SeanOne.Iostream 1.0.2

IoStream for C#

Overview

IoStream is a lightweight C# library that aims to provide a set of chainable, highly readable input and output operations for console applications, simplifying the process of formatting output and validating input.

OutputStream

Overview

The OutputStream class is a static utility within the SeanOne.Iostream namespace that provides a comprehensive set of static methods for generating formatted console output. It supports printing various data types with built-in formatting options, customizable terminators, and configurable output patterns for collections and dictionaries.

Basic Usage

using SeanOne.Iostream;

// Simple chained printing
OutputStream.Print("Hello").Print("World", end:" ").Print(2023);
// Output: HelloWorld 2023

Core Methods

Print Methods

Print(object obj, string code="", string end = "")

using SeanOne.Iostream;

// Basic print with line ending
OutputStream.Print("First line", end:"\n").Print("Second line");
/* Output:
First line
Second line
*/

// Numeric formatting
OutputStream.Print(Math.PI, code:"/tostring:F2/end:!"); // "3.14!"

Print(IEnumerable collection, string code)

using SeanOne.Iostream;

var numbers = new List<int> {1, 2, 3};

// Collection printing
OutputStream.Print(numbers, code:"fe/end:, "); 
// Output: 1, 2, 3, 

// Exclude last separator
OutputStream.Print(numbers, code:"fe/end:, /exclude-last-end:true");
// Output: 1, 2, 3

PrintLine Methods

PrintLine()

using SeanOne.Iostream;

OutputStream.PrintLine() // Prints a new line

PrintLine(object obj, string code = "")

using SeanOne.Iostream;

// Basic print with line ending
OutputStream.PrintLine("First line").Print("Second line");
/* Output:
First line
Second line
*/

// Numeric formatting
OutputStream.PrintLine(Math.PI, code:"/tostring:F2/end:!"); // "3.14!"

Formatting with Code Parameter

The code parameter is processed by the CodeTranslator class and supports various formatting directives:

Common Parameters

Dictionary-Specific

using SeanOne.Iostream;

var dict = new Dictionary<int, string>{{1,"A"},{2,"B"}};

OutputStream.Print(dict, 
    code:"fe /dicformat:{0}={1} /end:; /keyformat:D2 /valueformat:%-3s /exclude-last-end:true");
// Output: 01=A;02=B

Examples

1. Formatted Number List

using SeanOne.Iostream;

double[] values = { 1.2, 3.4, 5.6 };
OutputStream.Print(values, code:"fe/end:\" | \" /tostring:F1 /exclude-last-end:true");
// Output: 1.2 | 3.4 | 5.6

2. Multi-line Output

using SeanOne.Iostream;

OutputStream.PrintLine("Results:")
           .Print(new[]{1,2,3}, code:"fe/end:\\n")
           .Print("End");
/* Output:
Results:
1
2
3
End
*/

3. Special Characters

using SeanOne.Iostream;

OutputStream.Print("Separated", code:"/end:\\u2026"); // "Separated…"

Error Handling

using SeanOne.Iostream;

try {
    OutputStream.Print("Text", code:"/tostring:F2"); // Throws ArgumentException
}
catch (ArgumentException ex) {
    Console.WriteLine($"Error: {ex.Message}");
}

Best Practices

1. Chain calls for complex output:

    using SeanOne.Iostream;
   
    OutputStream.Print("Start: ", end:"")
              .Print(items, code:"fe/end:, ")
              .PrintLine(); // Force final newline
   

2. Pre-format values when possible:

   using SeanOne.Iostream;
   
   string formatted = $"{value:F2}";
   OutputStream.Print(formatted);
   

3. Use /exclude-last-end:true for clean collection formatting

InputStream

Overview

The InputStream class is part of the SeanOne.Iostream namespace and provides a comprehensive set of static methods for reading validated user input from the console. It supports reading various data types with built-in validation, customizable error messages, and configurable console colors for error display.

Usage Examples

Basic Usage

using SeanOne.Iostream;

// Read a string
string name = InputStream.GetString();

// Read an integer with default error handling
int age = InputStream.GetInt();

// Read a decimal with custom error message
decimal price = InputStream.GetDecimal("Please enter a valid decimal number");

Advanced Usage

using SeanOne.Iostream;

// Set global error message and color
InputStream.ErrorMessage = "Invalid input detected!";
InputStream.ErrorConsoleForeColor = ConsoleColor.Red;

// Read input (will use global settings)
double value = InputStream.GetDouble();

// Reset global settings
InputStream.ResetPublicVariables();

// Read with specific error message and color
int quantity = InputStream.GetInt(
    "Please enter a valid integer", 
    ConsoleColor.Yellow
);

API Reference

Properties

• ErrorMessage: Global error message string
• ErrorConsoleForeColor: Global error message color

Utility

• ResetPublicVariables(): Resets the global error message to an empty string and the error console color to null, restoring default behavior.

Methods

Input Methods

The class provides methods for reading various data types including: GetString(), GetInt(), GetLong() etc

Each method has overloads that allow customization of error messages and console colors.

Utility

• ResetPublicVariables(): Resets global error message and color to default values

Notes

• All methods will continuously prompt until valid input is provided
• Method-specific error messages override global error messages
• Console colors are automatically restored after displaying error messages
• The class handles different line ending formats (\r, \n, and \r\n)

Example Program

using System;
using SeanOne.Iostream;

class Program
{
    static void Main()
    {
        OutputStream.PrintLine("Please enter your name:");
        string name = InputStream.GetString();
        
        OutputStream.PrintLine("Please enter your age:");
        int age = InputStream.GetInt("Invalid age. Please enter a number:");
        
        OutputStream.PrintLine("Please enter your height (in meters):");
        decimal height = InputStream.GetDecimal(
            "Invalid height format. Please use decimal format (e.g., 1.75):", 
            ConsoleColor.Red
        );
        
        OutputStream.PrintLine($"Hello {name}, you are {age} years old and {height}m tall.");
    }
}

Limitations

• Primarily designed for console applications
• Performance may be impacted when processing very large collections
• Some formatting options may not be available on all platforms

Contributing

This is a personal project, but feedback and suggestions are welcome.

License

This library is provided under the MIT License.

Link

• SeanOne.IoStream GitHub