C#•3y ago

❔ Interactive both in y and x axis, in cmd

Hello :), I am trying to do an interactive menu in a command line application that use both the x and y axis, you navigate using keyboard arrows. I did a well working one that is only using the x axis, but with both this is way more complicated. I wrote a code that kind of works but for any reason the Console.Clear is not doing what i was expecting :

public static void Editing()
    {
        int x = 0;
        int y = 0;
        List<Option> x_options = new List<Option>();
        List<string> y_options = GetPrompt();
        List<string> special = new List<string>() { "%path", "%user", "%os", "%workingset", "%time", "%date", "%newline" };
        List<string> colors = new List<string>() { "%fore:", "%back:", "%style:" };
        while (true)
        {
            if (special.Contains(y_options[y]) || colors.Contains(y_options[y]))
            {
                x_options.Add(new Option(CustomCMD.GetValue("tips"), () => { }));
            }
            x_options.Add(new Option(CustomCMD.GetValue("edit"), () => { }));
            x_options.Add(new Option(CustomCMD.GetValue("add_right"), () => { }));
            x_options.Add(new Option(CustomCMD.GetValue("add_left"), () => { }));
            x_options.Add(new Option(CustomCMD.GetValue("delete"), () => { }));

            WriteComplexMenu(x_options, y_options, x_options[x], y_options[y]);
            ConsoleKeyInfo key = Console.ReadKey();
            if (key.Key == ConsoleKey.RightArrow)
            {
                y--;
                if (y < 0) y = y_options.Count - 1;
            }
            else if (key.Key == ConsoleKey.LeftArrow)
            {
                y++;
                if (y >= y_options.Count) y = 0;
            }
            else if (key.Key == ConsoleKey.UpArrow)
            {
                x--;
                if (x < 0) x = x_options.Count - 1;
            }
            else if (key.Key == ConsoleKey.DownArrow)
            {
                x++;
                if (x >= x_options.Count) x = 0;
            }
            else if (key.Key == ConsoleKey.Enter)
            {
            }
        }
    }

private static void WriteComplexMenu(List<Option> x_options, List<string> y_options, Option x_selected, string y_selected, string title="", string end="")
    {
        Console.Clear();
        if (title != "") Console.WriteLine(title);
        foreach (Option option in x_options)
        {
            if (option == x_selected)
            {
                Console.Write(" > ");
            }
            else
            {
                Console.Write("   ");
            }
            Console.WriteLine(option.Name);
        }
        Console.WriteLine(end);
        int tab = 0;
        bool found = false;
        foreach (string option in y_options)
        {
            if (option == y_selected)
            {
                found = true;
                tab += Math.Abs(option.Length / 2);
            }
            else if (!found)
            {
                tab += option.Length + 1;
            }
            Console.Write(option + " ");
        }
        Console.WriteLine();
        for (int i = 0; i < tab; i++)
        {
            Console.Write(" ");
        }
        Console.Write("^");
    }
class Option
    {
        public string Name { get; }
        public Action Selected { get; }

        public Option(string name, Action selected)
        {
            Name = name;
            Selected = selected;
        }
    }

public static void Editing()
    {
        int x = 0;
        int y = 0;
        List<Option> x_options = new List<Option>();
        List<string> y_options = GetPrompt();
        List<string> special = new List<string>() { "%path", "%user", "%os", "%workingset", "%time", "%date", "%newline" };
        List<string> colors = new List<string>() { "%fore:", "%back:", "%style:" };
        while (true)
        {
            if (special.Contains(y_options[y]) || colors.Contains(y_options[y]))
            {
                x_options.Add(new Option(CustomCMD.GetValue("tips"), () => { }));
            }
            x_options.Add(new Option(CustomCMD.GetValue("edit"), () => { }));
            x_options.Add(new Option(CustomCMD.GetValue("add_right"), () => { }));
            x_options.Add(new Option(CustomCMD.GetValue("add_left"), () => { }));
            x_options.Add(new Option(CustomCMD.GetValue("delete"), () => { }));

            WriteComplexMenu(x_options, y_options, x_options[x], y_options[y]);
            ConsoleKeyInfo key = Console.ReadKey();
            if (key.Key == ConsoleKey.RightArrow)
            {
                y--;
                if (y < 0) y = y_options.Count - 1;
            }
            else if (key.Key == ConsoleKey.LeftArrow)
            {
                y++;
                if (y >= y_options.Count) y = 0;
            }
            else if (key.Key == ConsoleKey.UpArrow)
            {
                x--;
                if (x < 0) x = x_options.Count - 1;
            }
            else if (key.Key == ConsoleKey.DownArrow)
            {
                x++;
                if (x >= x_options.Count) x = 0;
            }
            else if (key.Key == ConsoleKey.Enter)
            {
            }
        }
    }

