Intro To VB 7 March 2013 PDF

8 March 2013
Introduction to VB.Net 2012
Visual Basic.Net training 2013

Contents
Cheat Sheet for VB.net ....................................................................................................... 6 Microsoft Exam 98-361: Software Development Fundamentals ........................................ 8 Microsoft Exam 98-362: Windows Development Fundamentals ...................................... 11
1.
Structure Diagrams - Processes, Decisions and Loops ...............................................14

Introduction to VB.net ....................................................................................................... 15 Variables ....................................................................................................................... 19 Data Types .................................................................................................................... 20 Detecting Keypress events ............................................................................................... 22 Structure Diagram for part of lesson 1 .......................................................................... 22 Operators .......................................................................................................................... 22 Advanced math with System.Math ............................................................................... 23 Code Snippets tool ............................................................................................................ 25 Learning to code defensively - Refactoring your code...................................................... 25 Using My ........................................................................................................................... 25 Learning to code defensively - Some coding ideas .......................................................... 26
2.
If Statements ...............................................................................................................27
Grades Project .................................................................................................................. 27 Learning to code defensively -Use Try / Catch for error Checking ................................... 29
3.
Select Case Statement ................................................................................................31

Finding out the average of grades entered. ...................................................................... 31 Max and Min using IF ........................................................................................................ 32 Learning to code defensively - Catching if just Numeric or Text entered ......................... 34 Using Keypress to allow only numbers ............................................................................. 34
4.
IF with AND and OR Does the car run? ....................................................................36

Calculator Project .............................................................................................................. 38 Temperature Converter program ...................................................................................... 39
5.
Sender ........................................................................................................................40
Using Sender exercises .................................................................................................... 40 Using Sender to determine what type of control you clicked ............................................ 42 Calculator part 2 using Sender ......................................................................................... 44 Order a sandwich program ............................................................................................... 46 Rock Scissors Paper ......................................................................................................... 47 Adding a new Form or Dialog Box to show images .......................................................... 49
6.
Adding images to a Resource file ................................................................................51

Guess The Correct Answer game..................................................................................... 53 Employee wages ............................................................................................................... 53 Better Brains College If, And, and Or ............................................................................ 53 Lucky Guess Project ......................................................................................................... 54
7.
Subroutines and Functions ..........................................................................................56

Subroutines that dont return data (Subs) ...................................................................... 56 Subroutines that accept data ............................................................................................ 57 Subroutines that accept data and return it- Functions ...................................................... 58 Coding goals for Subs and Functions ........................................................................... 59
8.
Byref and Byval - Functions - overview........................................................................60

ByVal (pass a copy of the data) and ByRef (change the original data) ............................ 60 ByRef or ByVal Example............................................................................................... 61 Times Table tester ............................................................................................................ 63
9. 10.
Picture Viewer using containers ..................................................................................66 Changing Control Panel setting using the SystemParametersInfo ...............................70
Changing the desktop wallpaper in the Picture viewer ..................................................... 70
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Telecom Smart Phone Bill Project .................................................................................... 72
11. 12.
Multichoice test ...........................................................................................................76

Adding a Splash Screen ................................................................................................... 79
Transparent background and automatic shutdown program ........................................81

Creating an Icon ............................................................................................................ 82 Getting an Exe .............................................................................................................. 82 Changing the Startup Form .......................................................................................... 83 Create a fading closing form ......................................................................................... 84 Another way to shut down .................................................................................... 85
13.
Loops In VB.Net ..........................................................................................................86

ForNext Loop ................................................................................................................. 86 The Leap Year Program For loop .................................................................................. 88 Using Mod ..................................................................................................................... 88
14.
Do WhileLoop ..........................................................................................................89
The Leap Year Program part 2 Do While loop............................................................... 89 Do While Fibonacci Sequence ....................................................................................... 91 Find the even Fibonacci numbers only ......................................................................... 92 What is the first Fibonacci number to contain 1000 digits? .......................................... 92 DoLoop While ................................................................................................................ 93 DoLoop Until .................................................................................................................. 93
15.
For Each Loop.............................................................................................................94

Find the multiples of 3 and 5 ............................................................................................. 95 Times Table calculator ...................................................................................................... 95 Dice Rolls with Loops ........................................................................................................ 97 Identify the appropriate method for handling repetition .................................................... 99 Depreciation Rate calculator ........................................................................................... 100 Compounding Interest Calculator ................................................................................... 102 Calculate the change for a shop ..................................................................................... 104 Times Table tester with Loop .......................................................................................... 107
16.
Password CraCker with loops ...................................................................................109

DoEvents a curse or a solution? .............................................................................. 110 Standard Progress Bar ............................................................................................... 111 Simple Custom Progress Bar ..................................................................................... 111 Nested Loops to create logical selection .................................................................... 113
17. 18. 19.
Background Workers .................................................................................................115

Overview ..................................................................................................................... 115
Text to Speech ..........................................................................................................118

Speech to text ................................................................................................................. 118
Structures..................................................................................................................120
Heap and Stack Performance ..................................................................................... 121 Structures- Customer Exercise ....................................................................................... 122 Cheque processing using Structure ................................................................................ 125
20. 21.
Using Snippets for VB.net to auto create the Class properties ..................................129 Introduction to Classes ..............................................................................................131
OOP terms .................................................................................................................. 132 Creating a simple class ................................................................................................... 133 Temperature Converter with a Class .............................................................................. 134 Fields, Properties, Methods, and Events ........................................................................ 136 Naming Classes and Methods .................................................................................... 137
22. 23. 24.
Encapsulation............................................................................................................137
Dice program with Classes - revisited............................................................................. 139
Inheritance Is a ....................................................................................................141
Weapons Practice Class, Inheritance, Constructor ..................................................... 142
Inheritance based Polymorphism ..............................................................................147

Depreciation Rate calculator with Class ......................................................................... 148 Class Diagram Practice Assignments using noun analysis ............................................ 148
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The Coffee machine Class Inheritance and Constructor .............................................. 150 Create the drink from the ingredients Classes ................................................................ 154
25.
Importing Text into your Program ..............................................................................155

The File class simple read and write data to text files ................................................. 156 StreamReader - importing to a ListBox ........................................................................... 157 Saving with StreamWriter ............................................................................................... 158
26. 27. 28.
Using OpenFile Dialog and SaveFile Dialog ..............................................................159

Creating a shopping List ................................................................................................. 161
Add Menus and Tool Strip to your project ..................................................................162

Worlds greatest bands ................................................................................................... 162
Common String Methods ...........................................................................................165

Instantiating String Objects ............................................................................................. 165 Iterate a String ............................................................................................................ 167 Split a String ................................................................................................................ 167 Split text to an array .................................................................................................... 167 Extract SubStrings from a String ................................................................................ 168 Reverse a String ......................................................................................................... 168 Compare Two Strings ................................................................................................. 168 Test if String is null or Zero Length ............................................................................. 168 Convert the Case of a String ...................................................................................... 168 Count the occurrence of letters (not spaces) in a string ............................................. 169 Count the occurrences of words in a String ................................................................ 169 Insert Characters inside a String ................................................................................ 170 Replace characters in a String .................................................................................... 170 Create Date and Time from String .............................................................................. 170 Trimming a String ........................................................................................................ 170 Convert String To Integer ........................................................................................... 170 String Functions Exercise ............................................................................................... 171 Char and Chars = Characters ........................................................................................ 175 Starts With and Ends With methods ............................................................................... 176 The Like Operator ........................................................................................................... 177 Check a valid email address ........................................................................................... 179 Check a valid email address using classes ............................................................. 181 Check domain via the internet .................................................................................... 183 Get the DNS IP addresses from the domain name .................................................... 184 Create a Document Statistics counter ............................................................................ 185 Filter words by length using class ................................................................................ 186
29. 30.
Stringbuilder ..............................................................................................................190 Web interface projects ...............................................................................................192

Metservice temperature program .................................................................................... 192 Getting through the proxy server ................................................................................ 194 Whitepages Phone book ................................................................................................. 196 DuckDuckGo interface using Json .................................................................................. 197
31. 32.
The DateTime and TimeSpan Types .........................................................................200

Useful DateTime Members ......................................................................................... 201 Useful TimeSpan Members......................................................................................... 202
Arrays and Collections ..............................................................................................203

Arrays Exercise ............................................................................................................... 204 Arrays .......................................................................................................................... 204 Collections - ArrayList ................................................................................................ 205 Generic List preferred .............................................................................................. 206 Working with ArrayList .................................................................................................... 207 Arraylist and random numbers ........................................................................................ 209 Work out General Depreciation rates on computers....................................................... 210 Calculator using words simple array ............................................................................ 211 Scrabble Dictionary using lists ..................................................................................... 213 Advanced Scrabble Incremental Search ........................................................................ 216 Scrabble Exercise - using a Hash table .......................................................................... 218
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Permutations and Scrabble finder - incomplete .............................................................. 221
33. 34. 35.
Sorting Socks project ................................................................................................222 The T shirt algorithm .................................................................................................223 Search and Sort Algorithms.......................................................................................225
Bubble Sort ..................................................................................................................... 225 Sort a list of words using Bubble sort ......................................................................... 227 Selection Sort .................................................................................................................. 228 Sequential Searching ...................................................................................................... 231
36.
Advanced Search and Sort Algorithms ......................................................................233

Making a sequential search faster: self-organizing data ................................................ 233 QuickSort Algorithm Divide and conquer ..................................................................... 237
37. Stack and the Heap ...................................................................................................242 38. Stack and Queue not done .....................................................................................243 39. Delegates to do ......................................................................................................243 40. Func and Lambda .....................................................................................................243 41. Unit Testing to do ...................................................................................................244 42. Recursion - incomplete..............................................................................................244 43. Overloaded Methods .................................................................................................246 ADO.Net 4 and SQL ...........................................................................................................251 44. TSQL Cheat Sheet ....................................................................................................251
String Functions .......................................................................................................... 251 Common Functions ..................................................................................................... 251 Date Functions ............................................................................................................ 251 Operators Allowed in the WHERE Clause .................................................................. 251 Logical processing order of select .............................................................................. 251 CTES - Common Table Expressions .......................................................................... 252 Recursive CTEs .......................................................................................................... 252 Over and partition by................................................................................................... 252 Create a Stored Procedure ......................................................................................... 252 Create a Trigger .......................................................................................................... 252 Introduction ..................................................................................................................... 253 How it works ................................................................................................................ 255 DataReader ................................................................................................................. 256 Accessing Data using ADO.NET overview ..................................................................... 256 DataSet ....................................................................................................................... 257 DataGridView .............................................................................................................. 257 BindingSource ............................................................................................................. 257 BindingNavigator ......................................................................................................... 257 TableAdapter .............................................................................................................. 258 Data Binding ............................................................................................................... 258 ADO.NET Namespaces .............................................................................................. 258 Creating a Data Connection using the Wizard ................................................................ 259 The code behind the program to date......................................................................... 262 How to use the Dataset Designer ................................................................................... 263 Text Boxes - Formatting and Advanced Binding ............................................................ 264 Using a DataGrid to create a Master/Detail form ............................................................ 265 Creating a Parameterized Query .................................................................................... 267 Creating Queries in the Table Adapter ........................................................................... 270 Return a single value from the Database ....................................................................... 273 Using the Query Builder .................................................................................................. 275
45. 46.
Practical Creating queries with the Cars Database .................................................278 Using manual Connections........................................................................................280
Setting up SQL Server .................................................................................................... 280 When you cannot add a Database.................................................................................. 282 How to restore administrator access to a SQL server .................................................... 282 Loading in your Golf Database ....................................................................................... 284 Run a Query in SQL Express .......................................................................................... 287
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Creating an SQL Connection .......................................................................................... 288 Connect using SqlConnection Class .......................................................................... 288 Opening and Closing the Connection ......................................................................... 289 Display data in a ListView ............................................................................................... 291 Returning Scalar (single) value ...................................................................................... 292 Insert Command.............................................................................................................. 293 Optimising your code by using Sub Routines ................................................................. 294 Update Command ........................................................................................................... 297 Delete Command ............................................................................................................ 298 Inserting Data into your database ................................................................................... 299
47. 48. 49.
Using Parameters .....................................................................................................300

Golf using parameters................................................................................................. 301
Golf Exercise using SQL ...........................................................................................302 The SQL Data Adapter ..............................................................................................303
The SelectCommand Property SQL String .................................................................. 303 The SelectCommand Property Stored Procedure ....................................................... 304 Calling the Stored procedure from your code ................................................................. 305
50.
Music Database in SQL Management Studio -Relational Database ..........................306

Primary Key / Foreign Key relationships ......................................................................... 307 Setting the Primary key / Foreign Key Relationships...................................................... 308 Creating Database Views Queries ............................................................................... 311
51.
Music Database in Visual Studio ...............................................................................315

Using a Datagridview ...................................................................................................... 315 Using Views in the Form ................................................................................................. 316 Fill the Listbox from the Database .................................................................................. 316
52.
Linking DataGridViews to each other ........................................................................317

DataGridView Click Event ............................................................................................... 318 Resizing Columns to fit contents ................................................................................ 320 Passing data from a DataTable to text boxes for Updating ............................................ 321 INSERT new Data using Parameters ......................................................................... 322 DELETE Data using Parameters ................................................................................ 323
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Cheat Sheet for VB.net

Namespace Imports Namespace Data Types Boolean,Byte,Char,DateTime,Decimal, Double,Int16,Int32,Int64,Integer, Long, Object, Short,Single,String,IntPtr,UInteger,Uint Ptr Variable Declaration Dim | Public | Private <variable_name> As <type> Type Declaration Dim | Public <variable><suffix> Suffixes % -Integer. $ - String, @ - Decimal, & Long, # - Double, ! - Single Arrays Dim <arrayname>(<MaxIndexVal>) As <type> Dim <arrayname>(<LowerBound> To <UpperBound>) As <type> Initialize Array Dim <arrayname>() As <type> = {<value1>, <value2>, ... , <valueN>} Change Size of Array ReDim <arrayname>(<MaxIndexVal>) Comments 'Comment text 'No multi-line comments at this time XML Comments Press the ' (apostrophe) key thrice. Line Continuation strtext = To break a long string across multiple lines, & _ end the string, add the line continuation character & _ and continue the string on the next line. Arithmetic Operators + (Addition), - (Subtraction), * (Multiplication), / (Division), % (Modulus)
String Concatenation +, & Relational Operators < (Less Than), <= (Less Than or Equal To),> (Greater Than),>= (Greater Than or Equal To),= (Equal To),<> (Not Equal To) Logical Operators OR, NOT, AND, AndAlso, OrElse, Xor String Manipulation .Substring(<start>,[<length>]) .Trim() <trims from beginning & end of string> .TrimEnd([<char array>]) .TrimStart([char array]) .ToLower() <to lower case> .ToUpper() <to upper case> .Replace(<find>,<replace>) .Equals(<expression>) <6 available overloads> .EndsWith .Concat .Contains(<string>) .Clone .Join(<seperator>,<value>,[<count>]) .Compare(<string1>,<string2>,[<ignore case>]) <7 overloads available> .Copy(<string>) .Split .IndexOf .Substring VB6 to VB.net Len = .Length Mid = .SubString Replace = .Replace InStr = .IndexOf UCase = .ToUpper LCase = .ToLower Split = .Split Join = .Join
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If Else
If(<expression>) Then <statement 1> Else <statement 2> End If Inline If variable = IIf( condition, value_if_false, value_if_true )
<statement sequence 2> Case <expressionN> <statement sequence N-1> Case Else <statement sequence N> End Select
Function Structure
<Private, Public> <Function_Name>([Parameters]) body of the function End Function
For Loop
For <initialize> (Relational Operator) <condition> <statement> Next
Class Structure
Public Class <Class_Name> body of class End Class
For Each Loop

For Each <variable> In <object> [Exit For] <statements> [Continue For] <statements> Next
Public
'method_prototypes 'data_attributes Private 'method_prototypes 'data_attributes Friend 'method_prototypes Shared 'method_prototypes 'data_attributes
While Loop
While <expression> <statement> End While
Do-While Loop
Do <statement> Loop While <expression>
Error Handling
Try <statements that may cause an error> Catch <statements to use when an error occurs> Finally <statements to use no matter what happens> End Try
Select Case Statement

Select Case <expression> Case <expression1>: <statement sequence 1> Case <expression2>
Links to interesting sites and articles

http://www.reddit.com/r/learnprogramming/comments/17mwsb/can_a_professional_programmer_explain_the_tho ught/ http://www.reddit.com/r/learnprogramming/comments/17t5g9/what_skills_do_you_think_all_beginner_programme rs/ http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/print/2011/06/how-i-failed-failed-and-finally-succeeded-at-learning-how-tocode/239855/ http://ocw.mit.edu/courses/electrical-engineering-and-computer-science/6-00-introduction-to-computer-scienceand-programming-fall-2008/video-lectures/ Computer Science Teaching videos - http://teachingtree.co/
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ADO.Net
Microsoft Exam 98-361: Software Development Fundamentals

This exam measures your ability to accomplish the technical tasks listed below. The percentages indicate the relative weight of each major topic area on the exam. The higher the percentage, the more questions you are likely to see on that content area on the exam. The information after This objective may include but is not limited to is intended to further define or scope the objective by describing the types of skills and topics that may be tested for the objective. However, it is not an exhaustive list of skills and topics that could be included on the exam for a given skill area. You may be tested on other skills and topics related to the objective that are not explicitly listed here. Understanding Core Programming (18 percent)
Understand computer storage and data types.
This objective may include but is not limited to: how a computer stores programs and the instructions in computer memory; memory stacks and heaps; memory size requirements for the various data storage types; numeric data and textual data
Understand computer decision structures.
This objective may include but is not limited to: various decision structures used in all computer programming languages; If decision structures; multiple decision structures such as IfElse and switch/Select Case; reading flowcharts; decision tables; evaluating expressions
Identify the appropriate method for handling repetition.
This objective may include but is not limited to: For loops, While loops, Do..While loops, and recursion
Understand error handling.
This objective may include but is not limited to: structured exception handling Understanding Object-Oriented Programming (19 percent)
Understand the fundamentals of classes.
This objective may include but is not limited to: properties, methods, events, and constructors; how to create a class; how to use classes in code
Understand inheritance.
This objective may include but is not limited to: inheriting the functionality of a base class into a derived class
Understand polymorphism.
This objective may include but is not limited to: extending the functionality in a class after inheriting from a base class; overriding methods in the derived class.
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Understand encapsulation.
This objective may include but is not limited to: creating classes that hide their implementation details while still allowing access to the required functionality through the interface; access modifiers Understanding General Software Development (14 percent)
Understand application life cycle management.
This objective may include but is not limited to: phases of application life cycle management; software testing
Interpret application specifications.
This objective may include but is not limited to: reading application specifications and translating them into prototypes, code, and components
Understand algorithms and data structures.
This objective may include but is not limited to: arrays, stacks, queues, linked lists, and sorting algorithms; performance implications of various data structures; choosing the right data structure Understanding Web Applications (20 percent)
Understand Web page development.
This objective may include but is not limited to: HTML, Cascading Style Sheets (CSS), JavaScript
Understand Microsoft ASP.NET Web application development.
This objective may include but is not limited to: page life cycle; event model; state management; client-side vs. server-side programming
Understand Web hosting.
This objective may include but is not limited to: creating virtual directories and Web sites; deploying Web applications; understanding the role of Internet Information Services
Understand Web services.
This objective may include but is not limited to: Web services that will be consumed by client applications; accessing Web services from a client application; SOAP and Web Service Definition Language (WSDL) Understanding Desktop Applications (12 percent)
Understand Windows Forms applications.
This objective may include but is not limited to: Windows Forms event model; visual inheritance; UI design; use of Multiple Document Interface (MDI) and Single Document Interface [and here] (SDI) applications
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Understand console-based applications.
This objective may include but is not limited to: characteristics and capabilities of console-based applications
Understand Windows Services.
This objective may include but is not limited to: characteristics and capabilities of Windows Services Understanding Databases (17 percent)
Understand relational database management systems.

o
This objective may include but is not limited to: characteristics and capabilities of database products; database design; Entity Relationship Diagrams (ERDs); normalization concepts
Understand database query methods.
This objective may include but is not limited to: structured query language (SQL), creating and accessing stored procedures, updating data and selecting data
Understand database connection methods.
This objective may include but is not limited to: connecting to various types of data stores such as flat file; XML file; in-memory object; resource optimization Learning Plan for Software Development Fundamentals (Exam 98-361) This learning plan is intended to help students gain the foundational knowledge they need to begin building a software development career. By following the steps in this learning plan, students will gain an understanding of: - Core programming concepts, such as computer storage and data types, decision structures, and error handling - Object oriented programming, including classes, inheritance, polymorphism, and encapsulation - General Software Development, including application life cycle management, application specifications, algorithms and data structures - Web Applications, including Web page development (HTML, JavaScript, and CSS), Microsoft ASP.NET Web application development, Web hosting, and Web services - Desktop Applications, including Windows Forms applications, console-based applications, and Windows Services - Databases, including relational database management systems, database query methods, and database connection methods This learning plan also helps students prepare for Microsoft Exam 98-361: Software Development Fundamentals.
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Microsoft Exam 98-362: Windows Development Fundamentals

This exam measures your ability to accomplish the technical tasks listed below.The percentages indicate the relative weight of each major topic area on the exam.The higher the percentage, the more questions you are likely to see on that content area on the exam. The information after This objective may include but is not limited to is intended to further define or scope the objective by describing the types of skills and topics that may be tested for the objective. However, it is not an exhaustive list of skills and topics that could be included on the exam for a given skill area. You may be tested on other skills and topics related to the objective that are not explicitly listed here. Understanding Windows Programming Basics
Identify Windows application types.
This objective may include but is not limited to: Windows Forms, Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF), Windows Services, and Win32 applications
Implement user interface design.
This objective may include but is not limited to: core user interface design principles for creating graphical-based applications
Create Windows-based applications by using Visual Studio.
This objective may include but is not limited to: project types, importance of the various aspects of a Windows Application project Creating Windows Forms Applications
Create and handle events.
This objective may include but is not limited to: methods for creating events in an application; handling events raised in an application
Understand Windows Forms inheritance.
This objective may include but is not limited to: implementing forms inheritance in applications for visual inheritance
Understand how to create new controls and extend existing controls.
This objective may include but is not limited to: creating a new GUI control or inheriting functionality from an existing control
Validate and implement user input.
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This objective may include but is not limited to: implementing the correct user input model based on application design and requirements; accepting keyboard and mouse input; validating user input through GUI controls such as text boxes and dialog controls
Debug a Windows-based application.
This objective may include but is not limited to: using breakpoints and debugging techniques to identify issues in code; debugging a Windows Services application. Creating Windows Services Applications
Create a Windows Services application.
This objective may include but is not limited to: inheriting the ServiceBase class; writing code in the Main method; overriding the OnStart and OnStop procedures
Install a Windows Services application.
This objective may include but is not limited to: creating installers for Windows Services; installing services on a target computer Accessing Data in a Windows Forms Application
Understand data access methods for a Windows Application.
This objective may include but is not limited to: connecting to a database
Understand data bound controls.
This objective may include but is not limited to: how data is bound to controls; how to display the data in the appropriate manner; forms and WPF binding; validating databound items Deploying a Windows Application
Understand Windows application deployment methods.
This objective may include but is not limited to: different methods of deploying Windows applications; choosing the appropriate method for deployment
Create Windows setup and deployment projects.
This objective may include but is not limited to: creating setup projects for applications; specifying custom actions; creating special folders; security requirements; x64 deployment and program files location This learning plan is intended to help students gain the foundational knowledge they need to begin building a Windows development career by using Microsoft technologies. By following the steps in this learning plan, students will gain the knowledge and skills required to: - Create graphical user interface (GUI) applications that run on Windows by using Windows Forms or Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF) - Program and host Windows Services on a computer that runs Windows
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- Access data from various sources for use in a Windows-based application and - Deploy a Windows application to target computers This learning plan also helps students prepare for Microsoft Exam 98-362: Windows Development Fundamentals.
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1. Structure Diagrams - Processes, Decisions and Loops

Structure Diagrams are a method of modelling and testing your code before writing it. It provides a paper version of the processes your code will go through from Inputs to Processes to Outputs. Structure diagrams are used as design tools for functionally decomposing structured programs. Any programming structure can be reduced to combinations of three fundamental operations: Processes, Decisions and Loops. These combinations can be used to reduce a complicated task to smaller less complicated ones. The smaller tasks can be divided even further into smaller groups until they reach a level where you can proceed to create the code. IF or Case Statement Loop, While, For Statement
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Introduction to VB.net
Open a new VB project Save it with a name Lesson1, and to a new folder on your desktop, or wherever you want, as lesson1. Always save a new project in a new folder as multiple files are saved for each project and chaos will ensue unless you are clear about your saving. Set up your workspace to look like this, When you open the Toolbox press the pin to pin it to the side. As we have a good sized screen we have the space available to leave it open. Resize the Form window to make it easier to see.
The following list introduces the most common windows: Toolbox: The Toolbox contains reusable controls and components that can be added to your application. These range from buttons to data connectors to customized controls that you have either purchased or developed. Design window: The Design window is where a lot of the action takes place. This is where you will draw your user interface on your forms. This window is sometimes referred to as the Designer. Solution Explorer: The Solution Explorer window contains a hierarchical view of your solution. A solution can contain many projects, whereas a project contains forms, classes, modules, and components that solve a particular problem. Properties: The Properties window shows what properties the selected object makes available. Although you can set these properties in your code, sometimes it is much easier to set them while you are designing
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your application (for example, drawing the controls on your form). You will notice that the File Name property has the value Form1.vb. This is the physical filename for the forms code and layout information. From the ToolBox in Common Controls drag on .. 1 Button - named btngo Set Text field to GO 1 listbox named lboutput Set Multicolumn to true btn = button
lb = listbox
1 label named lbloutput lbl = label Set Text field to empty clear it Set Autosize to false Set Backcolor to your choice 1 text box named txtinput Set Text field to empty txt = textbox
Double click on the button to open the code window. Although this only shows the code for the Button at present all code (at this level at least) will go in this window. Next we will add text, use the autocomplete every time you make an entry, then you know you wont have any errors. So start to type below and when the word lbloutput appears press Tab. Then choose a property from the pulldown list and press tab again. IF YOU DONT GET THE INTELLISENCE YOU ARE DOING IT WRONG Type in lbloutput.Text = "hello world" Click the green run button to see it working, then click on your button. Things to note: The green bar down the left shows your code is working OK, the output at the bottom gives information as to how well it runs.
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Now alter it to look like this... The first line has been commented out with a Its better to comment out code than delete it, you never know when you need it again. Note that lboutput.Items.Add(txtinput.Text) has two separate intellisence selections.
Private Sub btnGo_Click(ByVal sender As System.Object, ByVal e As System.EventArgs) Handles btnGo.Click ' lbloutput.Text = "hello world" lbloutput.Text = txtinput.Text lboutput.Items.Add(txtinput.Text) MsgBox("This is a test " & txtinput.Text) ' comment out when it gets annoying End Sub
Run it. Add more entries to the text box and see them list in the listbox. Listboxes are fun, and really handy tools to use for debugging as well. Double click on the listbox and then in the code window enter lboutput.Items.Clear() This will clear the listbox when you click on it when it is running
Private Sub lboutput_SelectedIndexChanged(ByVal sender As System.Object, ByVal e As System.EventArgs) Handles lboutput.SelectedIndexChanged lboutput.Items.Clear() End Sub
Now for something different. We want to get the click event on the textbox, when you first click into it with the mouse. We want this so that the existing text can be highlighted so you dont have to delete it out each time you want to add new text. So click in the pulldown list at the top of the code and select txtinput Then click in the second list and select Click. This will be the click event.
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Then add in the following code with the beside it. The green text are comments. Comments are your way to teach the future you what you are going to forget.
Private Sub txtinput_Click(ByVal sender As Object, ByVal e As System.EventArgs) Handles txtinput.Click txtinput.SelectionStart = 0 ' puts the cursor at the start txtinput.SelectionLength = txtinput.Text.Length ' selects the entire length of the text End Sub
Run it and see what happens........ If you comment your code then you can easily find it again at a later time when you want to use it in another program. To this stage we have really just been setting up the program. We now have a working form that you can enter data in on, and see results, now we can turn this into a real program by getting into some coding.
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Variables Its not enough to have data moving from textboxes to labels and out of the program. You need to be able to work with data in the program. To do this you need to create variables, storage places to hold information that you want to use. Variables can store numbers, text, dates, and times, and they can even point to fullfledged objects. When you declare a variable, you give it a name, and you specify the type of data it will store. To use a variable you first have to tell the program that it exists. This happens automatically when you put an object, such as button on a form, but you have to do it manually when you create a variable. The DIM name harks back to the original versions of the BASIC language. BASIC has always needed to know how much space to reserve for an array so it had a command to indicate the dimensions of the array Dim for short. Visual Basic extends that command to all other kinds of variables as well to mean make some space for in general. To do this it follows the following format Dimension Variable Name as Variable Type and give it a value
Dim myVariable As String = "StringValue" This means that myVariable will hold StringValue.
But you can change what is in myVariable to be something completely different as long as its just a string. You can make variables that dont change, for when you want to add a value into your program that is constant.
Const cnstMyConstant As String = "The very long string"
Visual Basic is kind enough to let you use simple data types without initializing them. Numbers are automatically initialized to 0, and strings are initialized to an empty string ("").
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Data Types Data Types define the type of data that a variable can store. Some variables store numbers, others store names. Every .NET language uses the same variable data types. Different languages may provide slightly different names (for example, a VB Integer is the same as a C# int), but the CLR makes no distinctionin fact, they are just two different names for the same base data type (in this case, its System.Int32). This design allows for deep language integration. Because languages share the same core data types, you can easily use objects written in one .NET language in an application written in another .NET language. No data type conversions are required. All .NET languages have the same data types because they all adhere to the common type system (CTS), a Microsoft-designed ECMA standard that sets the ground rules that all .NET languages must follow when dealing with data. The built-in VB.NET type aliases and their equivalent .NET Framework types follow:
.NET Type Name
Byte Int16 Int32 Int64 Single
VB Name
Byte Short Integer Long Single
C# Name
byte short int long float
Contains
An integer from 0 to 255. An integer from 32,768 to 32,767. An integer from 2,147,483,648 to 2,147,483,647. An integer from about 9.2e18 to 9.2e18. A single-precision floating-point number from approximately 3.4e38 to 3.4e38 (for big numbers) or 1.5e-45 to 1.5e-45 (for small fractional numbers). A double-precision floating-point number from approximately 1.8e308 to 1.8e308 (for big numbers) or 5.0e-324 to 5.0e-324 (for small fractional numbers). A 128-bit fixed-point fractional number that supports up to 28 significant digits. A single Unicode character. A variable-length series of Unicode characters. A True or False value. Represents any date and time from 12:00:00 AM on January 1 of year 1 in the Gregorian calendar, to 11:59:59 PM on December 31 of the year 9999. Time values can resolve values to 100-nanosecond increments. Internally, this data type is stored as a 64-bit integer. Represents a period of time, as in ten seconds or three days. The smallest possible interval is 1 tick (100 nanoseconds). The ultimate base class of all .NET types. Can contain any data type or object. (Youll take a much closer look at objects in Chapter 3.)
Double
Double
double
Decimal Char String Boolean DateTime
Decimal Char String Boolean Date
decimal char string bool *
TimeSpan
Object
Object
object
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Try it in your project, just use your name. Variables can be defined anywhere but in this case defining it at the top means it can be used everywhere. shows the changed lines. Under Public Class Form1 add the following. Use your OWN NAME!
Public Class Form1 Dim strmyname As String = "Gary"
Private Sub btnGo_Click(ByVal sender As System.Object, ByVal e As System.EventArgs) Handles btnGo.Click ' lbloutput.Text = "hello world" ' lbloutput.Text = txtinput.Text lboutput.Items.Add(txtinput.Text) lbloutput.Text = strmyname MsgBox("Hello " & strmyname & " boy are you lucky to learn VB.net") ' comment out when it gets annoying End Sub
Add and change the following use your age.

