/// <summary>
/// Constructor in charge to initialise the menu components, and all its variables required.
/// This approach is inspired in a basic implementation of Model-View-Controller framework.
/// The view (or user interface) is stored in a separate file with the SAME name, with different extension (.txt)
/// The process consists on 4 steps:
/// 1. Read the View File: To initialise the interface layout and its attributes
/// 2. Load Body attributes: Brigde to connect the interface intormation with object attributes
/// 3. Draw the content layout: All the layout is stored in dom variable.
/// </summary>
public View()
{
Console.Clear();
// Finding the view layout through relative path.
string relativefilePath = string.Format(@"..\..\..\Views\{0}.txt", this.GetType().Name);
if (!File.Exists(relativefilePath))
{
throw new Exception(string.Format(@"View '{0}' layout not found. ", this.GetType().Name));
}
// Reading the view template at once
string[] lines = File.ReadAllLines(relativefilePath);
// Verifying the content. At least the file must contain 2 rows.
// Further validations in process
if (lines.Length < 1)
{
throw new Exception(string.Format(@"View '{0}' layout does not contain the appropiate format. ", this.GetType().Name));
}
//--------------------------
// -- Reading the content --
//--------------------------
//----------------------------------------
// -- Row 1: Header, Subheader, and footer
//----------------------------------------
string[] titlesArray = lines[0].Split("||");
if (lines.Length < 2)
{
throw new Exception(string.Format(@"Header, Subheader, and footer are required in '{0}' layout. It does not contain the appropiate format. ", this.GetType().Name));
}
// Getting each pair attribure/value.
string[] headerArray = titlesArray[0].Split(':');
string[] subheaderArray = titlesArray[1].Split(':');
string[] footerArray = titlesArray[2].Split(':');
// Verifying the dimension of each array
string header = headerArray[1];
string subheader = subheaderArray[1];
string footer = footerArray[1];
//----------------------------
// -- Row 2: Body atributes --
//----------------------------
for (int i = 1; i < lines.Length; i++)
{
//
BodyParameter bodyParameter = new BodyParameter();
string[] bodyArray = lines[i].Split("||");
if (bodyArray.Length < 6)
{
throw new Exception(string.Format(@"ASD ASD ASD are required in '{0}' layout. It does not contain the appropiate format. ", this.GetType().Name));
}
string[] paramArray;
paramArray = bodyArray[0].Split(':');
bodyParameter.AttributeName = paramArray[1];
paramArray = bodyArray[1].Split(':');
bodyParameter.DataType = paramArray[1];
paramArray = bodyArray[2].Split(':');
bodyParameter.MaxLength = int.Parse(paramArray[1]);
paramArray = bodyArray[3].Split(':');
bodyParameter.Nulleable = bool.Parse(paramArray[1]);
paramArray = bodyArray[4].Split(':');
bodyParameter.RegexValidation = paramArray[1];
paramArray = bodyArray[5].Split(':');
bodyParameter.Visualisation = paramArray[1];
bodyParameter.Value = string.Empty;
bodyParameterList.Add(bodyParameter);
// Based on the attribute parameters, the longest value is recorder to facilitate the view drawing.
if (lengthLongestAtt < bodyParameter.AttributeName.Length)
{
lengthLongestAtt = bodyParameter.AttributeName.Length;
}
if (lengthLongestValue < bodyParameter.MaxLength)
{
lengthLongestValue = bodyParameter.MaxLength;
}
}
//--------------------------
// -- Drawing the content --
//--------------------------
// Printing the top border
Border(BorderType.Top, true);
// Printing the header
AlignContent(header, AlignmentType.Center, true);
// Printing the border between header and subheader (or content when subheader is null)
Border(BorderType.Div, true);
if (subheader != "")
{
AlignContent(subheader.Split('#'), AlignmentType.Center, true);
}
///////////////////////////////
// Printing Margins pre-body //
///////////////////////////////
// The Row position is stored to keep a reference in special cases when is required to print information
// For Example, an account is founded, the user information is displayed in the body
yPosBodyMessage = dom.Count;
// Minus 5 because those are the footer's rows.
int bodyMargnis = (viewHeight - bodyParameterList.Count - dom.Count - 5) / 2;
Border(BorderType.Empty, bodyMargnis, true);
// Printing Body
foreach (BodyParameter param in bodyParameterList)
{
// Displaying content aligned to left
AlignContent(string.Format("{0}{1}", param.AttributeName,
string.Format(":").PadLeft(lengthLongestAtt - param.AttributeName.Length + 1, ' '))
, AlignmentType.Left, true);
// As DOM is a copy of the information in console, the position of character ':' is stored
// to know exactly where is the x,y location of each attribute.
