Chapter 3

Variables, Constants
and Calculations

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 Chapter Objectives - 1

• Distinguish between variables, constants,

and controls
• Differentiate among the various data types
• Apply naming conventions incorporating
standards and indicating the data type
• Declare variables and constants
• Select the appropriate scope for a variable
• Convert text input to numeric values
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 Chapter Objectives - 2
• Perform calculations using variables and
constants
• Convert between numeric data types using
implicit and explicit conversions
• Round decimal values using the decimal.Round
method
• Format values for output using the ToString
method
• Use try/catch blocks for error handling
• Display message boxes with error messages
• Accumulate sums and generate counts

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 Data – Variables and Constants - 1

• Variable
– Memory locations that hold data that can
change during project execution
• Example: Customer's name
• Constant
– Memory locations that hold data that cannot
change during execution
• Examples: Company name or sales tax rate

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 Data – Variables and Constants - 2

• Declare a variable or named constant

– C# reserves an area of memory
– Assign a name, called an identifier
– Specify identifier names according to C# rules and
naming conventions
• Declaration statements
– Establish project variables and constants
– Give variables and constants names
– Specify type of data held
– Not executable

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 Data – Variables and Constants - 3

• Sample declaration statements

//Declare a string variable.
string nameString;

//Declare integer variables.

int counterInteger;
int maxInteger = 100;

//Declare a named constant.

const decimal DISCOUNT_RATE_Decimal = .15M;

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 Data Types - 1

bool true or false values

byte 0 to 255, binary data
char Single Unicode character
DateTime 1/1/0001 00:00:00 through 12/31/9999 23:59:59
decimal Decimal fractions, such as dollars & cents, precision of 28 digits
float Single-precision floating-point numbers, six digits of accuracy
double Double-precision floating-point numbers, 14 digits of accuracy
short Small integer in the range –32,768 to +32,767
int Whole numbers in the range – 2,147,483,648 to +2,147,483,647
long Larger whole numbers
string Alphanumeric data: letters, digits and other characters
object Any type of data

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 Data Types - 2

• Common types of variables and constants

– string
– int
– decimal
• Guideline for use
– Data used in calculations must be numeric
• decimal – any decimal fraction including dollars
• int – whole number calculations
• float and double – scientific applications
– Text characters and numbers not used in calculations
• string – including phone or social security numbers

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 Naming Rules

• May contain letters, digits, and

underscores
• Must begin with a letter or underscore
• Cannot contain spaces or periods
• Cannot be reserved words (keywords)
– Examples: print, name, value
• Case sensitive
– sumInteger, SumInteger, suminteger and
SUMINTEGER are different variables
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 Naming Conventions

• Should follow naming conventions

– Identifiers must be meaningful
• Clearly indicate the purpose
• Do not abbreviate
• Do not use X or Y
– Include the class (data type)
– Use camel casing for variables
• Begin with a lowercase letter
• Capitalize each successive word
– Use uppercase for constants
• Separate words with underscores

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 Constants: Named and Intrinsic

• Constants contain a value that does not

change
• Intrinsic
– Built into the environment, not defined
• Named
– Defined by programmer

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 Named Constants - 1

• Declare using keyword const

• Assign name, data type, value
• A constant’s value cannot be changed
during a project’s execution
• Data type declared and data type of value
must match
– Example – integer constant declared, integer
value must be assigned

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 Named Constants - 2

• Two advantages to using

– Easier to read
• MAXIMUM_PAY_Decimal more meaningful than
1000
• To change value, change constant declaration
once, not every reference in code
• const Statement – Examples
const string COMPANY_ADDRESS_String = “101 S. Main Street”;
const decimal SALES_TAX_RATE_Decimal = .08m;

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 Assigning Values to Constants - 1

• Numeric constants
– May contain only digits (0-9)
– Decimal point
– Sign at the left side (+ or -)
– Type declaration character at the right side (optional)
– Cannot contain comma, dollar sign, any other special
characters, sign (+ or -) at right side
– Use type declaration character to specify the data
type decimal M or m
• Without type declaration character, double D or d
whole numbers assumed to be int long L or l
and fractional values assumed to be short S or s
double float F or f

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 Assigning Values to Constants - 2

• String constants (or literals)

– Enclose in quotes
– Can contain letters, digits, and special
characters
– To include a quotation mark within a literal,
precede the quotation mark with a backslash
(\)
"He said, \“I like it.\" "
produces the string: He said, “I like it."

