Develop Reference

How do you get a program to pick a different string from a list each time rather than writing the same string over and over again?

I am having an issue with picking randomly from a list. When I run the program, it keeps writing the same string over and over again when I want it to come up with a different random string each time. Here is an example:
using System;
using System.Collections.Generic;
namespace List
{
class Program
{
static void Main(string[] args)
{
var letterList = new List<string>
{
"A","B","C","D"
};
Random r = new Random();
int letterListIndex = r.Next(letterList.Count);
for (int i = 0; i < 10; i++) {
Console.WriteLine(letterList[letterListIndex]);
}
}
}
}
For Example: When I run this code it would write "B" 10 times. I want it to come up with 10 different letters every time. I know that you could just write:
int letterListIndex1 = r.Next(letterList.Count);
int letterListIndex2 = r.Next(letterList.Count);
int letterListIndex3 = r.Next(letterList.Count);
Console.WriteLine(letterList[letterListIndex1]);
Console.WriteLine(letterList[letterListIndex2]);
Console.WriteLine(letterList[letterListIndex3]);
But I wanted to know if there was an easier way to do so.
Thanks.

You should put your letterListIndex variable inside for loop
for (int i = 0; i < 10; i++) {
int letterListIndex = r.Next(letterList.Count);
Console.WriteLine(letterList[letterListIndex]);
}
Otherwise you get the same index every time.

You need to put
int letterListIndex = r.Next(letterList.Count);
inside the for loop.

you can use below code
for (int i = 0; i < 10; i++) {
Console.WriteLine(letterList[r.Next(letterList.Count)]);
}

No errors in Visual Studio, Code Executes but something not right C# (updated! problem in String.Insert)

I'm writing a program for schoolwork, that's supposed to generate a 10 000 "movie" list. A single "movie" consist of a string in a form "moviename year director". I say "movie" because movie name and director are supposed to be randomly generated with letters from a-z.
I wrote the following logic to generate one such "movie". Movie name and director are random letter combination in length between 4-10 charachters. Code gives no errors in visual studio, executes, but shows blank. If I wrote correctly, then this code should generate one such string and print it, yet console is blank.
Do while loop is there to check if, however unlikely, there is a double item in the List (this is for when I do the 10 000 version).
In short, I dont understand what am I doing wrong?
using System;
using System.Collections.Generic;
using System.Linq;
namespace Experiment
{
class Program
{
static void Main(string[] args)
{
Movies();
Console.ReadKey();
}
public static void Movies()
{
List<string> movieList = new List<string>();
bool check = false;
do
{
string movie = "";
for (int i = 0; i < GetNum(); i++)
{
movie.Insert(0, Convert.ToString(GetLetter()));
}
movie.Insert(0, " ");
movie.Insert(0, Convert.ToString(GetYear()));
movie.Insert(0, " ");
for (int i = 0; i < GetNum(); i++)
{
movie.Insert(0, Convert.ToString(GetLetter()));
}
if (movieList.Contains(movie))
{
check = false;
}
else
{
movieList.Add(movie);
check = true;
}
} while (check == false);
Console.WriteLine(movieList[0]);
}
public static Random _random = new Random();
public static char GetLetter()
{
int num = _random.Next(0, 26);
char let = (char)('a' + num);
return let;
}
public static int GetNum()
{
int num = _random.Next(4, 11);
return num;
}
public static int GetYear()
{
int num = _random.Next(1920, 2020);
return num;
}
}
}

Strings are immutable, so calling the Insert() method on the movie string doesn't do anything to the current movie variable. Instead it returns the new string.
You are however better off changing the movie type from string to StringBuilder, which is a dynamically allocated buffer of characters, so your example becomes:
using System;
using System.Text;
using System.Collections.Generic;
namespace sotest
{
class Program
{
static void Main(string[] args)
{
Movies();
Console.ReadKey();
}
public static void Movies()
{
List<string> movieList = new List<string>();
bool check = false;
do
{
StringBuilder movie = new StringBuilder();
for (int i = 0; i < GetNum(); i++)
{
movie.Insert(0, Convert.ToString(GetLetter()));
}
movie.Insert(0, " ");
movie.Insert(0, Convert.ToString(GetYear()));
movie.Insert(0, " ");
for (int i = 0; i < GetNum(); i++)
{
movie.Insert(0, Convert.ToString(GetLetter()));
}
if (movieList.Contains(movie.ToString()))
{
check = false;
}
else
{
movieList.Add(movie.ToString());
check = true;
}
} while (check == false);
Console.WriteLine(movieList[0]);
}
public static Random _random = new Random();
public static char GetLetter()
{
int num = _random.Next(0, 26);
char let = (char)('a' + num);
return let;
}
public static int GetNum()
{
int num = _random.Next(4, 11);
return num;
}
public static int GetYear()
{
int num = _random.Next(1920, 2020);
return num;
}
}
}

