Display BPM On Console - C# Programming Exercise

// Import the System namespace for basic input/output operations
using System;  

// Import the System.IO namespace for file operations
using System.IO;  

// Declare the main Program class
class Program
{
    // Main method where the program starts
    static void Main()
    {
        // Specify the path to the PBM image file
        string filePath = "j.pbm";  // Replace this with the path to your PBM file

        // Try to read and display the PBM file content
        try
        {
            // Open the file using StreamReader to read text from the PBM file
            using (StreamReader reader = new StreamReader(filePath))
            {
                // Read the first line, which should be "P1" (PBM header)
                string header = reader.ReadLine();  
                if (header != "P1")  // Check if the header is "P1"
                {
                    Console.WriteLine("Invalid PBM format. Expected 'P1'.");
                    return;  // Exit the program if the header is not correct
                }

                // Read the optional comment line (skip it)
                string commentLine = reader.ReadLine();
                while (commentLine.StartsWith("#"))  // Check if the line starts with "#"
                {
                    commentLine = reader.ReadLine();  // Read the next line if it's a comment
                }

                // Read the width and height of the image
                string[] dimensions = commentLine.Split(' ');  // Split the dimensions by space
                int width = int.Parse(dimensions[0]);  // First element is the width
                int height = int.Parse(dimensions[1]);  // Second element is the height

                // Print a message to inform the user about the image size
                Console.WriteLine($"Image dimensions: {width} x {height}");

                // Loop through each row of pixels and print it to the console
                for (int y = 0; y < height; y++)  // Loop through each row
                {
                    // Read the next line, which contains the pixel data for the row
                    string row = reader.ReadLine();  
                    string[] pixels = row.Split(' ');  // Split the row into individual pixel values

                    // Loop through each pixel in the row
                    for (int x = 0; x < width; x++)  // Loop through each pixel in the row
                    {
                        // Check the pixel value: 0 means white, 1 means black
                        if (pixels[x] == "1")  
                        {
                            Console.Write("X");  // Display 'X' for black pixels
                        }
                        else
                        {
                            Console.Write(" ");  // Display a space for white pixels
                        }
                    }
                    Console.WriteLine();  // Move to the next line after printing the row
                }
            }
        }
        catch (Exception ex)  // Catch any errors that may occur during file reading
        {
            // Print the error message to the console
            Console.WriteLine($"Error reading the file: {ex.Message}");
        }
    }
}