CatFactsApp

Overview

CatFacts is a simple C# console application that retrieves cat facts from a local API, categorizes them based on specific rules, and displays the results grouped by status (SUCCESS, WARNING, ERROR). It also logs the results to a file (catfacts_log.txt). The app is designed to process facts with the following rules:

• SUCCESS: Facts that are unused (used: false) and created on or after February 1, 2018.
• WARNING: Facts that are used (used: true) or created before February 1, 2018.
• ERROR: Duplicate facts (based on the fact text), except for the special case below.

This app is to help Sarah in accounting share cat facts with her colleagues.

CatFacts Setup Script

This script provides step-by-step instructions to set up and run CatFacts, a C# console application that retrieves and categorizes cat facts from an API.

Prerequisites

Before starting, ensure you have:

• .NET 8.0 SDK: Required to build and run the app.
• PowerShell: For running commands (included on Windows; use PowerShell Core on macOS/Linux).
• Internet Access: To download dependencies and access the API.
• CatFacts.zip: The project archive containing CatFacts.csproj, Program.cs, catfacts_log.txt and this file.

Setup Steps

1. Install .NET 8.0 SDK Visit https://dotnet.microsoft.com/download/dotnet/8.0 in a web browser. Download and install the .NET 8.0 SDK for your operating system (Windows, macOS, or Linux). Open PowerShell (Windows: search "PowerShell" in Start menu; macOS/Linux: use terminal with PowerShell Core) and verify:

dotnet --version

Confirm the output shows 8.0.x (e.g., 8.0.100). If not, reinstall the SDK. macOS/Linux Note: Install PowerShell Core if needed:

winget install --id Microsoft.PowerShell

2. Extract the Project Locate CatFacts.zip (e.g., in your Downloads folder). Extract it to a directory, such as C:\Projects

Verify the CatFacts folder contains: *CatFacts.csproj *Program.cs *README.md (this file)

3. Navigate to the Project Directory Open PowerShell. Change to the CatFacts directory:

cd C:\Projects\CatFactsApp

Confirm you’re in the correct directory:

dir

You should see CatFacts.csproj, Program.cs, README.md.

4. Install Dependencies Install the Newtonsoft.Json package for JSON parsing:

dotnet add package Newtonsoft.Json

Wait for the command to complete (it downloads the package from NuGet).

5. Build the Application Compile the project:

dotnet build

Look for "Build succeeded" in the output. If errors occur, check: **.NET 8.0 SDK is installed (dotnet --version). **Newtonsoft.Json was installed (dotnet add package Newtonsoft.Json). **CatFacts.csproj and Program.cs are present.

6. Run the Application Execute the app:

dotnet run

The app will:

Fetch cat facts from the API. Categorize them based on rules:

• SUCCESS: Unused (used: false) and created on/after 2018-02-01.
• WARNING: Used (used: true) or created before 2018-02-01.
• ERROR: Duplicates (Fact text)

Displays grouped results in the console. Log results to catfacts_log.txt in the project directory.

@2025 Steve Cordeiro