C# Console Class: Console Input And Output

In this tutorial, we'll cover the basics of console input and output in C# using the Console class, which is part of the System namespace. We will explore how to read input from the user and display output to the console.

Set up the environment

Create a new C# Console Application project in Visual Studio.

Console Output

To display output on the console, we can use the Console.WriteLine() and Console.Write() methods.

Console.WriteLine() writes a line of text to the console and appends a newline character. Console.Write() writes text to the console without appending a newline character.

Console.WriteLine("Hello, World!"); // Writes a line with a newline character
Console.Write("Hello, ");            // Writes text without a newline character
Console.Write("World!");

Console Input

To read input from the user, we can use the Console.ReadLine() and Console.ReadKey() methods.

Console.ReadLine() reads a line of text from the console and returns it as a string. This method is suitable for reading text input.

Console.ReadKey() reads a single key press from the console and returns a ConsoleKeyInfo object. This method is useful for reading single key presses without echoing the input to the console.

// Read a line of text from the user
Console.Write("Enter your name: ");
string name = Console.ReadLine();

// Read a single key press from the user
Console.WriteLine("Press any key to continue...");
ConsoleKeyInfo keyInfo = Console.ReadKey();

Console Input and Output Example

In this example, we'll create a simple program that asks the user for their name and age, then displays a personalized message.

static void Main(string[] args)
{
    // Read the user's name
    Console.Write("Enter your name: ");
    string name = Console.ReadLine();

    // Read the user's age
    Console.Write("Enter your age: ");
    int age = Convert.ToInt32(Console.ReadLine());

    // Display a personalized message
    Console.WriteLine($"Hello, {name}! You are {age} years old.");

    // Wait for the user to press any key
    Console.WriteLine("Press any key to exit...");
    Console.ReadKey();
}

When you run the Console Application, the program will prompt the user for their name and age, then display a personalized message.

In this tutorial, we've covered the basics of console input and output in C# using the Console class. We demonstrated how to read input from the user and display output to the console, which are essential skills for creating console applications in C#.

Console input in C#:
- Description: Demonstrating how to read input from the console using methods like ReadLine and ReadKey.
- Code:
```
Console.Write("Enter your name: ");
string name = Console.ReadLine();
Console.WriteLine($"Hello, {name}!");
```

Console output in C#:

Description: Illustrating basic console output using the Write and WriteLine methods.

Code:

Console.WriteLine("This is a line of text.");
Console.Write("This is ");
Console.Write("on the same line.");

Console formatting options in C#:
- Description: Introducing formatting options in console output using placeholders and string interpolation.
- Code:
```
string name = "John";
int age = 25;
Console.WriteLine("Name: {0}, Age: {1}", name, age);
```

C# Console colors and styles:

Description: Illustrating how to change console text colors and styles for better visual representation.

Code:

Console.ForegroundColor = ConsoleColor.Green;
Console.BackgroundColor = ConsoleColor.Black;
Console.WriteLine("Green text on black background");
Console.ResetColor(); // Reset to default colors

Console window manipulation in C#:
- Description: Showing how to manipulate the console window, such as changing size and clearing the screen.
- Code:
```
Console.WindowHeight = 20;
Console.WindowWidth = 50;
Console.Clear(); // Clears the console screen
```