param.X = dom[dom.Count - 1].IndexOf(':') + 2;
param.Y = dom.Count - 1;
}
// Printing Margins post-body
Border(BorderType.Empty, bodyMargnis, true);
// Printing the border between body and control footer
Border(BorderType.Div, true);
// Footer
//
yPosControlMessage = dom.Count;
Border(BorderType.Empty, true);
Border(BorderType.Empty, true);
AlignContent("↑↓: Select Item Enter: Select Esc: Quit/Escape", AlignmentType.Center, true);
Border(BorderType.Bottom, true);
}
/// <summary>
/// CORE METHOD: Method in charge to handle the user inputs. Its purpose is to validate whether
/// the user input is a control key such us: Up, Down, enter, Esc or a meaningful character.
/// All the interfaces share almost the same approach: A user fills the form. Then, the information is
/// validated, and if everything is correct, all the parameters are updated to the object. Otherwise,
/// an error message is displayed.
/// </summary>
/// <returns></returns>
protected bool VerifylInputs()
{
ConsoleKeyInfo usrInput;
int currentParameterPosition = 0;
// Setting the Console cursor in the first body parameter location.
BodyParameter currentParameter = this.bodyParameterList[currentParameterPosition];
Console.SetCursorPosition(currentParameter.X + currentParameter.Value.Length, currentParameter.Y);
do
{
usrInput = Console.ReadKey(true);
// Verifying if the user input is an special content or just information
if ((int)usrInput.KeyChar < 32)
{
// SPECIAL CONTROL CHARACTERS
// ENTER: All the information must be validated
if (usrInput.Key == ConsoleKey.Enter)
{
// Veryfing if the body parametes could be nullable
if (this.VerifyBodyParameters() == true)
{
return(true);
}
else
{
// Returning the cursor to the same position, before the user press enter
Console.SetCursorPosition(currentParameter.X + currentParameter.Value.Length, currentParameter.Y);
}
}
else
{
// UP
if (usrInput.Key == ConsoleKey.UpArrow && currentParameterPosition - 1 >= 0)
{
currentParameterPosition -= 1;
currentParameter = this.bodyParameterList[currentParameterPosition];
}
// DOWN
else if ((usrInput.Key == ConsoleKey.DownArrow || usrInput.Key == ConsoleKey.Tab) && currentParameterPosition + 1 < this.bodyParameterList.Count)
{
currentParameterPosition += 1;
currentParameter = this.bodyParameterList[currentParameterPosition];
}
// BACKSPACE
else if (usrInput.Key == ConsoleKey.Backspace && currentParameter.Value.Length > 0)
{
currentParameter.Value = currentParameter.Value.Substring(0, currentParameter.Value.Length - 1);
}
Console.SetCursorPosition(currentParameter.X, currentParameter.Y);
Console.Write(string.Format(" ").PadLeft(viewMargin + viewWidth - currentParameter.X - 1, ' '));
Console.SetCursorPosition(currentParameter.X, currentParameter.Y);
if (currentParameter.Visualisation == "Plain")
{
Console.Write(currentParameter.Value);
}
else if (currentParameter.Value.Length > 0)
{
Console.Write(string.Format("*").PadLeft(currentParameter.Value.Length, '*'));
}
}
}
//
else if (currentParameter.Value.Length < currentParameter.MaxLength)
{
// SIMPLE CHARACTERS
currentParameter.Value += usrInput.KeyChar.ToString();
Console.SetCursorPosition(currentParameter.X, currentParameter.Y);
Console.Write(string.Format(" ").PadLeft(viewMargin + viewWidth - currentParameter.X - 1, ' '));
Console.SetCursorPosition(currentParameter.X, currentParameter.Y);
if (currentParameter.Visualisation == "Plain")
{
Console.Write(currentParameter.Value);
}
else if (currentParameter.Value.Length > 0)
{
Console.Write(string.Format("*").PadLeft(currentParameter.Value.Length, '*'));
}
}
Console.SetCursorPosition(currentParameter.X, currentParameter.Y);
if (currentParameter.Visualisation == "Plain")
{
Console.Write(currentParameter.Value);
}
else if (currentParameter.Value.Length > 0)
{
Console.Write(string.Format("*").PadLeft(currentParameter.Value.Length, '*'));
}
// Verifying until user press ESC
} while (usrInput.Key != ConsoleKey.Escape);
return(false);
}