Dim myage As Integer = 47 MsgBox("Hello " & myname & " your age is " & myage) ' comment out when it gets annoying
Variables can be changed easily do this

Dim strmyname As String = "Gary" Dim intmyage As Integer = 47 Dim intyear As Integer = 2012
intmyage = intmyage + 1 intyear = intyear + 1 lboutput.Items.Add(intmyage & " in " & intyear)
Your code to date:

Public Class Form1 Dim strmyname As String = "Gary" Dim intmyage As Integer = 47 Dim intyear As Integer = 2012 Private Sub btnGo_Click(ByVal sender As System.Object, ByVal e As System.EventArgs) Handles btnGo.Click ' lbloutput.Text = "hello world" ' lbloutput.Text = txtinput.Text intmyage = intmyage + 1 intyear = intyear + 1 lboutput.Items.Add(intmyage & " in " & intyear) lbloutput.Text = strmyname MsgBox("Hello " & strmyname & " your age is " & intmyage) ' comment out when it gets annoying End Sub
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Detecting Keypress events

Choose a KeyDown event and add the following
Private Sub txtinput_KeyDown(sender As Object, e As KeyEventArgs) Handles txtinput.KeyDown If e.KeyCode = Keys.Return Then lblOutput.Text = txtinput.Text MsgBox("This is some text") 'Put whatever you want here. End If End Sub
Structure Diagram for part of lesson 1
Operators
There are various types of operators in Visual Basic. Here are the Arithmetic operators (for example, the expression 5 + 4 yields a value of 9):
Operator
+ * / Mod
Description
Addition Subtraction Multiplication Division Gets the remainder left after integer division
Example
1+1 52 2*5 5/2 7 Mod 3
Result
2 3 10 2.5 1
Here are the Comparison operators (these values yield true or false valuesfor example, 5 > 4 yields a value of True): < (Less than) <= (Less than or equal to) > (Greater than)
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True if operand1 is less than operand2 True if operand1 is less than or equal to operand2 True if operand1 is greater than operand2
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>= (Greater than or equal to) = (Equal to) <> (Not equal to) Is Like
True if operand1 is greater than or equal to operand2 True if operand1 equals operand2 True if operand1 is not equal to operand2 True if two object references refer to the same object Performs string pattern matching
When dealing with strings, you can use the concatenation operator (&), which joins two strings. MyName = FirstName & " " & LastName The addition operator (+) can also be used to join strings, but its generally clearer and safer to use the concatenation operator. The concatenation operator (&) automatically attempts to convert both variables in the expression to the string data type, if they are not already strings. In addition, VB also provides special shorthand assignment operators. Here are a few examples: Add 10 to MyValue (the same as MyValue = MyValue + 10). Multiply MyValue by 3 (the same as MyValue = MyValue * 3). Divide MyValue by 12 (the same as MyValue = MyValue / 12). MyValue += 10 MyValue *= 3 MyValue /= 12
Advanced math with System.Math In the past, every language has had its own set of keywords for common math operations such as rounding and trigonometry. In .NET languages, many of these keywords remain. However, you can also use a centralized System.Math class thats part of the .NET Framework. This has the pleasant side effect of ensuring that the code you use to perform mathematical operations can easily be translated into equivalent statements in any .NET language with minimal fuss. To use the math operations, you invoke the methods of the Math class. These methods are shared, which means they are always available and ready to use. The following table shows some sample calculations that you can perform with the Math class: Dim MyValue As Double MyValue = Math.Sqrt(81) MyValue = Math.Round(42.889, 2) MyValue = Math.Abs(10)
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MyValue = 9.0 MyValue = 42.89 MyValue = 10.0 Absolute makes a

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negative a positive MyValue = Math.Log(24.212) MyValue = Math.PI MyValue = 3.18.. (and so on) MyValue = 3.14.. (and so on)
The features of the Math class are too numerous to list here in their entirety. The preceding examples show some common numeric operations. For more information about the trigonometric and logarithmic functions that are available, refer to the reference information for the Math class on Microsofts MSDN website These are the Logical/Bitwise operators, where bitwise means working bit by bit with numerical values. These types of operators can work on logical values (for example, if blnValue1 is set to True and blnValue2 is set to False, then blnValue1 Or blnValue2 returns a value of True) or numbers for bitwise operations, which work on their operands bit by bit (for example, if intValue1 is set to 2 and intValue2 is set to 1, then intValue1 Or intValue2 yields 3): And Performs an And operation (for logical operations: True if both operands are True, False otherwise; the same for bit-by-bit operations where you treat 0 as False and 1 as True). Reverses the logical value of its operand, from True to False and False to True, for bitwise operations, turns 0 into 1 and 1 into 0. Operator performs an Or operation (for logical operations: True if either operand is True, False otherwise; the same for bit-by-bit operations where you treat 0 as False and 1 as True). Operator performs an exclusive-Or operation (for logical operations: True if either operand, but not both, is True, and False otherwise; the same for bit-by-bit operations where you treat 0 as False and 1 as True). Operator A "short circuited" And operator; if the first operand is False, the second operand is not tested. Operator A "short circuited" Or operator, if the first operand is True, the second is not tested. Gets the address of a procedure Gets information about a type
Not Or
Xor
AndAlso OrElse Address Of GetType
Following the lead of languages like Java, VB .NET supports these combination operators. For example, += is a combination of + and =, which means that you can write intValue1 = intValue1 + 1 as intValue1 += 1. In a similar way, you can write intValue1 = intValue1 * 5 asintValue1 *= 5, providing an easy shortcut.
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Also, in Visual Basic .NET, if the first operand of an And operator evaluates to False, the remainder of the logical expression is not evaluated. Similarly, if the first operand of an Or operator evaluates to True, the remainder of the logical expression is not evaluated. This is called short-circuiting. We will use these in the future. Close your project.
Code Snippets tool

To enter code that you will be using repetitively use the Code Snippets tool. (However at this level its better for you to enter it by hand, but here is how you do it.) In your code window click where you want the code entered, then right click and choose Insert Snippet. Then double click on the group you want such as Code Patterns and search for the code you want to enter. You can also save code to the Snippets to use later.
Learning to code defensively - Refactoring your code

If you want to rename (refactor) your code, such as your variables, you can do it all at once. When you change the name click on the small icon that appears on the bottom right and choose the option shown. This seems to bork at changing the same name multiple times however. This is a really good tool for your programming.
Using My
My is the speed dial of the dot net framework. Its a quick way to access distinct classes which organize a variety of functions into one of seven general areas: My.Application, My.Computer, My.Forms, My.Resources, My.Settings, My.User, and My.WebServices. Eg: The name of the current user of the application
lblname.text = My.User.Name
A statement that checks if the directory exists

If My.Computer.FileSystem.DirectoryExists.("C:\files") then
A statement that creates an instance of a form and displays it. (Form1 being the form, but your form name will show if you have one)
My.Forms.Form1.Show()
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Reading a text file into the program

contents = My.Computer.FileSystem.ReadAllText("c:\mytextfile.txt")
My isnt used much in the exercises as its platform dependant, but many exercises could be rewritten to incorporate it. Its a good tool that is so far unexploited. Maybe we need to get a book on it.
Learning to code defensively - Some coding ideas

Write code for clarity, not brevity Whenever you can choose between concise (but potentially confusing) code and clear (but potentially tedious) code, use code that reads as intended, even if its less elegant. For example, split complex arithmetic operations into a series of separate statements to make the logic clearer. Think about who might read your code. It might require maintenance work by a junior coder, and if he cant understand the logic, then hes bound to make mistakes. Complicated constructs or unusual language tricks might prove your encyclopaedic knowledge of operator precedence, but it really butchers code maintainability. Keep it simple. Dont let anyone tinker with stuff they shouldnt Things that are internal should stay on the inside. Things that are private should be kept under lock and key. Dont display your codes dirty laundry in public. In objectoriented languages, prevent access to internal class data by making it private. Keep all variables in the tightest scope necessary; dont declare variables globally when you dont have to. Dont put them at file scope when they can be function-local. Dont place them at function scope when they can be loop-local. Check every return value If a function returns a value, it does so for a reason. Check that return value. If it is an error code, you must inspect it and handle any failure. Dont let errors silently invade your program; swallowing an error can lead to unpredictable behaviour. Initialize all variables at their points of declaration This is a clarity issue. The intent of each variable is explicit if you initialize it. Its not safe to rely on rules of thumb like if I dont initialize it, I dont care about the initial value. The code will evolve. The uninitialized value may turn into a problem further down the line. Declare variables as late as possible By doing this, you place the variable as close as possible to its use; preventing it from confusing other parts of the code. It also clarifies the code using the variable. You dont have to hunt around to find the variables type and initialization; a nearby declaration makes it obvious. Dont reuse the same temporary variable in a number of places, even if each use is in a logically separate area. It makes later reworking of the code awfully complicated. Create a new variable each timethe compiler will sort out any efficiency concerns.
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2. If Statements
Grades Project
If Statements are one of the fundamental tools of programming, something you will use in every project. The If block is the powerhouse of conditional logic, able to evaluate any combination of conditions and deal with multiple and different pieces of data. Heres an example of an If block that features two conditions:
If MyNumber > 10 Then ' Do something. ElseIf MyString = "hello" Then ' Do something. Else ' Do End If something.
An If block can have any number of conditions. If you test only a single condition, you dont need to include any other ElseIf or Else blocks. Create a new project, call it Grades IF, and remember to make a new folder. Create a .... Button- name btncalculate, Text Calculate Textbox name txtgrade Listbox name lbgrade Label name lblgrade text = nothing
We want to calculate the grade of a mark when entered into the text box. Double click on the button to open the code window, and then enter the following code. REMEMBER NOT TO TYPE BUT USE THE TAB KEY
If txtgrade.Text < 50 Then lblgrade.Text = "Fail" lbgrade.Items.Add(txtgrade.Text & " Fail") Else lblgrade.Text = "Pass" lbgrade.Items.Add(txtgrade.Text & " Pass") End If
When you get that working add these modifications

If txtgrade.Text < 50 Then lblgrade.Text = "Fail" Fail")
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' lbgrade.Items.Add(txtgrade.Text & " ElseIf txtgrade.Text < 60 Then lblgrade.Text = "C"
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' lbgrade.Items.Add(txtgrade.Text & " Pass") ElseIf txtgrade.Text < 70 Then lblgrade.Text = "B" End If
I know this isnt a full program we will finish it later. Lets create a variable to hold the grade and use that instead of txtgrade.text. Its far tidier. Note that we can add the listbox to the very end instead of after each IF statement.
Dim grade As Integer
Private Sub btncaclulate_Click(ByVal sender As System.Object, ByVal e As System.EventArgs) Handles btncaclulate.Click grade = txtgrade.Text If grade < 50 Then lblgrade.Text = "Fail" ElseIf grade < 60 Then lblgrade.Text = "C" ElseIf grade < 70 Then lblgrade.Text = "B" End If lbgrade.Items.Add(grade & " " & lblgrade.Text) End Sub End Class
Now finish the Grade calculator off with E D C B A rankings to 100.
Exercise: Add a way so that the persons name appears in the list box beside their grade ie: John Smith 72 B. That would be a practical way to show results. Error checking exercises - build these into your program. How can you stop people from entering a number over 100 with an IF? How can you stop people clicking the button without any number in the field with an IF?
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Learning to code defensively -Use Try / Catch for error Checking

Defensive programming is careful, guarded programming. To construct reliable software, we design every component in the system so that it protects itself as much as possible. In this case Try catch will halt any errors, but its not ideal. Sometimes you WANT to see the errors that are generated so that you can fix them properly by using techniques such as limiting input to text or numbers (as seen later) Use Try / Catch to prevent errors (its a pretty rough but practical tool that I always use). Its also great for bug checking as well. Anything between TRY and CATCH is run and if it returns an error you can show it in a message box after the CATCH and before the END TRY. Put whatever error message you want between the Catch and End Try You can break up your code with Try/Catch all through it checking each part. Try it and see.
Private Sub btncaclulate_Click(ByVal sender As System.Object, ByVal e As System.EventArgs) Handles btncaclulate.Click Try grade = txtgrade.Text If grade < 50 Then lblgrade.Text = "Fail" ElseIf grade < 60 Then lblgrade.Text = "C" ElseIf grade < 70 Then lblgrade.Text = "B" End If lbgrade.Items.Add(grade & " " & lblgrade.Text) End Sub Catch txtgrade.Text = "" End Try MsgBox("Please use a number " & txtgrade.Text & " is wrong")
Catching with error messages just for reference

Dim Friendly As Boolean = True Dim myVariable As Form Try myVariable.Show() Catch ex As NullReferenceException When Friendly = False MsgBox("Are you stupid? myVariable can't be empty") Catch ex As NullReferenceException MsgBox("myVariable mustn't be empty")
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Catch ex As Exception MsgBox(ex.Message) Finally MsgBox("We're done") End Try
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3. Select Case Statement

Hate making heaps of IF statements? Tied in with an IF statement is this totally practical way of using multiple IFs called Select Case. With Case you can more finely set the parameters you want. In this case all numbers between 0 and 50 and then 51 to 100. Create another button call it btncase and use the Case statement to rebuild your IF statements in a much tidier format. A simple example of Case is below.
Private Sub btncase_Click(ByVal sender As System.Object, ByVal e As System.EventArgs) Handles btncase.Click End Sub grade = txtgrade.Text Select Case grade Case 0 To 50 lblgrade.Text = "Fail" Case 51 To 100 lblgrade.Text = "Pass" End Select
When you get that working use Case to make the full ABCDE grading system. Case is one of those really handy tools that you can easily use. We will return to this button later.
Finding out the average of grades entered.

Using some simple calculations we can generate an average score of the numbers entered into your program. Create a new label called lblaverage. Create two variables gradeaverage and count as Integers. Give count a start number of 0.
Dim intgrade As Integer Dim snggradeaverage As Single Dim intcount As Integer = 0
Private Sub btncaclulate_Click(ByVal sender As System.Object, ByVal e As System.EventArgs) Handles btncaclulate.Click Try intgrade = txtgrade.Text snggradeaverage += intgrade ' add grade to the total intcount += 1 ' count up by 1 each time the button pressed lblaverage.Text = "Average " & snggradeaverage / intcount
This line gradeaverage += grade adds the score in the grade to the grade average variable each time you click the button. It can also be written as gradeaverage = gradeaverage + grade
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This line count += 1 makes the counter increase by 1 each time the button is clicked. This is a really practical piece of code that you use often to count stuff, such as in loops. You can also use count = count + 1 which is the old way of writing it This next line divides the gradeaverage by how many clicks to work out an average and is then passed to the label lblaverage.Text = "Average " & gradeaverage /
count
Exercise: In your listbox, add a count so that you can see how many entries you have made, such as the pic shows on the right.
Max and Min using IF

We can calculate the max and the min of the data being entered easily with if statements. Create 2 labels lblmax and lblmin then add the code below to your other variables
Dim intmax As Integer Dim intmin As Integer
Private Sub btncaclulate_Click(ByVal sender As System.Object, ByVal e As System.EventArgs) Handles btncaclulate.Click Try
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number
intmin = grade End If If grade > intmax Then ' if the grade is bigger than the intmax = grade ' make the number the grade End If lblmax.Text = "Max number " & intmax ' show
Exercise: Once you have made that then create the code for the min number and pass it to the label.
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Learning to code defensively - Catching if just Numeric or Text entered

There are a number of ways to catch if text or numbers are entered, but this is by far the easiest. IsNumeric returns True or False, So put it in an IF statement to check your input as you type into the text box. Use it in txtgrade.TextChanged which you open by just double clicking on the Text box.
Private Sub txtgrade_TextChanged(ByVal sender As System.Object, ByVal e As System.EventArgs) Handles txtgrade.TextChanged If Not IsNumeric(txtgrade.Text) Then MessageBox.Show("Please enter a Number") End If End Sub
Close your program
Using Keypress to allow only numbers

(Advanced) This is a great way to isolate numbers so they only enter the text box and also to use string operations with e.KeyChar. There are two ways to achieve this, the first shows more ways of coding, the second, is more condensed. Both are good to use to add to your projects.
Private Sub txtdatain_KeyPress(ByVal sender As System.Object, ByVal e As System.Windows.Forms.KeyPressEventArgs) Handles txtdatain.KeyPress Dim strthis_ch As String ' holds the current character Dim strtxtcopy As String ' a copy of the textbox text Dim strbackspace As String = Chr(8) ' backspace character for comparison in case block strtxtcopy = txtdatain.Text' get the current text strthis_ch = e.KeyChar' get the current char e.KeyChar = ""' eliminate the character from the keychar buffer Select Case strthis_ch ' make sure it is digit or dot
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Case "0" To "9", "." strtxtcopy &= strthis_ch' concatenate the character to text txtdatain.Text = strtxtcopy' replace old with new txtdatain.SelectionStart = txtdatain.Text.Length' ensure cursor positioned correctly e.Handled = True' stop keychar being processed by system Case strbackspace Then' backspace detected so remove last character If strtxtcopy <> "" strtxtcopy = strtxtcopy.Substring(0, strtxtcopy.Length - 1) txtdatain.Text = strtxtcopy' replace text txtdatain.SelectionStart = txtdatain.Text.Length' move cursor e.Handled = True' stop beep by stopping keychar handler End If Case Else ' any other key just process in the normal way because there's nothing to process, we'll get a beep which is what we want! e.KeyChar = "" End Select End Sub
Here is the same code at a smaller scale which is nicer but harder to follow.
If (e.KeyChar < "0" OrElse e.KeyChar > "9") AndAlso e.KeyChar <> ControlChars.Back AndAlso e.KeyChar <> "." Then 'cancel keys e.Handled = True End If
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4. IF with AND and OR Does the car run?

We can have multiple criteria in the IF statement by using AND and OR in the Condition. For example: To make a car run you need a battery and petrol and a key. This can be seen in one If statement as the following code If strbattery = "battery" And strkey = "key" And strpetrol = "petrol" Then
Private Sub btnstart_Click(sender As Object, e As EventArgs) Handles btnstart.Click 'Define 3 variables to hold the conditions Dim strbattery, strkey, strpetrol As String 'Pass the data in the textboxes to the variables strbattery = txtbattery.Text strkey = txtkey.Text strpetrol = txtpetrol.Text 'If statement with AND to make the car go If strbattery = "battery" And strkey = "key" And strpetrol = "petrol" Then MsgBox("Varoom! Off we go!") Else MsgBox("Not going anywhere ...") End If End Sub
However if the person types in Petrol instead of petrol or Yes, then it doesnt work So add some OR statements in to meet the criteria for other options. The battery field is already completed for you.
If (strbattery = "battery" Or strbattery = "Battery" Or strbattery = "yes") And (strkey = "key" And strpetrol = "petrol") Then
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This is pretty tedious having to type in the words all the time lets just use a Checkbox for each of the three conditions. Add three checkboxes and name them chkbattery, chkfuel, chkkey.
If they are ticked then their checked value is true chkfuel.Checked = True Create a new start button to hold the code below.
Private Sub btnStartCheck_Click(sender As Object, e As EventArgs) Handles btnStartCheck.Click If chkfuel.Checked = True And chkbattery.Checked = True And chkKey.Checked = True Then MsgBox("Varoom! Off we go!") Else MsgBox("Not going anywhere ...") End If End Sub
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Calculator Project
Create a new project. Call it calculator. Buttons = Btnplus, btnminus, btndivide, btnsubtract, btnequals Use your intelligence to work out the text on them Text Boxes = txtnum1, txtnum2 Listbox lbanswer Label = lblanswer Create 3 variables to hold the numbers. We will use Long as it gives longer numbers and decimals.
Dim lngnum1 as long Dim lngnum2 as long Dim lnganswer as long
Add the following code under the Multiple button (Double click on the Multiple button to add the code) (Note these should be Double, not Long, Long only holds whole numbers not fractions. So change your variables to dblnum1 as Double)
Public Class Form1 Dim lngnum1 As Long Dim lngnum2 As Long Dim lnganswer As Long
Private Sub btnmultiply_Click(ByVal sender As System.Object, ByVal e As System.EventArgs) Handles btnmultiply.Click lngnum1 = txtnum1.Text lngnum2 = txtnum2.Text lnganswer = lngnum1 * lngnum2 lblanswer.Text = lnganswer
lbanswer.Items.Add(lngnum1 & " X " & lngnum2 & " = " & lnganswer) End Sub End Class
Try and see if it works. If so, then use the code to make the next 3 buttons as well. Create a new label, dont worry about the name and in it Put the title of your calculator and format it to look nice. Look at the properties of FONT and FORECOLOR to make it look nice.
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Temperature Converter program

Create a temperature converter. You enter a number as either Celsius or Fahrenheit and the program converts from one to the other. Centigrade = (5.0/9.0) * (Fahrenheit 32.0) Fahrenheit = Centigrade * (9 / 5) + 32 Create images that appear when the water is boiling, or freezing. Here is the simple code I created with a couple of radio buttons However use your own style and code.
Private Sub btnsubmit_Click(ByVal sender As System.Object, ByVal e As System.EventArgs) Handles btnsubmit.Click Dim sngfah As Single Dim sngcel As Single sngfah = (txttemp.Text - 32) * 5 / 9 sngcel = txttemp.Text * (9 / 5) + 32 If RadioButton1.Checked Then lbloutput.Text = txttemp.Text & " Fahrenheit is equal to " & sngfah & " Celsius" ElseIf RadioButton2.Checked Then lbloutput.Text = txttemp.Text & " Celsius is equal to " & sngcel & " Fahrenheit" End If End Sub
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5. Sender
Using Sender exercises
In VB.NET, there are two major upgrades that make VB.NET more advanced 1. The "Handles" clause controls whether the system calls the subroutine, not the name. 2. The sender and e parameters are passed to the subroutine. Let's look at a simple example to see the difference that parameters make in VB.NET.
Private Sub Button1_Click(ByVal sender As System.Object, ByVal e As System.EventArgs) Handles Button1.Click End Sub
Event subroutines always receive a "sender" object and a system EventArgs parameter "e". EventArgs is the base class for classes containing event data. What can you do with these parameters? Suppose you want to find whether a string, perhaps something you entered into a Textbox, exists in any one of a collection of other Textboxes when you click on one. First you have to make a fake text box to hold the data
Dim myTextbox As TextBox
Then send the data from which ever text box you clicked to it
myTextbox = sender
The sender parameter will reveal which Textbox was clicked. This code works on the data entry into the text box itself. Txtinput Txtinput2
Public Class Form1 Dim strtext As String = "test" Private Sub FindIt(ByVal sender As System.Object, ByVal e As System.EventArgs) Handles txtinput.Enter, txtinput2.Enter Dim myTextbox As TextBox myTextbox = sender Dim IndexChar As Integer = myTextbox.Text.IndexOf(strtext) If IndexChar = -1 Then Me.Text = "Not Found" Else Me.Text = "Found it!"
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End If
Here is a way to delete a line that was clicked in any of six specified lists. Using sender, it was really quite simple: Listbox1 Listbox2
Private Sub ListBox_Click(ByVal sender As Object, ByVal e As System.EventArgs) Handles ListBox1.Click, ListBox2.Click Dim myListBox As New ListBox myListBox = sender myListBox.Items.RemoveAt(myListBox.SelectedIndex) End Sub
To test whether Button1 or Button2 has been clicked, you have to turn sender into an actual Button object and then test a property of that object. Text is usually used, but you could test a value in Tag or even the Location property. Btnrun Btnfind
Private Sub Button_check(ByVal sender As Object, ByVal e As System.EventArgs) Handles btnrun.Click, btnfind.Click Dim button_check As Button Button_check = sender If button_check.Text = "Find" Then Me.Text = "Found it!" Else Me.Text = "Not that one" End If End Sub
Project: Open the Calculator Project and rewrite it so that all events run from a single Button Click Sub. Use Sender.Tag, or Sender.Text, Ifs, and Select Case If you make the Tag the symbol and you can use it in the output as well.
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Using Sender to determine what type of control you clicked

Often in your code procedures, you may need to determine what type of control your code has accessed. For instance, you may want to alter the text on every command button on a form. Or you may want to change the properties for several different controls. In such instances, you have several ways to test for a control type. So what does this do? You can have multiple buttons running from the same click event and using the SENDER you can differentiate which button you are accessing. In this case its looking for the text that is on the button you click - sender.Text. Many times you could use sender.Tag and put a value in that to be used later. The Control gives you control over the properties of the control. EG: if you want to make all the text boxes invisible then you can just set the properties of the textbox to false using c.Visible = False Using c you can change many parts of the control, its a really good trick. Add the below into the main code.
If TypeOf c Is TextBox Then 'and add their text to the listbox c.Visible = False
The most efficient and fastest method of identifying the control used is with the TypeOf operator. This keyword must appear in an If...Then statement, like so:
If TypeOf ctl Is CommandButton Then 'Do something End If
Create the form and the code below under the first button (Button1).
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The main code to add to your form.

Private Sub Button1_Click(ByVal sender As System.Object, ByVal e As System.EventArgs) Handles Button1.Click, Button3.Click, Button2.Click 'all three buttons run off the same click event just separated by a comma Dim c As Control ListBox1.Items.Clear() 'clear the list box For Each c In Me.Controls 'looping through each control 'what is the text of the sender - in this case the button Select Case sender.Text Case "Text Contents" 'if the button text is 'then look for controls which are text boxes If TypeOf c Is TextBox Then 'and add their text to the listbox ListBox1.Items.Add(c.Text) End If Case "Names" 'if the button has names on it 'list all the names of all the controls ListBox1.Items.Add(c.Name) Case "Buttons"'if the button has Buttons on it 'list all the names on just the buttons If TypeOf c Is Button Then ListBox1.Items.Add(c.Name) End If End Select Next End Sub
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Calculator part 2 using Sender

(Advanced if you want to try it we will do this later as well) Here is another way, which uses techniques that we will come across later such as Sender with one event holding all radiobutton events. Sender As System.Object holds all of the information of the radiobutton that you click on. That can be passed to a fake radiobutton which is used in the code. Find out more about Sender later in the manual.
Public Class Form1 Dim dblNum1 As Double = 0.0 Dim dblNum2 As Double = 0.0 Dim dblAnswer As Double = 0.0 'This passes the data from the first text box to the variable and catches if there is an error. Private Sub txtNum1_TextChanged(ByVal sender As System.Object, ByVal e As System.EventArgs) Handles txtNum1.TextChanged Try dblNum1 = txtNum1.Text Catch ex As Exception dblNum1 = 0.0 End Try End Sub 'This passes the data from the second text box to the variable and catches if there is an error. Private Sub txtNum2_TextChanged(ByVal sender As System.Object, ByVal e As System.EventArgs) Handles txtNum2.TextChanged Try dblNum2 = txtNum2.Text Catch ex As Exception dblNum2 = 0.0 End Try End Sub 'This sub holds all of the radio button code, just click on one RB and use its code to hold all the details for the other rbs. Private Sub AllRBs(ByVal sender As System.Object, ByVal e As System.EventArgs) Handles rbnAddition.CheckedChanged,
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rbnDivision.CheckedChanged, rbnMultiplication.CheckedChanged, rbnSubtraction.CheckedChanged If there is something in both text boxes then run the rest of the code If txtNum2.Text <> "" And txtNum2.Text <> "" Then 'first make a fake radio button to hold the properties from the radiobutton you have clicked on Dim fakeradiobutton As RadioButton 'Then pass all the properties from the rb you clicked on to the new fakerb by the Sender fakeradiobutton = sender 'Then look at the fakerb.text to see what is on the text of the rb, it will be either + - * / Select Case fakeradiobutton.Text Case "+" dblAnswer = dblNum1 + dblNum2 Case "-" dblAnswer = dblNum1 - dblNum2 Case "/" 'There is the potential for an error here with division so wrap it in a try catch Try dblAnswer = dblNum1 / dblNum2 Catch ex As Exception MessageBox.Show("Cannot divide by zero") End Try Case "*" dblAnswer = dblNum1 * dblNum2 End Select 'Finally show the output on the screen lblAnswerDisplay.Text = dblAnswer End If End Sub
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Order a sandwich program

Create the following program that allows you to select your order for a sandwich.
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Rock Scissors Paper
Create a program in which you compete against the computer in a game of Rock Scissors paper. The heart of this program is a Select case statement that compares your choice (Rock, Paper, Scissors) to the second persons choice.
If rbnRock.Checked Then 'Checks if the user has the "Rock" choice selected Select Case intComputerChoice 'Selects the variable "intComputerChoice" to match cases against Case 1 'Rock MessageBox.Show("Your choice: Rock, Case 2 'Paper MessageBox.Show("Your choice: Rock, Case 3 'Scissors MessageBox.Show("Your choice: Rock, Case Else MessageBox.Show("Error, something went wrong with the computer generated choice") 'Not nessesarily needed, just here to catch errors End Select Computer choice: Scissors, You win!") Computer choice: Paper, You lost.") Computer choice: Rock, You tied.")
You will need a random number generator to create the computers guess. Best would be to make a manual selection where you choose both sides. Then when you perfect the code for that replace the computer side with the random number.
'Needed for the use of Generate.Next(1, 4) to generate a random number for the computer's choice. Dim ComputerGuess As New Random() 'This code generates a random integer between 1 and 4, but 4 is not inclusive, meaning the only possibilities are 1, 2 and 3 '1 represents Rock, 2 represents Paper, 3 represents Scissors intComputerChoice = ComputerGuess.Next(1, 4)
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Using the instructions that follow, add 3 images to your program to show the choices of the players.
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Adding a new Form or Dialog Box to show images

As you cant show images in a message box, you can instead build a custom form and use that as a messagebox instead. Here is how In your project add a new form as below and name it DialogBox.vb (you can name your form anything its just a name)
Set the Form Border Style property to Fixed Dialog Set the ControlBox, MinimizeBox, and MaximizeBox properties to false. Add a label to your form as a test, name it lblMessage Add a Button to your form, name it btnClose In your main form you need to call the form in the following way. First we have to create an instance of the DialogBox form that we have made so the program know which form we are talking about, think of it as a link to that form on your main form Dim A New form Name as a new Form that you have already made
Dim dialogform As New DialogBox
If we have called the new form Form2 then it would be

Dim dialogform As New Form2
Or
Dim ThisCopyOfTheForm As New Form2
Now we have instantiated a copy of the form it will hold all the objects on that form and you can easily pass data to it. This passes the words Test to the lblmessage.text
dialogform.lblmessage.text = "Test"
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To show the dialogform we use the easy .Show()

dialogform.Show()
Add a picturebox to your dialog form name it pbImageComp

Select Case intComputerChoice "intComputerChoice" to match cases against Case 1 'Rock pbImageComp.BackgroundImage = My.Resources.Resource1.rock dialogform.pbImageComp.BackgroundImage = My.Resources.Resource1.rock Case 2 'Paper pbImageComp.BackgroundImage = My.Resources.Resource1.paper dialogform.pbImageComp.BackgroundImage = My.Resources.Resource1.paper Case 3 'Scissors pbImageComp.BackgroundImage = My.Resources.Resource1.scissors dialogform.pbImageComp.BackgroundImage = My.Resources.Resource1.scissors End Select dialogform.Show() 'Selects the variable
MessageBox text moved to the new forms label

Mydialogform.lblMessage.Text = "Your choice: Rock, Computer choice: Rock, You tied."
You might want to move the dialogform.Show() around so that it only runs once at the end of your code
Your Close button just has Close() in the click event for it. All the code in one place
Dim Mydialogform As New DialogBox Mydialogform.pbImageComp.BackgroundImage = My.Resources.Resource1.rock Mydialogform.lblMessage.Text = "Your choice: Rock, Computer choice: Rock, Mydialogform.Show() You tied."
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6. Adding images to a Resource file

We can add images to our program, and use them on our buttons, and elsewhere. Adding images is an important tool in creating a good looking program. Right click on your project, go Add then New Item. Then choose Resource File. The resource file will be where you keep all your images.
Double click on your new Resouce.resx, then select Images, and click Add Resource Choose Add Existing File, and then find it. You might have to choose the All Files option from the bottom right, if you have an icon or other image type however these might not be allowed on the program. Find and add images for your buttons, either using the internet or existing and add them to your resource file. To add it to your Button, click on your button to bring up the Properties on the right, then click on Image to select a resource, and then choose resource1 (or whatever yours is called) from the pull down menu.
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The images will appear in the list below and you can choose whichever one you want.
Then run your calculator Use the earlier examples to create the following in your calculator Count, Maximums, Minimums, Averages of the numbers you are using. Here is an interesting use of four images called test 1 4 cycling every 15 seconds. Try it.
Private Sub frmMain_Load(ByVal sender As System.Object, ByVal e As System.EventArgs) Handles MyBase.Load Select Case Now.Minute Case Is < 15 Me.BackgroundImage = My.Resources.test1 Case Is < 30 Me.BackgroundImage = My.Resources.test2 Case Is < 45 Me.BackgroundImage = My.Resources.test3 Case Is < 60 Me.BackgroundImage = My.Resources.test4 End Select End Sub
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Guess The Correct Answer game

Make a new project, someone enters 2 numbers, which are multiplied, added or subtracted (you choose) and you have to guess what the answer is. Its an adaption of the calculator with user input If you are correct you get a happy face image, if you are wrong in this PC world you dont get a frowning image, but instead you get a banana. A list box will show you which ones you got right and wrong. (This leads to the Times Table tester later on)
Employee wages
Calculate employee wages based on hours. Use tax rates, and overtime rates
Better Brains College If, And, and Or

Better Brains College want a program to determine how many of their students pass all modules, pass at least one module and pass exactly three modules. Here is the spreadsheet they use at the moment,
Create a program that determines if they have passed one, three or all the modules when you enter the marks. The pass mark can be set to whatever the school wants, so it not always 50. You need to enter this feature as well. An example below (may be quite sophisticated for this level) for a solution.
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Lucky Guess Project

The Lucky Guess program selects a random number between 1 and 10 and gives the user three chances to guess the number. Hints such as Too low and Too high are displayed after each guess if the user is unsuccessful. Random number generator the same as earlier (actually there are a number of ways you can make a random number) Instantiate a new random
Dim rndNumber As New Random()
Generate a number between 1 and 10

randomNumber = rndNumber.Next(1, 11)
Use this when you get it working to create a program that: Counts and shows you how many tries you have made. Stops you from having more than 5 tries Stops errors of no data added Works from the Keypress event of the txtguess instead of the button
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Public Class Form1 Dim rndNumber As New Random() Dim randomNumber As Integer Dim intGuess As Integer = 0 Private Sub btnnew_Click(ByVal sender As System.Object, ByVal e As System.EventArgs) Handles btnnew.Click 'clear the listbox lbguess.Items.Clear() 'generate a new random number randomNumber = rndNumber.Next(1, 11) 'uncomment this and use it to check your random number is being generated OK lbguess.Items.Add("Random Number " & randomNumber) End Sub Private Sub btnguess_Click(ByVal sender As System.Object, ByVal e As System.EventArgs) Handles btnguess.Click If IsNumeric(txtGuessNumber.Text) Then'is it a number? 'if so then pass it to the variable intGuess = txtGuessNumber.Text 'check that its working (can comment out) Me.Text = "My Guess is " & intGuess 'clear the text box and put the cursor back into the box ready for the next guess txtGuessNumber.Text = "" txtGuessNumber.Focus() End If ' if the number equals the random number If intGuess = randomNumber Then lbguess.Items.Add("Congratulations! You found it!") lbguess.Items.Add("The number was " & randomNumber) 'if the number is less than the random number ElseIf intGuess < randomNumber Then lbguess.Items.Add("Too low!") Else 'if the number is greater then the random number lbguess.Items.Add("Too high!") End If End Sub End Class
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7. Subroutines and Functions

Subroutines and functions enable you to break an otherwise unwieldy chunk of code into manageable pieces. They allow you to extract code that you may need to use under more than one circumstance and place it in one location where you can call it as needed. This not only reduces repetition within your code but also enables you to maintain and update the code in a single location. A subroutine performs a task for the code that invokes it. A function performs a task and then returns some value. The value may be the result of a calculation or a status code indicating whether the function succeeded or failed. Together, subroutines and functions are sometimes called routines or procedures. They are also sometimes called methods, particularly when they are subroutines or functions belonging to a class. Subroutines are also occasionally called sub procedures or less formally Subs. (Whew!!!) So far, the code you have been writing in these tutorials has mostly been lumped together under one button. The problem with this approach is that your code can get quite long and complex, making it difficult to read, and difficult to put right if something goes wrong. Another approach is to separate some of this code into its own blocks. This is where functions and subroutines come in You use methods to break your code into easily read blocks that can be used repeatedly.
Subroutines that dont return data (Subs)

This is simply taking a block of code and running it from a command. Note our Sub is named Message and it is private which means can only be used on this form.
This sub takes the number in the intcounter variable and shows it on the label.
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Subroutines that accept data

