {
"username": "" <-username here
}
}
{
"user_info": {
"username": "" <-username here
}
}
in Python I would just do
username = input("What Is Your Username:")

with open("some_json_file.json",'r',encoding="utf-8-sig") as f:
data = json.load(f)
data["user_info"]["username"] = username
with open("some_json_file.json",'w+',encoding="utf-8-sig") as new:
data = json.dump(data, new, indent=4)
username = input("What Is Your Username:")

with open("some_json_file.json",'r',encoding="utf-8-sig") as f:
data = json.load(f)
data["user_info"]["username"] = username
with open("some_json_file.json",'w+',encoding="utf-8-sig") as new:
data = json.dump(data, new, indent=4)
Pobiega
Pobiega12mo ago
Make a class/record with a Username string property Lets call this UserInfo Then, create a new class/record with a UserInfo UserInfo property. Now create an instance of these records
Mekasu0124
Mekasu012412mo ago
using System;

class main
{
public static void main(string[] args) {
Console.Write("What Is Your Username: ");
var username = Console.ReadLine();
addToJson(username);
}

public static void addToJson(String username) {
// some code here
}
}
using System;

class main
{
public static void main(string[] args) {
Console.Write("What Is Your Username: ");
var username = Console.ReadLine();
addToJson(username);
}

public static void addToJson(String username) {
// some code here
}
}
here's what I Have
Pobiega
Pobiega12mo ago
Then simply feed that outer instance to JsonSerializer.Serialize
Mekasu0124
Mekasu012412mo ago
you 100% frenched me
Pobiega
Pobiega12mo ago
Je ne suis pas francais
Mekasu0124
Mekasu012412mo ago
yo hablo espanol
Pobiega
Pobiega12mo ago
See, unlike python we don't do untyped json very well, or at all
Denis
Denis12mo ago
Indeed you create a class to represent your data. Don't view this as an overcomplication, but as an improved maintenability of code. You represent your data with a class, and have the class in one place - more readablility
Pobiega
Pobiega12mo ago
We instead create classes that model our data
Mekasu0124
Mekasu012412mo ago
whew.....yea the basics taught me nothing
Denis
Denis12mo ago
Well yeah... They are literally the basics
Pobiega
Pobiega12mo ago
I'm on mobile ATM so can't really write up an example :p
Mekasu0124
Mekasu012412mo ago
it's all good. I just want to get good at some type of data storage. That's my major lacking component to being able to do advanced console apps
Denis
Denis12mo ago
if write a full example of your desired JSON, you can paste it into ChatGPT and tell it to write a C# model representing it
Mekasu0124
Mekasu012412mo ago
https://github.com/mekasu0124/MeksMathGame this is my math game. Did I write this alone? No. I followed https://www.thecsharpacademy.com/ dudes tutorial (which went extremely fast) and learned it his way. The way I initially wrote it was just omg so ugly and full of spaghetti. I then followed his tutorial to turn it into a GUI application https://github.com/mekasu0124/MeksMathGameGUI and I've tried to use this GUI program and replicate how he did database storage using SQLite and build my diary app (which is now built in python) because I couldn't get the database to work correctly. so write it in python, copy/paste, and it'll transpose it to c#?
Denis
Denis12mo ago
Not what I meant directly, but sure that can also work.ig The goal is to have a desired json - how you want your data to look like And copy that into ChatGPT
Mekasu0124
Mekasu012412mo ago
can't use it unless I create an account, and I've created so many accounts on so many different things in my programming time, that I'm honestly burnt out on doing that
Denis
Denis12mo ago
And what about bing?
Pobiega
Pobiega12mo ago
string json = JsonSerializer.Serialize(your object);
File.WriteAllText(path, json);
string json = JsonSerializer.Serialize(your object);
File.WriteAllText(path, json);
Denis
Denis12mo ago
Or paste the JSON here I'll get it for you
Mekasu0124
Mekasu012412mo ago
ok but where's the dictionary indexing? How does it know to put the username with the data["username"] key,value pair?
Pobiega
Pobiega12mo ago
It looks at your object structure
Mekasu0124
Mekasu012412mo ago
like the search engine bing?
Denis
Denis12mo ago
Bing chat
Mekasu0124
Mekasu012412mo ago
ok you've bought my interest here
Pobiega
Pobiega12mo ago
We dobt treat json as a dictionary
Mekasu0124
Mekasu012412mo ago
never heard of it
Denis
Denis12mo ago
It uses something wonderful called reflection
Mekasu0124
Mekasu012412mo ago
ok this is new. there's other ways to treat it? Python had me thinking it was strictly just dictionaries
Pobiega
Pobiega12mo ago
No it represents an object structure It's just that in python, all objects are dictionaries
Denis
Denis12mo ago
It would really make more sense if python was called librarian and not python
Mekasu0124
Mekasu012412mo ago
ok. I'm redownloading visual studio and once it launches, I'll create a new console app and give this json thing a try. I doubt I'm going to understand it right off the bat, but I'll give it a shot.
Denis
Denis12mo ago
And get yourself an external drive.
Pobiega
Pobiega12mo ago
Store data in a class. The class you give to the serializer is the outer object, represented by the outmost brackets
Denis
Denis12mo ago
Cheaper than a new laptop
Mekasu0124
Mekasu012412mo ago
I have a 1TB. I just get tired of plugging it in and unplugging it. I don't have a desk and do most of my programming outside as for some ungodly reason I get better internet connection outside than I do in my room on the other side of the wall from the router. ok so what would be an example of writing this as a class?
Denis
Denis12mo ago
This.depends on what you want your JSON to look like
Mekasu0124
Mekasu012412mo ago
written words help understand from context pov, but code displays help even more if that makes sense
Denis
Denis12mo ago
If you don't care, then here's an example
Mekasu0124
Mekasu012412mo ago
if I don't care?
Denis
Denis12mo ago
Wait a few Hours, I'm typing this on a phone
Mekasu0124
Mekasu012412mo ago
lmao not a few hours xD
Pobiega
Pobiega12mo ago
Phone coding isn't great :p
Mekasu0124
Mekasu012412mo ago
oh trust me. it's even worse on iphone
Denis
Denis12mo ago
public class UserData
{
public string Username { get; set; }
public int Score { get; set; }
}
public class UserData
{
public string Username { get; set; }
public int Score { get; set; }
}
This should then produce the following JSON
Mekasu0124
Mekasu012412mo ago
oh getter and setters. never understood those either don't use those in python
Pobiega
Pobiega12mo ago
They are different in python
Mekasu0124
Mekasu012412mo ago
🫤
Denis
Denis12mo ago
{
"username": "some value",
"Score": 5
}
{
"username": "some value",
"Score": 5
}
Pobiega
Pobiega12mo ago
Username and Score in that example is what we call "Properties"
Mekasu0124
Mekasu012412mo ago
oh like
self.username = ""
self.score = 0
self.username = ""
self.score = 0
Pobiega
Pobiega12mo ago
Kinda, but since we are not loosely typed, you need to declare them ahead of time We can't just make an ad-hoc object like python
Mekasu0124
Mekasu012412mo ago
like a global username = ""
Denis
Denis12mo ago
You can avoid writing those properties if you use some syntax sugar of C# and write a record:
public record UserData(string Username, int Score);
public record UserData(string Username, int Score);
Pobiega
Pobiega12mo ago
We declare types Definitely not like global :p
Denis
Denis12mo ago
With properties you are in control of what is going on with your data. You know when it is accessed and when it is changed You can, of course use public fields and lose than control. But that is not considered good C#.
Pobiega
Pobiega12mo ago
And with the auto-property syntax it's not much shorter anyways
Mekasu0124
Mekasu012412mo ago
using System;

