Creating a Console Diary App (Step-by-Step Guide)

This guide will walk you through the process of creating a simple console diary application similar to the one described in the provided code snippets. The application will allow users to add, list, and view journal entries.

Prerequisites

• A basic understanding of C# programming language
• .NET 9.0 SDK or later installed on your machine
• A text editor or integrated development environment (IDE)

Step 1: Create a new .NET console project

1. Open your terminal or command prompt.
2. Navigate to the directory where you want to create your project.
3. Run the following command to create a new .NET console project:

dotnet new console -n ConsoleDiary

Step 2: Add necessary NuGet packages

1. Navigate to the project folder:

cd ConsoleDiary

2. Add the required NuGet packages for Entity Framework Core and SQL Server:

dotnet add package Microsoft.EntityFrameworkCore
dotnet add package Microsoft.EntityFrameworkCore.SqlServer

Step 3: Create the database model

1. In the ConsoleDiary folder, create a new folder named Models.
2. In the Models folder, create a new class named JournalEntries.cs.
3. Define the JournalEntries model with properties: Id, Title, Content, and CreatedAt.

Step 4: Create the database context

1. In the ConsoleDiary folder, create a new file named DiaryContext.cs.
2. Define the DiaryContext class that inherits from DbContext.
3. Configure the database connection using the OnConfiguring method.
4. Define a DbSet property for the JournalEntries model.

Step 5: Implement the main program logic

1. Open the Program.cs file in the ConsoleDiary folder.
2. Replace the existing code with a simple menu-driven interface.
3. Implement the AddJournalEntry, ListEntries, and Exit functions.

Step 6: Run the application

1. Build the project by running the following command in the terminal:

dotnet build

2. Run the application by executing the following command:

dotnet run

Now you have a basic console diary application that allows users to add, list, and view journal entries.

Using the Console Diary App

Once the application is running, you will see a menu with the following options:

1. Add a new entry
2. List all entries
3. Exit

Choose an option by entering the corresponding number and pressing Enter.

Adding a new entry

1. Select option 1: "Add a new entry".
2. Enter the title for the journal entry.
3. Enter the content for the journal entry.
4. The entry will be saved to the database and displayed with a unique ID.

Listing all entries

1. Select option 2: "List all entries".
2. All journal entries will be displayed with their unique IDs, titles, and creation dates.

Exiting the application

1. Select option 3: "Exit".
2. The application will close.

That's it! You now have a simple console diary application that allows users to add, list, and view journal entries.