High or Low

Learn creating a High or Low game using Windows App SDK with this Tutorial

High or Low shows how you can create simple Card based game where you guess if the next card is higher or lower than the last, ignoring suits so Eight of Diamonds is higher than Six of Hearts, using a toolkit from NuGet using the Windows App SDK.

Step 1

Follow Setup and Start on how to get Setup and Install what you need for Visual Studio 2022 and Windows App SDK.

In Windows 11 choose Start and then find or search for Visual Studio 2022 and then select it.

Once Visual Studio 2022 has started select Create a new project.

Then choose the Blank App, Packages (WinUI in Desktop) and then select Next.

After that in Configure your new project type in the Project name as HighOrLow, then select a Location and then select Create to start a new Solution.

Step 2

Then in Visual Studio within Solution Explorer for the Solution, right click on the Project shown below the Solution and then select Manage NuGet Packages...

Manage NuGet Packages

Step 3

Then in the NuGet Package Manager from the Browse tab search for Comentsys.Toolkit.WindowsAppSdk and then select Comentsys.Toolkit.WindowsAppSdk by Comentsys as indicated and select Install

NuGet Package Manager Comentsys.Toolkit.WindowsAppSdk

This will add the package for Comentsys.Toolkit.WindowsAppSdk to your Project. If you get the Preview Changes screen saying Visual Studio is about to make changes to this solution. Click OK to proceed with the changes listed below. You can read the message and then select OK to Install the package, then you can close the tab for Nuget: HighOrLow by selecting the x next to it.

Step 4

Then in Visual Studio within Solution Explorer for the Solution, right click on the Project shown below the Solution and then select Add then New Item…

Add New Item

Step 5

Then in Add New Item from the C# Items list, select Code and then select Code File from the list next to this, then type in the name of Library.cs and then Click on Add.

Add New Code File

Step 6

You will now be in the View for the Code of Library.cs, within this type the following Code:


using Comentsys.Toolkit.WindowsAppSdk;
using Microsoft.UI;
using Microsoft.UI.Xaml;
using Microsoft.UI.Xaml.Controls;
using Microsoft.UI.Xaml.Input;
using Microsoft.UI.Xaml.Media;
using System;
using System.Collections.Generic;
using System.Linq;

public class Library
{
    private const string title = "High or Low";
    private const string higher = "Higher";
    private const string lower = "Lower";
    private const int minimum = 1;
    private const int maximum = 52;
    private const int suit = 13;
    private const int total = 4;

    private readonly Random _random = new((int)DateTime.UtcNow.Ticks);

    private StackPanel _panel = new();
    private Dialog _dialog;

    private List<int> _values = new();
    private bool _over = false;
    private int _card = 1;

    // Choose, Get Card, Set Card & Get Confirm

    // Play

    // Add Card, Layout & New

}

The Class that has been defined in so far Library.cs has using for the package of Comentsys.Toolkit.WindowsAppSdk amongst others needed. There are also some const and readonly values for parts of the game including Random which will be used to select randomised numbers as well as other values and elements to be used in the game.

Step 7

While still in the Class for Library.cs and after the Comment of // Choose, Get Card, Set Card & Get Confirm type in the following Methods:


private List<int> Choose(int minimum, int maximum, int total) =>
    Enumerable.Range(minimum, maximum)
        .OrderBy(r => _random.Next(minimum, maximum))
            .Take(total).ToList();

public Card GetCard(int value, string name = "") => new()
{
    Back = new SolidColorBrush(Colors.Red),
    Margin = new Thickness(10),
    Value = value,
    Name = name
};

public void SetCard(int value, string name) =>
    ((Card)_panel.FindName(name)).Value = value;

private async Task<bool> GetConfirmAsync(int card)
{
    var confirm = new StackPanel()
    {
        Orientation = Orientation.Vertical
    };
    confirm.Children.Add(new TextBlock()
    {
        HorizontalTextAlignment = TextAlignment.Center,
        Text = "Is Next Card?"
    });
    confirm.Children.Add(new Viewbox()
    {
        Height = 150,
        Child = GetCard(_values[card])
    });
    return await _dialog.ConfirmAsync(confirm, higher, lower);
}

Choose is used to select a list of randomised numbers, GetCard is used to get a Card which is a Control used to display a playing card, SetCard will update the Value of a Card and GetConfirmAsync will be used to get a confirmation dialog for the choice of whether the next playing card is Higher or Lower than the previous playing card.

