//public static double getAverage()
        //{
        //    //my original version accumulated the total account numbers as they were input into the class
        //    return sum / (double)count;
        //}
        public static double getAverage(account[] accts)
        {
            double avg = 0D;
            int count = 0;

            for (int i = 0; i < accts.Length; i++)
                if (accts[i] != null)//user can input null accounts
                {
                    avg += accts[i].getAcctBal();
                    count++;//determine the true number of accounts
                }

            return avg / (double)count;
        }
        //public static account[] promptAccountAutoNum()
        //{
        //    //This method gets input from the user and makes an array out of the results
        //    ArrayList accounts = new ArrayList();
        //    do
        //    {
        //        //int acctNum = Input.promptInt32("Enter the integer account number: ",
        //        //    "Please Enter a valid integer... ");
        //        double bal = Input.promptDouble("Enter the account balance: ",
        //            "Please enter a valid double... ");
        //        string name = Input.promptString("Enter the account holder last name: ",
        //            "Please enter a valid string... ");
        //        accounts.Add(new account(name, bal));
        //        //return new account(name, bal);//autonumber the account number
        //        //the likelihood of this method erroring out is not very high
        //    } while (char.ToUpper(Input.promptChar("Would you like to continue?: ",
        //        "I don't know what you did, but that was awesome!!! ")) != 'N');
        //    //was a little hard to find how to do this
        //    return (account[])accounts.ToArray(typeof(account));
        //}//end method
        public static void searchPrompt(account[] accts)
        {
            int searchNum = Input.promptInt32(
                "Enter an account number to search for: ",
                "\nPlease enter valid integer data... \n");

            Console.WriteLine();

            int acctIndex = account.unorderedSearch(accts, searchNum);

            if (acctIndex == -1)
                Console.WriteLine("You entered an invalid account... ");
            else if (accts[acctIndex] == null)//there can be null entries
                Console.WriteLine("You entered an invalid account... ");
            else
                Console.WriteLine(
                    accts[acctIndex].ToString());//find the account and print it
        }
        public static int unorderedSearch(account[] accounts, int acctNum)
        {
            for (int i = 0; i < accounts.Length; i++)
                if (accounts[i].CompareTo(acctNum) == 0)
                    return i;

            return -1;
        }
        //static methods
        //public static account[] promptAccount()
        //{
        //    //This method gets input from the user and makes an array out of the results
        //    ArrayList accounts = new ArrayList();
        //    bool firstRun = true;
        //    do
        //    {
        //        Console.Write(firstRun ? "" : "\n");
        //        int acctNum = Input.promptInt32("Enter the integer account number: ",
        //            "Please Enter a valid integer... ");
        //        double bal = Input.promptDouble("Enter the account balance: ",
        //            "Please enter a valid double... ");
        //        string name = Input.promptString("Enter the account holder last name: ",
        //            "Please enter a valid string... ");
        //        accounts.Add(new account(acctNum, name, bal));
        //        firstRun = false;
        //        //the likelihood of this method erroring out is not very high
        //    } while (char.ToUpper(Input.promptChar("Would you like to continue?: ",
        //        "I don't know what you did, but that was awesome!!! ")) != 'N');
        //    //was a little hard to find how to do this
        //    return (account[])accounts.ToArray(typeof(account));
        //}//end method
        public static void promptAccount(ref account[] accts)
        {
            //This method gets input from the user and makes an array out of the results
            ArrayList accounts;
            if (accts == null)
                accounts = new ArrayList();
            else
                accounts = new ArrayList(accts);//send the input array to the ArrayList

            bool firstRun = true;

            do
            {
                Console.Write(firstRun ? "" : "\n");

                int acctNum = Input.promptInt32("Enter the integer account number: ",
                    "Please Enter a valid integer... ");

                double bal = Input.promptDouble("Enter the account balance: ",
                    "Please enter a valid double... ");

                string name = Input.promptString("Enter the account holder last name: ",
                    "Please enter a valid string... ");

                accounts.Add(new account(acctNum, name, bal));

                firstRun = false;

                //the likelihood of this method erroring out is not very high
            } while (char.ToUpper(Input.promptChar("Would you like to continue?: ",
                "I don't know what you did, but that was awesome!!! ")) != 'N');

            //was a little hard to find how to do this
            accts = (account[])accounts.ToArray(typeof(account));
        }