class main
{
public static void main(string[] args)
{
Console.Write("What Is Your Username: ");
string username = Console.ReadLine();

UserData data = new UserData(username);
}
}
public class UserData
{
public string Username {get; set};
}
using System;

class main
{
public static void main(string[] args)
{
Console.Write("What Is Your Username: ");
string username = Console.ReadLine();

UserData data = new UserData(username);
}
}
public class UserData
{
public string Username {get; set};
}
like that? *edited
Pobiega
Pobiega12mo ago
Yup Almost
Denis
Denis12mo ago
Yes wonderful Ah missing semicolon
Pobiega
Pobiega12mo ago
You need to use the new keyword When creating new objects A d you want to save the object reference So `UserData data = new UserData(...) And you need a constructor to assign the property 🙂 (or use a record)
Denis
Denis12mo ago
Or you can skip the constructor. UserData data = new UserData { Username=username};
Pobiega
Pobiega12mo ago
Records are very nice, but can be hard to understand as a beginner. They are immutable for one
Denis
Denis12mo ago
You can also replace the UserData on the left with var
Mekasu0124
Mekasu012412mo ago
...
var data = new UserData(username);
}
...
var data = new UserData(username);
}
Pobiega
Pobiega12mo ago
Yup Assuming a constructor exists in the class
Denis
Denis12mo ago
But remember, the data variable will exist in the scope of your method. Once the method has exited, you data is thrown.away.
Mekasu0124
Mekasu012412mo ago
what if I did
string username = new UserData { Username=Console.ReadLine() };
string username = new UserData { Username=Console.ReadLine() };
Pobiega
Pobiega12mo ago
You can. Except it's not a string It's a UserData
Mekasu0124
Mekasu012412mo ago
so string would be var
Pobiega
Pobiega12mo ago
Or UserData, yes I'm a big fan of var, but since you are new it might be a good idea to be explicit about your types
Denis
Denis12mo ago
This is bad code, and it is not a string.
UserData data = new UserData {
Username = Console.Readline()
};
UserData data = new UserData {
Username = Console.Readline()
};
But don't do this. Read the line separately
Mekasu0124
Mekasu012412mo ago
ok so what's the import for using the json library?
Pobiega
Pobiega12mo ago
System.Text.Json
Mekasu0124
Mekasu012412mo ago
using System;
using System.Text.Json;


class Program
{
public static void main(string[] args)
{
Console.Write("What Is Your Username: ");
string username = Console.ReadLine();

UserData data = new UserData(username);
}
}

public class UserData
{
string Username { get; set; }
}
using System;
using System.Text.Json;


class Program
{
public static void main(string[] args)
{
Console.Write("What Is Your Username: ");
string username = Console.ReadLine();

UserData data = new UserData(username);
}
}

public class UserData
{
string Username { get; set; }
}
ok so visual studio finished downloading, I created a new console app and here's where I'm at. The UserData(username); is throwing an error due to the class not having a constructor with that parameter so what did I miss?
Pobiega
Pobiega12mo ago
Making the constructor. You could also change to the initializer syntax Denis showed
Mekasu0124
Mekasu012412mo ago
I put public in front of the get/set
Denis
Denis12mo ago
Write your code like a plain old boring story. Everything is clearly stated. Don't do any plot twists like surprising the reader with a Console readline directly in the object initialisation.
Mekasu0124
Mekasu012412mo ago
using System;
using System.Text.Json;


class Program
{
public static void main(string[] args)
{
Console.Write("What Is Your Username: ");
string username = Console.ReadLine();

UserData data = new UserData(username);
}
}

public record UserData(string username);
using System;
using System.Text.Json;


class Program
{
public static void main(string[] args)
{
Console.Write("What Is Your Username: ");
string username = Console.ReadLine();

