where to declare variables

[John Salerno]

Here's my full code:

using System;
using System.Collections.Generic;
using System.Text;
using System.IO;

namespace PatternMatcher
{
class Program
{
private const string path = @"C:\switches.txt";

static void Main(string[] args)
{
RunPatternMatcher();
}

private static void RunPatternMatcher()
{
InitializeArrays();
}

private static void InitializeArrays()
{
//FileStream stream = new FileStream(path, FileMode.Open,
FileAccess.Read);
//StreamReader readSwitchValues = new StreamReader(stream);

StreamReader readSwitchValues = new StreamReader(path);

string[] allSwitchValues =
readSwitchValues.ReadToEnd().Split('|');
readSwitchValues.Close();

string[][,] panelOne = FillPanel(allSwitchValues, 0);
string[][,] panelTwo = FillPanel(allSwitchValues, 8 * 2 * 10);
string[][,] panelThree = FillPanel(allSwitchValues, 8 * 2 *
10 * 2);
string[][,] panelFour = FillPanel(allSwitchValues, 8 * 2 *
10 * 3);

//string[][][,] allPanels = new string[4][][,];
//allPanels[0] = panelOne;
//allPanels[1] = panelTwo;
//allPanels[2] = panelThree;
//allPanels[3] = panelFour;
}

private static string[][,] FillPanel(string[] switches, int
startIndex)
{
string[][,] panel = new string[8][,];

for (int i = 0; i < 8; i++)
{
panel[i] = new string[2, 10];

for (int x = 0; x < 2; x++)
for (int y = 0; y < 10; y++)
panel[i][x, y] = switches[startIndex++];
}

return panel;
}
}
}
The thing is, I need access to the panel arrays after the
InitializeArrays() method is done, so I guess I can't declare them
within the method. Should they be declared in the RunPatternMatcher
method? Or in the class itself? Should they be static?

[jeremiah johnson]

What you want are called fields.

Here's how you declare them:

namespace PatternMatcher {

class Program {

private const string path = @"c:\switches.txt";

string[][,] panelOne; // these are fields, just as
string[][,] panelTwo; // your const above is a field.
string[][,] panelThree;

//... your code continues.

}
}

John Salerno wrote:

Here's my full code:

using System;
using System.Collections.Generic;
using System.Text;
using System.IO;

namespace PatternMatcher
{
class Program
{
private const string path = @"C:\switches.txt";

static void Main(string[] args)
{
RunPatternMatcher();
}

private static void RunPatternMatcher()
{
InitializeArrays();
}

private static void InitializeArrays()
{
//FileStream stream = new FileStream(path, FileMode.Open,
FileAccess.Read);
//StreamReader readSwitchValues = new StreamReader(stream);

StreamReader readSwitchValues = new StreamReader(path);

string[] allSwitchValues =
readSwitchValues.ReadToEnd().Split('|');
readSwitchValues.Close();

string[][,] panelOne = FillPanel(allSwitchValues, 0);
string[][,] panelTwo = FillPanel(allSwitchValues, 8 * 2 * 10);
string[][,] panelThree = FillPanel(allSwitchValues, 8 * 2 *
10 * 2);
string[][,] panelFour = FillPanel(allSwitchValues, 8 * 2 *
10 * 3);

//string[][][,] allPanels = new string[4][][,];
//allPanels[0] = panelOne;
//allPanels[1] = panelTwo;
//allPanels[2] = panelThree;
//allPanels[3] = panelFour;
}

private static string[][,] FillPanel(string[] switches, int
startIndex)
{
string[][,] panel = new string[8][,];

for (int i = 0; i < 8; i++)
{
panel[i] = new string[2, 10];

for (int x = 0; x < 2; x++)
for (int y = 0; y < 10; y++)
panel[i][x, y] = switches[startIndex++];
}

return panel;
}
}
}
The thing is, I need access to the panel arrays after the
InitializeArrays() method is done, so I guess I can't declare them
within the method. Should they be declared in the RunPatternMatcher
method? Or in the class itself? Should they be static?

[Peter Gummer]

jeremiah johnson wrote:

string[][,] panelOne; // these are fields, just as
string[][,] panelTwo; // your const above is a field.

John should also note that he would need to declare the fields static,
because all of his routines are static. Either that or create a real
object and make all the methods (except Main) non-static.

I would do the latter. Statics have a nasty habit of causing code to
become inflexible as it grows. Static variables are basically just
global variables encapsulated in a class. They're not quite as evil as
completely global variables in old languages like C, but they do share
most of the disadvantages. I avoid statics except where they are
absolutely needed, e.g. for singletons.

-- Peter Gummer

[John Salerno]

Peter Gummer wrote:

jeremiah johnson wrote:

string[][,] panelOne; // these are fields, just as
string[][,] panelTwo; // your const above is a field.

John should also note that he would need to declare the fields static,
because all of his routines are static. Either that or create a real
object and make all the methods (except Main) non-static.

I would do the latter. Statics have a nasty habit of causing code to
become inflexible as it grows. Static variables are basically just
global variables encapsulated in a class. They're not quite as evil as
completely global variables in old languages like C, but they do share
most of the disadvantages. I avoid statics except where they are
absolutely needed, e.g. for singletons.

-- Peter Gummer

Thanks Jeremiah, your method worked great.

Peter, if I use your way, how exactly would that go? Would I create an
object of type Program? Or do I need another class?

[Peter Gummer]

John Salerno wrote:

Peter, if I use your way, how exactly would that go? Would I create
an object of type Program? Or do I need another class?

Either. The simplest thing would be to create an object of type Program.

-- Peter Gummer

[John Salerno]

Peter Gummer wrote:

John Salerno wrote:

Peter, if I use your way, how exactly would that go? Would I create
an object of type Program? Or do I need another class?

Either. The simplest thing would be to create an object of type Program.

-- Peter Gummer

Thanks.