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 Intrinsic Constants

• System-defined constants
• Declared in system class libraries
• Specify class name or group name and
constant name
– Example – Color.Red is the constant “Red” in
the class “Color”

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 Declaring Variables - 1

• Declare a variable
– Specify data type and follow with an
identifier
– Assign an initial value (optional)
string customerNameString;
string customerNameString = “None”;
private int totalSoldInteger;
int totalSoldInteger = 0;
float temperatureFloat;
float temperatureFloat = 32f;
decimal priceDecimal;
private decimal priceDecimal = 99.95m;

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 Declaring Variables - 2

• Declare several variables in one statement

– Data type at beginning of statement applies to
all variables in statement
– Separate variable names with commas
– End statement with a semicolon (;)
string nameString, addressString, phoneString;
decimal priceDecimal, totalDecimal;
int countInteger = 0, totalInteger = 0;

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 Initializing Numeric Variables

• Must assign a value before use

– Variable must appear on left side of equal
sign before used on right side of equal sign
• Initialize a variable when declared
int quantityInteger = 0;
• Or declare variable and assign value later
int quantityInteger;
quantityInteger = int.Parse(quantityTextBox.Text);

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 Entering Declaration Statements

• IntelliSense helps in entering declaration

statements
– Type correct entry
– List scrolls to correct section
– When correct entry is highlighted
• Press Enter, Tab, or spacebar or double-click entry
with mouse

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 Scope and Lifetime of Variables

• Visibility of a variable is its scope

– Namespace
• Also referred to as global
– Class-level
– Local
– Block
• Scope of variable determined by where it
is declared

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 Variable Lifetime

• Period of time a variable exists

– Local or block variable
• One execution of a method
• After execution variables disappear, memory
locations are released
– Class-level variable
• Entire time class is loaded (usually lifetime of
project)
• Variables maintain value for multiple executions of
a method

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 Local Declarations

• Variable declared inside a method is local

in scope
– Known only to that method
• Must be declared prior to first use
– All declarations should appear at the top of a
method (after comments)
• All constants should be declared at class
level
– Easy to locate to facilitate any changes

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 Class-Level Declarations

• Variables declared at class level can be

used anywhere in that form’s class
• Place after opening brace for class,
outside of any method

Class variables
and constants

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 Calculations

• Calculations are performed with

– Variables
– Constants
– Properties of certain objects
• i.e. Text property of text box or label
• Character strings must be converted to correct
data type first

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 Converting Strings to a Numeric Data Type

• Parse method converts the Text property of a

control to a numeric value that can be used in
calculations
• int.Parse converts text to an integer
• decimal.Parse converts text to a decimal
• Pass the text string to convert as an argument of
the Parse method
// Convert input values to numeric variables.
quantityInteger = int.Parse(quantityTextBox.Text);
priceDecimal = decimal.Parse(priceTextBox.Text);
//Calculate the extended price.
extendedPriceDecimal = quantityInteger * priceDecimal;
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 Using the Parse Methods

• Parse attempts to convert the string to the

specified data type
– Values such as blanks or nonnumeric
characters cause an error
• Parse methods exist for long, float or
double conversions
quantityInteger = int.Parse(quantityTextBox.Text);
priceDecimal = decimal.Parse(priceTextBox.Text);
wholeNumberInteger = int.Parse(digitString);

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 Converting to String

• Assignment must be of like types

– Assign a string value to a string variable or
property
– Assign a numeric value to a numeric variable
or property
• To assign the result of a calculation to the
Text property of a control, use the
ToString method
resultTextBox.Text = resultDecimal.ToString();
countTextBox.Text = countInteger.ToString();
idString = idInteger.ToString();
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 Arithmetic Operations - 1

Operator Operation

+ Addition

– Subtraction
 Multiplication

/ Division

% Modulus – remainder of division

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 Arithmetic Operations - 2

• Modulus (%)
– Returns the remainder of a division operation
// Assume that totalMinutesInteger = 150
minutesInteger = totalMinutesInteger % 60;

// Result is 30.
// (150 divided by 60 is 2 with a remainder of 30.)