UserData data = new UserData(username);
}
}

public record UserData(string username);
Pobiega
Pobiega12mo ago
That works Except it should give you warning about the naming
Denis
Denis12mo ago
Nice. Only with records you write the constructor parameters with capital letters
Pobiega
Pobiega12mo ago
But that's just a warning 🙂
Denis
Denis12mo ago
Ha beat you to it
Mekasu0124
Mekasu012412mo ago
Pobiega
Pobiega12mo ago
Yus
Mekasu0124
Mekasu012412mo ago
just says that username may not be null on line 12
Denis
Denis12mo ago
Ignore that for now It's a warming only
Mekasu0124
Mekasu012412mo ago
ok
Pobiega
Pobiega12mo ago
Readline can in theory return null, but it's a very special case. Ignore
Mekasu0124
Mekasu012412mo ago
ok ignoring when I hover over UserName on line 16 it says to declare types in namespace
Pobiega
Pobiega12mo ago
Correct
Denis
Denis12mo ago
You can force ignore it in the code, but I'll keep that feature a secret for.now, so that you don't use it in places you shouldn't
Pobiega
Pobiega12mo ago
Add a namespace declaration to the top of your file
Mekasu0124
Mekasu012412mo ago
so all of this should be wrapped in a namespace
Pobiega
Pobiega12mo ago
Wrapped and wrapped... Just namespace YourNamespace; Under your usings
Denis
Denis12mo ago
You have probably made a .NET Framework console project, because the new .NET console doesn't have main
Mekasu0124
Mekasu012412mo ago
ok did that
Denis
Denis12mo ago
But it doesn't matter Or am I wrong and you pasted the main in there?
Pobiega
Pobiega12mo ago
Oh yeah, for the future make sure you are using .net 7
Mekasu0124
Mekasu012412mo ago
I created a new project, and in the next screen I named it and then selected C# for the language and Console for the project type
Denis
Denis12mo ago
Because why otherwise would you have the namespace missing... Hmm
Pobiega
Pobiega12mo ago
Prob copypasted
Denis
Denis12mo ago
Yep
Mekasu0124
Mekasu012412mo ago
Mekasu0124
Mekasu012412mo ago
no I re-typed everything. no copy/paste
Denis
Denis12mo ago
Ah well you've got the correct project type
Pobiega
Pobiega12mo ago
Good you picked the right thing
Mekasu0124
Mekasu012412mo ago
using System;
using System.Text.Json;

namespace Program;

class Program
{
public static void main(string[] args)
{
Console.Write("What Is Your Username: ");
string username = Console.ReadLine();

UserData data = new UserData(username);
}
}

public record UserData(string username);
using System;
using System.Text.Json;

namespace Program;

class Program
{
public static void main(string[] args)
{
Console.Write("What Is Your Username: ");
string username = Console.ReadLine();

UserData data = new UserData(username);
}
}

public record UserData(string username);
ok so I'm here now
Pobiega
Pobiega12mo ago
Okay, now use the two lines I showed tou
Mekasu0124
Mekasu012412mo ago
so when the user enters their username and presses Enter, I need to store the data to the json file, so should I do it in the main function or should I create a separate function to do that?
Pobiega
Pobiega12mo ago
For now in main is okay..we can move it around later
Mekasu0124
Mekasu012412mo ago
these, right?
Pobiega
Pobiega12mo ago
Yup, that and the File.WriteAllText
Mekasu0124
Mekasu012412mo ago
ok so small question. I pass the first line the data variable correct? string json = JsonSerializer.Serialize(data);
Pobiega
Pobiega12mo ago
Ok I'm about to get on my plane now, best of luck
Denis
Denis12mo ago
I'll be on the PC in a couple of mins
Mekasu0124
Mekasu012412mo ago
and then a comprehension question. What does the UserData class do with the username exactly? I could just as easily have
string username = Console.ReadLine();
string json = JsonSerializer.Serialize(username);
string username = Console.ReadLine();
string json = JsonSerializer.Serialize(username);
and it do the same thing right? best of luck! be safe!
Denis
Denis12mo ago
Have a safe flight
Mekasu0124
Mekasu012412mo ago
thanks for your help ❤️
Denis
Denis12mo ago
The UserData class defines the name of the JSON field. And once you decide to have more entries for your json, you can add then to the class
Mekasu0124
Mekasu012412mo ago
so it could wind up to be something like public record UserData(string Username, int Age, string Address); and just a long list of parameters... or would I revert back to using a proper class of getters and setters if I had multiple parameters like that ok gotcha
Denis
Denis12mo ago
And what is cool is that you can define e.g., a class called Address and have that as a parameter of the UserData Then would generate something like this
Mekasu0124
Mekasu012412mo ago
using this code here, and fixing main to be Main, I ran the program, put in a test username, but the json file didn't create
Pobiega
Pobiega12mo ago
Did you add File.WriteAllText ?
Denis
Denis12mo ago
{
"username": "",
"address": {
"street": "",
"postal": ""
}
}
{
"username": "",
"address": {
"street": "",
"postal": ""
}
}
Mekasu0124
Mekasu012412mo ago
using System;
using System.IO;
using System.Text.Json;

namespace Program;

class Program
{
public static void Main(string[] args)
{
Console.Write("What Is Your Username: ");
string username = Console.ReadLine();

UserData data = new UserData(username);

string json = JsonSerializer.Serialize(data);
File.WriteAllText("./test.json", json);
}
}

public record UserData(string username);
using System;
using System.IO;
using System.Text.Json;

namespace Program;

class Program
{
public static void Main(string[] args)
{
Console.Write("What Is Your Username: ");
string username = Console.ReadLine();

UserData data = new UserData(username);

string json = JsonSerializer.Serialize(data);
File.WriteAllText("./test.json", json);
}
}

public record UserData(string username);
I used this code. It added in the extra import all by itself. I didn't put using SystemIO; in there at all idk why it even did that
Pobiega
Pobiega12mo ago
Because it needed it for File
Mekasu0124
Mekasu012412mo ago
oh ok
Pobiega
Pobiega12mo ago
That seems fine, except try just using "test.json" for your pth Then look in your bin directory Bin/debug/net7.0/
Mekasu0124
Mekasu012412mo ago
it did make it and it did save it. It was in the bin folder which doesn't show up in my file explorer....odd and I haven't made this change yet why doesn't the bin or obj folder show in the file explorer?
Mekasu0124
Mekasu012412mo ago
Mekasu0124
Mekasu012412mo ago
and how can I get it to put the file in the directory with the main.cs file instead of the bin folder?
Denis
Denis12mo ago
Eh, that isn't really something you do The bin folder contains your compiled application
Mekasu0124
Mekasu012412mo ago
oh ok
Denis
Denis12mo ago
So yes, you can change the target directory of your JSON file but you don't put that near your cs because, once you want to share that program with your friends, they won't have the folder with the cs file
Mekasu0124
Mekasu012412mo ago
using System;
using System.IO;
using System.Text.Json;

namespace Program;

class Program
{
public static void Main(string[] args)
{
Console.Write("What Is Your Username: ");
string username = Console.ReadLine();

Console.Write("What Is Your Street Address: ");
string street = Console.ReadLine();

Console.Write("What Is Your City: ");
string city = Console.ReadLine();

Console.Write("What Is Your State: ");
string state = Console.ReadLine();

Console.Write("What Is Your Zip Code: ");
int zip = Convert.ToInt32(Console.ReadLine());