We can make a tidier type of code by using parameters. Think of the variables in one sub passing data to the variables in another sub, like data changing hands at the door of an office. In this example the intcounter and strtext is defined and used in one sub like below.
intcounter += 1 make some text and pass it to a variable Dim strtext As String = "this is some text"
Then they are included in the brackets of the message method

message(intcounter, strtext)
Then in the message method that data is passed to counter and sometext and then shown in the messagebox.
Private Sub message(counter As Integer, sometext As String) 'run this mesagebox MsgBox(counter & " " & sometext) End Sub
How does it know which variable to pass the data to? By the order of the new parameters in the statements, so the first one goes to the first one, as long as they are compatible types.
Public Class Form1 'declare variable globally make a variable that is used as a counter Dim intcounter As Integer = 0 Private Sub Click_the_button_BTNGO(sender As Object, e As EventArgs) Handles btnGo.Click 'increment the counter each time you click intcounter += 1 make some text and pass it to a variable Dim strtext As String = "this is some text" 'call to the message method here intcounter and strtext gets passed to the method message(intcounter, strtext) End Sub Private Sub message(counter As Integer, sometext As String) 'run this mesagebox MsgBox(counter & " " & sometext) End Sub
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As you can see from the example below data can be passed through to the subroutine by making parameters in the braces. This means that you dont have to make a global variable to have it appear in both subs. As the code below shows only the intcounter is global, Strtext is only local and still passes through to the Message sub
Subroutines that accept data and return it- Functions

This type of method takes two numbers (num1 and num2) then multiplies them together and returns an answer to the sub it was called from. There is more on functions here
If you have more than one variable, like we do, you separate each one with a comma. You can name the variables virtually anything, it doesnt need to be the same is the variables in your main sub. The important thing is that you keep the same order.
From now on use Subs and Functions in every exercise

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Subs and Functions are very important they keep your code tidy and allow it to be easily scanned. Coding goals for Subs and Functions Replace global variables by passing them as parameters in Subs or Functions. You can also replace them with Class Properties (still to cover) Have nothing under Click Events except calls to Subs and Functions. This creates plug and play code for easier reuse. Functions should be small and encompass only one job. Functions should do one thing. They should do it well. They should do it only. So, another way to know that a function is doing more than one thing is if you can extract another function from it with a name that is not merely a restatement of its implementation. We want the code to read like a top-down narrative. We want every function to be followed by those at the next level of abstraction so that we can read the program, descending one level of abstraction at a time as we read down the list of functions. I.e.: Ideally you can scan your program from top to bottom and see what it does instead of having to jump around. The ideal number of arguments (parameters) for a function is zero. Next comes one, followed closely by two. Three arguments should be avoided where possible. More than three requires very special justificationand then shouldnt be used anyway. Arguments are hard. They take a lot of conceptual power. Arguments (parameters) are even harder from a testing point of view. Imagine the difficulty of writing all the test cases to ensure that all the various combinations of arguments work properly. If there are no arguments, this is trivial. If theres one argument, its not too hard. With two arguments (parameters) the problem gets a bit more challenging. With more than two arguments, testing every combination of appropriate values can be daunting. Subs and Functions should have verb or verb phrase names like postPayment, deletePage, or save.
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8. Byref and Byval - Functions - overview

We have already looked at Subs, and Functions are like subs except they return a value to the code that called it. The difference between Sub and Function revision Methods contain the executable statements of a program. There are two types of methods: subroutines and functions. In Subs we just called them with Sub and a name like Sub selectplan() and just put selectplan() in the code where we wanted it to run. We used subs to avoid having to write the same code more than once. A Sub is some code or job that you want VB to get on with and execute. An example is closing a form down and unloading it with Me.Close(). You don't need to return a value, here; you just want VB to close your form down. Also a Sub is a way code in blocks that are used just in your program. They are not made to be used in other programs. Functions are another way to create drag and drop code. You can import functions and use them in your folder and store them in another place for later use. A Function is used because you want some sort of answer back, and an answer that you can then use elsewhere. You should never use a Function without a return type, it wont give you a compilation error but it hinders the performance. A Function can return a value from itself. For example
Public Function Sum(ByVal a As Integer, ByVal b As Integer) As Integer Return a + b End Function
Then you can use this Function as follows

Dim result As Integer = Sum(2, 4)
ByVal (pass a copy of the data) and ByRef (change the original data)
The word ByVal is short for "By Value". What it means is that you are passing a copy of a variable to your Subroutine, or in other words creating a new instance of the variable. You can make changes to the copy and the original will not be altered. Any changes made to the value of this variable have no effect on the value of the original variable that was passed in. By Val (by value) means that the called routine uses the value purely for input, to start a "one way" conversation. ByRef is the alternative. This is short for By Reference. This means that you are not handing over a copy of the original variable but pointing to the original variable. Its not a copy, this is it! Any changes you make to this variable also change its value outside the routine Let's see a coding example.
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ByRef or ByVal Example Create this little example to see the difference between Byref and ByVal. To run 1. 2. 3. 4. Enter two numbers in the text boxes, Load the numbers to the variables, Pass them to functions that just add 10 using the Byref and ByVal buttons. Check your original variable values that are outside the functions with the Check Variables button.
In this example the variables used are defined initially as Dim intOne, IntTwo As Integer The Functions that are used below name their variables differently sngone and sngtwo BUT STILL CHANGE THE FIRST VARIABLES. intOne and intTwo Private Sub ByValue(ByVal sngone As Integer) Private Sub ByReference(ByRef sngtwo As Single) What is important is that SngOne, which has been operated on with By Value has not changed, while SngTwo has taken the value from the ByRef Function.
When would you use byref? http://stackoverflow.com/questions/290189/bestpractice-byref-or-byval-in-net MSDN http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ddck1z30%28v=vs.110%29.aspx Code over the page ..
Public Class Form1 Dim intOne, IntTwo As Integer Private Sub btnload_Click(ByVal sender As System.Object, ByVal e As System.EventArgs) Handles btnload.Click intOne = txtval.Text
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IntTwo = txtref.Text btnload.Text = "Variables Loaded IntOne, and IntTwo" End Sub Private Sub btnByvalue_Click(ByVal sender As System.Object, ByVal e As System.EventArgs) Handles btnByvalue.Click ByValue(intOne) 'runs the ByValue function btnByvalue.Text = "10 added" End Sub Private Sub btnByRef_Click(ByVal sender As System.Object, ByVal e As System.EventArgs) Handles btnByRef.Click ByReference(IntTwo) 'runs the ByRef function btnByRef.Text = "10 added" End Sub Private Sub ByValue(ByVal sngone As Single) 'the Byval function sngone = sngone + 10 lblbyvalue.Text = "Byval sngone = " & sngone End Sub Private Sub ByReference(ByRef sngtwo As Single) 'the Byref Function sngtwo = sngtwo + 10 lblbyref.Text = "ByRef sngtwo = " & sngtwo End Sub Private Sub btncheck_Click(ByVal sender As System.Object, ByVal e As System.EventArgs) Handles btncheck.Click 'what are the variables actually holding? 'Byval will not change, while ByRef will change lblOriginalvariables.Text = "By Value intOne not changed " & intOne & vbCrLf & "By Reference intTwo has changed" & IntTwo End Sub End Class
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Times Table tester

Make a program that will test your times tables. You give it a number and then have it give the answer. The output in the listbox shows the correct or wrong answers and shows how many are correct. Extra: Show a % correct and give an award image when you get 100%. Also electrocute the user when you get 100% wrong.
Output shown below 1 X 10 = 10 CORRECT 2 X 10 = 12 WRONG 3 X 10 = 29 WRONG

lboutput.Items.Add(intcounter & " X " & sngTestNumber & " = " & sngCorrectAnswer & " : " & sngYourAnswer & " is " & strcorrect)
You scored 6 correct.

lboutput.Items.Add("You scored " & intcorrectcount & " correct")
After you have chosen your start number and the number you want to test to, you click the Test button. This starts the program and you type your answer into the text box. The code that checks the answer only runs on the KeyUp event of that text box,
Public Class Form1 Dim intcounter As Integer = 0 Dim sngTestNumber, sngYourAnswer, sngCorrectAnswer As Single Dim strcorrect As String Dim intEndNumber As Integer Dim intcorrectcount As Integer = 0
Code that runs when you click on the button

Private Sub btnrun_Click(ByVal sender As Object, ByVal e As EventArgs) Handles btnrun.Click lboutput.Items.Clear() intcounter = 1 btnrun.Text = "Begin Test"
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'move data to variables from the textboxes sngTestNumber = txtTestNumber.Text intEndNumber = txtEndNumber.Text txtanswer.Visible = True big blue number in the label 12 X 2 in screenshot lblformula.Text = intcounter + 1 & " X " & sngTestNumber End Sub
Code that run on the KeyUp event of the text box when you are entering data. This only runs when you type your answer in and press the Enter key.
Private Sub txtanswer_KeyUp(ByVal sender As Object, ByVal e As KeyEventArgs) Handles txtanswer.KeyUp 'if you hit the Enter key If e.KeyCode = Keys.Enter Then intcounter += 1 sngYourAnswer = txtanswer.Text 'add 1 to the counter 'pass the answer to the variable
sngCorrectAnswer = intcounter * sngTestNumber 'calculate the correct answer 'does your answer equal the correct answer? CorrectAnswerCheck() 'show the output in the listbox lboutput.Items.Add(intcounter & " X " & sngTestNumber & " = " & sngCorrectAnswer & " : " & sngYourAnswer & " is " & strcorrect) 'if the counter reaches the end number If intcounter = intEndNumber Then EndandFinish() End If 'this just resets the focus into the answer box and highlights the existing answer, so that it can be automatically overwrittenw ehn you type the next answer txtanswer.Focus() txtanswer.SelectAll() lblformula.Text = intcounter + 1 & " X " & sngTestNumber End If End Sub
Sub CorrectAnswerCheck() If sngCorrectAnswer = sngYourAnswer Then strcorrect = " correct" 'make the string equal correct intcorrectcount += 1 Else strcorrect = " wrong" End If End Sub 'make the string equal wrong 'make the correct counter increase by 1
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Sub EndandFinish()'code that runs when the end has been reached 'show the amount you got correct lboutput.Items.Add("You scored " & intcorrectcount & " correct") 'hide the answer text box (stops people from triggering the KeyUp event again) txtanswer.Visible = False 'reset the button text and the counter and clear the txtAnswer box btnrun.Text = "Test" intcounter = 0 txtanswer.Text = "" End Sub
'code that runs when the end has been reached Sub EndandFinish() 'show the amount you got correct lboutput.Items.Add("You scored " & intcorrectcount & " correct") 'hide the answer text box (stops people from triggering the KeyUp event again) txtanswer.Visible = False 'reset the button text and the counter and clear the txtAnswer box btnrun.Text = "Test" intcounter = 0 txtanswer.Text = "" End Sub
Private Sub Button1_Click(ByVal sender As Object, ByVal e As EventArgs) Handles Button1.Click End End Sub End Class
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9. Picture Viewer using containers

This lesson looks more at layout and containers, design that I tend to overlook, yet is very important. The actual coding is dead simple.
Create a new project and on the form add a TablelayoutPanel, this container allows other objects to snap into it and resize to the cell sizes.
Set the Dock Property to Fill by choosing the middle section This expands the Table to the full size of the form. Click on the small tag on the Table and close Edit Rows and Columns
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Set the Columns and the Rows as below
That gives you a layout that looks like this Drag a PictureBox into the first square
Well that looks stupid, we need to span it across both cells. In the properties set Dock to Fill and ColumnSpan to 2 Drag a Checkbox into the Bottom left square.
Rename the text property to Stretch Then drag a FlowLayoutPanel to the bottom right
A FlowLayoutPanel is a container that arranges other controls in neat rows in order.

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When you resize a FlowLayoutPanel, if it has room to lay out all of its controls in a single row, it does that. Otherwise, it arranges them in lines, one on top of the other. We will use a FlowLayoutPanel to hold four buttons So set Dock to Fill. Drag 4 buttons into the FlowlayoutPanel and change their text as shown
Name them btnShow, btnClear, btnColor and btnClose and set their Autosize to True Now we need to create the ability to open files and change colors Drag an OpenFileDialog and ColorDialog to the bottom of the Form window, it will dock there happily.
Set the properties of the OpenFileDialog Filter to JPEG Files (*.jpg)|*.jpg|PNG Files (*.png)|*.png|BMP Files (*.bmp)|*.bmp|All files (*.*)|*.* (just cut and paste it across) Set Title to Choose a Picture File
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At last the code! btnShow click event shows the Open File dialog. If the user clicks OK, load the picture that the user choses.
If OpenFileDialog1.ShowDialog() = DialogResult.OK Then PictureBox1.Load(OpenFileDialog1.FileName) End If
btnClear click event just clears the picturebox

PictureBox1.Image = Nothing
Btncolor click event shows the color dialog box. If the user clicks OK, change the PictureBox control's background to the color the user chose.
If ColorDialog1.ShowDialog() = DialogResult.OK Then PictureBox1.BackColor = ColorDialog1.Color End If
Btnclose just closes the form.

Close()
Finally double click on the Checkbox to get the CheckChanged event, this just changes the sizemode of the image to fill the PictureBox when you clck on the Checkbox.
Private Sub CheckBox1_CheckedChanged(sender As Object, e As EventArgs) Handles CheckBox1.CheckedChanged 'If the user selects the Stretch check box, change the PictureBox's SizeMode property to "Stretch". If the user clears the check box, change it to "Normal". If CheckBox1.Checked Then PictureBox1.SizeMode = PictureBoxSizeMode.StretchImage Else PictureBox1.SizeMode = PictureBoxSizeMode.Normal End If End Sub
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10. Changing Control Panel setting using the SystemParametersInfo

Changing the desktop wallpaper in the Picture viewer
support.microsoft.com/kb/97142 The SystemParametersInfo API call can be used to get and set Windows settings that are normally set from the Desktop by using the Control Panel. In your picture viewer program add the following code to the top to access the API (this is not the only version of this there appear to be multiple ways to access the API)
<DllImport("user32.dll", EntryPoint:="SystemParametersInfo")> Shared Function SystemParametersInfo(uiAction As UInteger, uiParam As UInteger, pvParam As String, fWinIni As UInteger) As Boolean End Function
Here are the formal arguments to the function: uAction uParam lpvParam fuWinIni system parameter to query or set depends on system parameter depends on system parameter WIN.INI update flag
The uAction argument we want is CONST SPI_SETDESKWALLPAPER=20 so we want to pass 20 to the uAction. See the link for the 36 other actions. support.microsoft.com/kb/97142 The uParam should be 0 when used with a Get constant, and the new value when used with a Set constant. So we want it as 0. The lpvParam is used in this case as the path to save the wallpaper The fuWinIni updates the system with the new settings. Add the following code to your project as well as a button to save the wallpaper
'new save as desktop wallpaper code Private Sub btnSetWallpaper_Click(sender As Object, e As EventArgs) Handles btnSetWallpaper.Click SetWallpaper(Me.PictureBox1.Image) MessageBox.Show("Wallpaper has been changed", "Set Wallpaper", MessageBoxButtons.OK, MessageBoxIcon.Information) End Sub 'pass through the image location to the sub Sub SetWallpaper(ByVal img As Image) Dim imageLocation As String
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'combines two paths and returns a properly formatted path the image is saved as text.bmp imageLocation = My.Computer.FileSystem.CombinePath(My.Computer.FileSystem.SpecialDirecto ries.MyPictures, "c:\test.bmp") Try 'save it to location made above as a bmp file format img.Save(imageLocation, System.Drawing.Imaging.ImageFormat.Bmp) Const SPI_SETDESKWALLPAPER As Integer = 20 Const SPIF_UPDATEINIFILE As Integer = 1 'Writes the new system-wide parameter setting to the user profile. Const SPIF_SENDWININICHANGE As Integer = 2 'Broadcasts the WM_SETTINGCHANGE message after updating the user profile. 'run the function thats above SystemParametersInfo(SPI_SETDESKWALLPAPER, 0, imageLocation, SPIF_UPDATEINIFILE Or SPIF_SENDWININICHANGE) Catch Ex As Exception MsgBox("There was an error setting the wallpaper: " & Ex.Message) End Try End Sub
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Telecom Smart Phone Bill Project

Create a program to work out the best Smart Phone plan No fixed term, no cancellation fees and the freedom to move plans whenever you want. You can even choose to get a new phone and pay it off in instalments. Just select a plan to see which of our phones you can match it with. http://www.telecom.co.nz/mobile/mobile/plansandpricing/paymonthly/ Plan Monthly cost Anytime min TXTs Data Additional Minutes Additional Data Voicemail A $29 150 B $39 250 C $59 500 D $89 700 E $119 1000 F $139 All you need min 2GB 0 20c/MB 0
strPlan sngMonthlycharge
sngIncminutes
Non-stop text 500MB 59c/min 20c/MB 20c per call 500MB 59c/min 20c/MB 20c per call 1GB 59c/min 20c/MB 20c per call 1GB 59c/min 20c/MB 0 2GB 59c/min 20c/MB 0
SngIncdata sngAddminutes
sngAdddata
sngvoicemail
You need to use TablelayoutPanels, Flowlayoutpanels to group stuff 3 text boxes to input your data How many minutes you talked How many Voice messages you received How much data you used A label to show what your cost will be A Combo Box to make your choice txtMinutesUsed txtvoice txtDataUsed lblplancost CbxPlan
3 labels to show the data, Minutes, and Voicemail used. (at the bottom of the form)
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A bunch of unnamed labels to hold the text on the form This is the basic code, you will need to control errors when people dont enter the correct, or any, data in the text boxes. So what sort of code do we need and how do we make it? We first start with 8 global variables to hold our data
' Global variables create variables to hold the plan data Dim sngMonthlycharge As Single Dim sngIncminutes As Single Dim sngIncdata As Single Dim sngAddminutes As Single Dim sngAdddata As Single Dim SngVoice As Single Dim sngFinalCost As Single Dim strplan As String
Next we add some new features. Sub Routines selectplan() and calculate() Regions. #Region "Select the Plan" to #End Region Using ME Me.Text puts data in the Form title Combo Boxes. CBOplan
This is the click event for the Button, it run two subroutines
Private Sub btnCalculate_Click(sender As Object, e As EventArgs) Handles btnCalculate.Click selectplan() calculate() End Sub
#Region to #End Region allows you to bracket code that you want to minimise down to get out of the way.
#Region "Select the Plan" Sub selectplan() 'put the text in the title bar - easier than a messagebox Me.Text = "You chose the " & strplan & " Plan" Select Case strplan Case "A" sngMonthlycharge = 29 sngIncminutes = 150 SngIncdata = 500 sngAddminutes = 0.59 sngAdddata = 0.2 SngVoice = 0.2
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REPEAT FOR THE OTHER OPTIONS B C D E F Case "B" Case "C" Case "D" Case "E" Case "F" End Select End Sub #End Region Sub calculate() 'create the variables to show the inputted data Dim sngminutesused As Single = 0 Dim sngdataused As Single = 0 Dim sngVoiceused As Single = 0 'create the variables to hold the excess usage Dim sngExtraMinutes As Single = 0 Dim sngExtraData As Single = 0 Dim sngVoiceCost As Single = 0 Move the data from the text boxes to the variables sngminutesused = txtMinutesused.Text sngdataused = txtDataUsed.Text sngVoiceused = txtVoice.Text 'work out extra charges for talking minutes sngminutesused = sngminutesused - sngIncminutes 'if you havn't used your minutes you don't get charged with negatives. Otherwise if you use more than your plan allows then work out the additional minutes penality If sngminutesused > 0 Then sngExtraMinutes = (sngminutesused * sngAddminutes) Else 'there is no extra charge if you used less than your plan sets sngExtraMinutes = 0 End If 'work out extra charge for data sngdataused = sngdataused - sngIncdata 'if you havn't used your all your data you don't get charged with negatives If sngdataused > 0 Then sngExtraData = (sngdataused * sngAdddata)
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Else 'there is no extra charge sngExtraData = 0 End If 'monthly charge doesn't change 'work out the charge for the voicemesage sngVoiceCost = SngVoice * sngVoiceused 'Final cost is the monthly charge but extra minutes used plus additional data plus Voicemail costs sngFinalCost = FormatCurrency(sngMonthlycharge + sngExtraMinutes + sngExtraData + sngVoiceCost) lbplans.Items.Add("The $" & sngMonthlycharge & " Plan " & strplan & " costs you $" & sngFinalCost) lblPlanCost.Text = sngFinalCost 'Add 3 more labels under your 3 text boxes for the following data lblminutesused.Text = FormatCurrency(sngExtraMinutes) lbldataused.Text = "$" & FormatCurrency(sngExtraData) lblVoiceUsed.Text = FormatCurrency(sngVoiceCost) End Sub Private Sub lbplans_SelectedIndexChanged(sender As Object, e As EventArgs) Handles lbplans.SelectedIndexChanged 'clear the list box lbplans.Items.Clear() End Sub Private Sub cbxPlan_SelectedIndexChanged(sender As Object, e As EventArgs) Handles cbxPlan.SelectedIndexChanged strplan = cbxPlan.SelectedItem() End Sub
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11. Multichoice test

This exercise will be an on-going one with modification of the questions and their importing later in the course. The screen is made with a TableLayoutPanel and FlowLayoutPanels. Visual Studio 2012 shows in the Solution Explorer all the elements of the program in a list that you can use as a reference to make your own program. Dispose and Initialise are built in methods so just ignore them. Form1_Load, Questions, and AnswerButtons are methods that you make. AnswerButtons started out as the click event of the first answer button and was then renamed.
Public Class Form1 'how many correct Dim intcorrect As Integer Private Sub Form1_Load(sender As Object, e As EventArgs) Handles Me.Load Questions() End Sub Sub Questions() 'static means its only used once, and not redimmed each time the method is called Static QuestionCounter As Integer 'motor that moves the question counter on by 1 each time it runs. QuestionCounter += 1
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'just an output so you can see its working Me.Text = "Question " & QuestionCounter 'questions loaded here, for this exercise will come from a datafile and DB later. Select Case QuestionCounter Case 1 lblQuestion.Text = QuestionCounter & " Which of these is a Variable?" btn1.Text = "Button" btn2.Text = "Label" btn3.Text = "Double" btn4.Text = "Form" btn3.Tag = "yes" Case 2 lblQuestion.Text = QuestionCounter & " Which of these is NOT a Variable?" btn1.Text = "Single" btn2.Text = "Label" btn3.Text = "Double" btn4.Text = "String" 'the correct answer has a yes added to its tag event, later when we check the answer it just looks for that tag. btn2.Tag = "yes" Case 3 lblQuestion.Text = QuestionCounter & " String is used to ....?" btn1.Text = "Calculate formulas" btn2.Text = "Remind you of something" btn3.Text = "Hold numbers" btn4.Text = "Hold non numbers" btn4.Tag = "yes" Case 4 lblQuestion.Text = QuestionCounter & " The Tag property is used to..." btn1.Text = "Play games with" btn2.Text = "Hold information" btn3.Text = "Create a variable" btn4.Text = "Load a form" btn2.Tag = "yes" Case 5 lblQuestion.Text = QuestionCounter & " Which formula is wrong?" btn1.Text = "stranswer = intnum1 ""&"" intnum2" btn2.Text = "dblanswer = intnum1 * intnum2" btn3.Text = "intanswer = intnum1 + intnum2" btn4.Text = "stranswer = intnum1 + intnum2"
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btn4.Tag = "yes" Case 6 lblQuestion.Text = QuestionCounter & " Select Case is used to" btn1.Text = "Calculate formulas" btn2.Text = "Remind you of something" btn3.Text = "Replace multiple If's" btn4.Text = "Hold non numbers" btn3.Tag = "yes" Case 7 lblQuestion.Text = QuestionCounter & " What control are the Answers made from (we have used it lots)" btn1.Text = "ComboBoxs" btn2.Text = "labels" btn3.Text = "Buttons" btn4.Text = "RadioButtons" btn3.Tag = "yes" Case 8 lblQuestion.Text = QuestionCounter & " The best TV show for Geeks is" btn1.Text = "Big Bang Theory" btn2.Text = "Man Vrs Wild" btn3.Text = "Downton Abbey" btn4.Text = "Shortland Street" btn1.Tag = "yes" Case 9 lblQuestion.Text = QuestionCounter & " What does Form Load do?" btn1.Text = "Formally Loads the program" btn2.Text = "Allows code to run before load" btn3.Text = "Checks for errors" btn4.Text = "Rolling in the Deep" btn1.Tag = "yes" Case 10 lblQuestion.Text = QuestionCounter & " What does Sender do?" btn1.Text = "Nothing, it just sits there" btn2.Text = "Holds all the properties of the control" btn3.Text = "Instantiates the Object as a radiobutton" btn4.Text = "Used on Form Load to load properties" btn2.Tag = "yes" 'this is a messy ending note the exit sub to close out of the method, we could also use Return Case 11 lblQuestion.Text = "Congratulations you got " & intcorrect & " correct" btn1.Text = "" btn2.Text = "" btn3.Text = "" btn4.Text = "" Exit Sub End Select End Sub
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Private Sub AnswerButtons(sender As Object, e As EventArgs) Handles btn1.Click, btn2.Click, btn3.Click, btn4.Click 'all 4 answer buttons use the same code in their click event. All we want to look for is which answer button has yes in its tag, the rest isn't important Dim fakebutton As Button fakebutton = sender 'if the tag event of the answer is Yes then If fakebutton.Tag = "yes" Then intcorrect += 1 LBOutcome.Items.Add(intcorrect & " " & fakebutton.Text & " is Correct") Else 'there is nothing on the tag LBOutcome.Items.Add(fakebutton.Text & " is Not Correct") End If 'reset the tag to nothing fakebutton.Tag = "" 'run the next question Questions() End Sub End Class
Adding a Splash Screen

Right Click on your project go Add New Item, and choose a Splash Screen. Go Project from the Menu, choose the last entry Multichoice Property, scroll to the bottom and choose your splash screen
Click on View Application Events and add a time to wait for, otherwise its too fast.
'splash screen events Protected Overrides Function OnInitialize(commandLineArgs As ReadOnlyCollection(Of String)) As Boolean Me.MinimumSplashScreenDisplayTime = 5000 Return MyBase.OnInitialize(commandLineArgs) End Function
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Change your Splash Screen to suit.
All code in ApplicationEvents.vb

Imports System.Collections.ObjectModel Namespace My Partial Friend Class MyApplication 'splash screen events Protected Overrides Function OnInitialize(commandLineArgs As ReadOnlyCollection(Of String)) As Boolean Me.MinimumSplashScreenDisplayTime = 5000 Return MyBase.OnInitialize(commandLineArgs) End Function End Class End Namespace
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12. Transparent background and automatic shutdown program

This program is an easy bit of code to show how to make a form with a transparent background and the beginning of a system to shut down your computer without having to jump through the Windows 8 hoops. Instead of making an entire form transparent, the TransparencyKey property enables you to specify a color that will become transparent on the form. This enables you to make some sections of a form transparent, while other sections are unchanged. For example, if TransparencyKey is set to a green color and some areas of the form are that exact shade of green, then they will be transparent. Whatever is behind the form shows through in those areas; and if you click in one of those areas, you are actually clicking the object behind the form. TransparencyKey can be used to create irregularly shaped skin forms. A form can have its BackgroundImage property set with an image, and by just painting a part of the image with the TransparencyKey color, you can make parts of the form disappear. Here is the entire code for the project the shutdown code has been commented out for testing and replaced with Close()
Public Class Form1 Private Sub Form1_Click(sender As Object, e As EventArgs) Handles Me.Click Dim ComputerName As String = My.Computer.Name Close() 'Shell("shutdown -s -f -m \\" & ComputerName) End Sub End Class
There is only one graphic on a form. The graphic is a png with a transparent background.
The image is added as a resource and added as a background image on the form. (see over the page)
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Other settings are shown right and below.
Set the transparency key color to one that is the same as your background which isnt found in your image, otherwise part of your image may become transparent as well.
Set the start position to Centre Screen Creating an Icon Convert your image to an icon file using http://convertico.com/ Move the icon to your folder and go Project / Properties and choose it from the Icon: option.
Getting an Exe After you have run the program look in your debug folder and pull out the exe.
Add in a Message Box and confirmation to be sure you REALLY want to shut your machine down.
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Dim shutdown As DialogResult = MessageBox.Show("Do you REALLY want to shut down?", "Shut Down", MessageBoxButtons.YesNo, MessageBoxIcon.Question, MessageBoxDefaultButton. Button2) If shutdown = DialogResult.No Then Close() ElseIf shutdown = DialogResult.Yes Then Shell("shutdown -s -f -m \\" & ComputerName) End If
Create a new form (I named mine ShutDownMessage) in the same project and add two buttons (Yes and No) and some graphics like mine below and a label with the message.
Change the Startup form in the properties to show the second form Changing the Startup Form
Rebuild the code so it runs off the two buttons

Private Sub btnshutdown_Click(sender As Object, e As EventArgs) Handles btnshutdown.Click, btnNo.Click Dim fakebutton As Button fakebutton = sender If fakebutton.Text = "Yes" Then Dim ComputerName As String = My.Computer.Name Shell("shutdown -s -f -m \\" & ComputerName) ElseIf fakebutton.Text = "No" Then
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Close() End If End Sub
To be honest I actually like the red button with the message box best even though its one more click to shut down. You can easily return to that form by changing the Startup form property back to the name of your first form. If you want to access the second form, shutDownMessage, from the first form just instantiate a form and use ShowDialog on the first form.
Dim shutdownform As New shutdownMessage shutdownform.ShowDialog()
Create a fading closing form This stand alone code allows the form to fade out when closing. It looks really good. Add a timer to your project and insert the code from here into your project.
Public Class Form1 Dim blncancelClose As Boolean = True Look for the FormClosing event from Forms at the top of the code screen pulldown menu Private Sub Form1_FormClosing(sender As Object, e As FormClosingEventArgs) Handles Me.FormClosing Timer1.Enabled = True turn on the timer e.Cancel = blncancelClose stop the form from closing (until its faded out. Later in the code Me.Close() closes the form End Sub Private Sub Form1_Load(sender As Object, e As EventArgs) Handles Me.Load Me.AllowTransparency = True allow the form to be transparent when it loads End Sub Timer runs through the following code when Timer1.Enabled = True Private Sub Timer1_Tick(sender As Object, e As EventArgs) Handles Timer1.Tick Me.Opacity -= 0.05 If Me.Opacity = 0 Then Me.Close() End If End Sub End Class 'make it more transparent When its totally transparent 'this actually closes the form
blncancelClose = False
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Another way to shut down This may be a safer method than the brutal shell command. To make it shutdown: we write after the comma -s To make it restart we write after the comma -r To make it logoff we write after the comma -l So the code will be for example:
System.diagnostics.Process.Start(shutdown, -s)
Will cause the computer to shutdown. When you order it to shutdown like this it will give you about 20 sec to shutdown but there is a way to manage that.
System.Diagnostics.Process.Start(shutdown, -s -t 00)
The -t will control the time after -t we write the number of sec (Note: max sec = 99) From: http://developerlogic.wordpress.com/2011/03/03/shutdown-restart-or-log-offyour-computer-using-vb-net/
Process.Start has some very interesting options, you can use it to start programs and set them up . http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/53ezey2s.aspx?cs-save-lang=1&cslang=vb#code-snippet-1
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13. Loops In VB.Net

Loops are used for iteration purposes, i.e., performing a task multiple times (usually until a termination condition is met) There are two basic types of loops. A pre-test loop tests the condition before the body of the loop is executed. It is possible, using a pre-test loop, that the body of the loop might never be executed. A post-test loop tests the condition after the body of the loop is executed. The number of iterations in a post-test loop is at least one. When writing a program, you might have to make a decision regarding which loop structure to use. For...Next loops and For Each loops are best when the number of repetitions is fixed. Do loops are best when the condition to enter or exit the loop needs to be reevaluated continually. When deciding which loop to use, keep the following considerations in mind: 1. Use a Do loop if the number of repetitions is unknown and is based on a condition changing; a For...Next loop is best if the exact number of repetitions is fixed. 2. If a loop condition must be tested before the body of the loop is executed, use a top-controlled Do While or Do Until loop. If the instructions within a loop must be executed one time regardless of the status of a condition, use a bottom-controlled Do While or Do Until loop. 3. Use the keyword While if you want to continue execution of the loop while the condition is true. 4. Use the keyword Until if you want to continue execution until the condition is true.
ForNext Loop
The most common type of loop in VB.Net is the For...Next loop. The basic structure of the For...Next loop is like so:
For variable = startingValue To lastValue statement or block of statements Next
Lets see a For...Next loop that will write integers from 1 to 10

Dim i As Integer For i = 1 to 10 Output to a listbox(i) Next
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At the start, an integer variable i is initialized with the value of 1, then the statements under the For are executed until the value of i does not equal 10. Each time i is incremented by 1. The important points about for loop are: You can use an Exit For statement in a For...Next loop or any other loop to change the normal execution flow. An Exit For statement terminates the loop and transfers the execution point outside the for loop as below:
For i=1 to 10 If i>5 Then Exit For End If Output to a listbox Next
The loop will terminate once the value of i gets greater than 5. You can define the increment/decrement (change) in each iteration of a For...Next Loop using the Step statement. The code below will increment by 2 in the value of i in each cycle of the loop
For i = 1 To 10 Step 2 Output to a listbox Next
Giving 1 3 5 7 9 Note that the increment starts after the first iteration. You can also specify the negative increment (i.e., decrement) in a Step.
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The Leap Year Program For loop

For this exercise The LeapYear program calculates whether a given year is a leap year. Any year evenly divisible by 4 is a leap year except those years that are also evenly divisible by 100. One exception: If the year is evenly divisible by 400, it is a leap year. Create a: Button = btncheck and a Listbox = lbyear
Using Mod The Mod operator divides number1 by number2 and returns only the remainder as result. For example, A (result) equals 2 in A = 8 Mod 3. Its a really handy tool that you will see a lot in programming. In this case year Mod 4 = 0 divides the year by 4 and if it equals 0 does something. Note the AND and OR in the IF Statement
Private Sub btncheck_Click(ByVal sender As System.Object, ByVal e As System.EventArgs) Handles btncheck.Click Dim year As Integer = txtyearenter.Text For i = 1 To 10 If year Mod 4 = 0 And (year Mod 100 <> 0 Or year Mod 400 = 0) Then lbyear.Items.Add(year & " is a Leap Year") Else lbyear.Items.Add(year & " is a not Leap Year") End If year += 1 Next End Sub
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14. Do WhileLoop
The general structure of the Do While...Loop is
Do While Boolean expression Statement or block of statements Loop
The statements under Do While will run continuously as long as the Boolean expression evaluates to true. The similar code for printing integers 1 to 10 using the Do While...Loop is
Dim i As Integer =1 Do While i<=10 Output to a listbox i = i + 1 Loop
The Leap Year Program part 2 Do While loop