The problem is that you are using movie.Insert incorrectly.
If you read the documentation for String.Insert it says
https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/dotnet/api/system.string.insert?view=netframework-4.8
Returns a new string in which a specified string is inserted at a
specified index position in this instance
public string Insert (int startIndex, string value);
So it returns a new String, it does not amend the existing one. So you would need to do.
movie = movie.Insert(0, Convert.ToString(GetYear()));
However, I must also say that using String.Insert in this way is not the best approach.
You should instead look at using the StringBuilder class. It is very efficient when you want to amend strings (which are immutable objects).
You might want to read parts of this to help you understand. If you scroll down then it also suggests StringBuilder.
https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/dotnet/csharp/programming-guide/strings/

Insert() method is used to return a new string from the specified string at a specified index position. In your case, you are not capturing the updated string.
The best approach to solve this is through using StringBuilder object. Please note that StringBuilder object is much efficient rather than playing with immutable string.

C# - HackerRank simpleArraySum

Now, I may get negative points because perhaps somewhere in vast internet there is already an answer to this but I tried to look for it and I simply couldnt find it.
The gist of the problem is that HackerRanks wants you to create an array with a size decided by the user, then have the user add its values (integers) and finally have the program sum its values.
There are plenty of ways to do it and I already know how to but my problem is that I just can't understand Hackerrank's code sample in C# it gave me. I commented the parts I don't understand, which is most of it:
static int simpleArraySum(int n, int[] ar) {
// Complete this function
int sum = 0;
foreach( var item in ar){
sum += item;
}
return sum;
}
static void Main(String[] args) {
//I know what this does
int n = Convert.ToInt32(Console.ReadLine());
//I am lost here, just why create a string array and add the split method?
string[] ar_temp = Console.ReadLine().Split(' ');
//I dont understand here neither, what is it converting? What is the parse for?
int[] ar = Array.ConvertAll(ar_temp,Int32.Parse);
//Why send the n when all you need is the array itself?
int result = simpleArraySum(n, ar);
Console.WriteLine(result);
}
I know some people hate HackerRank, and honestly, I do too but it does gives me some nice ways to test my limited skills in coding with c# and testing my logic. So, if there are better sites that helps you test your logic as a CS please share them with me.
Here is the code I made to solve this problem in Visual Studio but for some stupid reason Hackerrank wont accept it unless I make custom inputs:
//This code can be potentially shorter using the code commented further below.
//For practice's sake, it was made longer.
static int simpleArraySum(int[] arr_temp)
{
int total = 0;
foreach (var item in arr_temp)
{
total += item;
}
return total;
}
static void Main(String[] args)
{
int n = Convert.ToInt32(Console.ReadLine());
int[] arr_temp = new int[n];
for (int i = 0; i < n; i++)
{
arr_temp[i] = Convert.ToInt32(Console.ReadLine());
}
int result = simpleArraySum(arr_temp);
//int result = arr_temp.Sum();
Console.WriteLine(result);
Console.ReadLine();
}

You need to convert to string array since if you're on the main method, all it gets are string values from the argument list. To get the sum then you need to convert the string into a usable number / integer.
I agree that it doesn't make sense to send the first argument n in simpleArraySum because n is simply unused.
as for the part int[] ar = Array.ConvertAll(ar_temp,Int32.Parse); it simply tries to take in all the integers into the array. It is also risky because if you accidentally pass in a string then it will throw an error i.e. pass in "3 4 1 f" <- f will throw an exception, unless this is the desired behaviour.
Personally I think the main method should not be interested in getting involved too much with the data, the heavy lifting should be done in the methods. The better version perhaps would be to modify simpleArraySum and refactor that line in like:
static int simpleArraySum(string input)
{
String[] fields = input.Split(null);
List<int> vals = new List<int>();
foreach (string i in fields)
{
var j = 0;
if (Int32.TryParse(i, out j)) vals.Add(j);
}
int sum = 0;
foreach (var item in vals)
{
sum += item;
}
return sum;
}
I introduced the use of generic list because it's more readable if not cleaner, although the use of List might look overkill to some programmers and might not be as light weight as just using an array, hence on the other hand you can easily stick to using arrays except that it needs to be initialized with the length i.e. int[] vals = new int[fields.Length]; Roughly:
static int simpleArraySum(string input)
{
String[] fields = input.Split(null);
int[] vals = new int[fields.Length];
for (int i = 0; i < fields.Length; i++)
{
var j = 0;
if (Int32.TryParse(fields[i], out j)) vals[i] = j;
}
int sum = 0;
foreach (var item in vals)
{
sum += item;
}
return sum;
}