Address location = new Address();
UserData data = new UserData(username);

string json = JsonSerializer.Serialize(data);
File.WriteAllText("test.json", json);
}
}

public record UserData(string Username, string Address);

class Address
{
public string Street { get; set; }
public string City { get; set; }
public string State { get; set; }
public string Zip { get; set; }
}
using System;
using System.IO;
using System.Text.Json;

namespace Program;

class Program
{
public static void Main(string[] args)
{
Console.Write("What Is Your Username: ");
string username = Console.ReadLine();

Console.Write("What Is Your Street Address: ");
string street = Console.ReadLine();

Console.Write("What Is Your City: ");
string city = Console.ReadLine();

Console.Write("What Is Your State: ");
string state = Console.ReadLine();

Console.Write("What Is Your Zip Code: ");
int zip = Convert.ToInt32(Console.ReadLine());

Address location = new Address();
UserData data = new UserData(username);

string json = JsonSerializer.Serialize(data);
File.WriteAllText("test.json", json);
}
}

public record UserData(string Username, string Address);

class Address
{
public string Street { get; set; }
public string City { get; set; }
public string State { get; set; }
public string Zip { get; set; }
}
ok so going off your idea here, I tried to incorporate asking the address of the user. I got this far on my own, but am not sure how to proceed.
Denis
Denis12mo ago
the address is not a string
Mekasu0124
Mekasu012412mo ago
ok cool. gotcha
Denis
Denis12mo ago
public record UserData(string Username, Address Address);
public record UserData(string Username, Address Address);
Mekasu0124
Mekasu012412mo ago
ok I fixed that parameter
Denis
Denis12mo ago
a slight aesthetic recommendation (because who doesn't like an instagram-grade look), use int.Parse instead of Converter.ToInt32
Mekasu0124
Mekasu012412mo ago
and added location into UserData data = new UserData(username, location);
Denis
Denis12mo ago
almoooost
Mekasu0124
Mekasu012412mo ago
ok made that change
Denis
Denis12mo ago
you successfully created a new Address class, and you put it as a parameter for the UserData that is wonderful
Mekasu0124
Mekasu012412mo ago
so I shouldn't try to bring it all together with one variable? right
Denis
Denis12mo ago
however, you did not set any of the Address object properties. You read the city, street, etc. into separate variables So, you can change your code into the following:
public static void Main(string[] args)
{
var location = new Address();

Console.Write("What Is Your Username: ");
string username = Console.ReadLine();

Console.Write("What Is Your Street Address: ");
location.Street = Console.ReadLine();

Console.Write("What Is Your City: ");
location.city = Console.ReadLine();

Console.Write("What Is Your State: ");
location.state = Console.ReadLine();

Console.Write("What Is Your Zip Code: ");
location.zip = int.Parse(Console.ReadLine());

var data = new UserData(username, location);

string json = JsonSerializer.Serialize(data);
File.WriteAllText("test.json", json);
}
public static void Main(string[] args)
{
var location = new Address();

Console.Write("What Is Your Username: ");
string username = Console.ReadLine();

Console.Write("What Is Your Street Address: ");
location.Street = Console.ReadLine();

Console.Write("What Is Your City: ");
location.city = Console.ReadLine();

Console.Write("What Is Your State: ");
location.state = Console.ReadLine();

Console.Write("What Is Your Zip Code: ");
location.zip = int.Parse(Console.ReadLine());

var data = new UserData(username, location);

string json = JsonSerializer.Serialize(data);
File.WriteAllText("test.json", json);
}
of, you could also do
public static void Main(string[] args)
{
Console.Write("What Is Your Username: ");
var username = Console.ReadLine();

var location = new Address();
var data = new UserData(username, location);

Console.Write("What Is Your Street Address: ");
location.Street = Console.ReadLine();

Console.Write("What Is Your City: ");
location.city = Console.ReadLine();

Console.Write("What Is Your State: ");
location.state = Console.ReadLine();

Console.Write("What Is Your Zip Code: ");
location.zip = int.Parse(Console.ReadLine());

var json = JsonSerializer.Serialize(data);
File.WriteAllText("test.json", json);
}
public static void Main(string[] args)
{
Console.Write("What Is Your Username: ");
var username = Console.ReadLine();

var location = new Address();
var data = new UserData(username, location);

Console.Write("What Is Your Street Address: ");
location.Street = Console.ReadLine();

Console.Write("What Is Your City: ");
location.city = Console.ReadLine();

Console.Write("What Is Your State: ");
location.state = Console.ReadLine();

Console.Write("What Is Your Zip Code: ");
location.zip = int.Parse(Console.ReadLine());

var json = JsonSerializer.Serialize(data);
File.WriteAllText("test.json", json);
}
And that should be just fine Ok, now another little itty bitty detail in a very special case, your code will fail. And it is because you inherently cannot trust users to provide you correct data.
Mekasu0124
Mekasu012412mo ago
so how do I get my json file to pretty print with an indent of 4?
Denis
Denis12mo ago
ah, just a moment, I will find that
Mekasu0124
Mekasu012412mo ago
right so we would do data validation i.e. checking that the zip code is actually an integer
Denis
Denis12mo ago
yes, that can be done quite easily write int, then press . and check out what other methods are available and try and use the popping up documentation to figure out how to use it
Mekasu0124
Mekasu012412mo ago
internal static string? ValidateResult(string result)
{
while (string.IsNullOrEmpty(result) || !Int32.TryParse(result, out _))
{
Console.WriteLine("Your answer needs to be an integer. Try Again.");
result = Console.ReadLine();
}
return result;
}
internal static string? ValidateResult(string result)
{
while (string.IsNullOrEmpty(result) || !Int32.TryParse(result, out _))
{
Console.WriteLine("Your answer needs to be an integer. Try Again.");
result = Console.ReadLine();
}
return result;
}
like what I did in my math game
Denis
Denis12mo ago
int.TryParse(whatTheUserProvidedViaConsoleRead, out int theParsingResultThatYouThenSaveIntoTheAddressClass) and the method TryParse returns a bool, indicating whether the parsing was a success or not
Kouhai
Kouhai12mo ago
A small note Convert.ToInt32 has a slight different behavior to int.Parse/int.TryParse Convert.ToInt32 will return 0 if the value passed to it is null int.Parse will throw an error, and int.TryParse will return false
Mekasu0124
Mekasu012412mo ago
so location.Zip = int.TryParse(location.Zip, zipCode);? or did I just wreck that whole thing
Denis
Denis12mo ago
string userInput = Console.ReadLine();
bool wasParseSuccess = int.TryParse(userInput, out var parsedUserInput);