Change the Code to add the Do While. Note that you have to manually make the calculator i +=1 for this type of loop. By placing it when there is a leap year it shows the next 10 leap years.
Private Sub btncheck_Click(ByVal sender As System.Object, ByVal e As System.EventArgs) Handles btncheck.Click Dim year As Integer= txtyearenter.Text Dim i As Integer = 1 Do while i is less than or equal to 10 Do While i <= 10 If year Mod 4 = 0 And (year Mod 100 <> 0 _ Or year Mod 400 = 0) Then lbyear.Items.Add(year & " is a Leap Year") i += 1 Else ' End If year += 1 Loop End Sub lbyear.Items.Add(year & " is a not Leap Year")
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Do some error checking. Put a Try Catch around your code, Add an Exit DO in an IF statement to get out of a bad loop.
Private Sub btncheck_Click(ByVal sender As System.Object, ByVal e As System.EventArgs) Handles btncheck.Click Try Dim year As Integer Dim i As Integer = 1 Do While i <= 10 If year < 0 Then lbyear.Items.Add(year & " Invalid year... terminating!") Exit Do End If If year Mod 4 = 0 And (year Mod 100 <> 0 Or year Mod 400 = 0) Then lbyear.Items.Add(year & " is a Leap Year") i += 1 Else lbyear.Items.Add(year & " is a not Leap Year") End If year += 1 Loop Catch MsgBox("At least put a number in") End Try End Sub = txtyearenter.Text
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Do While Fibonacci Sequence

Mathematician Leonardo Fibonacci posed the following problem in his treatise Liber Abaci: Assuming that a newly born pair of rabbits, one male, one female, are put in a field the rabbits are able to mate at the age of one month. So that at the end of its second month a female can produce another pair of rabbits. If the rabbits never die and a mating pair always produces one new pair (one male, one female) every month from the second month on. The puzzle that Fibonacci posed was: How many pairs will there be in one year? At the end of the first month, they mate, but there is still only 1 pair. At the end of the second month the female produces a new pair, so now there are 2 pairs of rabbits in the field. At the end of the third month, the original female produces a second pair, making 3 pairs in all in the field. At the end of the fourth month, the original female has produced yet another new pair, the female born two months ago produces her first pair also, making 5 pairs.
At the end of the nth month, the number of pairs of rabbits is equal to the number of new pairs (which is the number of pairs in month n 2) plus the number of pairs alive last month (n 1). This is the nth Fibonacci number
. Fibonacci is found naturally in nature and also used by Stock traders http://www.babypips.com/school/summary-of-fibonacci.html .
All about Fibonacci http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fibonacci_number
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This code doesnt show the first two given numbers 0 and 1. Fix it.
Private Sub btnrun_Click(sender As Object, e As EventArgs) Handles btnrun.Click Dim Num1 As Integer = 0 Dim Num2 As Integer = 1 Dim NumSum As Integer = 0 'First number 'Second Number 'Sum of First and Second Number
Dim FibEnd As Integer = Val(txtFibIn.Text) Do While NumSum <= FibEnd 'add the first two numbers together (0 and 1) NumSum = Num1 + Num2 'pass Num2 to Num1 to make a new Num1 Num1 = Num2 'Pass the total (NumSum) to Num2 to make a new Num2 Num2 = NumSum lbxFibOut.Items.Add(NumSum.ToString) Loop End Sub
Find the even Fibonacci numbers only Each new term in the Fibonacci sequence is generated by adding the previous two terms. By starting with 1 and 2, the first 10 terms will be: 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, 34, 55, 89, ... By considering the terms in the Fibonacci sequence whose values do not exceed four million, find the sum of the even-valued terms. From: http://projecteuler.net/problem=2 What is the first Fibonacci number to contain 1000 digits? What is the first term in the Fibonacci sequence to contain 1000 digits? http://projecteuler.net/problem=25
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DoLoop While
A Do...Loop While is similar to a Do While...Loop, except that it does not check the condition before entering the first iteration (execution of code inside the body of loop). The general form of the a Do...Loop While is:
Do statement or block of statements Loop While Boolean expression
The statements under the Do will be executed first and then the Boolean condition is checked. The loop will continue until the condition remains true. The code which prints integers 1 to 10 using Do...Loop While is
Dim i As Integer = 1 Do Output to a listbox i = i + 1 Loop While i<=10
The important point is that the statements in a Do...Loop While execute at least once.
DoLoop Until
A Do...Loop Until is similar to the Do...Loop While, except that it continues to execute the containing statements until the condition against the Until part evaluates to True or the condition against the Until remains False. The general form of the Do...Loop Until is as follows:
Do statement or block of statements Loop Until Boolean expression
The statements under the Do will execute first and then the condition is checked. The loop will continue until the condition remains false. The following code will print integers from 1 to 10 using the Do...Loop Until.
Dim i As Integer = 1 Do Output to a listbox i = i + 1 Loop Until i=10
Again the statements in Do...Loop Until execute at least once.
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15. For Each Loop

The For Each loop is also very handy especially when extracting out individual characters inside of a string or larger number. In this case the word you enter is broken up into letters and passed to a character (Char) variable then displayed in a listbox. This is the beginning of string operations. Add the pens array to the list as well, its a great way to add a quick array.
Private Sub btngo_Click(ByVal sender As System.Object, ByVal e As System.EventArgs) Handles btngo.Click Dim strword As String Dim chrletter As Char strword = txtword.Text For Each chrletter In strword lbwordout.Items.Add(chrletter) Next 'The brackets() tell the program its an array Dim Pens() As String = {"Red pen", "Blue Pen", "Black Pen"} ' Loop over each element with For Each. For Each pen As String In Pens lbwordout.Items.Add(pen) Next End Sub
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Find the multiples of 3 and 5

If we list all the natural numbers below 10 that are multiples of 3 or 5, we get 3, 5, 6 and 9. The sum of these multiples is 23. Find the sum of all the multiples of 3 or 5 below 1000. http://projecteuler.net/problem=1
Times Table calculator

Using a Loop, a Listbox, a Textbox and a Button create a program that asks you for a times table number and then displays it in the list box as 1 X 10 = 10 2 X 10 = 20 etc.
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Private Sub btnrun_Click(ByVal sender As System.Object, ByVal e As System.EventArgs) Handles btnrun.Click lboutput.Items.Clear() Dim sngyournumber, sngmultiplier, runningsum As Single sngyournumber = txtyournumber.Text sngmultiplier = txtmultiplier.Text Dim i As Integer For i = 1 To sngmultiplier Dim snganswer As Single snganswer = i * sngyournumber lboutput.Items.Add(i & " X " & sngyournumber & " = " & snganswer) runningsum = runningsum + snganswer Next lboutput.Items.Add(" Total " & runningsum) End Sub
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Dice Rolls with Loops

Create a new project; use a ListBox, and a ComboBox and a Button for this exercise The program asks for a number and displays the numbers that divide equally into it. The program throws a pair of dice, stopping when the number of doubles you have specified has been reached. It also displays each throw and puts the word DOUBLE beside the doubles and tells you how many times it took you to throw to reach your total. Eg: Double total = 3 2 6 3 3 DOUBLE 6 6 DOUBLE 3 1 1 1 DOUBLE You took 5 turns to throw 3 doubles. Expand the program to work with Triples. Same as below with three dice.
This loads the combo box with 1 to 6 at startup of the form (its nice )
Private Sub Form1_Activated(ByVal sender As Object, ByVal e As System.EventArgs) Handles Me.Activated Dim i As Integer For i = 1 To 6 cbStopOn.Items.Add(i) Next End Sub
Private Sub btnroll_Click(ByVal sender As System.Object, ByVal e As System.EventArgs) Handles btnroll.Click Dim randomnumberD1 As Integer Dim randomnumberD2 As Integer ' Initialize the random number generator Randomize()
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' Calculate a random number between 1 and 6 randomnumberD1 = Int(1 + 6 * Rnd()) randomnumberD2 = Int(1 + 6 * Rnd()) Dim storage As String Dim stopValue As Integer Dim dblCount As Integer ' empty the listbox lbDiceRolls.Items.Clear() ' get the stop value stopValue = cbStopOn.SelectedItem ' now roll the dice until we get the correct double Do ' Calculate a random number between 1 and 6 randomnumberD1 = Int(1 + 6 * Rnd()) randomnumberD2 = Int(1 + 6 * Rnd()) ' make a string to add to the listbox storage = randomnumberD1.ToString & " " & randomnumberD2.ToString ' check if it's a double and modify the string ' if it is, also count this for later If randomnumberD1 = randomnumberD2 Then storage &= " Double!" dblCount += 1 End If ' store it in the listbox lbDiceRolls.Items.Add(storage) Loop Until (randomnumberD1 = randomnumberD2) And (dblCount = stopValue) End Sub
Stop the program from crashing when you forget to choose a selection in the ComboBox.
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Identify the appropriate method for handling repetition

SCENARIO: Adriana is creating a point-of-sale (cash register) application for Fourth Coffee. Her responsibility is to create a password-protected login system to ensure security of the system. She has finished the login window and password check, but she is having trouble implementing it correctly. Adrianas project manager wants the system to give the user three attempts to login correctly before locking the system. In Adrianas most recent version, the system prompts the user for a name and password three times even if the user correctly logs in on the first try. After the third attempt, the system always lockseven if the input is correct. 1. Adriana is using a for loop, which works best when: a. the number of iterations is known and is unlikely to change during execution b. the number of iterations is known but is likely to change during execution c. the number of iterations is unknown 2. What control structure would be best for Adrianas login system? a. for loop b. while loop c. a recursive method 3. How many times does a do..while loop execute? a. at least zero times b. at least one time c. at least two times
Create her login system. From: Microsoft training 361.pdf in Goodies folder.
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Depreciation Rate calculator

Create a program that works out the depreciation for tax purposes on a range of items. Develop a program that: Accepts as input the purchase price of a car; Accepts as input how long in years the car is to be depreciated. Accepts the amount of depreciation per year. Outputs the value of the car (currency format) after it has depreciated.
Test Case: Input: Purchase Price $18,500 and 3 Years to Depreciate the Car After 1 year the value is $14,800 (80% of 18,500) After 2 years the value is $11,840 (80% of 14,800) After 3 years the value is $9,472 (80% of 11,840) Output: $9,472
The example above uses a Date and Time Picker set to show only year. A list box (named lstTotals) with the year data and depreciation formula looped into it, and styled with a TableLayoutPanel and a FlowlayoutPanel. Depreciation formula is simple Car price = Car price (Car price * percent deduction) The Date and Time Picker Properties has ShowUpDown set to True. Format set to Custom. CustomFormat set to yyyy In the code returns the year in the code with dblYear = dtpPurchaseYear.Value.Year
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The Dog and lemon guide suggest the following deprecation rates for a new car The Dog & Lemon Guide rough & ready depreciation formula: http://www.dogandlemon.com/articles/depreciation-new-zealand New: 2nd year: 3rd year: 4th year: 5th year: $100,000 (less 40%) (less 20%) (less 20%) (less 20%) $60,000 $48,000 $38,400 $30,720
Modify your program to use these new depreciation rates. This exercise is modified later for use with Classes.
What If we input the depreciation rates from a data file, and store it in an array, then we can build a full blown program that allows us to work out depreciation and sell it to IRD!
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Compounding Interest Calculator

This is more interesting that it first seems. Create a calculator that calculates the interest on your money compounding. That is when you earn the interest it is added back on to the principal and interest is calculated on the new amount. There are 4 main areas How much the Principal is the money you are investing How much the interest rate is in % which has to be converted to decimal by dividing by 100 How many years you are investing for How often your interest is calculated, daily, weekly, monthly, yearly.
In the tag properties of the 4 radio buttons set them to 1, 12, 52, 365 the radiobuttons are in a Groupbox but thats just for style and ease of movement.
Public Class Form1 'how many times a year its paid Dim int_interest_period As Integer Private Sub btncalculate_Click(ByVal sender As System.Object, ByVal e As System.EventArgs) Handles btncalculate.Click lboutput.Items.Clear() Dim sng_principal As Single = Val(txtprincipal.Text) 'whats your interest rate Dim sng_interest_rate As Single = Val(txtInterestRate.Text) 'how many years its in for Dim int_years As Integer = Val(txtYears.Text) 'total number of periods that the paymnets are made Dim int_payment_period As Integer = int_years * int_interest_period 'interest rate per payment period Dim sng_interest_per_period As Single sng_interest_per_period = (sng_interest_rate / 100) / int_interest_period
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For i As Integer = 1 To int_payment_period Dim sng_current_value As Single sng_current_value = sng_principal * sng_interest_per_period sng_principal = sng_principal + sng_current_value lboutput.Items.Add(i & ": " & FormatCurrency(sng_principal)) Next i lbltotal.Text = "You will earn " & FormatCurrency(sng_principal) End Sub Private Sub rbyear_CheckedChanged(ByVal sender As System.Object, ByVal e As System.EventArgs) Handles rbyear.CheckedChanged, rbmonthly.CheckedChanged, rbweekly.CheckedChanged, rbdaily.CheckedChanged 'all the radio buttons come to this sub then they are passed to the fake button and the tag is sent to the variable Dim fakeradiobutton As New RadioButton fakeradiobutton = sender int_interest_period = fakeradiobutton.Tag End Sub End Class
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Calculate the change for a shop

Back in the past before EFTPOS people had to actually pay cash for goods (really!). When someone buys goods the till automatically calculates the change that they get back. Its basically the amount of money handed over minus the price of the goods. Then however the magic begins, the scared kid behind the counter had to translate that amount into coins and notes. Thankfully the machine did that as well and this program replicates that operation with a loop.
This project uses 2 text boxes, a button and a label for data.
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Private Sub btncalculate_Click(ByVal sender As System.Object, ByVal e As System.EventArgs) Handles btncalculate.Click Dim sngproductcost As Single Dim sngmoneypaid As Single Dim sngchangegiven As Single Dim tendollar As Integer Dim fivedollar As Integer Dim dollar As Integer Dim fiftycent As Integer Dim twentycent As Integer Dim tencent As Integer Dim fivecent As Integer sngproductcost = txtproductcost.Text * 100 sngmoneypaid = txtmoneypaid.Text * 100 sngchangegiven = sngmoneypaid - sngproductcost If sngchangegiven < 0 Then MsgBox("Pay more cheapskate") End If Do Until sngchangegiven < 5 If sngchangegiven > 999 Then tendollar += 1 sngchangegiven = sngchangegiven - 1000 ElseIf sngchangegiven > 499 Then fivedollar += 1 sngchangegiven = sngchangegiven - 500 ElseIf sngchangegiven > 99 Then dollar += 1 sngchangegiven = sngchangegiven - 100 ElseIf sngchangegiven > 49 Then fiftycent += 1 sngchangegiven = sngchangegiven - 50 ElseIf sngchangegiven > 19 Then twentycent += 1 sngchangegiven = sngchangegiven - 20 ElseIf sngchangegiven > 9 Then tencent += 1
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sngchangegiven = sngchangegiven - 10 ElseIf sngchangegiven > 4 Then fivecent += 1 sngchangegiven = sngchangegiven - 5 End If Loop lblchange.Text = tendollar & " Ten Dollars " & vbCrLf & fivedollar & " Five Dollars " & vbCrLf & dollar & " Dollars " & vbCrLf & fiftycent & " 50c " & vbCrLf & twentycent & " 20c " & vbCrLf & tencent & " 10c " & vbCrLf & fivecent & " 5c " End Sub
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Times Table tester with Loop

This is a simpler code than before, with the Do Loop running until it matches the number you want to test to.
Modify the existing timetable program to run off a Do until loop and an input box.
Public Class Form1 Dim intcounter As Integer Dim sngyournumber, sngyouranswer, snganswer As Single Dim strcorrect As String Dim intmultiplier As Integer Dim intcorrectcount As Integer = 0 Dim questiontext As String Private Sub btnrun_Click(ByVal sender As System.Object, ByVal e As System.EventArgs) Handles btnrun.Click lboutput.Items.Clear() intcounter = 1 btnrun.Text = "Test" 'move data to variables sngyournumber = txtyournumber.Text intmultiplier = txtmultiplier.Text answercode() End Sub Sub answercode() 'renamed keyup sub to answercode and added it to the button click Dim intcounter As Integer Dim stryouranswer As String 'loop until the counter equals your number Do Until intcounter = sngyournumber intcounter += 1 questiontext = intcounter & " X " & sngyournumber use an Input box to break into the loop stryouranswer = InputBox("Enter your answer " & questiontext, "")
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sngyouranswer = stryouranswer 'calculate the correct answer snganswer = intcounter * sngyournumber 'if your answer = correct answer If snganswer = sngyouranswer Then strcorrect = " correct" intcorrectcount += 1 Else strcorrect = " wrong" End If lboutput.Items.Add(intcounter & " X " & sngyournumber & " = " & snganswer & " : " & sngyouranswer & " is " & strcorrect) Loop lboutput.Items.Add("You scored " & intcorrectcount & " correct") btnrun.Text = "Test" intcounter = 0 End Sub
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16. Password CraCker with loops

This fun program creates two ways to hack passwords. The first is by making random guesses as to the answer, and the second is to logically move through every option to find the answer. The form has only a few important controls. 2 Buttons, - btnGuessAnswer and btnloop 2 textboxes, txtinput and txtMASKinput. txtMASKinput has the PasswordChar set to * 1 Listbox lbxoutput
The random generator is wrapped in a function for ease of use. The function takes in the length of the password you are trying to find and returns back a random number of letters of that same length PWcrackerWithRandom(strPW.Length)
Public Function PWcrackerWithRandom(ByVal strLength As Integer) Dim strletters As String = "ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZabcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz0123456789" Dim rndletters As New Random() 'use string builder as its better with longer text and you can use Append Dim strresult As New System.Text.StringBuilder() 'for the length of the word you are trying to find For i = 1 To strLength 'join the letters together using the range of the letters from 1 to the length of strletters strresult.Append(strletters(rndletters.Next(1, strletters.Length))) Next i 'return back the answer to the program Return strresult.ToString() End Function
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The click event of the generator matches the random word with the password. If the two are the same it ends, otherwise it asks for another random work and keeps on until a match is made.
Private Sub btnGuessAnswer_Click(sender As Object, e As EventArgs) Handles btnGuessAnswer.Click Dim strPW As String = txtinput.Text Dim strguess As String Dim intcount As Integer Do strguess = PWcrackerWithRandom(strPW.Length) intcount += 1 Me.Text = intcount & " " & strPW 'slows down the program but shows the update Application.DoEvents() 'loop until the guess = the password Loop Until strPW = strguess lbxOutput.Items.Add("It took " & intcount & " guesses to match " & strPW & " with " & strguess) End Sub
DoEvents a curse or a solution? Usually the program works too fast to see but if you want to see the words that are created by the random generator you can output them to the form with Me.Text = intcount & " " & strPW However to do this you need to add Application.DoEvents() to your code to tell the program to stop in the loop and run any events that are waiting. This has the side effect of slowing down the program but it gives you something to look at.
Me.Text = intcount & " " & strPW 'slows down the program but shows the update Application.DoEvents()
DoEvents however has very bad press just read this thread http://stackoverflow.com/questions/5181777/use-of-application-doevents The next versions of C# and VB.NET will provide a different gun with the new await and async keywords. Inspired in small part by the trouble caused by DoEvents and threads, but in large part by WinRT's api design that requires you to keep your UI updated while an asynchronous operation is taking place, like reading from a file. Why dont people like to use DoEvents? MS give an answer: Calling this method causes the current thread to be suspended while all waiting window messages are processed. If a message causes an event to be triggered, then other areas of your application code may execute. This can cause your application to exhibit unexpected behaviours that are difficult to debug.
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So if you use DoEvents make sure there are no other events waiting to run that are not meant to be part of your program at that time. (for us its OK, this is advanced programming) Standard Progress Bar You could also add a Progress bar and have it increase to show its working as well. Just Dim a counter variable, you cant use the existing counter as you want to reset it to 0 when the bar is full and set your max value at something like 10000 in the properties.
intprogcount += 1 ProgressBar1.Value = intprogcount If ProgressBar1.Value = 10000 Then ProgressBar1.Value = 0 intprogcount = 0 End If
Simple Custom Progress Bar We can also take the time to make a simple Progress bar from a label that can also show how many times the loop has been run. Put a small narrow label on your form and dim a counter for it intlblprogressbar. In the code we want the width of the label to expand until it finds the right hand side of the form Me.Width and then return back to 0, so when the width of the label and the distance from the edge of the form to the label (The label.left) equals the width of the form then reset it back to 0. lblprogressbar.Width + lblprogressbar.Left = Me.Width. Use lblprogressbar.Text = intcount to have the counter show on the label.
intlblprogressbar += 1 lblprogressbar.Width = intlblprogressbar lblprogressbar.Text = intcount If lblprogressbar.Width + lblprogressbar.Left = Me.Width Then intlblprogressbar = 0 End If
All the code to date.

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Private Sub btnGuessAnswer_Click(sender As Object, e As EventArgs) Handles btnGuessAnswer.Click Dim strPW As String = txtinput.Text Dim strguess As String Dim intcount, intprogcount, intlblprogressbar As Integer Do strguess = PWcrackerWithRandom(strPW.Length) intcount += 1 Me.Text = intcount & " " & strPW 'slows down the program but shows the update Application.DoEvents() 'loop until the guess = the password intprogcount += 1 ProgressBar1.Value = intprogcount If ProgressBar1.Value = 10000 Then ProgressBar1.Value = 0 intprogcount = 0 End If intlblprogressbar += 1 lblprogressbar.Width = intlblprogressbar lblprogressbar.Text = intcount If lblprogressbar.Width + lblprogressbar.Left = Me.Width Then intlblprogressbar = 0 End If Loop Until strPW = strguess ProgressBar1.Value = 0 intprogcount = 0 lbxOutput.Items.Add("It took " & intcount & " guesses to match " & strPW & " with " & strguess) End Sub
What if . we compared each generated word to a dictionary of words, using a hash table, and kept the words that were real. If we did it long enough could we make a real sentence?
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Nested Loops to create logical selection The other main way to get a password can come from using a logical process of looking for every combination of the password and seeing if it is the correct one. The code for this is remarkably simple yet tedious to create, and limited in its scope. Surprisingly I havent been able to find a shortcut way of writing this In this case I used 3 nested loops which meant it can only search for 3 letter passwords. Four nested loops would search for 4 letter passwords, 5 nested loops would search for 5 letter passwords etc. Slow and laborious to write. With three loops it starts with the first letters, and then the inner loop increments by 1. This acts like an odometer in a car. AAA AAB AAC AAD Etc To 999
Private Sub btnLoop_Click(sender As Object, e As EventArgs) Handles btnLoop.Click Dim strPW As String = txtMASKinput.Text Dim strguess As String Dim intcount As Integer 'a string of all the letters you want to search for Dim strletters As String = "ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZabcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz0123456789" 'nested loops looking for every combination of the letters from AAA to 999 For Each letter1 As Char In strletters For Each letter2 As Char In strletters For Each letter3 As Char In strletters intcount += 1 'add the letters together to get a guess to test
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strguess = letter1 & letter2 & letter3 Me.Text = intcount & " " & strguess Application.DoEvents() 'if the password = the guess then stop the loop If strPW = strguess Then lbxOutput.Items.Add("It took " & intcount & " loops to match " & strPW & " with " & strguess) Return End If Next Next Next End Sub
Now that you can break 3 letter passwords, create a program that breaks passwords from 3 to 7 letters automatically, by detecting how many letters you put in and stopping errors for too many or too few letters. Dont forget to use methods (subs and functions) so that you have small blocks of easily followed code. Finish your program by using a Background Worker (next page) to stop your machine freezing when breaking passwords
What if . we checked the entry of a list of the top 100 used passwords first? So we parse a list of all 3 words passwords and check it with the given password. To do that we need to use arrays and to read a data file in.
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17. Background Workers

http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/hybbz6ke.aspx The BackgroundWorker class allows you to run an operation on a separate, dedicated thread. Time-consuming operations like downloads and database transactions can cause your user interface (UI) to seem as though it has stopped responding while they are running. When you want a responsive UI and you are faced with long delays associated with such operations, the BackgroundWorker class provides a convenient solution. Overview To execute a time-consuming operation in the background, 1. create a BackgroundWorker and 2. listen for events that report the progress of your operation and 3. signal when your operation is finished. You can create the BackgroundWorker programmatically or you can drag it onto your form from the Components tab of the Toolbox. 1. To set up for a background operation, add an event handler for the DoWork event. Call your time-consuming operation in this event handler. In the example I called it from the Form Load event. Sub Form1_Load 2. To start the operation, call RunWorkerAsync. BGW1.RunWorkerAsync() 3. To receive notifications of progress updates, handle the ProgressChanged event. Sub BackgroundWorker1_ProgressChanged 4. To receive a notification when the operation is completed, handle the RunWorkerCompleted event. Sub BackgroundWorker1_RunWorkerCompleted You must be careful not to manipulate any user-interface objects in your DoWork event handler. Instead, communicate to the user interface through the ProgressChanged and RunWorkerCompleted events. As your user interface is controlled by the Main thread, you cant access it with a background worker, otherwise it might find 2 threads are trying to use it and crash or go unstable. If your background operation requires a parameter, call RunWorkerAsync with your parameter. Inside the DoWork event handler, you can extract the parameter from the DoWorkEventArgs.Argument property.
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This example uses a Progressbar, a label, and a Button. Drag a Background Worker on to your program from the Toolbox and set the properties as follows
Imports System.ComponentModel Public Class Form1 Private Sub Form1_Load(ByVal sender As System.Object, ByVal e As System.EventArgs) Handles MyBase.Load 'Raise the DoWork event in a worker thread. ' Start the asynchronous operation. Me.BGW1.RunWorkerAsync() End Sub 'This event handler is where the time-consuming work is done. 'This event is raised when you call the RunWorkerAsync method. This is where you start the operation that performs the potentially timeconsuming work. 'Your code in the DoWork event handler should periodically check the CancellationPending property value and abort the operation if it is true. Private Sub BackgroundWorker1_DoWork(ByVal sender As Object, ByVal e As DoWorkEventArgs) Handles BGW1.DoWork ' Get the BackgroundWorker object that raised this event. Dim worker As BackgroundWorker = CType(sender, BackgroundWorker) For i As Integer = 1 To 100 'checking to see if you hit the cancel button (need it for safety)
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If (worker.CancellationPending = True) Then e.Cancel = True Exit For End If 'Raise the ProgressChanged event in the UI thread. Note the first i is passed to the e.ProgressPercentage later on. The second code i & " iterations complete" passes to the TryCast(e.UserState, String) worker.ReportProgress(i, i & " iterations complete") 'Perform some time-consuming operation here. Threading.Thread.Sleep(50) Next i End Sub 'This method is executed in the UI thread and updates the progress bar. Private Sub BackgroundWorker1_ProgressChanged(ByVal sender As Object, ByVal e As ProgressChangedEventArgs) Handles BGW1.ProgressChanged Me.ProgressBar1.Value = e.ProgressPercentage Me.Label1.Text = TryCast(e.UserState, String) End Sub 'This event handler deals with the results of the background operation. Private Sub BackgroundWorker1_RunWorkerCompleted(ByVal sender As Object, ByVal e As RunWorkerCompletedEventArgs) Handles BGW1.RunWorkerCompleted Me.Label1.Text = "Operation complete" End Sub Private Sub btncancel_Click(sender As Object, e As EventArgs) Handles btncancel.Click If BGW1.WorkerSupportsCancellation = True Then ' Cancel the asynchronous operation. BGW1.CancelAsync() End If End Sub End Class
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18. Text to Speech

This is easy, and another tool to add to your toolkit. Just create a new form with a multiline text box and a button. Add the following code and then run. Type something in the text box and listen to the output. A nice way to add voice commands to your program.
Public Class Form1 Private Sub btnSpeak_Click(sender As Object, e As EventArgs) Handles btnSpeak.Click Dim SAPI = CreateObject("SAPI.spvoice") SAPI.speak(TextBox1.Text) End Sub End Class
What if we plug this into a calculator to read out the results?
Speech to text
Firstly add the following reference into your program as seen below. There is nothing to add to your form, at this stage it only shows on a message box. However once you get this running make the output go to a label so you can speak in the words and save the text.
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Imports System.Speech Imports System.Speech.Recognition Imports System.Speech.Synthesis Public Class Form1 Dim replier As New SpeechSynthesizer() Dim WithEvents questioner As New Recognition.SpeechRecognizer Private Sub Form1_Load(sender As Object, e As EventArgs) Handles MyBase.Load Dim gram As New Recognition.SrgsGrammar.SrgsDocument Dim gramRule As New Recognition.SrgsGrammar.SrgsRule("Rules") Dim gramSingle As New Recognition.SrgsGrammar.SrgsOneOf("Red", "Green", "Blue") gramRule.Add(gramSingle) gram.Rules.Add(gramRule) gram.Root = gramRule questioner.LoadGrammar(New Recognition.Grammar(gram)) End Sub Private Sub questioner_SpeechRecognized(ByVal sender As Object, ByVal e As System.Speech.Recognition.RecognitionEventArgs) Handles questioner.SpeechRecognized If e.Result.Text = ("Red") Then MessageBox.Show("Red") ElseIf e.Result.Text = ("Green") Then MessageBox.Show("Green") ElseIf e.Result.Text = ("Blue") Then MessageBox.Show("Blue") End If End Sub End Class
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19. Structures
Applications frequently need to store several pieces of information of different data types that all relate to one thing and must be kept together in a group, such as a customers name and address (strings) and balance (a number). Usually, an object of a class is used to hold such a group of variables, but you can also use a structure. Structures are similar to class objects but are somewhat simpler, A structure can even have methods and properties as well as member variables, just as a class can. Structures are known as value types and classes are known as reference types. When you assign and modify a value type, only the contents of the modified variable change. When you assign and modify a reference type, the original object changes, so the original variable and assigned variable change because they both point to the same original object. That is, a variable representing a structure means the actual chunk of computer memory that stores the contents of the structure itself, whereas a variable representing a class instance is actually, as you have seen, a hook on which the object hangs. This explains the difference in instantiation you dont need to use the New keyword to instantiate a structure before you use it because it is a value type, just like an integer. Use New when instantiating Reference types Classes, Objects etc. (Dim myclass as new class) Dont use New when you instantiate value types, Variables, Structure etc. (Dim mystructure as structure)
You do have to use the New keyword with a form or other complex object because it is a class instance a reference type. Also, you cannot inherit from a structure another important consideration when choosing whether to use a class or a structure. Structures are useful for creating lightweight types that are used to hold data such as Point, Rectangle and Color types. Structures are of value type, contrary to classes which are of reference type. This means that structures are allocated on the stack and are passed to the methods by value. Structure may contain constructors (except for a no-argument constructor), fields, methods and properties just like classes.
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Like all value types, Structures can neither inherit other class nor can they be inherited. A Structure can implement interfaces. Like every other type in VB.Net, Structures are also implicitly inherited by the System.Object class. Instances of a Structure can be created with or without using the New keyword. Most of the .Net framework types such as System.Int32 (for an Integer), System.Double (for a Double), System.Boolean (for a Boolean), System.Byte (for a Byte), are implemented as a Structure. When kept to a small size, a Structure can be more efficiently used by the system than a class.
Heap and Stack Performance Visual Basic programs allocate variables from two pools of memory called the stack and the heap. Programs take memory for value types (such as integers and dates) from the stack. Space for reference types comes from the heap. More than one reference can point to the same chunk of memory allocated on the heap. That makes garbage collection and other heap-management issues more complex than using the stack, so using the heap is generally slower than using the stack. Because structures are value types and classes are reference types, structures are allocated on the stack and class objects are allocated on the heap. That makes structures faster than classes. The exact difference for a particular program depends on the application.
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Structures- Customer Exercise

Right-click the project name in the Solution Explorer, choose the Add menu item from the context menu, and then choose the Class submenu item. Enter Customer in the Name field and then click the Add button to have this item added to your project. In this example, you define a structure using a Structure. End Structure statement. Inside this block, the variables that make up the structure are declared by name and type: These variables are called members of the structure: Create the following.
Here are the names of the objects and controls on the form and the shape of the Structure .
The Customer Structure

Public Structure Customer Public FirstName As String Public LastName As String Public Property Freemoney() As Single Public Property Owes() As Single Private _balance As Single Public Property Balance() As Single Get
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_balance += Freemoney - Owes Return _balance End Get Set(value As Single) _balance = value End Set End Property 'Name property Public ReadOnly Property Name() As String Get Return FirstName & " " & LastName End Get End Property ReadOnly Property Email() As String Get Return FirstName & "-" & LastName & "@VisionCollege.AC.nz" End Get End Property End Structure
The Form Code

Public Class Form1 Dim myCustomer As Customer Private Sub btncustomer_Click(ByVal sender As System.Object, ByVal e As System.EventArgs) Handles btncustomer.Click myCustomer.FirstName = txtFirstName.Text myCustomer.LastName = txtLastName.Text myCustomer.Balance = txtaccbalance.Text myCustomer.Freemoney = txtfreemoney.Text myCustomer.Owes = txtOwes.Text 'Display the customer DisplayCustomer(myCustomer) End Sub Public Sub DisplayCustomer(ByVal customer As Customer) 'Display the customer details on the form lblFinalBalance.Text = myCustomer.Balance lblemail.Text = customer.Email lblName.Text = customer.Name lbxCustomer.Items.Add(customer.Name & " " & customer.Balance)
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End Sub End Class
In the btnListCustomer_Click procedure, you define a variable of type Customer using the Dim statement. The DisplayCustomer procedure simply accepts a Customer structure as its input parameter and then accesses the members of the structure to set the Text properties of the text boxes on the form:
Create a random number generator for Freemoney. Create a full property (with get and set, and place it in the get code using _freemoney as a private variable.
Default structure for properties A Full Property

Private _balance As Single Public Property Balance() As Single Get add code here to change output Return _balance End Get Set(value As Single) _balance = value add code here to filter input End Set End Property
Data comes in through Set(value As Single) value gets passed to _balance at _balance = value _balance gets returned back to the program in the Get at Return _balance
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Cheque processing using Structure

