Add multiple term search support

  • 20 minutes

The Contoso Pets app helps find new homes for abandoned pets. The team wants the search feature improved to let users enter multiple terms when searching for dogs to adopt.

Search specification

In this first challenge exercise, you need to update the single term search feature to allow users to enter multiple search terms separated by commas.

Gather multiple search terms from the user

  • Allow the user to enter multiple search terms when searching for dogs
  • The user needs instructions to "enter the search terms separated by commas"
  • Separate out individual search terms from the user entry string and store as values in an array
  • Sort the terms in the array in alphanumeric sort order

Identify dogs with descriptions with matches for one, or more, user search term

  • As you identify a dog in the animalsArray, search for matches for each term the user has entered
  • For a term match, output a message with the dogs name and the term that is matched
    • example: Our dog Jake is a match for your search for sheppard!
  • When all term searches complete for the current dog description:
    • For one or more matches, output the nickname and description for the current dog
    • For one or more matches, track that there has been a match so you know not to display an "no matches found for any available dogs" message (refer to the next item)
  • After all dog searches complete with no matches, display a message "No matches found for any available dogs"

Enforce the following validation rules

  • values can't be null
  • values can't have zero characters
  • any further restriction is up to the developer

Code comments

  • Numbered code comments in the starter code offer suggestions
  • The comments are in a sequential order and only the comments starting with #1, #2, and #3 apply to this exercise of the challenge

Sample output

  • Review the following animated image

    • Notice the temporary display of "searching..." followed by the current term (example: "searching...retriever")

    • Notice the order the terms appear in search is now in alphanumeric

    • Notice the messages for matches persist (example: "Our dog lola is a chase match!")

      Animated Screenshot of an example of application searching dog descriptions with four user submitted terms.

  • Review the sample output in the following section, "How to check your work", to further clarify how to implement features

How to check your work

To validate that your code satisfies the specified requirements, complete the following steps:

  1. Use Visual Studio Code to build and run your app.

Note

You can exit the verification test before completing all of the verification steps if see a result that does not satisfy the specification requirements. To force an exit from the running program, in the Terminal panel, press Ctrl-C. After exiting the running app, complete the edits that you believe will address the issue you are working on, save your updates to the Program.cs file, and then re-build and run your code.

  1. The terminal command prompt should display as the starting point for the program

  2. At the command prompt, enter 2 menu:

    Welcome to the Contoso PetFriends app. Your main menu options are:
 1. List all of our current pet information
 2. Display all dogs with a specified characteristic

Enter your selection number (or type Exit to exit the program)
2

Enter dog characteristics to search for separated by commas

  3. At the command prompt, enter large, cream, golden to test when more than one search term matches the dog descriptions. Verify that the Terminal panel updates with a message similar to the code output sample:

    Enter dog characteristics to search for separated by commas
large, cream, golden

Our dog Nickname: lola matches your search for cream
Our dog Nickname: lola matches your search for golden
Nickname: lola (ID #: d1)
Physical description: medium sized cream colored female golden retriever weighing about 45 pounds. housebroken.
Personality: loves to have her belly rubbed and likes to chase her tail. gives lots of kisses.

Our dog Nickname: gus matches your search for golden
Our dog Nickname: gus matches your search for large
Nickname: gus (ID #: d2)
Physical description: large reddish-brown male golden retriever weighing about 85 pounds. housebroken.
Personality: loves to have his ears rubbed when he greets you at the door, or at any time! loves to lean-in and give doggy hugs.

Press the Enter key to continue

  4. At the command prompt, press the enter key to continue to the main menu

  5. At the command prompt, enter 2 menu:

    Welcome to the Contoso PetFriends app. Your main menu options are:
 1. List all of our current pet information
 2. Display all dogs with a specified characteristic

Enter your selection number (or type Exit to exit the program)
2

Enter dog characteristics to search for separated by commas

  6. At the command prompt, enter big, grey, stripes to test when none of the search terms match dog descriptions. Verify that the Terminal panel updates with a message similar to the code output samples:

    Enter dog characteristics to search for separated by commas
big, grey, stripes

None of our dogs are a match for: big, grey, stripes


Press the Enter key to continue

  7. If you specified further restrictions for valid entries, run the appropriate test cases to verify your work.

Note

If your code meets the requirements you should be able to complete each step in order and see the expected results in a single test pass. If you added additional restrictions, you may need to exit the application and then run a separate test pass to complete your verification.

Congratulations if you succeeded in this challenge exercise!