if (wasParseSuccess)
{
location.Zip = parsedUserInput;
}
string userInput = Console.ReadLine();
bool wasParseSuccess = int.TryParse(userInput, out var parsedUserInput);

if (wasParseSuccess)
{
location.Zip = parsedUserInput;
}
Mekasu0124
Mekasu012412mo ago
ok....so then should I use something different?
Kouhai
Kouhai12mo ago
No no, keep using int.TryParse, just wanted to point out why they are different and why int.TryParse is preferred over Convert.ToInt32
Denis
Denis12mo ago
This how you'd enable indentation. Couldn't find how to set the indent size, tho
var json = JsonSerializer.Serialize(data, new JsonSerializerOptions() { WriteIndented = true });
var json = JsonSerializer.Serialize(data, new JsonSerializerOptions() { WriteIndented = true });
OMG NO I left my icecream on the table and it melted I totally forgot
Pobiega
Pobiega12mo ago
Iirc there is a setting on the options class that sets indent size
Denis
Denis12mo ago
It seems that it is not
Mekasu0124
Mekasu012412mo ago
this is perfect so far. it's a natural indent of 2 which I can definitely live with (client side web designer talking lol) and the script works with the integer validation. So now, here's a fantastic question lol what can I use to validate if an address is real or not?
Denis
Denis12mo ago
oh boy
Mekasu0124
Mekasu012412mo ago
oh nevermind lol we'll save that for a later date easier question then
Denis
Denis12mo ago
you'd probably have to find some API that provides that functionality, connect to it, send your address to it, and get a result
Mekasu0124
Mekasu012412mo ago
let's say I want to move my getters and setters to their own file, and put my input validation into it's own file. How would I do that, and how would i use that in this main file to clean up the code some?
Pobiega
Pobiega12mo ago
Move the userdats class to it's own file..should be a quick action to do so already
Denis
Denis12mo ago
It seems that Google provides an address validation API, but last time I worked with googles API I almost pulled my hair out place cursor on the UseData class, and press...oh my, is it Ctrl+.? should be
Mekasu0124
Mekasu012412mo ago
because like for my input validation (address speaking) I would want to check that the address starts with 1-6 digits, and the rest is a string and ends with a road extension (dr, st, ave, etc) and with my username input, I'd like to validate that it's a username with only letters and numbers
Pobiega
Pobiega12mo ago
Ctrl+. Indeed
Denis
Denis12mo ago
that'll get you a context menu for quickly moving it to a different file. you would write your own method for that, or write a regex
Pobiega
Pobiega12mo ago
Might I suggest static bool methods on your UserData class, with names such as ValidateUsername? Then you can use regex or whatever you want inside them
Denis
Denis12mo ago
Denis
Denis12mo ago
Denis
Denis12mo ago
string pattern = @"^\d{1,6}\s[A-Za-z\s]+\s(?:dr|st|ave)$";
string address = "123 Main st";
bool isValid = Regex.IsMatch(address, pattern);

if (isValid)
{
Console.WriteLine("The address is valid!");
}
else
{
Console.WriteLine("The address is not valid.");
}
string pattern = @"^\d{1,6}\s[A-Za-z\s]+\s(?:dr|st|ave)$";
string address = "123 Main st";
bool isValid = Regex.IsMatch(address, pattern);

