The Console Class

The console class provides access to the standard input (keyboard), standard output (screen) and standard error (screen) streams. These applications that run in command window.

Write and WriteLine methods

Main features:

·         Both methods Console.Write and Console.WriteLine display information on the console

·         WriteLine methods append a new line/carriage return pair to the end of the output and write does not append a new line/carriage.

·         Both methods are overloaded. We can pass the variable number or types of parameters.

For example

Console.WriteLine("Hello World!");

In this example it shows the message hello world to the screen.

·         A format string and parameters can be used

Text Formatting and Numeric Formatting

Formatting means how to show your data on the screen. In text formatting we can use the {0} which means first parameter

For example

int i=12;

Console.WriteLine("Text Formatting: {0} ",i);

 Console.WriteLine("fill the spaces 10:{0,10}",i);

Output:

Text Formatting: 12

fill the spaces 10:          12

Note:

Using the backward slash (\) character in a format string to turn off the special meaning of the character that follows it.

For example:

"\{" will cause a literal "{" to be displayed, and "\\" will display a literal "\".

Similar to use the at sign (@) character to represent an entire string verbatim.

For example:

@"\\mind\stick" will be processed as "\\mind\stick."

Numeric Formatting

The format string to specify how numeric data is to be formatted.

The syntax for the format string:

{N,M:FormatString}

Where N is the parameter number,

M is the field width and justification, and

Format String specifies how numeric data should be displayed.

There are some lists the items and its meaning that may appear in Format String.

·         C (Display the number as currency, using the local currency symbol and conventions.)

·         D (Display the number as a decimal integer.)

·         E (Display the number by using exponential (scientific) notation.)

·         F (Display the number as a fixed-point value.)

·         G (Display the number as either fixed point or integer, depending on which format is the most compact.)

·         N (Display the number with embedded commas.)

·         X (Display the number by using hexadecimal notation.)

For example:

Console.WriteLine("Currency formatting - {0:C} {1:C4}", 11.1,-111.1);

Console.WriteLine("Integer formatting - {0:D5}", 11);

Console.WriteLine("Exponential formatting - {0:E}", 111.1);

Console.WriteLine("Fixed-point formatting - {0:F3}",111.1111);

Console.WriteLine("General formatting - {0:G}", 111.1111);

Console.WriteLine("Number formatting - {0:N}", 1111111.1);

Console.WriteLine("Hexadecimal formatting - {0:X4}", 11);

Output:

Currency formatting - $11.10  ($111.1000)

Integer formatting - 00011

Exponential formatting - 1.111000E+002

Fixed-point formatting - 111.111

General formatting - 111.1111

Number formatting - 1,111,111.1

Hexadecimal formatting - 000B