This longer exercise uses a structure to process the details of the customer and produce an output for a cheque. It has methods in the structure that capitalise and concatenate the name entered as well as calculate the age of the person.
Right-click the project name in the Solution Explorer, choose the Add menu item from the context menu, and then choose the Class submenu item and name it Person. Rename it Public Structure Person as below.
Public Structure Person 'private member variables for public properties they are underscored for convention, and no other reason, to show that they are private, so only work inside the person structure ----------Private _firstname As String Private _middlename As String Private _lastname As String Private _dob As Date 'private member vars for calculations in this case making a timespan--------------Private _datedif As TimeSpan '------------- public properties Get '------------- This is the function propercase from below -Return ProperCase(_firstname) End Get Set(ByVal value As String) _firstname = value End Set End Property Public Property MiddleName As String Get Return ProperCase(_middlename)
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---------------
Public Property FirstName As String -------------
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End Get Set(ByVal value As String) _middlename = value End Set End Property Public Property LastName As String Get Return ProperCase(_lastname) End Get Set(ByVal value As String) _lastname = value End Set End Property Public Property DOB As Date Get Return _dob End Get Set(ByVal value As Date) _dob = value End Set End Property '------------- readonly properties --------------ReadOnly Property Fullname As String Get Return ProperCase(_firstname.Trim & " " & _middlename.Trim & " " & _lastname.Trim) End Get End Property ReadOnly Property ChequeName As String Get 'returns the GetChequeName() Return GetChequeName() End Get End Property ReadOnly Property Age As Integer Get ' calculate the number of days different _datedif = Date.Now - DOB ' return this in years Return _datedif.Days / 365 End Get End Property
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'------------- methods --------------' the ChequeName is with first and middle names as capital initials and a fullstop ' the last name in Proper form (first letter capital, all others lowercase) Private Function GetChequeName() As String Dim strFirstAndMiddle As String = _firstname.Trim & " " & _middlename.Trim Dim theNames() As String = strFirstAndMiddle.ToLower.Split(" ") Dim j As Short Dim aName As String = "" ' now change first and middle names to capital initials plus ". " For j = 0 To theNames.Length - 1 aName = theNames(j) theNames(j) = aName.ToUpper.Substring(0, 1) & ". " Next aName = "" ' need to use this again so make it empty ' concatenate the names For Each strFirstAndMiddle In theNames aName &= strFirstAndMiddle Next ' capitalize first letter of last name by using the Proper function strFirstAndMiddle = ProperCase(_lastname) Return aName.Trim & " " & strFirstAndMiddle.Trim End Function ' this function is public so can process and return the middle names to the program ' this has been done like a method deliberately so that it can be used in the program Function GetMiddleNames() As String Return ProperCase(_middlename) End Function 'This function capitalises the first letter of the string passed through Private Function ProperCase(ByVal strwords As String) As String ' take a string and capitalize first letter of each word Dim theWords() As String = strwords.Split(" ") Dim temp As String = "", left As String = "", right As String = "" Dim j As Short ' go through all words, split off first letter and capitalize it ' make the rest of the word lower case
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' replace the words in the array For j = 0 To theWords.Length - 1 temp = theWords(j) left = temp.ToUpper.Substring(0, 1) right = temp.ToLower.Substring(1, temp.Length - 1) theWords(j) = left & right Next ' get ready to return name by concatenating all names in theWords array left = "" For Each temp In theWords left &= temp & " " Next ' now return it Return left.Trim End Function End Structure
Public Class Form1 Private Sub btnProcess_Click(ByVal sender As System.Object, ByVal e As System.EventArgs) Handles btnProcess.Click Dim myPerson As Person myPerson.FirstName = txtFirstname.Text myPerson.MiddleName = txtMiddlename.Text myPerson.LastName = txtLastname.Text myPerson.DOB = dtpDOB.Value lblage.Text = myPerson.Age.ToString lblFullName.Text = myPerson.Fullname lblMiddleName.Text = myPerson.GetMiddleNames lblChequeName.Text = myPerson.ChequeName End Sub End Class
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20. Using Snippets for VB.net to auto create the Class properties
This is really important as it saves you having to type manually and repetitively the basic code for a class or Structure property To create the property do this . Type prop and press tab you get this (If you are lucky it gives you the full property with Get and Set, but unfortunately not for me) Fill it in with your name and type Type in get underneath it Press the Enter key Voodoo happens - all the properties self generate Property Firstname() As String
Add your private variables by hand (sadly)
Type in propdef to see a full property
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Go Tools / Code Snippets Manager to see all the snippets.
http://msmvps.com/blogs/deborahk/archive/2010/04/11/auto-implementedproperties.aspx
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21. Introduction to Classes

Object-Oriented Programming (OOP) is a method of software design and construction and is the next logical progression, after structured programming, to improve your code reusability and maintainability. Put another way, OOP is a method of designing individual software components (classes) with associated behaviours (methods) and data limitations (properties), and that helps you piece these components together to create a complete application. The modern trend in programming languages is for code to be separated into chunks. When it's being used, each chunk of code (a chunk of code that opens text files, for example) is known as an Object. The code for the Object can then be reused whenever it is needed. Languages like C++ and Java are Object Oriented languages. Until Microsoft came out with VB.NET, the Visual Basic programming language was not OOP (object oriented programming. The NET Framework is a whole lot of Classes (called Namespaces) and the technology to get those Classes to work. The best thing about OOP is that it allows you to group data into discrete variables contained within a class in your program. This data is separate and distinct from any other class in your application. No class can interfere with the data in any other class without going through a specific interface on that class. Object Oriented programming has a steeper learning curve, and things like Encapsulation, Inheritance and Polymorphism have to be digested. Classes are the heart and soul of an object-oriented language. You will find yourself using classes whenever you write even the simplest of programs in Visual Basic .NET. In VB.NET, a class is that chunk of code mentioned earlier. The Form you've started out with is a Class. If you look right at the top of the code window for a Form, you'll see:
Public Class Form1 End Class
The word "Public" means that other code can see it. Form1 is the name of the Class At the bottom of the coding window, you'll see End Class, signifying the end of the code for the Class. When you place a Button or a textbox on the Form, you're really adding it to the Form Class. When you start the Form, VB does something called instantiation. This basically means that your Form is being turned into an Object, and all the things needed for the creation of the Form are being set up for you (Your controls are being added, variables are being set up an initialised, etc). And that's the basic difference between a Class and an Object: A Class is the code itself; the code becomes an Object when you start using it. The big benefit of an
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Object Oriented Programming language is that you can create your own Objects. (It's an Object when you're using the code, remember, and a Class when you're not.) For example the instructions for doing a pressup are: Both hands on the floor, and at chest height, Back straight, Down to upper arms are horizontal and up to elbows are locked.
These instructions are the Class, and every time you do a pressup you create an object. If you didnt have a class then before every pressup you would have to read the rules again and define them. Now that you have a class, you can just refer back to the class (instructions) and away you go, pumping out new objects. A class is also like an octopus. Remember when we made the telecom project (which we will work on again) we had to define all the variables
Public Class Form1 Dim strplan As String Dim sngMonthlycharge As Single Dim sngIncminutes As Single Dim sngAdddata As Single
Each of these variables are unrelated to the other. There is also no easy way to organize them so that they are in related groups. They are just individual variables that can get confusing in big projects. In a class they will all be together and seen as a unit. A Namespace is a group of Classes which are grouped together. The System.IO Namespace you met earlier groups together Classes that you use to read and write to a file. System.Windows.Forms is another Namespace you've met. In fact, you couldn't create your forms without this Namespace. But again, it is just a group of Classes huddling under the same umbrella. Read the official documentation here http://msdn.microsoft.com/enus/library/zzh9ha57.aspx OOP terms Class Object Constructor
Destructor
Properties
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A container for data and code. The data within the class can be accessed with properties. The code is referred to as methods. An instance of a class in memory. An instance is created using a Dim statement and the New keyword. A procedure that is automatically invoked when an object is first instantiated. In Visual Basic 6.0, the constructor was called Class_Initialize. In Visual Basic .NET the constructor is called New. A procedure that is automatically invoked when an object is destroyed. In Visual Basic 6.0, the destructor was called Class_Terminate. In Visual Basic .NET, the destructor is called Finalize. A routine exposed by an object to expose data, and to allow
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Method
code outside the object to affect the objects data. An action that can be performed by an object. In Visual Basic .NET, methods are defined as Subs and Functions.
Creating a simple class

Lets use our Thermometer Example as a way to create a simple class. The class name will be temperature. To create a class right click on Project name choose Add choose New Item, choose Class, and save as temperature.
Note: the below may have changed on your computer now there is a new shortcut for properties http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/dd293589.aspx Auto-implemented properties enable you to quickly specify a property of a class without having to write code to Get and Set the property. Get means to Get the value of the property. While Set means to Set the value of the property. Think of Get and Set from the viewpoint of the property, not the main code. When you write code for an auto-implemented property, the Visual Basic compiler automatically creates a private field to store the property variable in addition to creating the associated Get and Set procedures. With auto-implemented properties, a property, including a default value, can be declared in a single line. http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/dd293589.aspx Lets do them the old way until you get the hang of it. The old way .
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Temperature Converter with a Class

We are going to create a class to hold all the variables of the Temperature project we did earlier.
Public Class temperature These are private variables, they are only workers for use within the class, you dont see them outside the class. Private _sngfah As Single Private _sngcel As Single Private _snginput As Single Public Property snginput() As Single Get Return _snginput End Get Set(ByVal value As Single) _snginput = value End Set End Property
Private _sngfah as single Public Property sngfah() As Single Get 'put your calculations in here _sngfah = (snginput - 32) * 5 / 9 Return _sngfah End Get Set(ByVal value As Single) _sngfah = value End Set End Property End Class
Do the same for sngcel as well. Add in below to the property of sngcel using the structure above.
Get 'put your calculation here _sngcel = snginput * (9 / 5) + 32
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Return _sngcel End Get
Rewrite your main code as such.

Private Sub btnsubmit_Click(ByVal sender As System.Object, ByVal e As System.EventArgs) Handles btnsubmit.Click 'instantiate a new class from Dim temp As New temperature temp.snginput = txttemp.Text If RadioButton1.Checked Then lbloutput.Text = temp.snginput & " Farenheit is equal to " & temp.sngcel & " Celsius" ElseIf RadioButton2.Checked Then lbloutput.Text = temp.snginput & " Celsius is equal to " & temp.sngfah & " Fahrenheit" End If End Sub
Turn snginput into a string so that you can catch errors in the class with IsNumeric. Otherwise it has to be placed on the form. Make Sngcel and Sngfah write only properties. Finally make a method that shows the text of ice, if < 1, warm, if < 100 and Steam if > 100 back on the form.
So what use is this? All it does is make it harder to define the variables! But wait, OOP allows you to create classes, blocks of data, that can stand independent of each other, and be plugged in to your program containing or encapsulating all that you need. Although we now have snginput we dont want this line temp.snginput = txttemp.Text in our class in case in the future the text box changes name. Its just like plugging in a new system to an existing one.
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Fields, Properties, Methods, and Events

Fields, Properties, Methods, and Events are called the members of a class. Inside the class, members are declared as either Public, Private, Protected, Friend, or Protected Friend: A class defines properties, methods, and events that let the program work with the class: A property is some sort of data value. It may be a simple value (such as a name or number), or it may be a more complex item (such as an array, collection, or object containing its own properties, methods, and events). A method is a subroutine or function. It is a piece of code that makes the object defined by the class do something. An event is a notification defined by the class. An event calls some other piece of code to tell it that some condition in a class object has occurred. The fields of a class, also called the class's data members, are much like built-in variables (although they also may be constants). For example, I can declare a field named value to the DataClass class we just saw by declaring a variable with that name:
Public Class DataClass Public value As Integer End Class
Now I can refer to that field in an object of this class using the familiar object.field syntax of Visual Basic:
Dim data As New DataClass() data.value = 5
Using fields like this can give you direct access to the data stored inside an object, and that's unusual in OOP because you usually want to check the data being stored in your objects to make sure it's legal first. An easy way of guarding access to the data in your objects is to use properties. Properties are retrieved and set like fields, but are handled with the Property Get and Property Set procedures, which provide more control on how values are set or returned. Using properties provides you with an interface to set or get the value of data internal to an object. You declare properties using Get and Set procedures in a Property statement Get End Get Set
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Starts a Get property procedure used to return the value of a property. Get blocks are optional unless the property is ReadOnly. Ends a Get property procedure. Starts a Set property procedure used to set the value of a property. Set
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blocks are optional unless the property is WriteOnly. Note that the new value of the property is passed to the Set property procedure in a parameter named Value when the value of the property changes. End Set Ends a Set property procedure.
Naming Classes and Methods Classes and objects should have noun or noun phrase names like Customer, Account, and AddressParser. Avoid words like Manager, Processor, Data, or Info in the name of a class. A class name should not be a verb. Methods should have verb or verb phrase names like postPayment, deletePage, or save. Accessors, mutators, and predicates should be named for their value and prefixed with get, set, and is according to the javabean standard
string name = employee.getName customer.setName("mike") if paycheck.isPosted...
22. Encapsulation
A classs public interface is the set of properties, methods, and events that are visible to code outside of the class. The class may also have private properties, methods, and events that it uses to do its job. The class encapsulates the programming abstraction that it represents. Its public interface determines what is visible to the application outside of the class. It hides the ugly details of the classs implementation from the rest of the world. Because the class hides its internals in this way, encapsulation is also sometimes called information hiding. By hiding its internals from the outside world, a class prevents exterior code from messing around with those internals. It reduces the dependencies between different parts of the application, allowing only those dependencies that are explicitly permitted by its public interface. Removing dependencies between different pieces of code makes the code easier to modify and maintain. Removing dependencies also helps break the application into smaller, more manageable pieces. The simpler and cleaner a classs public interface is, the easier it is to use. You should try to hide as much information and behavior inside a class as possible while still allowing the rest of the program to do its job. Keep properties, methods, and events as simple and focused as possible. When you write code that the class needs to use to perform its duties, do not expose that code to the outside program unless it is really necessary. Adding extra features complicates the classs public interface and makes the programmers job more difficult.
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This can be a troublesome concept for beginning programmers. Exposing more features for developers to use gives them more power, so you might think it would make their jobs easier. Actually, it makes development more difficult. Rather than thinking in terms of giving the developer more power, you should think about giving the developer more things to worry about and more ways to make mistakes. Ideally, you should not expose any more features than the developer will actually need. Use the following to show or hide your code from the users. Public Private Protected Gives variables public access, which means there are no restrictions on their accessibility. Gives variables private access, which means they are accessible only from within their class, including any nested procedures. Gives variables protected access, which means they are accessible only from within their own class or from a class derived from that class. Note that you can use Protected only at class level (which means you can't use it inside a procedure), because you use it to declare members of a class. Gives variables friend access, which means they are accessible from within the program that contains their declaration, as well as anywhere else in the same assembly. Gives variables both protected and friend access, which means they can be used by code in the same assembly, as well as by code in derived classes.
Friend
Protected Friend
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Dice program with Classes - revisited
The class file

Imports System.Random Public Class Dice Private _dice As Integer Public Property newdice() As Integer Get Randomize() _dice = Int(1 + 6 * Rnd()) Return _dice End Get Set(ByVal value As Integer) _dice = value End Set End Property End Class
The Main form

Private Sub btnRoll_Click(ByVal sender As System.Object, ByVal e As System.EventArgs) Handles btnRoll.Click Dim Dice1 As Dice = New Dice Dim Dice2 As Dice = New Dice Dim newdice1, newdice2 As Integer Dim storage As String Dim stopValue As Short Dim dblCount As Short ' empty the listbox lbDiceRolls.Items.Clear() ' get the stop value (number to stop when double is found) stopValue = cbStopOn.Text
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' now roll the dice until we get the correct double Do newdice1 = Dice1.newdice() newdice2 = Dice2.newdice() ' make the string to be added to the lisbox storage = newdice1 & " ' check if it's a double If newdice1 = newdice2 Then storage &= " dblCount += 1 End If ' put this into the listbox lbDiceRolls.Items.Add(storage) Loop Until (newdice1 = newdice2) And (newdice2 = stopValue) ' display totals lblTotals.Text = "It took " & lbDiceRolls.Items.Count & " rolls to get double " & stopValue lblDubtotals.Text = "I got " & dblCount & " doubles along the way" End Sub End Class Double!" " & newdice2
Take all of the variables from the form, and turn them into fields in the class so that there are no Dims on the form at all.
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23. Inheritance Is a
Inheritance is the process of deriving a child class from a parent class (or base class). The child class inherits all of the properties, methods, and events of the parent class. It can then modify, add to, or subtract from the parent class. Making a child class inherit from a parent class is also called deriving the child class from the parent, and subclassing the parent class to form the child class. One of the key benefits of inheritance is code reuse. When you derive a class from a parent class, the child class inherits the parents properties, methods, and events, so the child class gets to reuse the parents code. Code reuse not only saves you the trouble of writing more code but also makes maintenance of the code easier. Similarly, if you need to modify or delete a property or method, you need to make the change only in the class where it is defined, not in all of the classes that inherit it.
Parent or Base class
Child or Derived classes
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Weapons Practice Class, Inheritance, Constructor

This exercise creates a class of weapons, rifle, revolver, bazooka, and each weapon has its own properties. The constructor allows you to preset the properties of the class with data. So when its instantiated it comes complete with its own values. There already a default Constructor already set in your Class, but you can override it and set your own Constructor using Sub New(). This exercise also uses the Class modifier of Protected. Protected means that elements are accessible only from within their own class or from a derived class. In this case we have the main Class weapon, and other derived classes such as rifle, Bazooka and revolver.
Before you code the form you need to create the classes and their Fields, Properties, and Methods.
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The base class - weapon

Public Class Weapon 'This is the base class for the three derived classes which are used in the program make these member variables Protected rather than Public = can be seen from anywhere. Private = can only see in the base class. I need to use these variables in the derived classes ---- Fields -----Protected _bullets As Short Protected _name As String Protected _sound As String Protected _fullLoad As Short Protected _defaultSound As String '---- default Constructor Sub New() ' set the defaults _fullLoad = 0 _bullets = _fullLoad _name = "" _sound = "" _defaultSound = "" End Sub 'There is no way to change the value for these properties from the program - they're changed within the class so we have made them ReadOnly... ---- Properties ---Public ReadOnly Property Name() As String Get Return _name End Get End Property Public ReadOnly Property Sound() As String Get Return _sound End Get End Property Public ReadOnly Property Bullets() As Short Get Return _bullets End Get End Property 'This fills the magazine for the selected weapon with ammunition different for each type of weapon. The _fullLoad and _defaultSound values are overridden in the derived class constructor. Public Sub Reload() _bullets = _fullLoad
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_sound = _defaultSound End Sub 'Fire the weapon and reduce the amount of ammunition by 1 if we have no more ammunition, change the sound to "Click" ---- Methods ---Public Sub Fire() If _bullets > 0 Then _bullets -= 1 Else _sound = "Click" _bullets = 0 End If End Sub End Class
Derived class Revolver Note that it inherits all the properties of the weapons class and modifies them with Inherits Weapon
Public Class Revolver Inherits Weapon ' override the default constructor Sub New() _fullLoad = 6 _defaultSound = "Blam" _bullets = _fullLoad _name = "Revolver" _sound = "Blam" End Sub End Class ' set the defaults
Derived class Rifle

Public Class Rifle Inherits Weapon ' override the default constructor Sub New() ' set the defaults _fullLoad = 15 _defaultSound = "Bang" _bullets = _fullLoad _name = "Rifle" _sound = "Bang" End Sub End Class
Derived class Bazooka

Public Class Bazooka Inherits Weapon ' override the default constructor Sub New()
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' set the defaults

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_fullLoad = 1 _defaultSound = "Boooom" _bullets = _fullLoad _name = "Bazooka" _sound = "Boooom" End Sub End Class
The main form Note that we call each class in the code to pass through it properties. There is no difference in runtime between the two ways of declaring the weapon. Dim myWeapon As New Weapon instantiate a new object myWeapon myWeapon = New Revolver change myWeapon to the Revolver class myWeapon = New Bazooka myWeapon = New Rifle
Public Class frmMain Dim myWeapon As New Weapon Private Sub btnFire_Click(ByVal sender As System.Object, ByVal e As System.EventArgs) Handles btnFire.Click 'Fire the weapon and update the display with the weapon's sound myWeapon.Fire() lblNoise.Text = myWeapon.Sound lblshotsleft.Text = myWeapon.Bullets End Sub Private Sub btnExit_Click(ByVal sender As System.Object, ByVal e As System.EventArgs) Handles btnExit.Click Me.Close() End Sub Private Sub btnReload_Click(ByVal sender As System.Object, ByVal e As System.EventArgs) Handles btnReload.Click 'Reload the magazine for this weapon and update the display myWeapon.Reload() UpdateDisplay() lblNoise.Text = "" End Sub Private Sub rbRevolver_CheckedChanged(ByVal sender As Object, ByVal e As System.EventArgs) Handles rbRevolver.CheckedChanged, rbBazooka.CheckedChanged, rbRifle.CheckedChanged 'Set the weapon to a revolver and update the display with no noise (no shots fired yet!) Above should be
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Dim gun As New RadioButton gun = sender Select Case gun.Text Case "Revolver" myWeapon = New Revolver Case "Bazooka" myWeapon = New Bazooka Case "Rifle" myWeapon = New Rifle End Select UpdateDisplay() lblNoise.Text = "" End Sub Private Sub UpdateDisplay() 'This updates what is seen on the screen the noise will be either nothing or the default noise for that weapon, or click if the weapon is out of ammunition Me.Text = myWeapon.Name lblshotsleft.Text = myWeapon.Bullets 'Can't allow these buttons to be pressed until a weapon has been chosen btnFire.Enabled = True btnReload.Enabled = True End Sub End Class
Add a Bow and Arrow, and a Gattling Gun to the weapon list.
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24. Inheritance based Polymorphism

Polymorphism in software engineering means that you can have two classes with different code, but with a common set of methods, properties, or events. For example the purpose of the Weapon class is to provide a common base from which other classes can be derived (Revolver, Bazooka etc). Each of these child classes exhibit polymorphism because it can be treated using methods common to its parent Weapon. To implement polymorphism using inheritance, you do not need to use an abstract base class. Any base class that provides overridable methods (using either the MustOverride or Overridable keywords) will work fine, as all its subclasses are guaranteed to have that same set of methods as part of their interface, and yet the subclasses can provide custom implementation for those methods. If we add Overridable to the fire sub of the Weapons class
' fire the weapon and reduce the amount of ammunition by 1 ' if we have no more ammunition, change the sound to "Click" Public Overridable Sub Fire() If _bullets > 0 Then _bullets -= 1 Else _sound = "Click" _bullets = 0 End If End Sub
Add Overrides to the fire method of a child class such as Bazooka. The code in the Bazooka fire method will then be used instead of the code in the Weapon fire method.
Public Overrides Sub Fire() If _bullets > 0 Then _bullets -= 1 Else _sound = "Pfwupp!" _bullets = 0 End If End Sub
Now you can change the code in any child method by just adding override to the first line. That method is used instead of the parent method when myweapon.fire is called in the code.
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Depreciation Rate calculator with Class

Using the Depreciation Rate calculator from the earlier lesson convert it to classes and use it with 5 computing systems chosen from the list below. Create a base class and derived classes.
Class Diagram Practice Assignments using noun analysis

Create a class diagram from the following descriptions use the noun analysis method. If you look in the "problem statement" for nouns, they will often wind up as classes. If you look for verbs, they will be methods of those classes. A simple example of a problem statement might be: We are a training facility. We need to be able to track the classes that students take. Classes are taught by teachers. Students enrol in classes. Each class is assigned to one teacher and one classroom. So, we have classes, students, teachers and classrooms. Class will have methods like AssignTeacher and AssignClassroom. Students will have Enrol. Of course, there is more, such as how to handle the time of each class, and so on.
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Note that you should find at least one situation where inheritance is involved. Create a class diagram, clearly showing each class, their relationships (including their multiplicity). Attributes and methods need not be shown (unless you want) The students at Vision College are enrolled in one or more courses. The available courses are Software Engineering, Web Programming and Design, Business Computing and English studies. It is possible for students to be enrolled in more than one course at the same time, although if more than one course of study is undertaken it is usual that these should be English studies and any one other course, but this isnt set in concrete as a student may enrol in day and night classes of any type simultaneously. Each course is held in one classroom. Courses have one tutor and one classroom. Students must complete assessments for each course.
Our company DVDs4ALL has DVD movies, which are hired by our members. Membership is one of the following: Ordinary, Junior or Gold. The hire rates and privileges for each membership type is different. We need to know details about who has hired what, when and for how long as well as how much has each member spent. We need to be able to look at overdue hires at any time.
The Insurance Assessor Company employs contracted Adjusters who are given claims. Claims come from insurance companies. The Adjusters visit and inspect the damage, write a report to the insurance company and after approval, organise repairs.
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The Coffee machine Class Inheritance and Constructor

This Exercise uses a main class and inherited classes to create a coffee machine that dispenses types of coffee.
This uses a main class of drink, with default properties and derived classes of Flat White, Long Black, Short Black, Expresso, Latte, Cappuccino, Vienna, Chocolate. People can choose a machine cup or a customer cup. The water levels alter with water values doubling for a customer cup (as they are much bigger). See the left image for the setup. People can choose sugar to a max of 4 and using sugar also releases a spoon to stir it with the sugar icon on the left pic in the middle showing.
Public Class drink Protected _drinkname As String Protected _portion As Integer 'how strong X spoonfulls of coffee or chocolate Default Protected _sugar As Integer Protected _spoon As Boolean Protected _cup As Boolean - User choice ' do they want sugar? - User choice 'do they get a spoon? If they have sugar - Default 'do people need a cup? - override size for personal cup 'does it need grinding? - Default Protected _whitener As Integer ' whitener - fake milk - Default
Protected _grinder As Boolean
Protected _water As Integer ' expressos use one water long black 2 - Default Protected _chocsprinkle As Boolean ' do you get a chocolate sprinkle on it Default Protected _milkfroth As Boolean 'do you froth up the milk - Default Protected _decaf As Boolean '- User choice
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Public Sub New() 'set up defaults _drinkname = "Default" _portion = 1 _sugar = 0 _whitener = 0 _spoon = False _cup = True 'machine cup _grinder = False _water = 1 _chocsprinkle = False _milkfroth = False _decaf = False End Sub
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Derived Classes Name Portion Coffee Long Black 2 Short Black 2 Latte 2 Cappuccino 1 Vienna 2 Chocolate 0
Whitener
Water 2 1 2 2 2 2
Chocsprinkle Milkfroth
Grinder T T
2 1 2
T T T
T T T T
Example of derived classes

Public Class longblack Inherits drink Private _longblack As Boolean Public Sub New() _drinkname = "Long Black" _portion = 2 _water = 2 _grinder = True End Sub End Class
Two main subs on the form.

Sub drinktype() Select Case drinkselect Case 1 drink = New flatwhite Case 2 drink = New longblack Case 3 drink = New shortblack Case 4 drink = New expresso Case 5 drink = New Latte Case 6 drink = New cappuccino Case 7 drink = New vienna Case 8 drink = New chocolate End Select drinkOptions() If drink.drinkname = "Chocolate!" Then btndecaf.Visible = False lbldecaf.Visible = False Label1.Visible = False
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Else btndecaf.Visible = True lbldecaf.Visible = True Label1.Visible = True End If pbspoon.Visible = False'reset the spoon image to false btncup.Text = "Machine cup"'set the button for cup to default lblcustcup.Visible = False End Sub Sub drinkOptions() lblname.Text = drink.drinkname lblportion.Text = drink.portion lblsugar.Text = drink.sugar lblwhitener.Text = drink.whitener lblspoon.Text = drink.spoon lblcup.Text = drink.cup lblgrinder.Text = drink.grinder lblwater.Text = drink.water lblchoc.Text = drink.chocsprinkle lblmilkfroth.Text = drink.milkfroth lbldecaf.Text = drink.decaf pbcup.Visible = False End Sub
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Create the drink from the ingredients Classes

To make part 2 show use
form2.Show()
to load the second form.
To make this I used a system of numbers of 1, 2, 4, 8, 16, 32, 128. Each number is assigned to an option eg: 1 coffee = 1, 2 coffee = 2, 1 water = 4, 2 water = 16 etc Combinations of ingredients then result in a unique number that is then given a name. 2 + 4 = 6. = Short Black.
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25. Importing Text into your Program

One of the basic tools we need to use is the ability to get stuff into your program and send it out at the end. There are a number of ways to access information, such as Database, web access, or text files. We will start with a simple text file. Using a combo box load some file paths in via the Collections (see image below). This gives you a range of files to use.
Firstly we need to import System.IO. Imports are for adding namespaces that hold extra information and functionality for your program. You just Import them in at the beginning of the code and then you can use the objects in your code. Make sure you have the three files in your C drive or use some of your own files and just call their names.
In your ComboBox add the paths to your files in the Items Collection.
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The File class simple read and write data to text files
Needs Imports System.IO File.ReadAllBytes: Useful for files not stored as plain text. You can open images or movies with this method. File.ReadAllLines: Microsoft: "Opens a file, reads all lines of the file with the specified encoding, and closes the file." File.ReadAllText: Returns the contents of the text file at the specified path as a string. Useful for plain text or settings files. This method opens a file, reads each line of the file, and then adds each line as an element of a string. It then closes the file. For simplicity, this is the best method to use. More advanced methods can be used to read files in line-by-line, which may be more efficient if you have a very large file.
Dim value As String = File.ReadAllText(path) txtdata.Text = value
File.WriteAllBytes: Useful for files such as images that were created or mutated in memory. File.WriteAllLines: Stores a string array in the specified file, overwriting the contents. File.WriteAllText: Writes the contents of a string to a text file. One of the simplest ways to persist text data. File.AppendAllText: Use to append the contents string to the file at path. Microsoft: "Appends the specified string to the file, creating the file if it doesn't already exist." http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/system.io.file.aspx
Imports System.IO Public Class Form1 Dim strpath As String 'Using File.ReadAllText Private Sub btntext_Click(ByVal sender As System.Object, ByVal e As System.EventArgs) Handles btntext.Click strpath = cbpath.Text 'clear the data in the textbox txtdata.Clear() Try 'copy the file into the textbox Dim value As String = File.ReadAllText(strpath) txtdata.Text = value Catch ex As Exception
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MsgBox("Check that the filename is correct") End Try End Sub
StreamReader - importing to a ListBox

StreamReader is designed for character input in a particular encoding. Use StreamReader for reading lines of information from a standard text file. Using a Using to End Using means you dont have to open and close the StreamReader. See that StreamReader is loading the data in line by line, then each line is looped into a ListBox. The StreamReader stops when it reaches the end, and you can use a number of ways to determine that.
Private Sub btnlist_Click(ByVal sender As System.Object, ByVal e As System.EventArgs) Handles btnlist.Click lbdata.Items.Clear() strpath = cbpath.Text ' Open file.txt with the Using statement. Using SR As StreamReader = New StreamReader(strpath) ' Store contents in this String. Dim line As String ' Read first line then enter the loop. line = SR.ReadLine ' Loop over each line in file, While list is Not Nothing. Do While (Not line Is Nothing) lbdata.Items.Add(line) ' Read in the next line. line = SR.ReadLine Loop End Using End Sub
StreamReader has heaps of interesting methods, so try some out http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/system.io.streamreader.aspx
Try this: Replace the Do While with the Do Until

' Do While (Not line Is Nothing) Do Until SR.EndOfStream
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Saving with StreamWriter

Create a new button, Btnsave and add the following code. First load the Lbdata before saving. StreamWriter writes data to a text file. It is easy to use. Ideally it should be used inside a VB.NET Using statement. This ensures the correct disposal of its resources. This writes from the ListBox, note that we have to iterate through each item in the ListBox
Private Sub btnsave_Click(ByVal sender As System.Object, ByVal e As System.EventArgs) Handles btnsave.Click Dim strpathout As String = txtpathout.Text Using writer As StreamWriter = New StreamWriter(strpathout) 'for the items in the list box For i = 0 To lbdata.Items.Count - 1 writer.WriteLine(lbdata.Items.Item(i)) Next End Using End Sub
This writes from the TextBox

Using writer As StreamWriter = New StreamWriter(strpathout) writer.Write(txtdatain.Text) End Using
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26. Using OpenFile Dialog and SaveFile Dialog

If you want to open documents from other paths then you can use the Open File Dialog to find that path. After which you can then pass the path to the StreamReader and work on it. Drag an Open File Dialog from the dialogs bar into your form. It will nest at the bottom.
Imports System.IO Public Class Form1 Private Sub btnopen_Click(ByVal sender As System.Object, ByVal e As System.EventArgs) Handles btnopen.Click lbltext.Text = "" 'clear the data in the textbox OpenFileDialog1.Title = "Please Select a File" OpenFileDialog1.InitialDirectory = "C:" OpenFileDialog1.ShowDialog() End Sub
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Private Sub OpenFileDialog1_FileOk(ByVal sender As System.Object, ByVal e As System.ComponentModel.CancelEventArgs) Handles OpenFileDialog1.FileOk Dim strm As System.IO.Stream 'the data stream Dim strpath As String Dim strtext As String ' path to the file 'Holds the file opened
strm = OpenFileDialog1.OpenFile() 'show the path of the file in the form txtpath.Text = OpenFileDialog1.FileName.ToString() strpath = OpenFileDialog1.FileName.ToString() If Not (strm Is Nothing) Then 'insert code to read the file data Try STREAMREADER BELOW 'copy the file into the textbox strtext = File.ReadAllText(strpath) lbltext.Text = strtext Catch ex As Exception correct") End Try strm.Close() End If End Sub End Class 'close the streamreader 'catch errors MsgBox("Check that the filename is
Save the file using Save File Dialog. Create a Btnsave first and stick it under that.
There are many handy options on the properties window for the dialog.
Private Sub btnsave_Click(ByVal sender As System.Object, ByVal e As System.EventArgs) Handles btnsave.Click SaveFileDialog1.ShowDialog() End Sub Private Sub SaveFileDialog1_FileOk(ByVal sender As System.Object, ByVal e As System.ComponentModel.CancelEventArgs) Handles SaveFileDialog1.FileOk Dim FileToSaveAs As String = SaveFileDialog1.FileName Dim objwriter As New System.IO.StreamWriter(FileToSaveAs) objwriter.Write(lbltext.Text) objwriter.Close() End Sub
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Creating a shopping List

Create a text file with food items. Load it into a list box. Then using buttons move the items from one list box to another. Save the new list to another text file by using a button.
Make sure you use error protection. Code that you might need
lbclientlist.Items.Add(lbmasterlist.SelectedItem)
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27. Add Menus and Tool Strip to your project