if (isValid)
{
Console.WriteLine("The address is valid!");
}
else
{
Console.WriteLine("The address is not valid.");
}
Mekasu0124
Mekasu012412mo ago
this worked, and I was able to copy/paste my address getter setter to the same file and it work just fine as well um.....wut
Denis
Denis12mo ago
Copy pasta leads to disasta
Mekasu0124
Mekasu012412mo ago
so what did I mess up?
Denis
Denis12mo ago
Well, the UserData should be in its own separate file, same for the address. Not together
Mekasu0124
Mekasu012412mo ago
ok so if I move the address getter and setter to it's own file, then how would I deconstruct that one-liner for user data to incorporate address and write it like address is written?
Pobiega
Pobiega12mo ago
Files are not super important in c#, if they share a namespace they are accessible to eachother by default
Mekasu0124
Mekasu012412mo ago
public class UserData
{
public string Username { get; set; }
}
public class UserData
{
public string Username { get; set; }
}
how would I put address into this?
Pobiega
Pobiega12mo ago
The same way you did with username
Mekasu0124
Mekasu012412mo ago
because UserData is what is used to write tot he json file
Pobiega
Pobiega12mo ago
But with your own type instead of string
Denis
Denis12mo ago
just a side note, it is an Address class. Why did you change how the UserData looks? Keep the record Just move it to a different file, called UserData.cs
Denis
Denis12mo ago
yep and that works just fine
Mekasu0124
Mekasu012412mo ago
ok so taking what I've learned here, I'm going to try and create my diary app and use the json file as storage (not ideal, but am still beginner)
Pobiega
Pobiega12mo ago
It's perfectly fine to use a local JSON file as local data storage
Denis
Denis12mo ago
I'd say JSON is a perfectly fine choice
Mekasu0124
Mekasu012412mo ago
ok so then I'm sticking with json
Denis
Denis12mo ago
C# is all about keeping everything organized, separated into namespaces, files, classes, etc. You keep your code organized, and you'll thank yourself once you need to fix some treaturous bug becuase you'll know that the class that does that thing is here, and that thing seems to be failing. Otherwise, you'd have spaghetti code, which sounds tasty, but is a nightmare to untangle. It should be called Christmas lights code instead
Mekasu0124
Mekasu012412mo ago
lmao I agree ok so I'm using Visual Studio for this diary project. I have built the home page with 1 button
Mekasu0124
Mekasu012412mo ago
I'm not too fancy on styling and colors until I can understand functionality. So how do I create a new .xaml and .cs file like what I have here to design my NewEntry page which will ask for a title, date&time, and the users entry with a button to submit or go back?
Mekasu0124
Mekasu012412mo ago
I remember from the tutorial on the math game that I right click the root project and select Add. I thought it was class that I selected to add and then selected a new content page from there, but that seems wrong
Pobiega
Pobiega12mo ago
Not class this time I don't know Maui very well, but probably window?
Denis
Denis12mo ago
what are you trying to add exaclty? Didn't quite understand
Mekasu0124
Mekasu012412mo ago
I'm creating a new page. So when the user clicks "New Entry" it will navigate to the new entry page
Denis
Denis12mo ago
ah, just a sec, loading a new project
Mekasu0124
Mekasu012412mo ago
private void NewEntry()
{
Navigation.PushAsync(new NewEntry());
}
private void NewEntry()
{
Navigation.PushAsync(new NewEntry());
}
something like this or however it's done. I can't fully remember tbh
Denis
Denis12mo ago
Denis
Denis12mo ago
you right click the project, the one with the green C# icon
Denis
Denis12mo ago
Mekasu0124
Mekasu012412mo ago
Mekasu0124
Mekasu012412mo ago
right-click that one?
Denis
Denis12mo ago
Nope, that is a csharp file
Mekasu0124
Mekasu012412mo ago
oh the top one
Denis
Denis12mo ago
The project is the second thing in this list, from the top
Mekasu0124
Mekasu012412mo ago
ok then select add
Denis
Denis12mo ago
yes
Mekasu0124
Mekasu012412mo ago
ok then new item?
Denis
Denis12mo ago
yes, just like the screenshot then filter out for .NET MAUI and select the context page XAML
Mekasu0124
Mekasu012412mo ago
ok that doesn't happen with the new item option. For me, that filtering is done when I select Add > class and a window pops up for me to do that
Denis
Denis12mo ago
should be the same Add New Item window, but ok
Mekasu0124
Mekasu012412mo ago
when I right-click the project, and hover over Add and select class, I can then click MAUI on the left and select Content Page (xaml) and click ok
Denis
Denis12mo ago
Yes, that is what you want
Mekasu0124
Mekasu012412mo ago
that gives me this so then how do I make the button on the home screen open this new entry screen?
Denis
Denis12mo ago
well, I've never done MAUI, but give me a second let's try and google this
await Navigation.PushAsync(new NewEntry());
await Navigation.PushAsync(new NewEntry());
and you put that into your button click event
private async void OnButton_Clicked(object sender, EventArgs e)
{
await Navigation.PushAsync(new NewPage1());
}
private async void OnButton_Clicked(object sender, EventArgs e)
{
await Navigation.PushAsync(new NewPage1());
}
notice the async, before the void, that should be there
Pobiega
Pobiega12mo ago
Just to be frank, I don't think MAUI is a great place to start. It's a new and very complicated framework
Denis
Denis12mo ago
Is it really that complicated?
Mekasu0124
Mekasu012412mo ago
ok what's a better framework to start with?
Denis
Denis12mo ago
I\ve never touched it maybe WPF?
Pobiega
Pobiega12mo ago
What are your goals with this program? Windows desktop?
Denis
Denis12mo ago
it's very similar, I'd say
Pobiega
Pobiega12mo ago
Then WPF for sure Maui is for mobile apps primarily
Mekasu0124
Mekasu012412mo ago
yes. That's the only OS I want to start with in developing desktop apps. i know how to build executables using Visual Studio so I can build the .exe's for the other two OS's once I have the project finished
Pobiega
Pobiega12mo ago
Thou its acronym is for Multi app. WPF then imho
Denis
Denis12mo ago
WPF is a wonderful, mature GUI framework.
Pobiega
Pobiega12mo ago
Uhm, that second part of your message confuses me
Denis
Denis12mo ago
there are tons of resources available for it
Pobiega
Pobiega12mo ago
The "other two OS" being Mac and Linux I assume?
Denis
Denis12mo ago
i know how to build executables using Visual Studio so I can build the .exe's for the other two OS's once I have the project finished
So, you want to have a cross-platform application? You want it to run on Mac, linux and windows?
Pobiega
Pobiega12mo ago
To support those, you have no option but Avalonia
Denis
Denis12mo ago
.NET MAUI is cross-platform, but it does not support Linux which is a controversial decision from Microsoft Linux desktop
Pobiega
Pobiega12mo ago
Has to do with the fact that linux has three or more different gui apis But yes, it's a glaring omission
Denis
Denis12mo ago
Yeah... they do love their freedom of choice and lack of consistency...
Pobiega
Pobiega12mo ago
Yup Ups and downs 🙂
Mekasu0124
Mekasu012412mo ago
ok so basically - Mobile app dev is beyond down the line so I don't even want to think about that. - This application is going to be developed for Windows first and the others down the line - This application is only going to have 5 basic functionalities. - - 1) Setup screen: get user's first and last name and email address -> store to json - - 2) Creating a new entry: Title, Date & Time, Diary Entry, Save Button -> store to json, Back Button -> go to home page - - 3) Editing an existing entry: Auto populate (same screen layout as new entry), Save/Back (to json/home page) buttons - - 4) Deleting an existing entry: Shows a scroll view list of all entries in the format of #) date/time - title, Save/Back (update json/home page) buttons - - 5) Sharing an entry: Email: Subject format Users First and Last Name - Journal Entry Body = entry details date/time \n journal entry, Send/Back (send it to desired email/Home Page) buttons it's a simple app with a little bit of logic
Pobiega
Pobiega12mo ago
If you are fine with having to rewrite the entire GUI down the line, you can start with WPF and later move to Avalonia Or you bite the bullet and use Avalonia right now Higher initial threshold but you will have full Mac/Linux support from the start Your actual program should be fairly easy to make thou, based on your above requirements
Mekasu0124
Mekasu012412mo ago