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 Arithmetic Operations - 3

• Division (/)
– Divide fractional values or integers
– If at least one value is fractional, the result is
fractional
– If both values are integer, the result is integer
(any remainder is dropped)
// Assume that minutesInteger = 150
// Integer division.
hoursInteger = minutesInteger / 60; // Result is 2.
// Fractional division.
hoursFloat = minutesInteger / 60.0f; // Result is 2.5.

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 Arithmetic Operations - 4

• Exponentiation
– C# does not have an operator for
exponentiation
– Use Math.Pow
• See Appendix B for Math methods
• See Chapter 5 for an example
– “Writing a Method with Multiple Arguments”

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 Order of Operations - 1

• Hierarchy of operations or order of

precedence in arithmetic expressions
1. Any operation inside parentheses
2. Multiplication and division
3. Modulus
4. Addition and subtraction

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 Order of Operations - 2

• Using parentheses controls the order of

evaluation

3 + 4  2 = 11 Multiply then add

(3 + 4)  2 = 14 Add then multiply

8 / 4 2 = 4 Divide then multiply

8 / (4  2) = 1 Multiply then divide

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 Order of Operations - 3

• Evaluation of an expression occurs in this

order
1. All operations within parentheses
Multiple operations within the parentheses are performed
according to the rules of precedence
2. All multiplication and division
Multiple operations are performed from left to right
3. Modulus operations
Multiple operations are performed from left to right
4. All addition and subtraction are performed from left
to right

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 Using Calculations in Code

• Perform calculations in assignment statements

– Calculation appears on the right side of the equal sign
– Result is assigned to a variable or property on the left
side of the equal sign (never a constant)

averageDecimal = sumDecimal / countInteger;

amountDueLabel.Text = (priceDecimal – (priceDecimal *
discountRateDecimal)).ToString();
commissionTextBox.Text = (salesTotalDecimal *
commissionRateDecimal).ToString();

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 Assignment Operators

• Combined assignment operators

– Perform both a calculation and an assignment
• += Add to the operator on the left
totalSalesDecimal += saleDecimal;
• –= Subtract from the operator on the left
countDownInteger –= 1;
• = Multiply by operator on left and assign result to the operator
resultInteger = 2;
• /= Divide into operator on left and assign result to the operator
sumDecimal /= countInteger;
• += (Strings) concatenate to the operator on the left
bigString += smallString;

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 Increment and Decrement Operators

• Increment (++) — Adds 1 to a variable

countInteger++;
• Decrement (– –) — Subtracts 1 from the variable
countDownInteger– –;
• Prefix notation
– Prefix to perform the increment before the arithmetic operation
Add 1 to countInteger before subtracting from 100
resultInteger = 100 – ++countInteger;
• Postfix notation
– Postfix to perform the increment after the arithmetic operation
Subtract countInteger from 100 before incrementing countInteger
resultInteger = 100 – countInteger++;

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 Converting between Numeric Data Types - 1

• Implicit conversions
– Converts value from narrower data type to a wider
type when there is no danger of losing precision
• Note: C# has no implicit conversions to convert from decimal

From To
byte short, int, long, float, double, decimal
short int, long, float, double, decimal
int long, float, double, decimal
long float, double, decimal
float double

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 Converting between Numeric Data Types - 2

• Explicit conversions
– Also called casting
– Convert between data types without implicit
conversions
– Specify the destination data type in
parentheses before the data value to convert
– Generates an exception if significant digits will
be lost
numberDecimal = (decimal) numberFloat;
valueInt = (int) valueDouble;

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 Converting between Numeric Data Types - 3

• Convert class methods

– C# methods available
• ToDecimal, ToSingle, ToDouble
– Integer data types use .NET class names
• short – ToInt16
• int – ToInt32
• long – ToInt64
– Examples
numberDecimal = Convert.ToDecimal(numberSingle);
valueInteger = Convert.ToInt32(valueDouble);

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 Performing Calculations with
Unlike Data Types
• C# performs the calculations using the wider
data type
• Perform a cast if you want to convert the result
to a different data type
(int) countInteger / numberDecimal
(float) countInteger / numberDecimal
• C# does not convert to a different data type until
necessary
countInteger / 2  amountDecimal
– Division produces an integer intermediate result; then
multiplication produces a decimal result

