Replace "*" with a sequence of "R, G, B" in C# "Making a Pyramid"

Question

using System;
using System.Collections.Generic;
using System.Linq;
using System.Text;
using System.Threading.Tasks;

namespace SoloLearn
{
class Program
{
static void DrawPyramid(int n)
{
for (int i=1; i<=n; i++)
{
for (int j=i; j<=n; j++)
{
Console.Write(" ");
}
for (int k=1; k<=2*i-1; k++)
{
Console.Write("*"+" ");
}
Console.WriteLine();
}
}
static void Main(string[] args)
{
DrawPyramid(5);
}
}
}

This is the code from "Making a Pyramid" in the C# tutorial. I want to hack it so that instead of printing "*" to draw the pyramid, it prints the characters R, G, and B in sequence to the defined DrawPyramid integer.

I've had the idea to either make a method that replaces all instances of "*", and tried making a class called RedGreenBlue that would be defined by what the previous char is. This is only my second day trying to learn programming and I really wana figure this out but everything I do blasts my IDE with red circles. Please help!

Answer 1

Why it says "Not all code paths return a value" is because it's looking for the "return" keyword. You're not returning, you're assigning to a class variable. Also, the ifs aren't causing a loop.

Since SwitchChar() isn't returning a value, it should be:
static void SwitchChar()

Answer 2

No need for another class! You could make a class variable that stores the next character to print out. Then, use a method to switch what character it stores.

class Program
{
static char nextChar = 'R';

//Main()
//PrintPyramid()
//Change the output: Console.Write(nextChar + " ");
//Add this line right after it: SwitchChar();

static void SwitchChar()
//This method cycles out characters
{
if (nextChar == 'R')
nextChar = 'G';
else if (nextChar == 'G')
nextChar = 'B';
else
nextChar = 'R';
}
}

Answer 3

Whoops, thanks. Fixed it! :D

Answer 4

All right in the previous solution ☺. Just a little typo: nextChar is a class variable so it should be defined static.

Answer 5

..\Playground\(28,21): error CS0161: 'Program.SwitchChar()': not all code paths return a value

using System;
using System.Collections.Generic;
using System.Linq;
using System.Text;
using System.Threading.Tasks;

namespace SoloLearn
{
class Program
{ static char nextChar = 'G';
static void DrawPyramid(int n)
{
for (int i = 1; i <= n; i++)
{
for (int j = i; j <= n; j++)
{
Console.Write(" ");
}
for (int k = 1; k <= 2 * i - 1; k++)
{
Console.Write(nextChar + " ");
SwitchChar();

}
Console.WriteLine();
}
}

static char SwitchChar()
{ if (nextChar == 'R')
nextChar = 'G';
else if (nextChar == 'G')
nextChar = 'B';
else if (nextChar == 'B')
nextChar = 'R';
}

static void Main(string[] args)
{
DrawPyramid(15);
}
}
}

I think I see what's happening here. SwitchChar() is always cycling through the statement and won't return a valid value because when "else nextChar ='R';", (nextChar == 'R') bools true again.

How do we break the loop every time we print nextChar?