I do not understand why everytime I close the solution and then close visual studio, and go into my file explorer and delete the project, it always tells me that the project is opened in another application and I can't delete it. I've closed the IDE completely....every time I have to restart my computer as a whole in order to delete a project from visual studio and I don't get that. I'll brb it is. I've done all but the delete and share functionalities of it in python already ok I'm back. I'm going to give avalonia a try that's not an option when creating a new project, so how do I create a new avalonia project?
Pobiega
Pobiega12mo ago
It's a third party frameworl
Mekasu0124
Mekasu012412mo ago
yes
Pobiega
Pobiega12mo ago
You'll need to go through their setup instructions
Mekasu0124
Mekasu012412mo ago
in the long run, yes and I'll eventually turn it into a mobile app for ios and android too but that's a long ways down the road
Denis
Denis12mo ago
https://avaloniaui.net/GettingStarted Here's my project that uses avalonia, maybe it helps: https://github.com/hailstorm75/ModularDoc And here's a list of other projects: https://github.com/AvaloniaCommunity/awesome-avalonia
Mekasu0124
Mekasu012412mo ago
for linux, I can just eat dust and build it in python and have the users compile it from source by cloning the github repo
Denis
Denis12mo ago
Python and GUI development 💀 I thought you said you were a sadist, and not a masochist
Mekasu0124
Mekasu012412mo ago
I use PySide6. The only reason I hate it is because they have a GUI builder named QDesigner or QtDesigner. It allows you to build the screens, but you have to use spacers and it's so annoying because I couldn't figure out how to resize the spacers. Once you have the screens built, you save them into your project and then right-click and convert them into python files. After that, you just call the screens into your logic, access the child components and do what you need to do. I couldn't figure all that out, so I hand wrote out my screens which you can see in https://github.com/mekasu0124/MeksDiary which is the PySide6 framework in Python of what I'm attempting to do now in C#
Denis
Denis12mo ago
Qt is horrible
Mekasu0124
Mekasu012412mo ago
😅 this is my little bit of masochism lmao I do not disagree oh my. avalonia has xaml and cs files just like maui....oh boy
Pobiega
Pobiega12mo ago
All the modern gui frameworks do Maui, wpf, Avalonia, winui, uwp
Mekasu0124
Mekasu012412mo ago
oh yay T_T ok so the first difference I've found is the avalonia xaml page does not have <ContentView></ContentView> lol
Denis
Denis12mo ago
afk for a couple mins, in a meeting
Mekasu0124
Mekasu012412mo ago
ok so I don't have the preview window like it shows in the tutorial. How do I get the preview window?
Pobiega
Pobiega12mo ago
Iirc you don't. You run the program and use hotreload Xaml is a bit like HTML Think of it like having a live server
Mekasu0124
Mekasu012412mo ago
ok so start the program and just alt tab back and forth. cool how do I change the background color of the project? I tried doing BackgroundColor="Black" inside of the <Window></Window> tag on the main pages xaml script, but it didn't like that
Pobiega
Pobiega12mo ago
No idea. Check Avalonia docs
Mekasu0124
Mekasu012412mo ago
okie dokie
Denis
Denis12mo ago
as far as I know you don't get that or you need an extension for visual studio for it check the docs
Mekasu0124
Mekasu012412mo ago
I'm looking around, and am not finding anything. I'd be sad to know I can't change the background color lol right this very second, I'm trying to figure out how to change the text color of a label and a button
Mekasu0124
Mekasu012412mo ago
this is my issue rn
Denis
Denis12mo ago
Well foreground and background are exaclty what you are looking for
Mekasu0124
Mekasu012412mo ago
I'm starting to get pissed off. I have tried foreground/background -> error. I've tried following https://docs.avaloniaui.net/docs/styling/ -> error. I have zero idea how to get this crap to style so I'm just going to quit trying to style it for now before I get aggravated at it
Denis
Denis12mo ago
But I see the issue you have Read the error message you cannot have multiple content entries in the Window tag This means that 🥁 you must wrap your label and button into some element container. E.g., Grid, or StackPanel
Mekasu0124
Mekasu012412mo ago
omg. is it really that simple.....
Denis
Denis12mo ago
You'd do the same in WPF, .NET MAUI... the error message are very helpful this isn't like C where all you get is SegFault. And you're just sitting there, staring at the screen not knowing what the hell is wrong
Mekasu0124
Mekasu012412mo ago
I read that error message, but I can't say that I understood it. That just.....oh I wanna scream lol so now I have my black background and some styles on my label and button. grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr
Denis
Denis12mo ago
Keep reading them, don't outright ignore them. They'll start to make more and more sense
Mekasu0124
Mekasu012412mo ago
I hope so
Denis
Denis12mo ago
Afaik, Rust has the best error messages. They literally tell you where you have an issue and suggest a fix
Denis
Denis12mo ago
Code Golf Stack Exchange
Generate the longest error message in C++
Write a short program, that would generate the longest possible error message, in a standard C++ compiler (gcc, cl.exe, icc, or clang). The score of each entry is the number of characters in the l...
Mekasu0124
Mekasu012412mo ago
oh jesus 21300 lines for an error message...
Mekasu0124
Mekasu012412mo ago
and here's the home page 🙂 the 4 basic functionalities, but this will be send to the home page file. I have to create a brain file that will check the json file if data["setup"] = 0 and if that variable = 0 then it launches the setup screen, otherwise, it'll launch this screen.
Denis
Denis12mo ago
Brain file sounds cool business logic But why check for "setup", if you can check if the json file exists? And create a json for each diary entry? This way, whenever the file does not exist, you start the creation wizard. Otherwise, you just load the file and display its contents
Denis
Denis12mo ago
GitHub
GitHub - amwx/FluentAvalonia: Control library focused on fluent des...
Control library focused on fluent design and bringing more WinUI controls into Avalonia - GitHub - amwx/FluentAvalonia: Control library focused on fluent design and bringing more WinUI controls int...
Mekasu0124
Mekasu012412mo ago
ok so the label went to the center of the screen with no issues, but I'd like for it to come down some and I cannot get the grid to center within the window at all. What am I doing wrong that I can't get the label to come down and the grid to center?
Denis
Denis12mo ago
First things first
<Grid
Margin="250"
ColumnDefinitions="200,400"
RowDefinitions="50,50,50">
<Grid
Margin="250"
ColumnDefinitions="200,400"
RowDefinitions="50,50,50">
Avoid using specific values for the column and row sizes Use * for using the maximum width/height Auto for using only what the controls within the cell need you can also prepend the * with a number. This is useful when you have multiple rows/cols with the * size, and you want one of them to be bigger/smaller
Mekasu0124
Mekasu012412mo ago
that fixed that issue 😛 ty. so how do I increase the height of the rows if I'm using the *
Denis
Denis12mo ago
Well, you could do *, Auto, * for the row definition This will use a maximum height row, then a row of the height needed by the controls within it, then another maximum height row To center the top label, try VerticalAlignment?
Mekasu0124
Mekasu012412mo ago
that didn't do anything, but it's ok. It's not an important feature at the moment. What is kind of important, is how do I get a button to span the width of 2 columns?
Mekasu0124
Mekasu012412mo ago
like I'm trying to get these two buttons at the bottom to both be matching widths which would be 2 columns each and I'm trying to center the text within the button to the center of the button
Mekasu0124
Mekasu012412mo ago
I got it figured out 🙂
Denis
Denis12mo ago
Try to add a parameter to the button: Grid.ColumnSpan google is your friend and ChatGPT is your peer programmer
Mekasu0124
Mekasu012412mo ago
I tried the column span and it didn't work so I did this instead
<Button
Margin="10"
Grid.Column="0"
Grid.Row="4"
Foreground="White"
Background="Transparent"
BorderBrush="White"
CornerRadius="20"
Height="80"
Width="250"
HorizontalAlignment="Center"
HorizontalContentAlignment="Center"
VerticalContentAlignment="Center">Submit</Button>

