Hey guys, so I've done all my programming in C++ up to this point and the syntax and logic surround IF ELSE statements seems to be a bit different. I'm learning the rules around C# now, and I can't seem to figure out why my little 20 line "pick a number" game isn't working. Maybe someone can clue me in? Here's the code.

            Console.WriteLine("Let's play a game!  I'm looking for a number 1-10");
            int rightNumber = -100;
            int points = 100;

            while (rightNumber < 3 || rightNumber > 3)
            {
                rightNumber = int.Parse(Console.ReadLine());

                if (rightNumber > 3)
                    Console.WriteLine("Too high!");
                    points = points - 1;
                else
                    if (rightNumber < 3)
                        Console.WriteLine("Too Low!");
                        points = points - 1;
                    else
                        Console.WriteLine("You go it!");
                        
            }

            Console.ReadLine();
            Console.WriteLine("Your points equal " + points);

So basically, it's a loop that continues to loop until you select the correct number. If you get the wrong number, you are notified and then a point is subtracted from your score. I want each section of my IF ELSE statement to do two things: 1. Notify the player that they were too high/low/correct and 2: if they were too low or two high, a point is added to their score. In C++, IF a statement was true, you could have it generate multiple effects. For some reason, I'm having a hard time making that happen in C#. Can anyone clue me in?

If you make if-statement which is more than 1 line, you'll need to add brackets.

Works:

if(someCondition)
    oneLiner++;

Doesn't work:

if(someCondition)
    oneLiner++;
    anotherLine--;

Works:

if(someCondition) {
    oneLiner++;
    anotherLine--;
}

So your if-else should look like this (I used brackets on single line else also just for consintancy) :

if (rightNumber > 3) {
    Console.WriteLine("Too high!");
    points = points - 1;
} else {
    if (rightNumber < 3) {
        Console.WriteLine("Too Low!");
        points = points - 1;
    } else {
        Console.WriteLine("You go it!");
    }
}

Note that this is the same as in C++.

This can cause quite interesting bug, a recent high-profile one being Apple's "goto" bug.

Ohhh, I see. Yeah, so it appears that in C++ you always need the brackets whether its one line or not. In C# you only need brackets if there is more than one line, is that the idea? I realize this is true also for loops, etc.

Edit: And Thanks!!!

Console.WriteLine("Let's play a game! I'm looking for a number 1-10");
int rightNumber = 3;
int inputtedNumber = 0;
int points = 100;

do
{
  inputtedNumber = int.Parse(Console.ReadLine());

  if (rightNumber < inputtedNumber) {
    Console.WriteLine("Too high!");
    points = points - 1;
  }
  else if (rightNumber > inputtedNumber) {
    Console.WriteLine("Too Low!");
    points = points - 1;
  }
  else {
    Console.WriteLine("You got it!");
  }
} while (rightNumber != inputtedNumber && points > 0)

Console.ReadLine();
Console.WriteLine("Your points equal " + points);

Sorry, there were several things bothering me about the code and I just felt compelled to provide my own version.

You don't need to always use brackets in C++ either, those bracket rules I said above apply for C++ also.

And yes, those brackets rules apply for while and for loops also.

Hm, I guess that just means I was using brackets in C++ even when I didn't need to.

Hm, I guess that just means I was using brackets in C++ even when I didn't need to.

Some style guides suggest you always use brackets to avoid the bug you are running into. Adding brackets doesn't really have any downsides either.

Ohhh, I see. Yeah, so it appears that in C++ you always need the brackets whether its one line or not. In C# you only need brackets if there is more than one line, is that the idea? I realize this is true also for loops, etc.

Nope.

It follows the pattern:

[Control Statement] [Action]

The action is whatever single thing follows the control statement. It can be a single expression, or it can be a block of expressions surrounded by curly brackets.

if(whatever) single_action;

My golden rule with brackets on while,if etc is that always assume they are never optional and put them in. So it adds a couple of extra characters to the code and 1-2 lines depending on your bracket style but it is explicit and harder to forget if you add that extra line later :)