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 Rounding Numbers
• Round decimal fractions using decimal.Round
– Returns a decimal result rounded to the specified number of
digits
// Round to two decimal positions.
resultDecimal = decimal.Round(amountDecimal, 2);
• decimal.Round and Convert methods use "rounding
toward even" if the digit to the right of the final digit is
exactly 5.
Number of decimal
Decimal value to round Result
positions
1.455 2 1.46
1.445 2 1.44
1.5 0 2
2.5 0 2

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 Formatting Data for Display

• Display numeric data in a label or text box

by converting the value to a string
– Use ToString method
displayTextBox.Text = numberInteger.ToString();

• Format the data using formatting codes as

an argument of the ToString method
– Specifies dollar sign, percent sign, and
commas
– Specifies the number of digits to the right of
the decimal point
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 Using Format Specifier Codes - 1
• "C" or "c" – Currency
– String formatted with a dollar sign, commas separating each
group of three digits, and two digits to the right of the decimal
point
extendedpriceTextBox.Text = (quantityInteger * priceDecimal).ToString("C");
• "N" or "n" – Number
– String formatted with commas separating each group of three
digits, two digits to right of the decimal point
discountTextBox.Text = discountDecimal.ToString("N");
• Specify number of decimal positions by placing a
numeric digit following the specifier code
discountTextBox.Text = discountDecimal.ToString("N3");

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 Using Format Specifier Codes - 2
• Additional Format Specifier Codes
– "F" or "f" – Fixed point
• String of numeric digits, no commas, two decimal places,
minus sign at left for negative values
– "D" or "d" – Digits
• Force a specified number of digits to display
• For integer data types only, minus sign at left
– "P" or "p" – Percent
• Multiplies the value by 100, adds a space and a percent sign,
rounds to two decimal places
– Additional codes for dates and times
• d, D, t, T, f, F, g, G, m, M, r, R
• Date and time codes are case sensitive

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 Choosing the Controls
for Program Output
• Output can display in labels or text boxes
– Labels – Cannot be changed by the user
• Used traditionally for program output
– Text boxes – Can be changed by the user
• To use for output
– Set ReadOnly property to true (BackColor property changes to
Control)
– Set TabStop property to false
– Set BorderStyle property to Fixed3D or FixedSingle
• Advantages over using labels for output
– Text boxes do not disappear when cleared
– Form layout looks more uniform
– The clipboard Copy command is available to the user

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 Format Specifier Code Examples
Format Specifier
Variable Value Output
Code
totalDecimal 1125.6744 "C" $1,125.67
totalDecimal 1125.6744 "N" 1,125.67
totalDecimal 1125.6744 "N0" 1,126
balanceDecimal 1125.6744 "N3" 1,125.674
balanceDecimal 1125.6744 "F0" 1126
pinInteger 123 "D6" 000123
rateDecimal 0.075 "P" 7.50 %
rateDecimal 0.075 "P3" 7.500 %
rateDecimal 0.075 "P0" 8%
valueInteger –10 "C" ($10.00)
valueInteger –10 "N" – 10.00
valueInteger –10 "D3" – 010

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 Handling Exceptions

• Exceptions cause run-time errors

– Blank or non-numeric data cause Parse methods to
fail
– Entering a number that results in an attempt to divide
by zero
• Exception Handling catches bad data before a
run-time error occurs
– Writing code to catch exceptions is called exception
handling
– Exception handling in Visual Studio.NET is
standardized for all languages that use the CLR

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 try/catch Blocks

• Enclose any statement(s) that might cause

an error in a try/catch block
– If an exception occurs while the statements in
the try block are executing, program control
transfers to the catch block
– The code in a finally block (if included)
executes last, whether or not an exception
occurred

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 The try Block – General Form
• try
• {
• // Statements that may cause error.
• }
• catch [(ExceptionType [VariableName])]
• {
• // Statements for action when exception occurs.
• }
• [finally
• {
• // Statements that always execute before exit of try
block.
• }]

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 The try Block - Example

• Write different catch statements to specify the

type of exception to catch
• This catch will catch any exception
try
{
quantityInteger = int.Parse(quantityTextBox.Text);
quantityTextBox.Text = quantityInteger.ToString();
}
catch
{
messageLabel.Text = "Error in input data.";
}
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 The Exception Class - 1