Get more from beginning MS visual basic.pdf In the Toolbox find menus and Toolbars and drag the MenuStrip to the top of your form In the MenuStrip type in the files you want as seen right. Double click on the Menu name to open the code window that activates on menu item click and add your code.
Private Sub LoadFileToolStripMenuItem_Click(ByVal sender As System.Object, ByVal e As System.EventArgs) Handles LoadFileToolStripMenuItem.Click MsgBox("this is the Load menu") End Sub Private Sub ShowTextBoxToolStripMenuItem_Click(ByVal sender As System.Object, ByVal e As System.EventArgs) Handles ShowTextBoxToolStripMenuItem.Click txtdata.Visible = True End Sub
Its That easy!!!! Add Toolstrip by dragging it to the form, then Right click, choose Insert Standard items, and edit them as you wish
Worlds greatest bands
Public Class Form1 Private Sub mnuTheWho_Click(ByVal sender As System.Object, ByVal e As System.EventArgs) Handles mnuTheWho.Click lblDisplay.Text = "Roger Daltrey" & vbCrLf & "John Entwistle " & vbCrLf & "Keith Moon" & vbCrLf & "Pete Townshend" & vbCrLf & "Dave Mackintosh - Drums" & vbCrLf & "The Who have sold about 100 million
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records, and have charted 27 top forty singles in the United Kingdom and United States, as well as 17 top ten albums, with 18 Gold, 12 Platinum and 5 Multi-Platinum album awards in the United States alone." If MessageBox.Show("Do you like The Who?", "The Who Survey", MessageBoxButtons.YesNo) = DialogResult.Yes Then MessageBox.Show("The Who are Awesome!") Else MessageBox.Show("Maybe you've never heard of The Who?") End If End Sub Private Sub mnuClose_Click(ByVal sender As System.Object, ByVal e As System.EventArgs) Handles mnuClose.Click Application.Exit() End Sub 'Executes when the About menu is selected Private Sub mnuAbout_Click(ByVal sender As System.Object, ByVal e As System.EventArgs) Handles mnuAbout.Click AboutForm.Show() Me.Hide() End Sub Private Sub mnuLedZepplin_Click(sender As Object, e As EventArgs) Handles mnuLedZepplin.Click lblDisplay.Text = _ "Jimmy Page - Lead Singer" & vbCrLf & _ "John Bonham" & vbCrLf & _ "Robert Plant" & vbCrLf & _ "John Paul Jones" & vbCrLf & _ "They are widely considered to be one of the most successful, innovative and influential rock groups in history." If MessageBox.Show("Do you like Led Zepplin?", "Led Zepplin Survey", MessageBoxButtons.YesNo) = DialogResult.Yes Then MessageBox.Show("Led Zepplin are Awesome!") Else MessageBox.Show("Maybe you've never heard of Led Zepplin?") End If End Sub Private Sub mnuRollingStones_Click(sender As Object, e As EventArgs) Handles mnuRollingStones.Click lblDisplay.Text = _ "Mick Jagger" & vbCrLf & _ "Keith Richards" & vbCrLf & _ "Ronnie Wood" & vbCrLf & _ "Charlie Watts" & vbCrLf & _ "Critical acclaim and popular consensus has accorded them the title of the Worlds Greatest Rock and Roll Band" If MessageBox.Show("Do you like The Rolling Stones?", "The Rolling Stones Survey", MessageBoxButtons.YesNo) = DialogResult.Yes Then
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MessageBox.Show("The Rolling Stones are Awesome!") Else MessageBox.Show("Maybe you've never heard of The Rolling Stones?") End If End Sub End Class
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28. Common String Methods

Strings are very important and very versatile in programming. Not only are they used for passing text but also for other types of data.
Instantiating String Objects

String objects can be instantiated in two ways. First, we can create a String object as if it were a native data type:
Dim name As String = "Howard The Duck"
We can also create a string using more conventional object-oriented syntax:

Dim name As New String("David Quack")
We are not limited to calling the String class constructor with just a string literal. We can also instantiate String objects using other types of data. For example, we can instantiate a string from an array of characters:
Dim chars() As Char = {"H"c, "e"c, "l"c, "l"c, "o"c, " "c, ","c, " "c, "w"c, "o"c, "r"c, "l"c, "d"c, "!"c} Dim greeting As New String(chars) Txtoutput.text =greeting
The small c tells the program its a char. This program fragment outputs the following:
Hello, world!
You can also instantiate a string with just part of a character array. The constructor will take a character array name, a starting position, and a length, and the constructor will build a string that begins at the starting position of the array and continues until the number specified by the length is reached. Here is an example:
Dim partGreet As New String(chars, 0, 5)
Another option is to instantiate a string using the same character repeated n times. For example, if we want to create a string of 20 spaces, we call the constructor like this:
Dim spaces As New String(" "c, 20)
Finally, you can use the String class copy constructor to instantiate a string using a reference to another String object. Heres an example:
Dim st As String = "Goodbye" Dim parting As New String(st)
Although there are many operations you can perform on strings, a small set of operations dominate. Three of the top operations are 1. Finding a substring in a string, 2. Determining the length of a string, and 3. Determining the position of a character in a string.
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MEMBER DESCRIPTION Gets the character at a specified position in the string. Chars Compare Copy CopyTo Empty EndsWith IndexOf Insert Join LastIndexOf Length
Compares two strings. Creates a new string by copying a string. Copies a specified number of characters from a specified position in this string to a specified position in an array of characters. A constant representing the empty string. Tells you whether the specified string matches the end of this string. Returns the index of the first occurrence of a substring within the string. Returns a new string with a substring inserted at the specified place. Lets you join together an array of strings with a specified separator. Gives the index of the last occurrence of a specified character or string within the string. Gets the number of characters in the string
FUNCTION DESCRIPTION Right-aligns the characters in this string, padding on the left with spaces or PadLeft
a specified character to a specified total length.
PadRight Remove Replace Split StartsWith Substring ToCharArray ToLower ToUpper Trim
Left-aligns the characters in this string, padding on the right with spaces or a specified character to a specified total length. Deletes the specified number of characters from this string, beginning at the specified location. Replaces all occurrences of a substring with a different substring. Splits a string into an array of substrings. Determines whether a specified substring starts the string. Returns a substring from the current string from the position indicated. Copies the characters in this string to a character array. Returns a lowercase copy of this string. Returns an uppercase copy of this string. Either removes spaces or removes all occurrences of a set of characters specified in a Unicode character array from the beginning and end of the string. Either removes spaces or all occurrences of a set of characters specified in a Unicode character array from the end of the string. Either removes spaces or all occurrences of a set of characters specified in a Unicode character array from the beginning of the string
TrimEnd TrimStart
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All the samples below are based on two pre-declared string variables: strOriginal and strModified.
Dim strOriginal As String = "These functions will come handy" Dim strModified As String = String.Empty
Iterate a String You can use the for loop or foreach loop to iterate through a string. The for loop gives you more flexibility over the iteration.
For i As Integer = 0 To strOriginal.Length - 1 MessageBox.Show(strOriginal(i).ToString()) Next i Or For Each c As Char In strOriginal MessageBox.Show(c.ToString()) Next c
Split a String You can split strings using String.Split(). The method takes an array of chars, representing characters to be used as delimiters. In this example, we will be splitting the strOriginal string using space as delimiter.
Dim delim As Char() = {" "} Dim strArr As String() = strOriginal.Split(delim) For Each s As String In strArr MessageBox.Show(s) Next s
Split text to an array Lets use Split to break up an address into an array by using the comma ,
data = "Mike, McMillan,3000 W. Scenic,North Little " & "Rock, AR,72118" Dim sdata() As String sdata = data.Split(",")
Now we can access these data using standard array techniques:

Dim index As Integer For index = 0 To sdata.GetUpperBound(0) Console.WriteLine(sdata(index)) Next
There is one more parameter we can pass to the Split methodthe number of elements we want to store in the array. For example, if we want to put the first string element in the first position of the array, and the rest of the string in the second element, we would call the method like this:
sdata = data.Split(",",2)
The elements in the array are as follows:

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0th element = Mike 1st element = McMillan,3000 W. Scenic,North Little Rock,AR,72118
Extract SubStrings from a String The String.Substring() retrieves a substring from a string starting from a specified character position. You can also specify the length
' only starting position specified strModified = strOriginal.Substring(25) MessageBox.Show(strModified) ' starting position and length of string to be extracted specified strModified = strOriginal.Substring(20, 3) MessageBox.Show(strModified)
Reverse a String One of the simplest ways to reverse a string is to use the StrReverse() function.
Dim strModified As String = StrReverse(strOriginal) MsgBox(strModified)
Use this to check for palindromes Compare Two Strings You can use the String.Compare() to compare two strings. The third parameter is a Boolean parameter that determines if the search is case sensitive(false) or not(true)
If (String.Compare(strOriginal, strModified, False)) < 0 Then MessageBox.Show("strOriginal is less than strOriginal1") ElseIf (String.Compare(strOriginal, strModified, False)) > 0 Then MessageBox.Show("strOriginal is more than strOriginal1") ElseIf (String.Compare(strOriginal, strModified, False)) = 0 Then MessageBox.Show("Both strings are equal") End If
Test if String is null or Zero Length A simple way to test if a string is null or empty is to use the String.IsNullOrEmpty(string) which returns a Boolean value.
Dim check As Boolean = String.IsNullOrEmpty(strOriginal)
Convert the Case of a String The String class contains methods to convert a string to lower and upper cases. However, it lacks a method to convert a string to Proper Case/Title Case
' Lower Case MessageBox.Show(textInfo.ToLower(strOriginal)) ' Upper Case
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MessageBox.Show(textInfo.ToUpper(strOriginal))
Count the occurrence of letters (not spaces) in a string Here is an easy way to count how many letters there are in a string
Dim strtext As String = "She sells sea shells on the sea shore chelsea" Dim i As Integer Dim count As Integer For i = 0 To strtext.Length - 1 If strtext.Substring(i, 1) > " " Then count += 1 End If Next Me.Text = count
Count the occurrences of words in a String You can adopt multiple ways to find the occurrence of a word in a string. One of them is to use the String.IndexOf() which is one of the ways of finding the occurrence of the word.
Private Sub Button1_Click(ByVal sender As System.Object, ByVal e As System.EventArgs) Handles Button1.Click 'Using IndexOF() Dim intstartindex As Integer = 0 Dim intcount As Integer = -1 Dim intchangedindex As Integer = -1 Dim strOriginal As String = "She sells sea shells on the sea shore in chelsea" Dim srchString As String = "sea" Do While intstartindex <> -1 ' -1 means it can't find it intstartindex = strOriginal.IndexOf(srchString, intchangedindex + 1) intcount += 1 intchangedindex = intstartindex Loop MessageBox.Show(srchString & " occurs " & intcount & " times") ' Using Regular Expression Dim rex As System.Text.RegularExpressions.Regex = New System.Text.RegularExpressions.Regex(srchString) Dim count As Integer = rex.Matches(strOriginal).Count MessageBox.Show("Using RegEx " & srchString & " occurs " & count & " times") End Sub
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Insert Characters inside a String The String.Insert() inserts text at a specified index location of a string. You can insert either a character or a string at a given index location. For eg: We will insert a string very at index 26 in string strOriginal.
strModified = strOriginal.Insert(26, "very ") MessageBox.Show(strModified)
Replace characters in a String The String.Replace() removes characters from a string and replaces them with a new character or string.
strModified = strOriginal.Replace("come handy", "be useful") MessageBox.Show(strModified)
Create Date and Time from String Use the DateTime.Parse() to convert a string representing datetime to its DateTime equivalent. The DateTime.Parse() provides flexibility in terms of adapting strings in various formats.
strOriginal = "8/20/2008" Dim dt As DateTime = DateTime.Parse(strOriginal)
Trimming a String The String.Trim() provides two overloads to remove leading and trailing spaces as well as to remove any unwanted character. Heres a sample demonstrating the two overloads. Apart from trimming the string, it also removes the "#" character.
strOriginal = " Some new string we test ##" strModified = strOriginal.Trim().Trim(Char.Parse("#"))
Convert String To Integer In order to convert string to integer, use the Int32.Parse(). The Parse method converts the string representation of a number to its 32-bit signed integer equivalent. If the string contains non-numeric values, it throws an error. Similarly, you can also convert string to other types using Boolean.Parse(), Double.Parse(), char.Parse() and so on.
strOriginal = "12345" Dim temp As Integer = Int32.Parse(strOriginal)
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String Functions Exercise
Public Class Form1 Dim strInput1 As String Dim strInput2 As String Private Sub btnCompare_Click(ByVal sender As System.Object, ByVal e As System.EventArgs) Handles btnCompare.Click If checkStrings() Then Select Case String.Compare(strInput1, strInput2) Case 0 lblDisplay.Text = strInput1 & " is equal to " & strInput2 Case Is < 0 lblDisplay.Text = strInput1 & " comes before " & strInput2 Case Is > 0 lblDisplay.Text = strInput1 & " comes after " & strInput2 End Select End If End Sub Private Sub btnConcat_Click(ByVal sender As System.Object, ByVal e As System.EventArgs) Handles btnConcat.Click If checkStrings() Then lblDisplay.Text = String.Concat(strInput1, strInput2) End If End Sub Private Sub btnEquals_Click(ByVal sender As System.Object, ByVal e As System.EventArgs) Handles btnEquals.Click If checkStrings() Then If strInput1.Equals(strInput2) Then lblDisplay.Text = "The strings are the same." Else lblDisplay.Text = "The strings are different." End If
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End If End Sub Private Sub btnIndexOf_Click(ByVal sender As System.Object, ByVal e As System.EventArgs) Handles btnIndexOf.Click If checkStrings() Then Dim intIndex As Integer = strInput1.IndexOf(strInput2) Select Case intIndex Case -1 lblDisplay.Text = "The second string appears no where in the first" Case Else lblDisplay.Text = "The index of the second string is " & intIndex & " in the first string" End Select End If End Sub Private Sub btwInsert_Click(ByVal sender As System.Object, ByVal e As System.EventArgs) Handles btwInsert.Click If checkStrings() Then Dim intInsertIndex As Integer If Int32.TryParse(InputBox("Enter the index where the second string should be inserted into the first string", "Insert Index"), intInsertIndex) Then lblDisplay.Text = strInput1.Insert(intInsertIndex, strInput2) Else MessageBox.Show("Please enter a valid integer") End If End If End Sub Private Sub btnRemove_Click(ByVal sender As System.Object, ByVal e As System.EventArgs) Handles btnRemove.Click If checkStrings() Then Dim intRemoveIndex1 As Integer Dim intRemoveIndex2 As Integer If Int32.TryParse(InputBox("Enter the index where the removal should begin for the first string", "First String Removal Index"), intRemoveIndex1) Then If Int32.TryParse(InputBox("Enter the index where the removal should begin for the second string", "Second String Removal Index"), intRemoveIndex2) Then lblDisplay.Text = _ "First String: " & strInput1.Remove(intRemoveIndex1) & vbCrLf & _ "Second String: " & strInput2.Remove(intRemoveIndex2) Else MessageBox.Show("Please enter a valid integer") End If Else
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MessageBox.Show("Please enter a valid integer") End If End If End Sub Private Sub btnReplace_Click(ByVal sender As System.Object, ByVal e As System.EventArgs) Handles btnReplace.Click If checkStrings() Then lblDisplay.Text = _ strInput1.Replace(InputBox("Enter the string you want to replace from string 1", "String Replacement"), strInput2) End If End Sub Private Sub btnToLower_Click(ByVal sender As System.Object, ByVal e As System.EventArgs) Handles btnToLower.Click If checkStrings() Then lblDisplay.Text = _ "First string: " & strInput1.ToLower & vbCrLf & _ "Second string: " & strInput2.ToLower End If End Sub Private Sub btnToUpper_Click(ByVal sender As System.Object, ByVal e As System.EventArgs) Handles btnToUpper.Click If checkStrings() Then lblDisplay.Text = _ "First string: " & strInput1.ToUpper & vbCrLf & _ "Second string: " & strInput2.ToUpper End If End Sub Private Sub btnTrim_Click(ByVal sender As System.Object, ByVal e As System.EventArgs) Handles btnTrim.Click If checkStrings() Then lblDisplay.Text = _ "String 1: " & strInput1.Trim & vbCrLf & _ "String 2: " & strInput2.Trim End If End Sub Private Sub btnTrimEnd_Click(ByVal sender As System.Object, ByVal e As System.EventArgs) Handles btnTrimEnd.Click If checkStrings() Then lblDisplay.Text = _ "String 1: " & strInput1.TrimEnd & vbCrLf & _ "String 2: " & strInput2.TrimEnd End If End Sub
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Private Sub btnTrimStart_Click(ByVal sender As System.Object, ByVal e As System.EventArgs) Handles btnTrimStart.Click If checkStrings() Then lblDisplay.Text = _ "String 1: " & strInput1.TrimStart & vbCrLf & _ "String 2: " & strInput2.TrimStart End If End Sub 'Used be sure that the strings are not empty. Private Function checkStrings() As Boolean strInput1 = txtString1.Text strInput2 = txtString2.Text lblDisplay.Text = "" 'resets the label 'Checks to 'Checks to If Not String.IsNullOrEmpty(strInput1) Then see that the string isnt empty If Not String.IsNullOrEmpty(strInput2) Then see that the string isnt empty Return True Else textbox") MessageBox.Show("Please enter a string in the second 'User Debug Return False End If Else textbox") MessageBox.Show("Please enter a string in the first 'User Debug Return False End If End Function End Class
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Char and Chars = Characters

Char and Chars get quite confusing. Here is the difference. Char is a variable type. It can hold one character at a time (the Char is short for Character). Chars is a method of the String variable type. You can use it on any length of string, not just a Char variable. And that's the difference between the two: Char is a variable type, while Chars is a method you can use on Strings. Create the following program to see how they both work
Private Sub btnchars _Click(ByVal sender As System.Object, ByVal e As System.EventArgs) Handles btnchars.Click Dim OneCharacter As Char Dim Name As String = "YourName" Dim i As Integer For i = 0 To Name.Length - 1 ' minus 1 because it starts at 0 OneCharacter = Name.Chars(i) ' i gives the number for each letter lbchars.Items.Add(OneCharacter) Next i End Sub
Add an If statement to check if the character is numeric and if so print out
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Starts With and Ends With methods

Two other comparison methods that can be useful when working with strings are StartsWith and EndsWith. These instance methods take a string as an argument and return True if the instance either starts with or ends with the string argument. Next we present two short programs that demonstrate the use of these methods. First, well demonstrate the EndsWith method:
Module Module1 Sub Main() Dim nouns() As String = {"cat", "dogs", "bird", "eggs", "bones"} Dim pluralNouns As New Collection Dim noun As String For Each noun In nouns If (noun.EndsWith("s")) Then pluralNouns.Add(noun) End If Next For Each noun In pluralNouns Console.WriteLine(noun) Next Console.Read() End Sub End Module
First, we create an array of nouns, some of which are in plural form. Then we loop through the elements of the array, checking to see whether any of the nouns are plurals. If a plural is found, it is added to a collection. Then we loop through the collection, displaying each plural. We use the same basic idea in the next program to determine which words start with the prefix tri:
Module Module1 Sub Main() Dim words() As String = {"triangle", "diagonal", "trimester", "bifocal", "triglycerides"} Dim triWords As New Collection Dim word As String For Each word In words If (word.StartsWith("tri")) Then triWords.Add(word) End If Next For Each word In triWords Console.WriteLine(word) Next Console.Read() End Sub End Module
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The Like Operator

There is one additional comparison technique we need to examine that is not part of the String class: the Like operator. This operator works in much the same way as the regular expression engine but without all the flexibility of regular expressions. However, the Like operator is able to discern many simple patterns that come up frequently in string processing situations. With this operator, a string is compared to a pattern. If there is a match, the expression returns True; otherwise the expression returns False. The pattern can consist of either a complete string or a string made up of characters and special symbols that are used as wildcards. These wildcards can be used to match any single character, number, or ranges of characters and/or numbers. The wildcards and range operators used in Like comparisons are the following: ?: matches any single character, *: matches zero or more characters, #: matches any single digit, [char-list]: matches any character in the list, and [!char-list]: matches any character not in the list.
Here are some examples using the Like operator:

Module Module1 Sub Main() Dim s1 As String = "foobar" Dim aMatch As String aMatch = IIf(s1 Like "foo?ar", "match", "no match") Console.WriteLine(aMatch) aMatch = IIf(s1 Like "f*", "match", "no match") Console.WriteLine(aMatch) Dim s2 As New String("H2") aMatch = IIf(s2 Like "[hH][0-9]", "match", "no match") Console.WriteLine(aMatch) Console.Read() End Sub End Module
The output from this program is as follows:

match match match
The first match works because the ? in the pattern foo?ar matches the b in foobar. The second match works because the first letter in the string matches the first letter in the pattern and the * in the pattern matches any of the other characters in the string. Be careful when using the asterisk in a pattern because it tends to match even when you dont want it to, leading to it being called a greedy operator.
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The most interesting match in the program is the last one. This example might be useful when processing a bunch of HTML text in search of heading tags. A heading tag in HTML starts with the letter H (or h), followed by a digit indicating the level of the heading. The pattern we used [hH] [0-9] leads the Like operator to look for either an h or an H in the first character and any digit 0 through 9 in the second character.
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Check a valid email address

One of the most basic tools on the net is email validation. This tool leads well to an exercise on strings. Just how do you tell if myname@email.com is valid or not? There are so many variables. Here is the beginning of a program you can use. In order to check how your code is going you need to show an output to see the result. Listboxes are an ideal way to record output during debugging, as you can see the entries. This exercise tests the email address and then assigns it to a listbox for valid or invalid. In the real world it might be a long file to be checked.
Below is the code needed. Replace the ???? with the code needed. (What? Do I have to give you everything?). CountCharacter(stremail, "@") calls the function at the bottom. CountCharacter(ByVal value As String, ByVal ch As Char) Stremail gets passed to value and the "@" gets passed to ch.
Public Class Form1 Private Sub btnemailtest_Click(ByVal sender As System.Object, ByVal e As System.EventArgs) Handles btnemailtest.Click Dim intdot As Integer Dim intatsymbol As Integer 'there has to be a dot 'there has to be an @ symbol
Dim intAtSymbolDot As Integer 'there can't be an @. Dim intDotAtSymbol As Integer 'there can't be a .@ Dim intDotDot As Integer Dim intSpace As Integer Dim intcount As Integer = 0 'There can't be a .. 'there can't be a space 'a counter used for multiples
'pass the email from the text box to the variable Dim stremail As String = txtemailinput.Text 'tests if its true - it IS EMPTY If String.IsNullOrEmpty(stremail) Then MsgBox("At least stick something in the box") End If
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'test to see if true or false ' These must be true intatsymbol = stremail.IndexOf("@") intdot = ???? 'these must be false intSpace = ???? intDotAtSymbol = ???? intAtSymbolDot = ???? intDotDot = ???? 'these must not be more than 1 from the function below intcount = CountCharacter(stremail, "@") intcount = CountCharacter(stremail, ".") + intcount MessageBox.Show(intcount) 'Some things are bigger than 0 = true and some < 0 = false If intatsymbol > 0 And ????? And intcount < 3 Then MessageBox.Show(stremail & " is a valid email address") lbrealemail.Items.Add(stremail) Else lbinvalidemail.Items.Add(stremail) End If End Sub Public Function CountCharacter(ByVal value As String, ByVal ch As Char) As Integer Dim cnt As Integer = 0 For Each c As Char In value If c = ch Then cnt += 1 Next Return cnt End Function End Class
However this is not complete. a@a.a will return as a true email as well. Control the letter length so that the last letters are more than 1 and the other fields are suitable. Also people who use Hotmail are too stupid to worry about, so class their email addresses as fails. Also we need to extract the user names to use as identification. Create another listbox showing valid email usernames seen above
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Check a valid email address using classes Change the program to use classes. There might be even easier coding than this to check for true or false in the Properties. Here is the class I developed for it for the first part of the exercise without Hotmail or extracting usernames.
Public Class testemail ' These must be true Private _intatsymbol As Integer 'there has to be an @ symbol Private _intdot As Integer 'there has to be a dot 'these must be false Private _intcount As Integer Private _intSpace As Integer Private _intDotDot As Integer 'there can't be a space 'There can't be a .. 'there can't be a .@
Private _intDotAtSymbol As Integer 'this holds the string Private _stremail As String Sub New() _intcount = 0 End Sub Public Property stremail() As String Get Return _stremail End Get Set(ByVal value As String) _stremail = value End Set End Property
Private _intAtSymbolDot As Integer 'there can't be an @. ' string holding email
Public Property intcount() As Integer Get 'counts how amny @ and . there are in the string _intcount = Form1.CountCharacter(_stremail, "@") _intcount = Form1.CountCharacter(_stremail, ".") + _intcount Return _intcount End Get Set(ByVal value As Integer) _intcount = value End Set End Property Public Property intSpace() As Integer Get _intSpace = _stremail.IndexOf(" ") Return _intSpace End Get
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Set(ByVal value As Integer) _intSpace = value End Set End Property Public Property intDotDot() As Integer Get _intDotDot = _stremail.IndexOf("..") Return _intDotDot End Get Set(ByVal value As Integer) _intDotDot = value End Set End Property Public Property intDotAtSymbol() As Integer Get _intDotAtSymbol = _stremail.IndexOf(".@") Return _intDotAtSymbol End Get Set(ByVal value As Integer) _intDotAtSymbol = value End Set End Property Public Property intAtSymbolDot() As Integer Get _intAtSymbolDot = _stremail.IndexOf("@.") Return _intAtSymbolDot End Get Set(ByVal value As Integer) _intAtSymbolDot = value End Set End Property Public Property intatsymbol() As Integer Get _intatsymbol = _stremail.IndexOf("@") Return _intatsymbol End Get Set(ByVal value As Integer) _intatsymbol = value End Set End Property Public Property intdot() As Integer Get _intdot = _stremail.IndexOf(".")
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Return _intdot End Get Set(ByVal value As Integer) _intdot = value End Set End Property End Class
Check domain via the internet Better than doing an internal check on an email address is extracting the domain name from the email address and querying the whois database to see if its a real domain. First we need to extract out the domain name from the email address.
check if the domain is true or not Dim chop As String = mytestemail.stremail Dim domain As String = chop.Substring(chop.IndexOf("@") + 1) CheckFromNet(domain)
Then we pass the domain to a new sub

Private Sub CheckFromNet(domain As String)
In this sub put the code from later in the manual that allows access to the internet. Change the Uri to Dim webaddress As New Uri("http://www.whois.com/whois/" & domain) so when we send it appends the domain name to the end of the url (test.com)
At the end add the following code which checks through the code and looks for the tick image (the site is available) or the text Invalid domain name.
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If s.Contains("/images/ok.png") Or s.Contains("Invalid domain name...") Then Me.Text = "Not a current address or invalid" Else Me.Text = "VALID" End If
Finally if the site is real, then extract out the country name to see where it comes from. Get the DNS IP addresses from the domain name The DNS class provides simple domain name resolution functionality. This Dns.GetHostEntry(domain) returns the DNS as a host name or IP address to an IPAddress() instance. This code checks the domain name that we extracted above and checks it against the domain server returning the IP addresses. I pass them to a ListBox, so put a ListBox on your page first. Just add the following code to your CheckFromNet sub
ListBox1.Items.Clear() Try Dim host As IPHostEntry = Dns.GetHostEntry(domain) Dim ip As IPAddress() = host.AddressList Dim index As Integer For index = 0 To ip.Length - 1 ListBox1.Items.Add(ip(index)) Next index Catch End Try
You can also loop through with a foreach

For Each i As Object In ip ListBox1.Items.Add(i) Next
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Create a Document Statistics counter

The image below shows the statistics for this document. We can easily create a similar program that will read a document and generate the same types of statistics.
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Filter words by length using class

This exercise imports a text file and filters the words in it by word length. You can use a variety of ways to read the file in. Once it has been passed to a variable it is filtered by 3 class files with a main Filter Class and some inherited classes.
The Form and its classes
Code for the main form

Imports System.IO 'needed for file Public Class Form1 Dim strpath As String 'to hold the text Dim myfilter As New filter 'main class Private Sub btntext_Click(ByVal sender As System.Object, ByVal e As System.EventArgs) Handles btntext.Click myfilter.Counter = 0 'set counter to 0 each click otherwise accumlates strpath = cbpath.Text 'sets path to the file txtdata.Clear()'clear the data in the textbox and listbox lbdata.Items.Clear() Try 'copy the file into the textbox read in the text from the file to the variable Dim strtext As String = File.ReadAllText(strpath) txtdata.Text = strtext 'pass it to the textbox
Dim spacefinder As Char() = {" "} 'splits the text at the space Dim strtextArr As String() = strtext.Split(spacefinder) 'loop through to grab each word For Each word As String In strtextArr 'word is defined as a string" 'pass length of each word to Class to compare it myfilter.Wordlength = word.Length 'pass word to the class to add it to the listbox if correct length myfilter.Word = word 'if the word output is bigger than 0 then print it
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If myfilter.Addword.Length > 0 Then lbdata.Items.Add(myfilter.Addword) End If 'repeat loop until end of words Next word Me.Text = myfilter.Counter 'show counter on form Catch ex As Exception 'catch errors MsgBox("Check that the filename is correct or that there are no other messups") End Try End Sub Private Sub rblessthan4_CheckedChanged(ByVal sender As System.Object, ByVal e As System.EventArgs) Handles rblessthan4.CheckedChanged, rbUnder6.CheckedChanged, rball.CheckedChanged Dim fakeRB As RadioButton fakeRB = sender Select Case fakeRB.Text Case "Under 4" myfilter = New LessThanFour Case "Under 6" myfilter = New undersix Case Else myfilter = New filter End Select End Sub Private Sub btnsave_Click(ByVal sender As System.Object, ByVal e As System.EventArgs) Handles btnsave.Click Dim strpathout As String = txtpathout.Text Dim i As Integer Dim w As IO.StreamWriter w = New IO.StreamWriter(strpathout) 'for the items in the list box For i = 0 To lbdata.Items.Count - 1 w.WriteLine(lbdata.Items.Item(i)) Next w.Close() End Sub End Class
Public Class filter Private _counter As Integer Private _wordlength As Integer
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Protected _length As Integer Private _word As String Private _addword As String Sub New() _length = 10000 _counter = 0 End Sub Public Property Addword() As String Get wordfilter() Return _addword End Get Set(ByVal value As String) _addword = value End Set End Property Public Property Word() As String Get Return _word End Get Set(ByVal value As String) _word = value End Set End Property Public Property Wordlength() As Integer Get Return _wordlength End Get Set(ByVal value As Integer) _wordlength = value End Set End Property Public Property length() As Integer Get Return _length End Get Set(ByVal value As Integer) _length = value End Set End Property Sub wordfilter() If _wordlength < _length Then
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_counter += 1 _addword = _word Else _addword = "" End If End Sub Public Property Counter() As Integer Get Return _counter End Get Set(ByVal value As Integer) _counter = value End Set End Property End Class
Public Class LessThanFour Inherits filter Sub New() _length = 4 End Sub End Class
Public Class over6 Inherits filter Sub New() _length = 6 End Sub End Class
Public Class undersix Inherits filter Sub New() _length = 6 End Sub End Class
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29. Stringbuilder
Stringbuilder is a class designed to work with large repetitive string operations. For example the StringBuilder class can boost performance when concatenating many strings together in a loop The methods of Stringbuilder are: Append(string) Adds the string in the parameter to the existing string. fullName.Append(" Jr.") fullName is now Joe Smith Jr. The original string variable was changed. Insert(index, string) Inserts a string into an existing string at the index location. In this example, we add a middle initial. fullName.Insert(5, "M. ") fullName is now Joe M. Smith Jr. Remove(startIndex, count) Remove a specified number of characters, as specified by the count parameter. The startIndex determines where to start removing characters. fullName.Remove(5, 3) This removes the middle initial. FullName is now Joe Smith Jr. Replace(oldString, newString) Replace an existing string or substring, within a string, with a new string. Chars(index) Get the character at the index location. Length Returns the number of characters in the string. Capacity Get or set the number of characters for the string.
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Imports System.IO Imports System.Text Public Class Form1 Dim strpath As String Dim stbuilder As New System.Text.StringBuilder Private Sub btngo_Click(ByVal sender As System.Object, ByVal e As System.EventArgs) Handles btngo.Click strpath = txtpath.Text 'copy the file into the textbox Dim txtused As String = File.ReadAllText(strpath) 'make an array to hold split words - thats how you need to get it in. Dim words As String() = txtused.ToString.Split(" ") 'made a variable to hold each word Dim word As String For Each word In words 'add each word to each other word stbuilder.Append(word & " ") 'replace 'and' with 'chocolate' stbuilder.Replace("and", "chocolate") Next 'inserts text at the beginning ) of the string stbuilder.Insert(0, "This is a practice with StringBuilder ") 'output to text box txtoutput.Text = stbuilder.ToString End Sub End Class
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30. Web interface projects

These projects may need to bypass the proxy server to operate. Just use the code later in this section. Otherwise the code in the Metservice program will suffice.
Metservice temperature program

Working with Strings Metservice provides local weather temperatures for people In New Zealand. The URL is http://m.metservice.com/towns/christchurch to download a local temperature with the town appended to the end. If you cannot use the download in Visual Studio owing to the proxy limitations then just put the url into a browser and save the html as a text file (metservice). It can be passed as a string into your program using your Resource File for testing purposes. Otherwise use the code at the end of this exercise to bypass the proxy.
Dim strmetservice As String = My.Resources.Resource1.metservice
Below is the code to get the html as a string into your program. Use a button to run the program to update the temperature, and a Label to show the code you have downloaded so you can work on it (you need to see what you are doing to it)
Imports System.Net Imports System.IO Public Class Form1 Private Sub btntemperature_Click(ByVal sender As System.Object, ByVal e As System.EventArgs) Handles btntemperature.Click Dim client As New System.Net.WebClient Try Dim strmetservice As String = client.DownloadString("http://m.metservice.com/towns/christchurch") lblhtml.Text = strmetservice Catch ex As Exception MsgBox(ex.Message) End Try End Sub
Using strings strip the code back to the component pieces, pass them to labels and view them in your program. I would use the structure of strmetservice = all the html code. First you need to strip out the quotation marks, as it messes with the rest of the code otherwise. Use 4 Quote marks to mean a Quote (sigh, dont ask me, I would think it was 3). Strmetservice.replace(, String.Empty)
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Then pass to strtemp as (strtemp = strmetservice) and use the string functions to strip the temperature code back to the temperature. Look for this part of the HTML code to work on note that the quotes are removed.
<div class=actual>15.4<span class=temp>°C</span> Dim inttempleft as integer
to hold the number of the left hand side
Use inttempleft = strtemp.IndexOf <div class=actual>), to get the number of the beginning of the temperature, add + 14 or however many the characters are you have put in the IndexOf to count forward to the temperature. Then use strtemp.Substring(inttempleft, 10) to get a new string of only 10 characters Then find the text to the right <span class=temp> and create a new substring that deleted the right leaving only the lonely temp 15 left. Its that easy! Then pass the strmetservice to strfeelslike and look for
<div class="feel-likes"><strong>Feels like 15<span class="temp">°C</span>
Then strmetservice to strimageurl and dig out the image url In the code is the name of the image that is downloaded as well. Extract the url which is around here and pass it to a variable strimage..
<div class="mob-page" id="forecasts-block"><h2>10 Day Forecast</h2><div class="item"> <img src="/sites/all/themes/mobile/images/wx-icons/showers_wht.gif"
So
Dim strimage as string strimage = showers_wht.gif
Append it to the main url and put that url in the string strimageurl into the following code (example url given).
Dim strimageurl As String strimageurl = "http://m.metservice.com//sites/all/themes/mobile/images/wxicons/" & strimage
The image does not have to be saved to a folder first.

