| 44 | Product Search |
Pulling data from a file into a complex data structure makes parsing much simpler. Many programming languages support the JSON format, a popular way of representing data.
Create a program that takes a product name as input and retrieves the current price and quantity for that product. The product data is in a data file in the JSON format and looks like this:
| | { |
| | "products" : [ |
| | {"name": "Widget", "price": 25.00, "quantity": 5 }, |
| | {"name": "Thing", "price": 15.00, "quantity": 5 }, |
| | {"name": "Doodad", "price": 5.00, "quantity": 10 } |
| | ] |
| | } |
Print out the product name, price, and quantity if the product is found. If no product matches the search, state that no product was found and start over.
Example Output
| | What is the product name? iPad |
| | Sorry, that product was not found in our inventory. |
| | What is the product name? Widget |
| | Name: Widget |
| | Price: $25.00 |
| | Quantity on hand: 5 |
Constraints
-
The file is in the JSON format. Use a JSON parser to pull the values out of the file.
-
If no record is found, prompt again.
Challenges
-
Ensure that the product search is case insensitive.
-
When a product is not found, ask if the product should be added. If yes, ask for the price and the quantity, and save it in the JSON file. Ensure the newly added product is immediately available for searching without restarting the program.