If

Bob
Bob in C#
using System.Linq;

public static class Bob
{
    public static string Response(string message)
    {
        if (IsSilence(message))
            return "Fine. Be that way!";

        if (IsYell(message) && IsQuestion(message))
            return "Calm down, I know what I'm doing!";

        if (IsYell(message))
            return "Whoa, chill out!";

        if (IsQuestion(message))
            return "Sure.";

        return "Whatever.";
    }

    private static bool IsSilence(string message)
    {
        return string.IsNullOrWhiteSpace(message);
    }

    private static bool IsYell(string message)
    {
        return message.Any(char.IsLetter) && message.ToUpperInvariant() == message;
    }

    private static bool IsQuestion(string message)
    {
        return message.TrimEnd().EndsWith("?");
    }
}

In this approach you have a series of if statements using the private methods to evaluate the conditions. As soon as the right condition is found, the correct response is returned.

Note that there are no else if or else statements. If an if statement can return, then an else if or else is not needed. Execution will either return or will continue to the next statement anyway.

The LINQ method EndsWith is used to determine if the input ends with a question mark.

The String method IsNullOrWhiteSpace is used to determine if the input is null or only contains whitespace characters.

The first half of the yell condition

message.Any(char.IsLetter) && message.ToUpperInvariant()

is constructed from the Any LINQ method and the IsLetter Char method to ensure there is at least one letter character in the String. This is because the second half of the condition tests that the uppercased input is the same as the input. If the input were only "123" it would equal itself uppercased, but without letters it would not be a yell. The uppercasing is done by using the String method ToUpperInvariant.

Note

The invariant culture represents a culture that is culture-insensitive. It is associated with the English language but not with a specific country or region. For more information, see the CultureInfo.InvariantCulture property.

Extension methods

For this exercise you could add behavior to the String type using Extension methods, like so

private static bool IsSilence(this string message) =>
    string.IsNullOrWhiteSpace(message);

which would be called like so

if (message.IsSilence())
    return "Fine. Be that way!";

Shortening

When the body of an if statement is a single line, both the test expression and the body could be put on the same line, like so

if (IsSilence(message)) return "Fine. Be that way!";

The C# Coding Conventions advise to write only one statement per line in the layout conventions section, but the conventions begin by saying you can use them or adapt them to your needs. Your team may choose to overrule them.

When the body of a function is a single expression, the function can be implemented as a member-bodied expression, like so

private static bool IsSilence(string message) =>
    string.IsNullOrWhiteSpace(message);

or

private static bool IsSilence(string message) => string.IsNullOrWhiteSpace(message);

A ternary operator can be used to shorten the code and make the logic more efficient, like so

if (IsSilence(message))
      return "Fine. Be that way!";
if (IsQuestion(message))
    return IsYell(message) ? "Calm down, I know what I'm doing!": "Sure.";
if (IsYell(message))
    return "Whoa, chill out!";
return "Whatever.";

If the input is a question, then the the ternary operator returns the response for a yelled question or just a question. If the input is not a question, then the function tests if it is a yell. If the input is a yell, then it can simply return the response for a yell, since it is already known that it is not a question. The ternary operator makes the code more efficient while reducing the number of lines.

6th Nov 2024 · Found it useful?