How to set default input value in .Net Console App?

Question

How can you set a default input value in a .net console app?

Here is some make-believe code:

Console.Write("Enter weekly cost: ");
string inp         


        

Answer 1

You can use helper method like this:

public static string ReadWithDefaults(string defaultValue)
{
    string str = Console.ReadLine();
    return String.IsNullOrEmpty(str) ? defaultValue : str;
}

Answer 2

There's a much better way to do this now, check out Readline on nuget: https://www.nuget.org/packages/ReadLine

1. install-package Readline
2. var input = ReadLine.Read("Enter weekly cost: ", "135");

I like to use the console to write interactive tests, and having default values can really help things.