Dim mywebclient As New Net.WebClient 'Byte array holds the data Dim ImageInBytes() As Byte = mywebclient.DownloadData(strimageurl) 'Create a memory stream using the byte
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Dim ImageStream As New IO.MemoryStream(ImageInBytes) 'Create a bitmap from the memory stream PictureBox1.Image = New System.Drawing.Bitmap(ImageStream) 'No files need to be written to the drive
Using the formulas from your older temperature program create the Fahrenheit temperature . Create a way, probably using a combo box that you can change the cities that the temperature refers to. In the main metservice website, http://metservice.com/national/index you can find a list of the cities supported by the program and use them via cut and paste. You will need to look in their source code to find it. Getting through the proxy server This is the code to get through the proxy server; you need your username and password. At present to check it I run it off a button which should return the page as text
Private Sub btnUpdate_Click(sender As Object, e As EventArgs) Handles btnUpdate.Click 'I saved the details as a string resource and can just call them up as needed Dim password As String = My.Resources.Resource1.Password Dim username As String = My.Resources.Resource1.Username 'need to set the network credentials Dim myNetCredentials As New NetworkCredential("", "") 'you can also use My.User.Name to extract out the users name myNetCredentials.UserName = username myNetCredentials.Password = password Dim webaddress As New Uri("http://m.metservice.com/towns/christchurch") Dim request As New WebClient 'get the proxy ID in this case 10.6.0.254:3128 request.Proxy = WebRequest.GetSystemWebProxy() 'pass across the username and password to the proxy request.Proxy.Credentials = myNetCredentials Try 'download the website as a string. Dim s As String = request.DownloadString(webaddress) 'output it to see what you are working with RichTextBox1.Text = s Catch webex As WebException End Try
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End Sub
Other ways of creating a download

' Get the stream containing content returned by the server. Dim dataStream As Stream = response.GetResponseStream() ' Open the stream using a StreamReader for easy access. Dim reader As New StreamReader(dataStream) ' Read the content. Dim responseFromServer As String = reader.ReadToEnd() ' Display the content. Me.Text = responseFromServer ' Cleanup the streams and the response. reader.Close() dataStream.Close() response.Close()
What if? You can get the user using My.User.Name or better Windows.Forms.SystemInformation.UserName and you can get the domain and proxy using WebRequest.GetSystemWebProxy(). So all that is missing is the password. We did make a password cracker earlier. What if we add that in to get the password and then save it as a text file so you can reuse it later? What have you got? A way to access the net from any logged on computer without knowing the password.
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Whitepages Phone book

We can easily use this structure to create an application that checks the whitepages for names and returns back the number and address. Go to http://whitepages.co.nz when you add a name and place to the boxes and press find it sends it via the url string, like this http://whitepages.co.nz/whiteall/smith/christchurch/ All we have to do is then append to http://whitepages.co.nz & / & strname & / & strplace and send it. We can even add extra parameters such as ?sort=name to the end as seen in the Narrow By section. Maybe we can extract the data from this page to pass it to a Google map? http://whitepages.co.nz/w/101088869/. Maybe we can pass the address straight to Google maps, for the location. The returning page can be stripped back to get out the data we want. This would make a great Android app as well.
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DuckDuckGo using Json and Nuget

The purpose of this project is to be able to send a request for a definition to DuckDuckGo, and return an answer which is parsed to extract the text from the JSON. JSON is a very popular and important way of moving data around the net and to programs accessing the net. (All code at the end) To do this we could write our own JSON parser, or use one from Nuget. Lets not reinvent the wheel and use Newtonsoft.json from Nuget.. First make a new project, and SAVE it. (I didnt and kept getting an error) it needs to be saved first so it can install the package into your project. Go to this link http://nuget.org/packages/Newtonsoft.Json and follow the instruction using the Package Manager Console help as well. Once its installed it just needs to be called. This link gives an overview of how to use the package. http://james.newtonking.com/projects/json-net.aspx . When I dimmed the following Dim JSONobject As JObject the program automatically added the import Imports Newtonsoft.Json.Linq The code of the program is the Bypass the proxy code to download a string and then change the Uri to http://api.duckduckgo.com/?q=definition%20chocolate&format=json . From there you need to output the returned string to see how the JSON is built. I outputted it to a richtextbox and then copied and pasted it into my code as a comment.
' {"Definition":"","DefinitionSource":"","Heading":"chocolate (definition)","AbstractSource":"The Free Dictionary","Image":"","RelatedTopics":[],"AbstractText":"Fermented, roasted, shelled, and ground cacao seeds, often combined with a sweetener or flavoring agent.","Abstract":"Fermented, roasted, shelled, and ground cacao seeds, often combined with a sweetener or flavoring agent.","AnswerType":"","Redirect":"","Type":"A","DefinitionURL":"","Ans wer":"","Results":[],"AbstractURL":"http://www.thefreedictionary.com/_/s earch.aspx?pid=aff18&word=chocolate"}
It might look like gobbledegook at this stage but there is a simple plan to it. JSON is in Key : Value pairs so looks like this "Heading":"chocolate (definition)"
{ "Definition":"", "DefinitionSource":"", "Heading":"chocolate (definition)", "AbstractSource":"The Free Dictionary", "Image":"", "RelatedTopics":[], "AbstractText":"Fermented, roasted, shelled, and ground cacao seeds, often combined with a sweetener or flavoring agent.", "Abstract":"Fermented, roasted, shelled, and ground cacao seeds, often combined with a sweetener or flavoring agent.", "AnswerType":"", "Redirect":"",
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"Type":"A", "DefinitionURL":"", "Answer":"", "Results":[], "AbstractURL":http://www.thefreedictionary.com/_/search.aspx?pid=aff18&w ord=chocolate }
Main code to run this. Dimension the JObject Dim JSONobject As JObject = JObject.Parse(strdownload)
Strdownload is the string being returned from the net. Its renamed from S in the Proxy example. We are returning just one string in this case, sometimes you want to return an array of data (presumable Item(Object) as a guess). So I chose Item(String) from the options. Use JSONobject.Item("Heading") to extract out the text chocolate (definition) I passed it to a ListBox - lbxdefn.Items.Add(JSONobject.Item("Heading"))
Use JSONobject.Item("AbstractText") to extract out the text Fermented, roasted, shelled, and ground cacao seeds, often combined with a sweetener or flavoring agent. I used a Textbox, Button, ListBox, and RichTextBox.
Imports System.Net Imports Newtonsoft.Json.Linq Public Class Form1 Dim strdownload As String
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Private Sub btndefinition_Click(sender As Object, e As EventArgs) Handles btndefinition.Click 'I saved the details as a string resource and can just call them up as needed Dim password As String = My.Resources.Resource1.Password Dim username As String = My.Resources.Resource1.Username Dim wordpath As String = "http://api.duckduckgo.com/?q=definition%20" & txtword.Text & "&format=json" Me.Text = wordpath 'need to set the network credentials Dim myNetCredentials As New NetworkCredential("", "") 'you can also use My.User.Name to extract out the users name myNetCredentials.UserName = username myNetCredentials.Password = password Dim webaddress As New Uri(wordpath) Dim request As New WebClient 'get the proxy ID in this case 10.6.0.254:3128 request.Proxy = WebRequest.GetSystemWebProxy() 'pass across the username and password to the proxy request.Proxy.Credentials = myNetCredentials Try 'download the website as a string. strdownload = request.DownloadString(webaddress) 'output it to see what you are working with txtdefn.Text = strdownload Catch webex As WebException End Try Dim JSONobject As JObject = JObject.Parse(strdownload) lbxdefn.Items.Add(JSONobject.Item("Heading")) lbxdefn.Items.Add(JSONobject.Item("AbstractText")) 'lbxdefn.Items.Add(JSONobject.Item("Abstract")) End Sub End Class
More: http://duckduckhack.com/ http://nuget.org/packages/Newtonsoft.Json http://james.newtonking.com/projects/json-net.aspx http://jsonformat.com/
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31. The DateTime and TimeSpan Types

The DateTime and TimeSpan data types also have built-in methods and properties. These class members allow you to perform three useful tasks: Extract a part of a DateTime (for example, just the year) or convert a TimeSpan to a specific representation (such as the total number of days or total number of minutes) Easily perform date and time calculations Determine the current date and time and other information (such as the day of the week or whether the date occurs in a leap year)
For example, the following block of code creates a DateTime object, sets it to the current date and time, and adds a number of days. It then creates a string that indicates the year that the new date falls in (for example, 2013).
Dim Dim MyDate As DateTime = DateTime.Now MyDate As = MyDate.AddDays(100)
DateString
String = MyDate.Year.ToString()
The next example shows how you can use a TimeSpan object to find the total number of minutes between two DateTime objects.
Dim MyDate1 As Date = DateTime.Now Dim MyDate2 As Date = DateTime.Now.AddHours(3000) Difference = = Dim Difference As TimeSpan MyDate2.Subtract(MyDate1) Dim NumberOfMinutes As Difference.TotalMinutes
Double NumberOfMinutes
The DateTime and TimeSpan classes also support the + and arithmetic operators, which do the same work as the built-in methods. That means you can rewrite the example shown previously like this:
Dim MyDate1 As DateTime = DateTime.Now Dim Interval As TimeSpan = TimeSpan.FromHours(3000) Dim MyDate2 As DateTime = MyDate1 + Interval
Subtracting one DateTime object from another produces a TimeSpan.

Dim Difference As TimeSpan Difference = MyDate2 - MyDate1
These examples give you an idea of the flexibility .NET provides for manipulating date and time data. The tables below list some of the more useful built-in features of the DateTime and TimeSpan types.
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Useful DateTime Members

Member Description
Now
Gets the current date and time. You can also use the UtcNow property to change the computers local time (which is relative to the local time zone) to a Universal Coordinated Time (UTC). Assuming your computer is correctly configured, this corresponds to the current time in the Western European (UTC + 0) time zone. Gets the current date and leaves time set to 00:00:00.
Today
Year, Date, Month, Returns one part of the DateTime object as an integer. For Hour, Minute, example, Month will return 12 for any day in December. Second, and Millisecond DayOfWeek Returns an enumerated value that indicates the day of the week for this DateTime, using the DayOfWeek enumeration. For example, if the date falls on Sunday, this will return DayOfWeek. Sunday. Add() Adds a TimeSpan to a DateTime and returns the result as a new DateTime. For convenience, these operations are mapped to the + and operators, so you can use them instead when performing calculations with dates. Subtracts a TimeSpan or DateTime from another DateTime. Returns a TimeSpan that represents the difference. Accepts an integer that represents a number of years, months, and so on, and returns a new DateTime. You can use a negative integer to perform a date subtraction.
Subtract() AddYears(), AddMonths(), AddDays(), AddHours(), AddMinutes(), AddSeconds(), AddMilliseconds() DaysInMonth() IsLeapYear() ToString()
Returns the number of days in the specified month in the specified year. Returns True or False depending on whether the specified year is a leap year. Returns a string representation of the current DateTime object.You can also use an overloaded version of this method that allows you to specify a parameter with a format string.
Note Methods such as Add() and Subtract() dont change a DateTime object. instead, they return a new DateTime or TimeSpan object.
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Useful TimeSpan Members Member Description Days, Hours, Returns one component of the current TimeSpan. For Minutes, Seconds, example, the Hours property can return an integer from 23 Milliseconds to 23. TotalDays, Returns the total value of the current TimeSpan as a number TotalHours, of days, hours, minutes, and so on. The value is returned as a TotalMinutes, double, which may include a fractional value. TotalSeconds, For example, the TotalDays property might return a number TotalMilliseconds such as 234.342. Add() and Combines TimeSpan objects. For convenience, these Subtract() operations are mapped to the + and operators, so you can use them instead when performing calculations with times. FromDays(), Allows you to quickly create a new TimeSpan. For example, FromHours(), you can use TimeSpan.FromHours(24) to create a TimeSpan FromMinutes(), object exactly 24 hours long. FromSeconds(), FromMilliseconds() ToString() Returns a string representation of the current TimeSpan object. You can also use an overloaded version of this method that allows you to specify a parameter with a format string.
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32. Arrays and Collections

In the beginning there were variables, and they were good. The idea that you map a location in memory to a value was a key to tracking a value. However, most people want to work on data as a set. Taking the concept of a variable holding a value, we move to the concept of a variable that could reference an array of values. Arrays are just lists of data that have a single data type. For example, you might want to store a list of your friends ages in an integer array or their names in a string array. When you define an array, youre actually creating a variable that has more than one dimension. For example, if you define a variable as a string, you can only hold a single string value in it:
Dim strName As String
However, with an array you create a kind of multiplier effect with a variable, so you can hold more than one value in a single variable. An array is defined by entering the size of the array after the variable name. For example, if you wanted to define a string array with 10 elements, youd do this:
Dim strName(9) As String
The reason why you use(9)instead of (10)to get an array with 10 is simply that because numbering in an array starts at zero, the first element in an array is zero, the second element is one, and so on. When you have an array, you can access individual elements in it by providing an index value between 0 and a maximum possible value this maximum possible value happens to be one less than the total size of the array. For example, to set the element with index 2 in the array, youd do this:
strName(2) = "George"
To get that same element back again, youd do this:

MessageBox.Show(strName(2))
There are 3 main types of array, The ArrayList and the List types are new and are based on the collections namespace. They are the recommended types of array that programmers should use as they are capable of being used across the entire dot net framework, and automatically increase and decrease in size. The other one, its the traditional Array which comes in a variety of flavours depending on its needs but works the same in each one. We will cover these 3 types in more depth later. This next exercise just introduces the 3 types of array and shows their differences.
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Arrays Exercise
There are 3 ways we have created arrays in this exercise, each are different.
Dim ArrayList As New Collections.ArrayList Dim itemlist As New List(Of String) Dim array(4) As Integer Dim wordsArray() As String
Arrays All arrays in .NET begin at 0, but when an array is declared in Visual Basic, the index defines the upper limit of the array, not the number of elements. The challenge is to remember that all subscripts go from 0 to the upper bound, meaning that each array contains one more element than its upper bound. This Dim array(4) As Integer holds 5 items. Here in the code the values are passed to the array
Dim array(4) As Integer array = New Integer() {0, 1, 2, 3, 4}
I could rewrite it as below as it counts how many values go into it automatically.

Dim array() = New Integer() {0, 1, 2, 3, 4}
The problem is that after 5 values you have to rebuild the array to hold more using Redim and Preserve (which I will talk about). Here is a good example of the code above.
Dim wordsArray() As String Dim temp As String = "The rain in Spain falls mainly down the Drain" wordsArray = temp.ToUpper.Split(" ")
The above could be written as

Dim temp As String = "The rain in Spain falls mainly down the Drain" Dim wordsArray() = temp.ToUpper.Split(" ")
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Which will give it an upperlimit of 8 (nine words starting with 0)
Collections - ArrayList Collections are an inbuilt class of Array (As New Collections.ArrayList) and they can store any type of data in the same array to any quantity because each item is stored as an Object, not an int, or string etc.
Data is added to an arraylist collection simply by using ArrayList.Add

ArrayList.Add(23) ArrayList.Add("Apple") ArrayList.Add(32.345) ArrayList.Add("Pear") ArrayList.Add("Grape")
However holding any type of data is also a drawback as each item has to be converted to an Object, and then back to its initial type which is called Boxing, and makes operations slightly slower with large data owing to having to be Boxed and unboxed. The second issue is that having collections based only on the type Object goes against the best practice of having a strongly typed environment. As soon as you started loading items into a collection, you lose all type checking. Is that meant to be 23 or 2b? No checking for type consistency happens. Other collections we can use are: Collection ArrayList BitArray Hashtable Queue
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Description Implements an array whose size increases automatically as elements are added. Manages an array of Booleans that are stored as bit values. Implements a collection of values organized by key. Sorting is done based on a hash of the key. Implements a first in, first out collection.
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SortedList Stack
Implements a collection of values with associated keys. The values are sorted by key and are accessible by key or index. Implements a last in, first out collection.
Generic List preferred There are many examples of generic templates in the .NET Base Class Library (BCL). Many of them can be found in the System.Collections.Generic namespace, but others are scattered through the BCL as appropriate. Many of the examples focus on generic collection types, but this is only because it is here that the performance gains, due to generics, are seen. In most cases, generics are used less for performance gains than for the strong typing benefits they provide. The primary motivation for adding generics to .NET was to enable the creation of strongly typed collection types. Because generic collection types are strongly typed, they are significantly faster than the previous inheritance-based collection model. Anywhere you presently use collection classes in your code, you should consider revising that code to use generic collection types instead. Because the technology to support generics was created primarily to build collection classes, it naturally follows that you might create a generic collection anytime you would otherwise build a normal collection class.
A generic is often written as something like List(Of T). The type (or class) name in this case is List. The letter T is a placeholder, much like a parameter. It indicates where you must provide a specific type value to customize the generic. For instance, you might declare a variable using the List(Of T) generic:
Dim itemlist As New List(Of String)
Data is added using the .Add()

itemlist.Add("Chocolate") itemlist.Add(34) itemlist.Add("Carrot") itemlist.Add(30)
As you specify a T in this case String then everything that enters the itemlist is considered a string. As a result you cant add itemlist.Add(34) to itemlist.Add(30) as they are considered strings and not integers. Note: ArrayList is Loosely Typed as items are stored as an Object not as string or Integer. List can only hold one type (such as string or integer) as a result its Strongly Typed This means that it is not late bound like ArrayList, but rather is early bound. The net result is much higher performance, along with all the typesafety benefits of being strongly typed.
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Working with ArrayList

ArrayLists are one of the most flexible data structures and contain a simple list of values. We can easily can add, insert, delete etc. Its advantage over lists as it can take multiple types of values. This project uses a single method Sub updatearraylist() to update the ListBox, its at the end of the code.
Public Class Form1 Dim ItemList As New Collections.ArrayList Private Sub btngo_Click(ByVal sender As System.Object, ByVal e As System.EventArgs) Handles btngo.Click ItemList.Add(23) ItemList.Add("Apple") ItemList.Add(32.345) ItemList.Add("Pear") ItemList.Add("Grape") updatearraylist() End Sub
Private Sub btnadd_Click(ByVal sender As System.Object, ByVal e As System.EventArgs) Handles btnadd.Click 'make sure that there is text in the text box to add to the list. Put a check around the code below to make sure txtinput.Text is not empty ItemList.Insert(1, txtinput.Text) updatearraylist() End Sub
Private Sub btnremove_Click(ByVal sender As System.Object, ByVal e As System.EventArgs) Handles btnremove.Click 'make sure you click on an item before hitting remove. Put a check around the code below to make sure lbxarray.selecteditem is not empty ItemList.Remove(lbxarray.SelectedItem)
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updatearraylist() End Sub
Private Sub btnsort_Click(ByVal sender As System.Object, ByVal e As System.EventArgs) Handles btnsort.Click 'You can only sort if the items are the same type like strings, however this data has strings and integers, so you have to delete the integers first or warn people ItemList.Sort() updatearraylist() End Sub
'Check if the word exists and remove it from the list Private Sub btncheck_Click(ByVal sender As System.Object, ByVal e As System.EventArgs) Handles btncheck.Click 'make sure you have a word in the text box. Put a check around the code below to make sure lbxarray.selecteditem is not empty Dim strcheck As String strcheck = txtinput.Text 'I am using a ForEach for this loop, they are just as easy to use, if not easier. Than If loops. For Each item As Object In ItemList If strcheck = item Then Me.Text = "Found!" End If Next 'Remove the item from the list ItemList.Remove(strcheck) updatearraylist() End Sub
'This updates the arraylist and shows the new items in the listbox each time you click on a button. You can replace the For loop with a For Each as seen above Sub updatearraylist() lbxarray.Items.Clear() For i = 0 To ItemList.Count - 1 lbxarray.Items.Add(ItemList.Item(i)) Next End Sub
Read in a list of words using Streamreader

Using r As StreamReader = New StreamReader("C:\words1.txt")
Look back at the StreamReader exercise to see how to do it. The List used there is just an arraylist. Output the results using Streamwriter.
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Arraylist and random numbers

Create a program that takes a preloaded ArrayList and randomly chooses an item from it. That item is moved to a second ListBox and deleted from the first ListBox.
You will need to find a way so that the random number generated is less than the number of items, otherwise loop until it is. Here is some code to get started with..
Private Sub btnrandom_Click(ByVal sender As System.Object, ByVal e As System.EventArgs) Handles btnrandom.Click Dim random As Integer generates a random number random = randomnumber.random Me.Text = random show it on the top of the form add the item to the new listbox lbrandom.Items.Add(ItemList.Item(random)) delete the item from the first listbox ItemList.Remove(ItemList.Item(random)) update the array updatearraylist() End Sub
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Work out General Depreciation rates on computers

Using the General Depreciation Rates from the NZ IRD PDF (or website) extract out the depreciation rates for the computer area on Page 47. I would save the rates comma delimitated into a text file, load the text file into an array. Then access each part of the array to see the data and choose your Computer part from a combo box. It would be a great project to test your skills. This guide sets out the general depreciation rates for both diminishing value (DV) and straight line (SL) Fields The following details are shown for each asset: Fields Name, the estimated useful life (years), DV depn rate (%), DV rate including the 20% loading (DV + 20% loading (%)), SL depn rate (%), SL rate including the 20% loading (SL +20% loading (%)) Example of the text file
Backup units (tape type) 4 50 60.0 40 48.0 ,Banknote dispensers 6.66 30 36.0 21 25.2, Bridges 4 50 60.0 40 48.0, Cabling 6.66 30 36.0 21 25.2, CAD/CAM equipment 4 50 60.0 40 48.0, Communications controllers 4 50 60.0 40 48.0, Computer and associated equipment (used for typesetting) 5 40 48.0 30 36.0, Computer equipment (default class) 4 50 60.0 40 48.0, Control equipment (process, computer, if separately identified) 8 25 30.0 17.5 21.0, Data concentrators 4 50 60.0 40 48.0, Digitisers 4 50 60.0 40 48.0, Disk drives (for use with mini computers) 4 50 60.0 40 48.0, Disk drives (for use with personal computers) 4 50 60.0 40 48.0, EFTPOS terminals 4 50 60.0 40 48.0, Floors (for computer rooms) 20 10 12.0 7 8.4, Gas dowsing systems 20 10 12.0 7 8.4, Laptop computers 4 50 60.0 40 48.0, Mainframe computers 6.66 30 36.0 21 25.2, Mini computers 4 50 60.0 40 48.0, Modems 4 50 60.0 40 48.0, Multiplexers 4 50 60.0 40 48.0, Network servers 4 50 60.0 40 48.0, Notebook computers 4 50 60.0 40 48.0, Personal computers 4 50 60.0 40 48.0, Plotters 5 40 48.0 30 36.0, Power conditioners 6.66 30 36.0 21 25.2, Power supplies (uninterruptable) 6.66 30 36.0 21 25.2, Printers 5 40 48.0 30 36.0, Routers 4 50 60.0 40 48.0, Scanners 4 50 60.0 40 48.0, Terminals (without capability of local storage capacity) 6.66 30 36.0 21 25.2, Voice mail equipment 4 50 60.0 40 48.0
Example Backup units (tape type) 4 50 60.0 40 48.0
* The 20% depreciation loading doesnt apply to assets acquired after 20 May 2010.
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Calculator using words simple array

This calculator takes a string of text and numbers and splits it to answer the formula. Such a simple project could easily be modified for a number of more advanced purposes.
Public Class Form1 Private Sub btnAction_Click(ByVal sender As System.Object, ByVal e As System.EventArgs) Handles btnAction.Click Dim wordsArray() As String Dim temp As String Dim num1 As Single Dim num2 As Single Dim answer As Single ' get the text and split it into array temp = txtInstruction.Text 'make the words uppercase, and split them with the space pass it to wordarray() wordsArray = temp.ToUpper.Split(" ") 'check it works lbcheck.Items.Add(wordsArray(0)) lbcheck.Items.Add(wordsArray(1)) lbcheck.Items.Add(wordsArray(2)) lbcheck.Items.Add(wordsArray(3))
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' get the numbers - 1st will always be in wordsArray(1) ' 2nd will always be in wordsArray(3) num1 = CSng(wordsArray(1)) num2 = CSng(wordsArray(3)) Select Case wordsArray(0) Case "MULTIPLY" answer = num1 * num2 Case "DIVIDE" answer = num1 / num2 Case "SUBTRACT" answer = num2 - num1 Case "ADD" answer = num1 + num2 End Select ' put answer in place in the label lblResult.Text = "The answer is: " & answer End Sub
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Scrabble Dictionary using lists

This example takes a word list and compares the entered word to that list to see if it matches. Try making this program without using the code. I used a class mydic to hold some of the properties (I should have used more in it). I load in words1.txt to try it out but also a word list that takes AGES to load up in the listbox. As a result I had to have the option to turn off the listbox loading when using the dictionary
How to start? 1. Create a button, Textbox, to hold the path, and a list to pass it to. 2. Use file open tools to open the words1.txt file and load it into the listbox 3. Create another textbox to hold the word you want to test and a second button to compare the word with the list items. 4. Make a class dict to hold the string variables that are in the code (you can work it out from the names) 5. Create a label to hold the Word Found or Word Not Found 6. We have to make both list and word entered lower case to avoid mistakes. 7. Using FOR EACH we need to match the word in the variable with the word in the list. 8. After that is done everything else is tidying up. 9. Replace the radiobuttons with Menu options
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Imports System.IO Public Class Form1 Dim mydict As New dict a class created called dict Dim wordlist As New List(Of String) Dim blnlistboxOnOff As Boolean = True Private Sub btnload_Click(ByVal sender As System.Object, ByVal e As System.EventArgs) Handles btnload.Click lbwords.Items.Clear() ' We need to read into this List. Try mydict.strpath = cbpath.SelectedItem Me.Text = mydict.strpath ' Open file.txt with the Using statement. Using r As StreamReader = New StreamReader(mydict.strpath) ' We need to read into this List. Store contents in this String. Dim line As String line = r.ReadLine ' Read first line. ' Loop over each line in file, While list is Not Nothing. Do While (Not line Is Nothing) line = line.ToLower 'all lower case wordlist.Add(line) ' Add this line to list. If blnlistboxOnOff = True Then lbwords.Items.Add(line) End If line = r.ReadLine Loop End Using Dim length As Integer = File.ReadAllLines(mydict.strpath).Length btnload.Text = length Catch MsgBox(mydict.strpath & " It screwed up") End Try End Sub Private Sub btncompare_Click(ByVal sender As System.Object, ByVal e As System.EventArgs) Handles btncompare.Click mydict.strselectedword = txtword.Text ' copy word to variable mydict.strselectedword = mydict.strselectedword.ToLower ' make it lower case Dim word As String For Each word In wordlist If word = mydict.strselectedword.ToString Then lbltrueorfalse.Text = "Word found" Return
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Else lbltrueorfalse.Text = "Not a word" End If Next End Sub Private Sub Form1_Activated(ByVal sender As Object, ByVal e As System.EventArgs) Handles Me.Activated lbltrueorfalse.Text = "" End Sub Private Sub cbpath_SelectedIndexChanged(ByVal sender As System.Object, ByVal e As System.EventArgs) Handles cbpath.SelectedIndexChanged btnload.Text = "Load" End Sub Private Sub rbon_CheckedChanged(ByVal sender As System.Object, ByVal e As System.EventArgs) Handles rbon.CheckedChanged, rboff.CheckedChanged Dim fakerb As New RadioButton fakerb = sender If fakerb.Text = "Listbox on" Then blnlistboxOnOff = True ElseIf fakerb.Text = "Listbox off" Then blnlistboxOnOff = False End If End Sub End Class
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Advanced Scrabble Incremental Search

Change the radio buttons to Menu items and show options for Listview ON/Off and Incremental Search ON/Off
In this version we want search to work as the person begins typing in the word into the textbox. To do this we need to treat each letter as a char, a single character. Using the earlier exercise on Char Here we can pull out each letter as its typed in. There are two things wrong with this system. 2 3 When the search starts with the first letter it will look for that letter anywhere in the word. The listbox search is really slow with the large files. We need to turn incremental search off, this can be done in a number of ways, auto or manual. I used a manual procedure A better way to make this would be to search the array we made earlier and just show the found items in the listbox. So your challenge is to make that.
Private Sub txtword_TextChanged(ByVal sender As System.Object, ByVal e As System.EventArgs) Handles txtword.TextChanged match the individual letters with the letters in the list, sort of like an incremental search. Try Dim wordasletter As String need to turn search on and off as it hangs with the dictionary If blnsearchOff = True Then Dim word As String = txtword.Text create a variable to hold a single letter Dim OneLetter As Char
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Dim i As Integer For i = 0 To word.Length - 1 ' minus 1 because it starts at 0 OneLetter = word.Chars(i) ' i gives the number for each letter wordasletter &= OneLetter Next i 'code for listbox selection - multiextended means you can have more than one selection lbwords.SelectionMode = SelectionMode.MultiExtended ' Loop through all items the ListBox. Dim findcount As Integer For j As Integer = 0 To lbwords.Items.Count - 1 'turn off and selections that might be on lbwords.SetSelected(j, False) 'j gives how many its found If lbwords.Items(j).ToString.IndexOf(wordasletter) <> -1 And i > 2 Then Me.Text = i 'if there is a word then turn on selections of them. lbwords.SetSelected(j, True) findcount += 1 Me.Text = findcount End If Next End If Catch End Try End Sub 'adds a single letter
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Scrabble Exercise - using a Hash table

The Hashtable class is a dictionary collection, where every item is indexed with a unique value. Hashtable collections are ideal for situations where you need to quickly retrieve individual items, because you can look up items using the corresponding key values, rather than by iterating through the contents of the entire collection. However, unlike arrays or the ArrayList class, you can't access items using an index number. When using a Hashtable, you must decide what information to use for indexing items. This data must be unique. It might be derived from the object itself, or you might generate it on demand using a sequence number. If you don't have a suitable value to use as a key, you can always use the reference of the object you are adding:
' Use the object reference as a key. Dim Col As New Hashtable() Col.Add(ItemA, ItemA)
The exercise below uses the word list as the Key as well as the Value. It runs amazingly fast with 170,000 entries! Each time you type a letter it checks it against the dictionary and adds words into the listbox.
Imports System.IO Public Class Form1 Dim mydict As New dict Dim hasht As New Hashtable Dim blnlistboxOnOff As Boolean = False Private Sub btnload_Click(ByVal sender As System.Object, ByVal e As System.EventArgs) Handles btnload.Click lbwords.Items.Clear() btnload.Text = "...loading" Try ' We need to read into this List. mydict.strpath = cbpath.SelectedItem Me.Text = mydict.strpath ' Open file.txt with the Using statement. Using r As StreamReader = New StreamReader(mydict.strpath) Dim line As String ' Store contents in this String. line = r.ReadLine ' Read first line.
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Dim linecount As Integer = 0 ' Loop over each line in file, While list is Not Nothing. Do While (Not line Is Nothing) line = line.ToLower 'all lower case 'add line to hash table using each line as the key and the Value hasht.Add(line, line) How many lines? just for info linecount += 1 Me.Text = linecount Output to list box or not? If blnlistboxOnOff = True Then lbwords.Items.Add(line) End If line = r.ReadLine Loop End Using 'show the length of the file on the button Dim length As Integer = File.ReadAllLines(mydict.strpath).Length btnload.Text = length Catch MsgBox(mydict.strpath & " its not there.Try again") End Try End Sub Private Sub Form1_Activated(ByVal sender As Object, ByVal e As System.EventArgs) Handles Me.Activated 'so you don't see label1 when it loads lbltrueorfalse.Text = "" End Sub Private Sub txtword_TextChanged(ByVal sender As System.Object, ByVal e As System.EventArgs) Handles txtword.TextChanged 'make an array to match the individual letters with the letters in the list, sort of like an incremental search. Try Dim wordasletter As String = "" Dim word As String = txtword.Text Dim OneLetter As Char Dim i As Integer For i = 0 To word.Length - 1 ' minus 1 because it starts at 0 OneLetter = word.Chars(i) ' i gives the number for each letter 'adds a single letter ' Me.Text &= OneLetter ' working adds a single letter together wordasletter &= OneLetter Next i 'compare the word being entered to hashtable entries If hasht.ContainsKey(wordasletter) Then
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'if true show Is a Word and add to listbox lbltrueorfalse.Text = wordasletter & " is a word" lbwords.Items.Add(wordasletter) Else lbltrueorfalse.Text = wordasletter & " keep typing" End If Catch End Try End Sub Private Sub ListboxOnToolStripMenuItem1_Click(ByVal sender As System.Object, ByVal e As System.EventArgs) Handles ListboxOnToolStripMenuItem1.Click blnlistboxOnOff = True End Sub Private Sub ListboxOffToolStripMenuItem1_Click(ByVal sender As System.Object, ByVal e As System.EventArgs) Handles ListboxOffToolStripMenuItem1.Click blnlistboxOnOff = False ListboxViewToolStripMenuItem.Text = "Listbox OFF" End Sub End Class turn listbox ON and show on menubar ListboxViewToolStripMenuItem.Text = "Listbox ON"
Note that like the ArrayList, the Hashtable stores items as the generic object type, and you must use casting code when retrieving an item. Some other useful Hashtable members include: Remove deletes an item from the collection. You specify the key of the item you want removed. This allows you to quickly remove an object using the following syntax:
Col.Remove(ItemA)
Contains and ContainsKey return True or False, depending on whether a specified key is in the Hashtable. This provides a quick way to perform a simple search. ContainsValue returns True or False, depending on whether a specified object is in the Hashtable. For example, in the previous code example where the Hashtable was used to store Customer objects, you could call ContainsValue with a Customer object. It would return True only if this object is already in the collection. The Keys property provides a read-only collection of all the keys used in the Hashtable. The Values property provides a read-only collection of all the objects in the Hashtable. The Hashtable class works more or less the same way as the standard Visual Basic 6 Collection type, which is still included in Visual Basic .NET for backward compatibility. However, for most programming tasks, a
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Hashtable is preferable to a generic collection, because a Hashtable ensures that every item has a key that can be used to locate or remove the item. Without a key, the only way to find an item is by iterating through the entire collection and examining each object. Furthermore, only the Hashtable supports any type of object as a key. The generic collection is limited to string values.
Permutations and Scrabble finder - incomplete

A permutation, by dictionary standards, is an ordered arrangement of a set of objects, and permutating is the act or process of changing the lineal order of an ordered set of objects. In other words, it's re-ordering the elements of a list, like an array. So how is this valuable? Imagine an array, consisting of the elements a, b, and c. We'll write this as (a,b,c). When we permutate this array, we want to re-arrange the elements, so that the a is in a different position relative to b and c. Of course, when we're done, we want to end up with the following: (a,b,c) (a,c,b) (b,a,c) (b,c,a) (c,a,b) (c,b,a)
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33. Sorting Socks project