private static void WriteComplexMenu(List<Option> x_options, List<string> y_options, Option x_selected, string y_selected, string title="", string end="")
    {
        Console.Clear();
        if (title != "") Console.WriteLine(title);
        foreach (Option option in x_options)
        {
            if (option == x_selected)
            {
                Console.Write(" > ");
            }
            else
            {
                Console.Write("   ");
            }
            Console.WriteLine(option.Name);
        }
        Console.WriteLine(end);
        int tab = 0;
        bool found = false;
        foreach (string option in y_options)
        {
            if (option == y_selected)
            {
                found = true;
                tab += Math.Abs(option.Length / 2);
            }
            else if (!found)
            {
                tab += option.Length + 1;
            }
            Console.Write(option + " ");
        }
        Console.WriteLine();
        for (int i = 0; i < tab; i++)
        {
            Console.Write(" ");
        }
        Console.Write("^");
    }
class Option
    {
        public string Name { get; }
        public Action Selected { get; }

        public Option(string name, Action selected)
        {
            Name = name;
            Selected = selected;
        }
    }

Editing is the main code that run the menu and handle the user input

RémiOP•7/3/23, 10:09 PM

CustomCMD.GetValue() is used to get the correct string, depends of the language (this is not the actual problem so i won't explain much)

RémiOP•7/3/23, 10:10 PM

this is what is display without any input (and this is what i want) :

RémiOP•7/3/23, 10:11 PM

RémiOP•7/3/23, 10:12 PM

But once I do any input, the selected item is the good one, but the console is acting wierd :

RémiOP•7/3/23, 10:13 PM

It duplicates the menu why

phaseshift•7/3/23, 11:12 PM

i didnt see where you clear the screen

Pphaseshift i didnt see where you clear the screen

RémiOP•7/3/23, 11:14 PM

in the begining of WriteComplexMenu which is called right after defining every option in the while loop

phaseshift•7/3/23, 11:23 PM

but every time you loop, dont you add more options? so on the second time you have 2x each option?

phaseshift•7/3/23, 11:24 PM

$debug is your friend

Pphaseshift $debug is your friend

MODiX•7/3/23, 11:24 PM

https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/visualstudio/get-started/csharp/tutorial-debugger?view=vs-2022

Tutorial: Debug C# code - Visual Studio (Windows)

Learn features of the Visual Studio debugger and how to start the debugger, step through code, and inspect data in a C# application.

RémiOP•7/3/23, 11:30 PM

i can't debug because of the way i'm compiling

RémiOP•7/3/23, 11:31 PM

I need to read json files, that are in the CustomCMD folder, but the compiled exe goes to CustomCMD/Debug/net7.0

Pphaseshift but every time you loop, dont you add more options? so on the second time you ha...

RémiOP•7/3/23, 11:32 PM

this is this

RémiOP•7/3/23, 11:32 PM

it has been 2 hours while I was reading everything about buffer, Console.Clear thing etc ... x)

RRémi I need to read json files, that are in the CustomCMD folder, but the compiled ex...

phaseshift•7/3/23, 11:34 PM

add a sleep to your program. while it is sleeping, atach to the running process

Pphaseshift add a sleep to your program. while it is sleeping, atach to the running process

RémiOP•7/3/23, 11:35 PM

wdym by atach?

phaseshift•7/3/23, 11:35 PM

phaseshift•7/3/23, 11:36 PM

you can connect a debugger to a running process

Pphaseshift you can connect a debugger to a running process

RémiOP•7/3/23, 11:38 PM

nice, is there a way to do it automatically right after the build ?

RémiOP•7/3/23, 11:39 PM

right now it's moving the exe and other file automatically from net7.0 to the right folder usig a .bat script

phaseshift•7/3/23, 11:44 PM

you'd be better off making the location that json files are read-from a command line argument ( and dont use a bat script to move the exe to a 'special' location)

phaseshift•7/3/23, 11:45 PM

you can control the commandline args given when doing normal 'debug' from the project properties

Susko3•7/4/23, 3:07 PM

or, load the json as instead of just in your code

RRémi I need to read json files, that are in the CustomCMD folder, but the compiled ex...

Susko3•7/4/23, 3:09 PM

you could also include the json in the build and set it to be copied to the output directory (not sure what the exact steps are, but I believe I've used the correct terminology)

SSusko3 you could also include the json in the build and set it to be copied to the outp...

RémiOP•7/4/23, 3:34 PM

I'll check that

RémiOP•7/4/23, 3:34 PM

But I've never find anything like that

Susko3•7/4/23, 3:34 PM

I think it's usually right click on the file in Visual Studio

Accord•7/5/23, 3:43 PM

Was this issue resolved? If so, run

/close

/close

otherwise I will mark this as stale and this post will be archived until there is new activity.