Step 8

While still in the Class for Library.cs after the Comment of // Play type in the following Method:


private async void Play(Card card)
{
    if (card.Name == $"{_values[_card]}")
    {
        int next = _card;
        int prev = _card - 1;
        var isHigher = await GetConfirmAsync(prev);
        var source = _values[prev] % suit;
        source = source == 0 ? suit : source;
        var target = _values[next] % suit;
        target = target == 0 ? suit : target;
        if ((isHigher == true && target > source) ||
            (isHigher == false && target < source))
        {
            SetCard(_values[next], $"{_values[next]}");
            _card++;
            if (_card == _values.Count)
            {
                _dialog.Show("Congratulations - You Win!");
                _over = true;
            }
        }
        else
        {
            var content = new StackPanel()
            {
                Orientation = Orientation.Vertical
            };
            content.Children.Add(new TextBlock()
            {
                HorizontalTextAlignment = TextAlignment.Center,
                Text = $"Incorrect - Next Card was {(!isHigher ? higher : lower)}!"
            });
            content.Children.Add(new Viewbox()
            {
                Height = 150,
                Child = GetCard(_values[_card])
            });
            _dialog.Show(content);
            _over = true;
        }
    }
    else
        _dialog.Show("Select Next Card!");
}

Play is used to check if the card selected is either higher or lower than the previous playing card, should all the playing cards be guessed correctly then it goes onto the next one or if not then it will show what the correct playing card would have been and the game is over, if all are guessed correctly that wins the game.

Step 9

While still in the Class for Library.cs after the Comment of // Add Card, Layout & New type the following Methods:


public void AddCard(StackPanel panel, string name, int value)
{
    var card = GetCard(value, name);
    card.Tapped += (object sender, TappedRoutedEventArgs e) =>
    {
        if (_over)
            _dialog.Show("Game Over!");
        else
            Play((Card)sender);
    };
    panel.Children.Add(card);
}

private void Layout(StackPanel panel)
{
    panel.Children.Clear();
    for (int index = 0; index < total; index++)
    {
        AddCard(panel, $"{_values[index]}", index == 0 ? _values[index] : 0);
    }
}

public void New(StackPanel panel)
{
    _card = 1;
    _over = false;
    _panel = panel;
    _dialog = new Dialog(panel.XamlRoot, title);
    _values = Choose(minimum, maximum, total);
    Layout(panel);
}

AddCard is used to add the playing cards for the game and will check if the game is over or use Play for the next playing card to be picked. Layout is used to create the layout for the game using AddCard and New is used to start a game.

Step 10

Within Solution Explorer for the Solution double-click on MainWindow.xaml to see the XAML for the Main Window.

Step 11

In the XAML for MainWindow.xaml there will be some XAML for a StackPanel, this should be Removed:


<StackPanel Orientation="Horizontal" 
HorizontalAlignment="Center" VerticalAlignment="Center">
    <Button x:Name="myButton" Click="myButton_Click">Click Me</Button>
</StackPanel>

Step 12

While still in the XAML for MainWindow.xaml above </Window>, type in the following XAML:


<Grid>
    <Viewbox>
        <StackPanel Margin="50" Name="Display" Orientation="Horizontal" 
        HorizontalAlignment="Center" VerticalAlignment="Center" Loaded="New"/>
    </Viewbox>
    <CommandBar VerticalAlignment="Bottom">
        <AppBarButton Icon="Page2" Label="New" Click="New"/>
    </CommandBar>
</Grid>

This XAML contains a Grid with a Viewbox which will Scale a StackPanel. It has a Loaded event handler for New which is also shared by theAppBarButton.

Step 13

Within Solution Explorer for the Solution select the arrow next to MainWindow.xaml then double-click on MainWindow.xaml.cs to see the Code for the Main Window.

Step 14

In the Code for MainWindow.xaml.cs there be a Method of myButton_Click(...) this should be Removed by removing the following:


private void myButton_Click(object sender, RoutedEventArgs e)
{
    myButton.Content = "Clicked";
}

Step 15

Once myButton_Click(...) has been removed, within the Constructor of public MainWindow() { ... } and below the line of this.InitializeComponent(); type in the following Code:


private readonly Library _library = new();

private void New(object sender, RoutedEventArgs e) =>
    _library.New(Display);

Here an Instance of the Class of Library is created then below this is the Method of New that will be used with Event Handler from the XAML, this Method uses Arrow Syntax with the => for an Expression Body which is useful when a Method only has one line.

Step 16

That completes the Windows App SDK application. In Visual Studio 2022 from the Toolbar select HighOrLow (Package) to Start the application.

Step 17

Once running you can then select the next playing card and then you will be asked if it is Higher or Lower if you guess correctly you can proceed to the next card until you guess them all, if you guess any incorrectly you will lose, or you can select New to start a new game.

High or Low Running and Output

Step 18

To Exit the Windows App SDK application, select the Close button from the top right of the application as that concludes this Tutorial for Windows App SDK from tutorialr.com!

High or Low PDF