<Button
Margin="10"
Grid.Column="1"
Grid.Row="4"
Foreground="White"
Background="Transparent"
BorderBrush="White"
CornerRadius="20"
Height="80"
Width="250"
HorizontalAlignment="Center"
HorizontalContentAlignment="Center"
VerticalContentAlignment="Center">Back</Button>
<Button
Margin="10"
Grid.Column="0"
Grid.Row="4"
Foreground="White"
Background="Transparent"
BorderBrush="White"
CornerRadius="20"
Height="80"
Width="250"
HorizontalAlignment="Center"
HorizontalContentAlignment="Center"
VerticalContentAlignment="Center">Submit</Button>

<Button
Margin="10"
Grid.Column="1"
Grid.Row="4"
Foreground="White"
Background="Transparent"
BorderBrush="White"
CornerRadius="20"
Height="80"
Width="250"
HorizontalAlignment="Center"
HorizontalContentAlignment="Center"
VerticalContentAlignment="Center">Back</Button>
Mekasu0124
Mekasu012412mo ago
I promise I'm not after just quick answers to my issues. It took me 20 minutes of looking through google and asking my question 5 different way to get what I needed to solve that. I promise I'm googling lol so now. With your idea of checking if a file exists, how would I go about doing that? Right now, my setup screen is in my MainWIndow file. Where would I put my logic for checking if the json file existed and launching this screen if it didn't?
Mekasu0124
Mekasu012412mo ago
like would my logic for that go in the MainWindow's cs file and then move all of this to a setup screen file?
Denis
Denis12mo ago
So, when it comes to these modern UI frameworks, the correct way of organizing your code is using MVVM: Model - the classes that represent your data, e.g., DiaryEntry View - the axaml, the UI that the user interacts with. It is the MainWindow.axaml and the MainWindow.axaml.cs. The cs file is responsible for doing UI related things. ViewModel - the backend for the UI. It fetches data, wraps it up in Models and provides those models to the View. This is a very watered down description of what MVVM is. This separation helps you keep everything organized. But....getting into MVVM can be quite overwhelming. So, if you want to do it properly, get yourself some migraine pills. But once you understand it, it's a very powerful tool. If you skip MVVM and it the "quick and dirty" way, then I suggest writing most of the stuff in the MainWindow.axaml.cs And create special classes for, e.g., handling the JSON. I'd create a class called DataManager. It would handle loading, saving, and checking data. This class should be static, so that you can access it from anywhere without creating an instance of it - same thing as Console You do not create a new instance of Console when you need to ReadLine or WriteLine To make a static class, do the following:
public static class DataManager
{
public static bool EntryRecordExists(string path)
{
// TODO: Check if the file exists
// Return true if yes, false if no
}

public static bool TrySaveEntryRecord(DiaryEntry entry, string path)
{
// Attempt to serialize the diary entry
// Exceptions may occurr, use try catch
// return false, if saved successfully
// false if an exception occurred or the provided diary entry/path are invalid
}
}
public static class DataManager
{
public static bool EntryRecordExists(string path)
{
// TODO: Check if the file exists
// Return true if yes, false if no
}

public static bool TrySaveEntryRecord(DiaryEntry entry, string path)
{
// Attempt to serialize the diary entry
// Exceptions may occurr, use try catch
// return false, if saved successfully
// false if an exception occurred or the provided diary entry/path are invalid
}
}
notice how the class and the methods have static keyword when a class has the keyword, all of its members, i.e., methods, properties, fields, have to be also static You can remove the static keyword from the class, but in this case I'd keep it The most important thing is to have the methods static - they will be accessible without doing new DataManager() And can simply access the method like so DataManager.EntryRecordExists(pathToRecord)
Denis
Denis12mo ago
This tutorial series might help: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YhKuZImznEE
AngelSix
YouTube
001. Avalonia UI - Getting Started Environment Setup
Support me in my journey to giving back to the industry all my knowledge and helping the world with what I do. Spreading knowledge to those who cannot afford an education, and helping those who want to better themselves. Avalonia UI https://www.avaloniaui.net Support what I do and pay for me to survive https://www.angelsix.com/donate Live Cha...
Mekasu0124
Mekasu012412mo ago
The MVVM confuses the hell out of me. I’m not even fixing to lie. I’ll check out that tutorial tomorrow after work. I’m a bit tied up this evening.
Denis
Denis12mo ago
Feel free to ask questions whenever
Mekasu0124
Mekasu012412mo ago
Ok bet 🙂 tyvm ok so my first question would be, in an avalonia application, where would I put my logic for checking if the json file exists when the program first starts? would it go in Program.cs?
Mekasu0124
Mekasu012412mo ago
so technically, the first thing I want to do is make a loading screen. This loading screen will be the first thing to launch and it checks all the dependencies and such to "load" them. After "loading" everything, it'll then check if the json file exists. I'd like for this loading screen to be as realistic as possible so as it iterates through all the directories in the project, it'll show them on the label with the {Binding LoadingText} as the string being passed to the label. The ProgressBar will go from 0% to 100% respectively and once the application is done "loading" it'll launch the appropriate screen -> Setup if json file doesn't exist, and home screen if it does exist. Here's what I have so far and I'm not sure how to progress from here
Accord
Accord12mo ago
Was this issue resolved? If so, run /close - otherwise I will mark this as stale and this post will be archived until there is new activity.
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