here my code i hope that helps
static int simpleArraySum(int[] ar,int count) {
if (count > 0 && count <= 10000)
{
if (count == ar.Length)
{
if (!ar.Any(item => (item < 0 || item >= 10000)))
{
return ar.Sum();
}
}
}
return 0;
}
and in main
int arCount = Convert.ToInt32(Console.ReadLine());
int[] arr = Array.ConvertAll(Console.ReadLine().Split(' '), arTemp => Convert.ToInt32(arTemp));
int result = simpleArraySum(arr, arCount);
Console.WriteLine(result);
since Array.ConvertAll() takes a string and convert it to one type array
int or float for example

For users still looking for a 100% C# solution: In above mentioned coding websites do not modify the main function. The aim of the test is to complete the function via the online complier.
using System.Linq;
public static int simpleArraySum(List<int> ar)
{
int sum = ar.Sum();
return sum;
}

Why Static method sometimes returns same result for separate call?

In my c# code I have a static method. Here is the code sample:
public class RandomKey
{
public static string GetKey()
{
Random rng = new Random();
char[] chars = new char[8];
for (int i = 0; i < chars.Length; i++)
{
int v = rng.Next(10 + 26 + 26);
char c;
if (v < 10)
{
c = (char)('0' + v);
}
else if (v < 36)
{
c = (char)('a' - 10 + v);
}
else
{
c = (char)('A' - 36 + v);
}
chars[i] = c;
}
string key = new string(chars);
key += DateTime.Now.Ticks.ToString();
return key;
}
}
I am calling this function from another Class's method.
Class SomeClass
{
Void SomeMethod()
{
for(int i=0; i<100; i++)
{
System.Diagnostics.Debug.WriteLine(i + "===>" + RandomKey.GetKey());
}
}
}
But now the problem is sometimes I am getting the same output from the static method though the function was called separately. Is there any wrong with my code?

The reason is that you are initializing the Random object inside the method.
When you call the method in close time proximity (like inside a loop), the Random object is initialized with the same seed. (see Matthew Watson's comment to find out why.)
To prevent that you should declare and initialize the Random object as a static field, like this:
public class RandomKey
{
static Random rng = new Random();
public static string GetKey()
{
// do your stuff...
}
}

You keep reinitializing the Random value. Move that out to a static field. Also you can format numbers in hex using ToString with a formatter.
Also, DateTime.Now is a bad idea. See this answer for a better way to allocate unique, timestamp values.

How do I split an array into two different arrays?

I can't seem to figure out how to fix my code so that it works. I need the user to be able to input their first name then space then the what they scored. Then I need to split the array into two different arrays and pass them to the four different methods to display to the user what they scored, etc. Can anyone help me figure this problem out?
using System;
using System.Collections.Generic;
using System.Linq;
using System.Text;
using System.Threading.Tasks;
namespace proj09LEA
{
class Program
{
static void Main(string[] args)
{
// declare and array of integers
int[] array = new int[10];
Console.WriteLine("\nSaturday Coder's Bowling Team");
Console.WriteLine("Enter in a name and score for each person on the team.");
Console.WriteLine("For example, Mary 143. Just hit Enter when you are done.\n");
// fill an array with user input
for (int i = 0; i < array.Length; i++)
{
Console.WriteLine("Enter in a name and score: ");
string userInput;
string[] parsedInput;
parsedInput = userInput.Split();
string name = parsedInput[0];
int score = int.Parse(parsedInput[1]);
}
Console.WriteLine("------------ Input Complete ------------\n");
Console.WriteLine("Here are the scores for this game:");
DisplayScore(array);
HighScore(array);
LowScore(array);
AverageScore(array);
Console.WriteLine("Press Enter to continue. . .");
Console.ReadLine();
}
static void DisplayScore(int[] array)
{
foreach (int n in array)
{
Console.WriteLine("{0}'s score was {0}.\n", array);
}
}
static void HighScore(int[] array)
{
int max = array.Max();
Console.WriteLine("Congratulations {0}, your score of {0} was the highest.", max);
}
static void LowScore(int[] array)
{
int min = array.Min();
Console.WriteLine("{0}, your score of {0} was the lowest. Better get some practice.", min);
}
static void AverageScore(int[] array)
{
int sum = array.Sum();
int average = sum / array.Length;
Console.WriteLine("The average score for this game was {0:d}.", average);
}
}
}