• Each exception is an instance of the

Exception class
– The properties of this class allow the
programmer to:
• Determine the code location of the error
• Determine the type and cause of the error
• The Message property contains a text message
about the error
• The Source property contains the name of the
object causing the error
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 The Exception Class - 2

• Include the text message associated

with the exception
• Declare a variable name in the catch
statement for the exception
catch (FormatException theException)
{
messageLabel.Text = "Error in input data: " theException.Message;
}

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 Handling Multiple Exceptions - 1

• Include multiple catch blocks (handlers)

• Catch statements are checked in sequence
• First one with a matching exception is used
• Same variable name can be used for multiple
catch statements
– Variable’s scope is only that block
– Omit variable name for exception if no need to refer to
properties of the exception object in the catch block

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 Handling Multiple Exceptions - 2
catch (FormatException theException)
{
// Statements for nonnumeric data.
}
catch (ArithmeticException theException)
{
// Statements to handle calculation problem.
}
catch (Exception theException)
{
// Statements for any other exception.
}

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 Displaying Messages in Message Boxes

• Display a message in a message box

– User has entered invalid data
– User neglects to enter required data
• Specify message, optional icon, title bar text and
buttons
• Use Show method of the MessageBox object to
display a message box

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 The MessageBox Object –
General Form
• Arguments must match one of the formats
• Do not reverse, transpose or leave out any
argument

MessageBox.Show(TextMessage);
MessageBox.Show(TextMessage, TitlebarText);
MessageBox.Show(TextMessage, TitlebarText, MessageBoxButtons);
MessageBox.Show(TextMessage, TitlebarText, MessageBoxButtons, MessageBoxIcon);

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 The TextMessage String

• TextMessage String
– String literal enclosed in quotes
– String variable
– May concatenate several items
• i.e. Combine a literal with a variable value
– If message is too long, will wrap to next line

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 The Titlebar Text

• TitlebarText
– Appears in the title bar of message box
– If no TitlebarText argument, title bar will
appear empty

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 MessageBox Buttons

• Specify button(s) to display

– Use the MessageBoxButtons constants of
MessageBox class
• OK (default)
• OKCancel
• RetryCancel
• YesNo
• YesNoCancel
• AbortRetryIgnore

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 MessageBoxIcon
• IntelliSense pops up with complete list
• Constants for MessageBoxIcon
– Asterisk
– Error
– Exclamation
– Hand
– Information
– None
– Question
– Stop
– Warning

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 Using Overloaded Methods

• Overloading allows the Show method to

act differently for different arguments
• Each argument list is called a signature
– The Show method has several signatures
• Supplied arguments must exactly match
one of the signatures
• IntelliSense helps in entering the
arguments (no need to look up or
memorize the signatures)
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 Testing Multiple Fields

• Each input field presents an opportunity

for an exception
• To indicate the field that caused the error,
nest one try/catch block inside another
one

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 Nested try/catch Blocks - 1

• One try/catch block completely contained inside

another one is a nested try/catch block
– Nest as deeply as needed
– Place calculations within the most deeply nested try
• Do not perform calculations unless all input values are
converted without an exception
– Test each Parse method
• Specify which field caused error and set focus back to field in
error
• Use SelectAll method of text box
– Makes text appear selected to aid user

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 Nested try/catch Blocks - 2
try // Outer try block for the first field.
{
// Convert first field to numeric.
try // Inner try block for the second field.
{
// Convert second field to numeric.
// Perform the calculations for the fields that passed conversion.
}
catch (FormatException secondException)
{
// Handle any exceptions for the second field.
// Display a message and reset the focus for the second field.
}
// End of inner try block for the second field.
}
catch (FormatException firstException)
{
// Handle exceptions for the first field.
// Display a message and reset the focus for the first field.
}
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 Counting & Accumulating Sums

• Declare a class level variable

– Retains its value for multiple calls
• Allows accumulation of totals
• Static variables
– Discussed in Chapter 12

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 Summing Numbers

• Declare a class-level variable

• Inside the calculate event handler
– Add the current amount to the total

totalAmountDecimal += amountDecimal;

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 Counting

• Declare a counter variable as integer at

the class-level

int saleCountInteger;

• Add 1 to the counter variable in the

calculate event method

saleCountInteger ++;

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 Calculating an Average

• Divide sum of items by count of items

averageSaleDecimal = totalAmountDecimal /
saleCountInteger;

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