Welcome to C# Project 7 - Simple Stopwatch

This project will guide you through creating a simple console application in C# that functions as a stopwatch, allowing the user to start, stop, and reset the timer. It's designed for beginners to practice working with the DateTime class and user input in C#.

Hardware Setup

Ensure you have the following hardware components:

A computer with internet access.
A keyboard and mouse for typing and navigation.

Software Requirements

Here are the software tools you'll need for this project:

Visual Studio Code or Visual Studio - These are popular Integrated Development Environments (IDEs) for C# development.
.NET SDK - Required to compile and run C# programs.

Knowledge Prerequisites

To successfully complete this project, you should be familiar with the following concepts:

Basic understanding of computer operation.
Basic C# syntax and data types.
Working with the DateTime class.

Difficulty Rating

Moderate Difficulty

Project Time!!!

“The best way to predict the future is to invent it.” - Alan Kay

Project Steps:

Done

Download and install Visual Studio or Visual Studio Code.
Download and install the .NET SDK.

Done

Open your chosen IDE (Visual Studio or Visual Studio Code).
Open a terminal in your IDE.
Type the following command to create a new console application:
```
dotnet new console -n SimpleStopwatch
```
Navigate to the project directory:
```
cd SimpleStopwatch
```

Done

Open the `Program.cs` file in your IDE.

Replace the existing code with the following:


using System;
using System.Diagnostics;
using System.Threading;

namespace SimpleStopwatch
{
    class Program
    {
        static void Main(string[] args)
        {
            Stopwatch stopwatch = new Stopwatch();
            string command = "";

            Console.WriteLine("Simple Stopwatch Application");
            Console.WriteLine("Commands: start, stop, reset, exit");

            while (command != "exit")
            {
                Console.WriteLine("Enter a command:");
                command = Console.ReadLine().Trim();
                
                switch (command)
                {
                    case "start":
                        stopwatch.Start();
                        Console.WriteLine("Stopwatch started.");
                        break;
                    case "stop":
                        stopwatch.Stop();
                        Console.WriteLine($"Stopwatch stopped. Elapsed time: {stopwatch.Elapsed}");
                        break;
                    case "reset":
                        stopwatch.Reset();
                        Console.WriteLine("Stopwatch reset.");
                        break;
                    case "exit":
                        break;
                    default:
                        Console.WriteLine("Unknown command.");
                        break;
                }

                if (command != "exit")
                {
                    Console.WriteLine($"Current elapsed time: {stopwatch.Elapsed}");
                }
            }

            Console.WriteLine("Exiting Stopwatch Application.");
        }
    }
}

Save the file.

Done

In the terminal, type the following command to run your application:
```
dotnet run
```
Test the application by starting, stopping, and resetting the stopwatch to ensure everything works as expected.

Welcome to C# Project 7 - Simple Stopwatch

Hardware Setup

Software Requirements

Knowledge Prerequisites

Difficulty Rating

Moderate Difficulty

Project Time!!!

Project Steps:

Congratulations! You've created and run your first C# simple stopwatch application. Now you're ready to tackle more complex projects.