I'd try something like:
decimal GetUserInput(string inputQuery, decimal min, decimal max)
{
Console.Write(inputQuery);
decimal val;
while(true)
{
if(!decimal.TryParse(Console.ReadLine(), out val))
Console.Write("Please enter a valid decimal value: $");
else if(val < min || val > max)
Console.Write("Please enter an amount between " + min + " and " + max + ": $");
else // the value is a decimal AND it's correct
break;
}
return val;
}
Then use it like:
var startingBalance = GetUserInput("Starting Balance: $", 1, 100000);
var endingBalance = GetUserInput("Ending Balance: $", 1, 100000);
//...
If your min and max are fixed, then you could not pass them as arguments and use a fixed check. And you could also avoid having the query : $ passed in if needed, but I'll leave that to you
Update
The reason why the return val line was giving you an error was because you were inlining it (probably in a void returning function). What I was doing was making a function since you specified it needed to be reusable.
So in your program, you need to make a separate function... your program would look something like this:
class Program
{
// We're declaring this function static so you can use it without an instance of the class
// This is a function, so it can be called multiple times, with different arguments
static decimal GetUserInput(string inputQuery, decimal min, decimal max)
{
// Write the argument "inputQuery" to console
Console.Write(inputQuery);
decimal val;
// Loop indefinitely
while(true)
{
// Read from console into a decimal "val"
if(!decimal.TryParse(Console.ReadLine(), out val))
// It was not a correct decimal, so write the prompt
Console.Write("Please enter a valid decimal value: $");
// It was a correct decimal
else if(val < min || val > max)
// But not in range, so write a different prompt
Console.Write("Please enter an amount between " + min + " and " + max + ": $");
// It was a decimal and within range
else
// so we break the infinite loop and exit after the "}"
break;
// If we have got to this point (we didn't hit the "break"),
// it was either not a decimal or it wasn't within range,
// so it'll loop again and ask for a value from console again.
// The prompt was already written above (in the "ifs")
}
// We got out of the while(true){} loop, so it means we hit "break"
// above, and that means "val" contains a correct value (decimal and
// within range), so we return it to the caller
return val;
}
static void Main()
{
// Your original code went here, but see how my function is *outside* function Main()
// You use my function (GetUserInput) here:
var startingBalance = GetUserInput("Starting Balance: $", 1, 100000);
var endingBalance = GetUserInput("Ending Balance: $", 1, 100000);
// Then with the returned values (stored in "startingBalance"
// and "endBalance"), you can do what you want:
Console.WriteLine("Starting balance was: " + startingBalance.ToString("n"));
}
}
I've made a fiddle with the whole program so you can test online and make changes: https://dotnetfiddle.net/HiwwIP
while (!decimal.TryParse(Console.ReadLine(), out balance) || balance < 1 || balance > 1000000)