Question

I’m a student doing an extra-grade project, and my prof has asked me to create a program that deals with classes.

So, I’ve created a class called “Piece” with the following code:

namespace GG
{
    class Piece
    {
        public int rank;
        public int player; 
    }
}

I instantiated it in my main program (the Form), like so:

namespace GG
{
    public partial class frmPGame : Form
    {
        public frmPGame()
        {
            InitializeComponent();
        }

        Piece[,] gameBoard = new Piece[9, 8];

        public void clearGameBoard()
        {
            for (int y = 0; y < 8; y++)
            {
                for (int x = 0; x < 9; x++)
                {
                    gameBoard[x, y] = new Piece();
                    gameBoard[x, y].rank = -1;
                    gameBoard[x, y].player = 0;
                }
            }
        }
    }
}

Anyway, the form has pictures, and, depending on what’s inside the 2D array I’ve created, the picture can change. However, I also do some math in my main program, which makes it cluttered and long. I’d like to ask if I can, somehow, pass the gameBoard object to another class, along with its contents.

Basically the program flow right now is:

• Create Object
• Do math in Main using Object
• Change form pictures

And, I’d like to, if possible, change it into:

• Create Object
• Do math in Math class
• Return / Pass Object from math class to Main
• Change form pictures

I know it looks like I’m complicating stuff, but my professor told me the only thing the main should do is render the pictures. The class should handle the math-related stuff.

Could I have some advice on this, please? Do I instantiate the “Piece” Class in my “mathClass”?

Answer 1

I’ll propose two variants. Remember that arrays are reference types. If you pass one of them to a method, the method can modify it directly.

First variant:
Here the game board isn’t “described” as a full object. It’s an array with some (static) utility methods put in a GameBoardMath class.

namespace GG
{
    public partial class frmPGame : Form
    {
        public frmPGame()
        {
            GameBoardMath.ClearGameBoard(gameBoard); // Clear the game board

            InitializeComponent();
        }

        Piece[,] gameBoard = new Piece[9, 8];    
    }

    public class GameBoardMath
    {
        public static void ClearGameBoard(Piece[,] gameBoard)
        {
            int lenX = gameBoard.GetLength(0);
            int lenY = gameBoard.GetLength(1);

            for (int y = 0; y < lenY; y++)
            {
                for (int x = 0; x < lenX; x++)
                {
                    gameBoard[x, y] = new Piece();
                    gameBoard[x, y].rank = -1;
                    gameBoard[x, y].player = 0;
                }
            }
        }
    }
}

Second variant: Here we consider the GameBoard to be a “full” class.

public class GameBoard
{
    public readonly Piece[,] Board;

    public GameBoard(int x, int y)
    {
        Board = new Piece[x, y];

        ClearGameBoard();
    }

    public void ClearGameBoard()
    {
        int lenX = Board.GetLength(0);
        int lenY = Board.GetLength(1);

        for (int y = 0; y < lenY; y++)
        {
            for (int x = 0; x < lenX; x++)
            {
                Board[x, y] = new Piece();
                Board[x, y].rank = -1;
                Board[x, y].player = 0;
            }
        }
    }
}

To use it, in your Form:

GameBoard gameBoard = new GameBoard(9, 8);