If you absolutely have to use simple primitive arrays, you would need two distinct arrays of the same size, to hold the names as strings and scores as ints:
class Program
{
const int MaxScores = 10; // .. Use a constant to ensure the sizes remain in sync
static void Main(string[] args)
{ ///
string[] names = new int[MaxScores];
int[] scores = new int[MaxScores];
// ... parse names into names[] and scores into scores[]
DisplayScore(names, scores);
You would then need to pass both arrays to the various methods:
static void DisplayScore(string[] names, int[] scores)
{
for(int i=0; i < MaxScores; i++)
{
Console.WriteLine("{0}'s score was {1}.\n", names[i], scores[i]);
}
}
// etc
However, there are better ways to do this, e.g. by defining a custom class for the tuple of Name, Score:
class PersonScore
{
public string Name {get; set;}
public int Score {get; set;}
}
You can then declare and pass the single array of PersonScore[] around.
PersonScore[] personScores = new PersonScore[MaxScores];
for (... prompting the user for data)
{
... parsing user input
personScores[i] = new PersonScore{Name = name, Score = score};
}
DisplayScore(personScores); // Pass around the single array
static void DisplayScore(IEnumerable personScores)
{
foreach(var personScore in personScores)
{
Console.WriteLine("{0}'s score was {1}.\n", personScore.Name, personScores.Score);
}
}
// etc - other methods
As others have mentioned, other collections are also possible alternatives to an array, most commonly List.

You can do like this. Just use Console.ReadLine() to get user input. This is what you do in your code. There are better ways to do this but following will solve your problem.Also you need to perform validation as well.
for (int i = 0; i < array.Length; i++)
{
Console.WriteLine("Enter in a name and score: ");
string userInput = Console.ReadLine();
string[] parsedInput;
parsedInput = userInput.Split(' ');
string name = parsedInput[0];
int score = int.Parse(parsedInput[1]);
array[i] = score;
}

Why you need to split array in to two arrays on containing names and other containing score. Its better to create a structure having String field for name and integer field for score and write Comparator for sorting the Array containing elements of this Data structure type and sort them.
It will solve all your problems and that too efficiently.

Not many data integrity checks in the methods you are using, but here are the extensions I use to split arrays or any type of enumerable. I have not tested these all that much, so I cannot guarantee that they will work. I have removed all my input validation, but I suggest you add those back your own way.
public static List<List<T>> Split<T>(this IEnumerable<T> collection, Int32 groupSize)
{
var collectionList = collection.ToList();
if (groupSize > collectionList.Count)
groupSize = collectionList.Count;
var chunks = new List<List<T>>();
while (collectionList.Any())
{
var chunk = collectionList.Take(groupSize);
chunks.Add(chunk.ToList());
collectionList = collectionList.Skip(groupSize).ToList();
}
return chunks;
}
public static List<List<T>> Split<T>(this IEnumerable<T> collection, Func<T, Boolean> splitFunction)
{
var collectionList = collection.ToList();
if (collectionList.IsNullOrEmpty())
return new List<List<T>>();
var indices = collectionList.FindIndices(splitFunction); // Custom method that searches for the indices that satisfy the predicate and returns the index of each matching item in the list.
if (indices.IsNullOrEmpty()) // equivalent to indices == null || !indices.Any()
return new List<List<T>> { collectionList };
var chunks = new List<List<T>>();
var lastIndex = 0;
if (indices[0] > 0)
{
chunks.Add(collectionList.Take(indices[0]).ToList());
lastIndex = indices[0];
}
for (var i = 1; i < indices.Count; i++)
{
var chunkSize = indices[i] - lastIndex;
var chunk = collectionList.Skip(lastIndex).Take(chunkSize).ToList();
if (chunk.IsNullOrEmpty())
{
break;
}
chunks.Add(chunk);
lastIndex = indices[i];
}
if (collectionList.Count - lastIndex > 0)
{
var lastChunk = collectionList.Skip(lastIndex).ToList();
chunks.Add(lastChunk);
}
return chunks;
}