Exercise - Plan your code using methods

Completed

In this first step of your development process, you'll begin planning your application through pseudo-code. You'll identify the steps and methods that are needed to complete the task. You also need to consider the input and output of these methods as well. Preparing methods via pseudo-code is a helpful step in any coding task, and can help you develop bug-free code quickly.

Important

You need to have completed the Setup instructions in the previous unit, Prepare, before you begin this Exercise.

Convert tasks into pseudo-code

In this task, you'll turn the steps defined in the application specification into pseudo-code. By preparing pseudo-code, developing the full application becomes an easier task. Let's get started!

1. Take a moment to consider the design specification:

   - There will be three visiting schools
       - School A has six visiting groups (the default number)
       - School B has three visiting groups
       - School C has two visiting groups
   
   - For each visiting school, perform the following tasks
       - Randomize the animals
       - Assign the animals to the correct number of groups
       - Print the school name
       - Print the animal groups
   
   

   To get started, you'll focus on writing the pseudo-code for just one school. When you figure out the code for one school, you can easily apply the same logic to the others.

2. Enter a new blank code line below the pettingZoo array initialization.

3. The first task is to randomize the animals. Create a pseudo-code method to randomize the petting zoo animals by entering the following code into the editor:

   // RandomizeAnimals();
   

   You won't fill in any logic to randomize the animals yet. For now, you'll focus on planning the application as a whole. You can assume that this RandomizeAnimals() method exists and will correctly randomize the pettingZoo array.

4. Next, create a pseudo-code method to assign the animal groups. Enter the following code into the editor:

   // AssignGroup();
   

   Like before, you can assume that this method correctly assigns the animals to a subset group and continue to the next task.

5. You can easily print the school name using Console.Write. Enter the following code into the editor:

   Console.WriteLine("School A");
   

6. Lastly, you'll need to print the animal groups. Enter the following code into the editor:

   // PrintGroup(group);
   

   Notice that you added a parameter to this method. You know that you need to print different groups of animals several times, so you use a method to perform this task with the group as the input parameter. Take a moment to consider where you can initialize the group argument in your pseudo-code.

7. Assign the group argument by updating the AssignGroup line of code to the following:

   // var group = AssignGroup();
   

8. Since you have completed pseudo-code for the general tasks, you can take a moment to consider what data type to assign to the group variable.

   You want School A to have animals assigned into six groups. And you know that there are 18 animals. You also know that the animals are represented using string. So you can use a 2D array that contains six groups of three animals each.

9. Assign the group data type by updating the AssignGroup line of code to the following:

   // string[,] group = AssignGroup();
   

   You don't add any arguments to the AssignGroup method the default group value is six.

Check your work

In this task, you'll check that your pseudo-code performs the general tasks listed for each school. You'll also run the code to ensure there are no issues.

1. Compare your code to the following:

   using System;
   
   string[] pettingZoo = 
   {
       "alpacas", "capybaras", "chickens", "ducks", "emus", "geese", 
       "goats", "iguanas", "kangaroos", "lemurs", "llamas", "macaws", 
       "ostriches", "pigs", "ponies", "rabbits", "sheep", "tortoises",
   };
   
   // RandomizeAnimals();
   // string[,] group = AssignGroup();
   Console.WriteLine("School A");
   // PrintGroup(group);
   

2. At the Terminal command prompt, enter dotnet run

3. Verify that the "School A" message is displayed.