A poster on StackOverflow.com, presents an interesting project. Yesterday I was pairing the socks from the clean laundry, and figured out the way I was doing it is not very efficient. I was doing a naive search picking one sock and "iterating" the pile in order to find its pair. This requires iterating over n/2 * n/4 = n2/8 socks on average. As a computer scientist I was thinking what I could do? Sorting (according to size/color/...) of course came into mind to achieve an O(NlogN) solution. Hashing or other not-in-place solutions are not an option, because I am not able to duplicate my socks (though it could be nice if I could). So, the question is basically: Given a pile of n pairs of socks, containing 2n elements (assume each sock has exactly one matching pair), what is the best way to pair them up efficiently with up to logarithmic extra space? (I believe I can remember that amount of info if needed.) http://stackoverflow.com/questions/14415881/how-to-pair-socks-from-a-pileefficiently http://www.reddit.com/r/programming/comments/16x9a3/how_to_pair_socks_from_a _pile_efficiently/ So create a program that can sort socks from a basket of laundry that contains all sorts of laundry. Sure the easiest way is to iterate one sock over the entire laundry basket as he says, but read the articles and see if we can create another way to sort socks. The laundry basket could start from a text file, or even a randomly created list of laundry at runtime. Read the Related Articles list on the right for further ideas. Sounds like fun
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34. The T shirt algorithm

http://boingboing.net/2013/03/02/how-an-algorithm-came-up-with.html Recently on Amazon a T shirt logo has created a lot of fuss. Lets see if we can create a better algorithm, maybe even generated from internet searches as well, but certainly using the dictionaries we have. Here is the article . You may have heard that Amazon is selling a "KEEP CALM AND RAPE A LOT" tshirt. How did such a thing come to pass? Well, as Pete Ashton explains, this is a weird outcome of an automated algorithm that just tries random variations on "KEEP CALM AND," offering them for sale in Amazon's third-party marketplace and printing them on demand if any of them manage to find a buyer. The t-shirts are created by an algorithm. The word algorithm is a little scary to some people because they dont know what it means. Its basically a process automated by a computer programme, sometimes simple, sometimes complex as hell. Amazons recommendations are powered by an algorithm. They look at what youve been browsing and buying, find patterns in that behaviour and show you things the algorithm things you might like to buy. Amazons algorithms are very complex and powerful, which is why they work. The algorithm that creates these t-shirts is not complex or powerful. This is how I expect it works. 1. Start a sentence with the words KEEP CALM AND. 2. Pick a word from this long list of verbs. Any word will do. Dont worry, Im sure theyre all fine. 3. Finish the sentence with one of the following: A LOT, OFF, THEM, IF, THEM or US. 4. Lay these words out in the classic Keep Calm style. 5. Create a mockup jpeg of a t-shirt. 6. Submit the design to Amazon using our boilerplate t-shirt description. 7. Go back to 1 and start again. There are currently 529,493 Solid Gold Bomb clothing items on Amazon. Assuming they survive this and dont get shit canned by Amazon I wouldnt be at all surprised if they top a million in a few months. It costs nothing to create the design, nothing to submit it to Amazon and nothing for Amazon to host the product. If no-one buys it then the total cost of the experiment is effectively zero. But if the algorithm stumbles upon something special, something that is both unique and funny and actually sells, then everyone makes money.
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http://www.programmableweb.com/api/amazon-ecommerce http://aws.amazon.com/visualstudio/
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35. Search and Sort Algorithms

Bubble Sort
The first sorting algorithm to examine is the bubble sort. The bubble sort is one of the slowest sorting algorithms available, but it is also one of the simplest sorts to understand and implement, which makes it an excellent candidate for our first sorting algorithm. The sort gets its name because values float like a bubble from one end of the list to another. Assuming you are sorting a list of numbers in ascending order, higher values float to the right whereas lower values float to the left. This behavior is caused by moving through the list many times, comparing adjacent values, and swapping them if the value to the left is greater than the value to the right. There are some great animated images here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bubble_sort that give a good overiew how it works.
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Public Class Form1 'declare it globally from data Structures and Algorithmns P 88 Dim theArray As New ArrayList Dim counter As Integer = 1 Dim strArray As String
Private Sub BubbleSort() Dim outer, inner, temp As Integer For outer = theArray.Count - 1 To 1 Step -1 For inner = 0 To outer - 1 'if the first number is bigger than the second number If (theArray(inner) > theArray(inner + 1)) Then 'then pass the first number to a temp temp = theArray(inner) 'make the second number replace the first number (really just copy them both across) theArray(inner) = theArray(inner + 1) 'move the first number to replace the second number theArray(inner + 1) = temp End If 'this just prints each row of the array out in the listbox strArray = "" For i As Integer = 0 To theArray.Count - 1 strArray += theArray(i) & " counter += 1 Next outer & ", 'end display Next Next
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lbxSorted.Items.Add("Inner " & inner & ", Outer " & " & strArray)
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End Sub Private Sub btnSort_Click(sender As Object, e As EventArgs) Handles btnSort.Click LoadArray() BubbleSort() lbxSorted.Items.Add("====NEW SORT====") 'clear the array for the next run theArray.Clear() End Sub
Private Sub LoadArray() 'create the array add in random numbers Dim count As Integer = 0 Do While count < 6 theArray.Add(GetRandom(1, 11)) count += 1 Loop End Sub
Public Function GetRandom(ByVal Min As Integer, ByVal Max As Integer) As Integer ' by making Generator static, we preserve the same instance (i.e., do not create new instances with the same seed over and over) between calls Static Generator As System.Random = New System.Random() Return Generator.Next(Min, Max) End Function End Class
Sort a list of words using Bubble sort The String.Compare Method can be used to compare two words returning: A is less than B, A s equal to B, A is greater than B. We need to pass words into an array, then use Strong.Compare to sort them with each other. Using this we can build a simple dictionary from a list of words. http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/zkcaxw5y.aspx
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Selection Sort
The Selection sort works by starting at the beginning of the array, comparing the first element with the other elements in the array. The smallest element is placed in position 0, and the sort then begins again at position 1 looking for the next smallest element in the array and moves it to position 1. This continues until each position except the last position has been the starting point for a new loop. Two loops are used in the SelectionSort algorithm. The outer loop moves from the first element in the array to the next to last element; the inner loop moves from the second element of the array to the last element, looking for values that are smaller than the element currently being pointed at by the outer loop. After each iteration of the inner loop, the most minimum value in the array is assigned to its proper place in the array.
Public Class Form1 'declare it globally from data Structures and Algorithmns P 88 Dim theArray As New ArrayList Dim strArray As String Dim outer, inner, temp As Integer 'This sort works by starting at the beginning of the array, comparing the first element with the other elements in the array. The smallest element is placed in position 0, and the sort then begins again at position 1. This continues until each position except the last position has been the starting point for a new loop Public Sub SelectionSort() 'The outer loop moves from the first element in the array to the next to last element; For outer = 0 To theArray.Count - 2
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'the inner loop moves from the second element of the array to the last element, looking for values that are smaller than the element currently being pointed at by the outer loop. After each iteration of the inner loop, the most minimum value in the array is assigned to its proper place in the array. For inner = outer + 1 To theArray.Count - 1 If (theArray(inner) < theArray(outer)) Then 'Yes it is smaller then swap the numbers around temp = theArray(outer) theArray(outer) = theArray(inner) theArray(inner) = temp displayswap() End If displaynoswap() Next Next End Sub
Private Sub displaynoswap() 'Print stuff out so you can see it strArray = "" For i As Integer = 0 To theArray.Count - 1 strArray += theArray(i) & " Next lbxSorted.Items.Add("Outer (" & outer & ") " & ", Inner (" & inner & ") " & strArray & " " & theArray(outer) & " is smaller than " & theArray(inner)) 'end display End Sub "
Private Sub displayswap() 'Print stuff out so you can see it strArray = "" For i As Integer = 0 To theArray.Count - 1 strArray += theArray(i) & " Next lbxSorted.Items.Add("Outer (" & outer & ") " & ", Inner (" & inner & ") " & strArray & " " & theArray(inner) & " is bigger than " & theArray(outer) & " Swapped! ") "
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'end display End Sub
Private Sub btnSort_Click(sender As Object, e As EventArgs) Handles btnSort.Click lbxSorted.Items.Clear() LoadArray() SelectionSort() 'clear the array for the next run theArray.Clear() End Sub
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Sequential Searching
The most obvious type of search is to begin at the beginning of a set of records and move through each record until you find the record you are looking for or you come to the end of the records. This is called a sequential search. A sequential search (also called a linear search) is very easy to implement. Start at the beginning of the array and compare each accessed array element to the value youre searching for. If you find a match, the search is over. If you get to the end of the array without generating a match, then the value is not in the array.
Public Class Form1 Dim theArray As New ArrayList Dim randomNumber As Integer
Private Sub btnsearch_Click(sender As Object, e As EventArgs) Handles btnsearch.Click lbxdisplay.Items.Clear() ' Initialize the random number generator Randomize() LoadArray() ' Calculate a random number between 1 and 10 randomNumber = Int(1 + 10 * Rnd()) ' For Each item As Integer In theArray Dim strArray As String For i = 0 To theArray.Count - 1 'string holds the numbers for the display strArray += theArray(i) & " 'show if there is a match If theArray(i) = randomNumber Then
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lbxdisplay.Items.Add("The Random Number " & randomNumber & " is in the Array") End If Next lbxdisplay.Items.Add("====Results ====") lbxdisplay.Items.Add("The Random Number is " & randomNumber) lbxdisplay.Items.Add("The array is " & strArray) theArray.Clear() End Sub
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36. Advanced Search and Sort Algorithms

Making a sequential search faster: self-organizing data
The fastest successful sequential searches occur when the data element being searched for is at the beginning of the data set. You can ensure that a successfully located data item is at the beginning of the data set by moving it there after it has been found. The concept behind this strategy is that we can minimize search times by putting items that are frequently searched for at the beginning of the data set. Eventually, all the most frequently searched for data items will be located at the beginning of the data set. This is an example of self-organization, in that the data set is organized not by the programmer before the program runs, but by the program while the program is running. It makes sense to allow your data to organize in this way since the data being searched probably follow the 8020 rule, meaning that 80% of the searches conducted on your data set are searching for 20% of the data in the data set. Selforganization will eventually put that 20% at the beginning of the data set, where a sequential search will find them quickly. Probability distributions such as this are called Pareto distributions, named for Vilfredo Pareto, who discovered these distributions by studying the spread of income and wealth in the late 19th century. Lets use the Sequential Search program from earlier and just add a swap function.
Here is the solution with multiple numbers the same. The random number of 2 is three times in an array of 112221. The final array is 222111
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New code below to change existing and add to your program. Add a new global variable
Dim movednumberposition As Integer = 0
We need this so that its not always the first position that gets numbers added to. Otherwise only the first place theArray(0) is used to store the number. With the movednumberposition the first place is sued for the first number and the second place is used for a second number etc. Its primitive but it works.
Private Sub btnsearch_Click(sender As Object, e As EventArgs) Handles btnsearch.Click lbxdisplay.Items.Clear() ' Initialize the random number generator Randomize() LoadArray() ' Calculate a random number between 1 and 10 randomNumber = Int(1 + 10 * Rnd()) ' For Each item As Integer In theArray Dim strArray As String For i = 0 To theArray.Count - 1 'string holds the numbers for the display strArray += theArray(i) & " 'show if there is a match If theArray(i) = randomNumber Then lbxdisplay.Items.Add("The Random Number " & randomNumber & " is in the Array") 'swap the numbers in the array swap(i) End If Next lbxdisplay.Items.Add("====Results ====") lbxdisplay.Items.Add("The Random Number is " & randomNumber) lbxdisplay.Items.Add("The array is/was " & strArray) theArray.Clear() End Sub "
Private Sub swap(ByRef match As Integer) Dim temp As Integer temp = theArray(match)
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theArray(match) = theArray(movednumberposition) theArray(movednumberposition) = temp 'make the next place the storage otherwise the same position gets changed movednumberposition += 1 'display the new swopped array Dim strArray As String For i = 0 To theArray.Count - 1 'string holds the numbers for the display strArray += theArray(i) & " Next lbxdisplay.Items.Add("The new swapped array is " & strArray) End Sub "
Problems with this code: If you search for an item, find it, and it moves to the top of the list when you search for it later on it will be move to the new position further down the list! We can make a rule that a data item is relocated to the beginning of the data set only if its location lies outside the first 20% of the items in the data set. To do this we add another criteria And i > (theArray.Count * 0.2) to the If statement From
If theArray(i) = randomNumber Then
to
If theArray(i) = randomNumber And i > (theArray.Count * 0.2) Then
The other way we can rewrite the SeqSearch method is to swap a found item with the element that precedes it in the data set similar to how data are sorted using the Bubble sort. Using this method the most frequently accessed items will eventually work their way up to the beginning of the data set. This technique also guarantees that if an item is already at the beginning of the data set it wont move back down. Using the Bubble Sort exercise rewrite your code, or create a new version of it to show this working.
This search still has a problem in that as the last item found goes in the next available spot, there is nothing that shows what the number 1 searched item is. So if someone searches for 3 90% of the time and then 5 there is nothing to show that 3 was far more important in searching than 5.
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How to solve this? Create a frequency table of items that shows how many times an item has been searched for and sort by the frequency table. Use a Dictionary (Key / Value) to hold the items in the array and change the value, increment it by 1 each time a search has been made.
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QuickSort Algorithm Divide and conquer

This is a very fast search algorithm with a small code footprint. It is universally accepted that the QuickSort algorithm is the fastest sorting algorithm and should be used for most sorting scenarios. The Sort method that is built into several of the .NET Framework library classes is implemented using QuickSort, which explains the dominance of QuickSort over other sorting algorithms. To understand how the QuickSort algorithm works, imagine you are a teacher and you have to alphabetize a stack of student papers. You will pick a letter from the middle of the alphabet, such as M, putting student papers whose name starts with A through M in one stack and those whose names start with N through Z in another stack. Then you split the AM stack into two stacks and the NZ stack into two stacks using the same technique. Then you do the same thing again until you have a set of small stacks (AC, DF,..., XZ) of two or three elements that sort easily. Once the small stacks are sorted, you simply put all the stacks together and you have a set of sorted papers. As you should have noticed, this process is recursive, since each stack is divided into smaller and smaller stacks. Once a stack is broken down into one element, that stack cannot be further divided and the recursion stops. How do we decide where to split the array into two halves? There are many choices, but well start by just picking the first array element because if they are random, chances are its not going to be the absolute top or bottom, just a number inbetween.
Once that choice is made, we next have to get the array elements into the proper half of the array (keeping in mind that it is entirely possible that the two halves will not be equal, depending on the splitting point).
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(images from here http://www.codeproject.com/Articles/353509/ComputerAlgorithms-Quicksort )
Public Class Form1 Dim theArray As New ArrayList Public Sub QSort() '0 = first elelemt in the array, last element in the array recQSort(0, theArray.Count - 1) End Sub
Public Sub recQSort(ByVal first As Integer, ByVal last As Integer) 'recursion loop to divide down the array until if there is nothing there stop If ((last - first) <= 0) Then Return Else 'make a pivot from the last entry in the array Dim pivot As Integer = theArray(last) Dim part As Integer = Me.Partition(first, last) 'run the same sub again, repeatedly recQSort(first, part - 1) recQSort(part + 1, last) End If End Sub
Public Function Partition(ByVal first As Integer, ByVal last As Integer) As Integer

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'get the pivot from the first Dim pivotVal As Integer = theArray(first) 'lbxdisplay.Items.Add("The pivotvalue is " & pivotVal) 'get the first element (0) Dim theFirst As Integer = first Dim okSide As Boolean 'add 1 to first to move along the array first += 1 Do 'set to true okSide = True While (okSide) 'while its true 'if first is bitter than the pivot value If (theArray(first) > pivotVal) Then okSide = False Else first += 1 okSide = (first <= last) 'true End If End While okSide = (first <= last) While (okSide) 'is true If (theArray(last) <= pivotVal) Then okSide = False Else last -= 1 okSide = (first <= last) End If End While 'main engine swapping elements If (first < last) Then Swap(first, last) display() first += 1 last -= 1 End If Loop While (first <= last) Swap(theFirst, last) display() Return last End Function Public Sub Swap(ByVal item1 As Integer, ByVal item2 As Integer) Dim temp As Integer = theArray(item1) theArray(item1) = theArray(item2) theArray(item2) = temp End Sub
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Sub display() 'display the new swopped array Dim strArray As String For i = 0 To theArray.Count - 1 'string holds the numbers for the display strArray += theArray(i) & " Next lbxdisplay.Items.Add("Swapped array: " & strArray) End Sub Private Sub btnsearch_Click(sender As Object, e As EventArgs) Handles btnsearch.Click lbxdisplay.Items.Clear() ' Initialize the random number generator Randomize() LoadArray() QSort() End Sub "
Private Sub LoadArray() 'create the array add in random numbers Dim count As Integer = 0 Do While count < 20 theArray.Add(GetRandom(1, 100)) count += 1 Loop End Sub Public Function GetRandom(ByVal Min As Integer, ByVal Max As Integer) As Integer ' by making Generator static, we preserve the same instance (i.e., do not create new instances with the same seed over and over) between calls Static Generator As System.Random = New System.Random() Return Generator.Next(Min, Max) End Function End Class
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An Improvement to the QuickSort Algorithm If the data in the array are random, then picking the first value as the pivot or partition value is perfectly acceptable. Otherwise, however, making this choice will inhibit the performance of the algorithm. A popular method for picking this value is to determine the median value in the array. You can do this by taking the upper bound of the array and dividing it by 2, for example using the following code:
Dim pivotVal As Integer = (theArray.Count - 1) / 2
Studies have shown that using this strategy can reduce the running time of the algorithm by about 5%
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37. Stack and the Heap

Because all data types are based on the core Object class, every variable you dimension can be assured of having a set of common characteristics. However, this logical inheritance does not require a common physical implementation for all variables. This is important because while everything in .NET is based on the Object class, under the covers .NET has two major implementations of types: value and reference. For example, what most programmers consider to be some of the basic underlying types, such as Integer, Long, Character, and even Byte, are not implemented as classes. This is important, as youll see when you look at boxing and the cost of transitioning between value types and reference types. The difference between value types and reference types is an underlying implementation difference: Value types represent simple data storage located on the stack. The stack is used for items of a known size, so items on the stack can be retrieved faster than those on the managed heap. Reference types are based on complex classes with implementation inheritance from their parent classes, and custom storage on the managed heap. The managed heap is optimized to support dynamic allocation of differently sized objects.
Note that the two implementations are stored in different portions of memory. As a result, value types and reference types are treated differently within assignment statements, and their memory management is handled differently. It is important to understand how these differences affect the software you will write in Visual Basic. Understanding the foundations of how data is manipulated in the .NET Framework will enable you to build more reliable and better-performing applications. Consider the difference between the stack and the heap. The stack is a comparatively small memory area in which processes and threads store data of fixed size. An integer or decimal value needs the same number of bytes to store data, regardless of the actual value. This means that the location of such variables on the stack can be efficiently determined. (When a process needs to retrieve a variable, it has to search the stack. If the stack contained variables that had dynamic memory sizes, then such a search could take a long time.) Reference types do not have a fixed sizea string can vary in size from two bytes to nearly all the memory available on a system. The dynamic size of reference types means that the data they contain is stored on the heap, rather than the stack. However, the address of the reference type (that is, the location of the data on the heap) does have a fixed size, and thus can be (and, in fact, is) stored on the stack. By storing a reference only to a custom allocation on the stack, the program as a whole runs much more quickly, as the process can rapidly locate the data associated with a variable.
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38. Stack and Queue not done

Peak and poke
39. Delegates to do 40. Func and Lambda

In the simplest terms, a lambda expression is an anonymous method that is sometimes referred to as an inline method or function. It is a function or subroutine without a name that can be used wherever a delegate is valid. The examples below use a Func to pass data in and out on the left hand side of the = and a Lamba to calculate on the right hand side. An anonymous method is an unnamed method that is created inline, or inside of a method, rather than as a method block itself. Here is the lamba of the code below Function(x As Integer) x * 2. Note that by itself it means nothing, its anonymous. They behave just like any other method and can have both parameters and return values. The lambda expression syntax starts with the keyword Function, which is then followed by an argument list and a single expression. The following is an example of a basic lambda expression definition. It defines doubleIt as a lambda expression that takes an integer and returns an integer. The lambda expression effectively takes the input, multiplies it by 2, and then returns the result.
Dim doubleIt As Func(Of Integer, Integer) = Function(x As Integer) x * 2
Add the function in a button click (btnLambda) then put a number in the function Me.Text = doubleIt(5) and run it to see it work.
You can see that the Func function to the left of the = has an in parameter and an out parameter, in this case below both string. In the above example they were both Integer. The Func type essentially a delegate that has the return type (out) specified as the last generic parameter and allows up to four arguments to be supplied (in) as the leading generic parameters
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The second part after the = is the lambda. Here x is setting the string to Upper
Function(x As String) x.ToUpper()
By itself x means nothing, its only in the context of the first half of the code that the use becomes apparent. A lambda expression can be used as an argument to another function. In this case it is called a higher-order procedure. Here are two parameters being passed to the lambda. Two strings in and one string out. Each string in is then given a name (x and y) then acted upon and the result returned. This is what is returned x.ToUpper() & " " & y.ToLower
Dim AddText As Func(Of String, String, String) = Function(x As String, y As String) x.ToUpper() & " " & y.ToLower Private Sub btnlambda_Click(sender As Object, e As EventArgs) Handles btnlambda.Click Me.Text = AddText("Some text", "SOME MORE TEXT") End Sub
Lambdas are used extensively in database (Linq to Entities) coding and in C#.
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb531253.aspx http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/magazine/cc163362.aspx#S1
41. Unit Testing to do

http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms182524%28v=vs.90%29.aspx
42. Recursion - incomplete

Recursion is repeatedly calling the same function to provide some meaningful output; at least that's what a computer scientist will tell you. A more mathematical definition of recursion is plugging in some start values into a function, getting the function's results and reapplying them to the orginal function. Now, we have to trace our way back up! See, the factorial function was called six times. At any function level call, all function level calls above still exist! So, when we have N = 2, the function instances where N = 3, 4, and 5 are still waiting for their return values. So, the function call where N = 1 gets retraced first, once the final guy returns 0. So, the function call where N = 1 returns 1*1, or 1. The next higher function call, where N
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= 2, returns 2 * 1 (1, because that's what the function call where N = 1 returned). You just keep working up the chain. Where N = 2, 2*1, or 2 was returned Where N = 3, 3*2, or 6 was returned Where N = 4, 4*6, or 24 was returned Where N = 5, 5*24, or 120 was returned And since N = 5 was the first function call (hence the last one to be recalled), the value 120 is returned. http://www.4guysfromrolla.com/webtech/060299-2.shtml
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43. Overloaded Methods

When we use a method or property, we type the dot and a list of methods or properties pops up. For example in the MessageBox object, we click the dot type the word Show and a left bracket and we can see this:
1 of 21
Show(Text as String etc
This says that there are 27 different uses of the Show method and as you type through the parameters, the one it is expecting is made bold so you can see what to type. The way that has been achieved is to have several methods with the same name but with different parameters. First, we need to make a base class with some useful properties and methods. Lets go for something that will translate a string from one thing to another. Im just going to reverse the string in one method and reverse and make upper case in the other. Right-click on the project name in the Solution Explorer at the right and add a class. Name it Translate Now we need to add two private member-variables, two properties and two methods. As you can see, theres little going on here at all. Ive used two methods called Process which have different parameters.
Public Class translate Private _normText As String Private _revText As String ' to hold the normal text (text to be processed) Public Property NormText() As String Get Return _normText End Get
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Set(ByVal value As String) _normText = value End Set End Property ' to hold the finished (processed) text Public ReadOnly Property RevText() As String Get Return _revText End Get End Property ' first process method Public Overloads Sub Process(ByVal t As String) Dim temp As String Dim j As Integer temp = "" For j = t.Length - 1 To 0 Step -1 temp &= t.Substring(j, 1) Next _revText = temp End Sub ' second process method (has an extra Boolean parameter) Public Overloads Sub Process(ByVal t As String, ByVal caps As Boolean) Dim temp As String Dim j As Integer temp = "" For j = t.Length - 1 To 0 Step -1 temp &= t.Substring(j, 1) Next 'new If caps Then _revText = temp.ToUpper Else _revText = temp.ToLower End If End Sub End Class
You can see that we have a bit of functionality here and the two properties which will contain the Normal text and the Processed text. We need to make a form now that will let us use this class. We need a couple of text boxes and a couple of buttons. Heres mine:
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Please name the textboxes - top one txtNorm and bottom one txtRev Also, the first button is btnRev and the second is txtRevCaps, the top Radiobutton rb1 and the other rb2. Change the Text and Check Upper Case
Here I have two text boxes
and two buttons
and two Radio Buttons
Add a suitable caption to the form by changing its Text property, now we can set up the code.
Public Class Form1 Dim trans As New translate Private Sub btnreverse_Click(ByVal sender As System.Object, ByVal e As System.EventArgs) Handles btnreverse.Click If txtNorm.Text <> "" Then ' load the normal text Trans.NormText = txtNorm.Text ' process it using the first method (no boolean) Trans.Process(txtNorm.Text) ' display result txtresult.Text = trans.RevText End If End Sub Private Sub btnRC_Click(ByVal sender As System.Object, ByVal e As System.EventArgs) Handles btnRC.Click If txtnorm.Text <> "" Then ' load the normal text trans.NormText = txtnorm.Text ' process it - force the second method by adding a boolean value If rbUpperCase.Checked Then trans.Process(txtnorm.Text, True) Else
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trans.Process(txtnorm.Text, False) End If ' display result txtresult.Text = trans.RevText End If End Sub Private Sub txtresult_Enter(ByVal sender As System.Object, ByVal e As System.EventArgs) Handles txtresult.Enter ' don't want people typing here so send them to txtNorm txtnorm.Focus() End Sub End Class
OK - now to explain the code. We need a global Translator object because I want to use it from one or other of the button clicks so Ive created a global variable called Trans of type Translator. Then, we dont want people to click into the textbox txtresult so Ive put a bit of code there that says when focus enters this control, send it back to txtNorm Finally, theres the button click code for each button. Pretty much the same except for the Boolean parameter which is passed through to the method causing it to use the second Process method. ByVal caps As Boolean
If caps Then _revText = temp.ToUpper 'this is the true Else _revText = temp.ToLower End If 'this is the false
Back in the code

If rbUpperCase.Checked Then trans.Process(txtnorm.Text, True) Else trans.Process(txtnorm.Text, False) End If
We could have left out the code handling the Boolean and it still would have used the second Process method to be used. Ive used True for upper-case and False for lower-case. But we could add whatever code we required. Heres three runs of the program. First just the first button and then the second button.
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Here, the first button was clicked giving the expected result
Whereas here, the second button was clicked showing that it used the second method radio button set to Upper Case
Again here, the second button was clicked showing that it used the second method - radio button set to Lower Case
So here we can see that each of the possible outcomes has been tested to ensure that everything worked as planned.
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ADO.Net 4 and SQL

44. TSQL Cheat Sheet
String Functions Exact Numerics Bit Tinyint Bigint Decimal Numeric Approximate Numerics Float Real Date and Time Smalldatetime Datetime Timestamp Strings Char Unicode Strings Nchar Binary Strings Binary Miscellaneous Cursor Sql_variant Date Functions DATEADD (datepart, number, date) DATEDIFF (datepart, start, end) DATENAME (datepart, date) DATEPART (datepart, date) DAY (date) GETDATE() GETUTCDATE() MONTH (date) YEAR (date) Operators Allowed in the WHERE Clause With the WHERE clause, the following operators can be used: Operator Description = Equal <> Not equal > Greater than < Less than >= Greater than or equal <= Less than or equal BETWEEN Between an inclusive range LIKE Search for a pattern IN To specify multiple possible values for a column Note: In some versions of SQL the <> operator may be written as != Logical processing order of select FROM table ON join condition JOIN table WHERE clauses GROUP BY columns WITH CUBE / WITH ROLLUP HAVING condition SELECT columns DISTINCT ORDER BY columns TOP % or number
Smallint Money
Varchar
Text
Nvarchar
Ntext
Image Table
Varbinary Xml
Common Functions AVG() Returns the average value COUNT() Returns the number of rows FIRST() Returns the first value LAST() Returns the last value MAX() Returns the largest value MIN() Returns the smallest value SUM() Returns the sum UCASE() - Converts a field to upper case LCASE() - Converts a field to lower case MID() - Extract characters from a text field LEN() - Returns the length of a text field ROUND() - Rounds a numeric field to the number of decimals specified NOW() - Returns the current system date and time FORMAT() - Formats how a field is to be displayed
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CTES - Common Table Expressions WITH cteName ( columnList ) AS ( SELECT statement ) SELECT columns FROM cteName INNER JOIN table ON condition Recursive CTEs WITH cteName ( columnList ) AS ( -- Anchor statement: SELECT columns FROM table UNION ALL Recursion statement: SELECT columns FROM table INNER JOIN cteName ON ) SELECT columns FROM cteName Over and partition by /* Aggregate functions include COUNT, MIN, MAX, AVG, ROW_COUNT(), etc. */ SELECT agg_func(col1) OVER(), agg_func(col1)
OVER(PARTITION BY col2), columns FROM table Create a Stored Procedure CREATE PROCEDURE name @variable AS datatype = value AS -- Comments SELECT * FROM table GO Create a Trigger CREATE TRIGGER name ON table FOR DELETE, INSERT, UPDATE AS -- Comments SELECT * FROM table GO
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8 March 2013 Vision College
Introduction to VB.Net
Introduction
Most of today's applications need to interact with database systems to persist, edit or view data. In .NET, data access services are provided through ADO.NET components. ADO.NET is an object oriented framework that allows you to interact with database systems. We usually interact with database systems through SQL queries or stored procedures. The best thing about ADO.NET is that it is extremely flexible and efficient. ADO.NET also introduces the concept of disconnected data architecture. In traditional data access components, you made a connection to the database system and then interacted with it through SQL queries using the connection. The application stays connected to the DB system even when it is not using DB services. This commonly wastes valuable and expensive database resources, as most of the time applications only query and view the persistent data. ADO.NET solves this problem by managing a local buffer of persistent data called a data set. Your application automatically connects to the database server when it needs to run a query and then disconnects immediately after getting the result back and storing it in the dataset. This design of ADO.NET is called disconnected data architecture and is very much similar to the connectionless services of HTTP on the internet. It should be noted that ADO.NET also provides connection oriented traditional data access services. Traditional DB creates a continuous connection tying up resources.
ADO just connects in to create a subset of the database, a DataSet
Another important aspect of disconnected architecture is that it maintains a local repository of data in the dataset object. The dataset object stores the tables, their relationships and their different constraints. The user can perform operations like update, insert and delete on this local dataset. The changes made to the dataset are applied to the actual database as a batch when needed. This greatly reduces network traffic and results in better performance. ADO.NET provides data access services in the Microsoft .NET platform.
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You can use ADO.NET to access data by using the .NET Framework data providers which are: Data Provider for SQL Server (System.Data.SqlClient). Data Provider for OLEDB (System.Data.OleDb). Data Provider for ODBC (System.Data.Odbc). Data Provider for Oracle (System.Data.OracleClient). There are two central components of ADO.NET classes: the DataSet, and the .NET Framework Data Provider. Data Provider is a set of components including: the Connection object (SqlConnection, OleDbConnection, OdbcConnection, OracleConnection) the Command object (SqlCommand, OleDbCommand, OdbcCommand, OracleCommand) the DataReader object (SqlDataReader, OleDbDataReader, OdbcDataReader, OracleDataReader) and the DataAdapter object (SqlDataAdapter, OleDbDataAdapter, OdbcDataAdapter, OracleDataAdapter). DataSet object represents a disconnected cache of data which is made up of DataTables and DataRelations that represent the result of the command. ADO.NET was built for a disconnected architecture , so it enables truly disconnected data access and data manipulation through its Dataset Object, which is completely independent from the Data Source. The ADO.NET Object Model
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How it works You first get a connection to a data source, which means using a data provider to access a database. The default data provider that Visual Basic .NET works with is Microsoft's SQL Server, version 7.0 or later, and I'll use that data provider in this book. However, Visual Basic also can work with any data provider that can support Open Database Connectivity (ODBC), such as Oracle. To work with SQL server, you use ADO.NET SQLConnection objects, and to work with any other data provider, you use ADO.NET OleDbConnection objects. Tip Studies have shown that data access with Visual Basic .NET is up to 70 percent faster with SQL Server connections than with standard OLEDB connections. After you have a connection to a data source, you create a data adapter to work with that data. You need a data adapter because datasets do not maintain any active connection to the databasethey are disconnected from the database. The data adapter is what actually applies your SQL statements to a database and causes your datasets to fill with data. Data adapters are there to apply your commands to the database because datasets are disconnected from that databaseand they're fundamental to the whole process. To work with the SQL Server data provider, you use SQLDataAdapter objects, and to work with ODBC data providers, you use OleDbAdapter objects. Once you have a data adapter, you can generate a dataset using that adapter. Datasets are what you actually work with in your code when you want to use data from databases. (Although, note that in addition to datasets, there are also data readers, which are fast, read-only mini-datasets that you can only move through records with in ascending order) For example, to get access to the data in a table, I would 1. first create a connection to the database the table was stored in, 2. then create an adapter with the SQL to retrieve that table (for example, if the table was named students, that SQL might be "SELECT * FROM students"), and 3. then fill a DataSet object using that adapter. Note that each data adapter can handle only one SQL query at a time, but DataSet objects can store multiple tables, and to place multiple tables in a dataset, you can use multiple data adapterssee "Adding Multiple Tables to a Dataset" in this chapter. Tip The names of tables and fields in datasets are case-insensitive, so the students table is the same as the Students table or the STUDENTS table. Those are the three objects that it's essential to know about: 1. Data connections to connect to the database, 2. Data adapters to execute SQL with
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3. and datasets to store the dataas returned from data adaptersthat your code will actually work on. That's a simplified view, because there are many other objects, but it fits the majority of scenarios.. When you decide whether your application should use a DataReader or a DataSet consider the type of functionality that your application requires. Use a DataSet to do the following:
Cache data locally in your application so that you can manipulate it. If you only need to read the results of a query, the DataReader is the better choice. Remote data between tiers or from an XML Web service. Interact with data dynamically such as binding to a Windows Forms control or combining and relating data from multiple sources. Perform extensive processing on data without requiring an open connection to the data source, which frees the connection to be used by other clients.
DataReader If you do not require the functionality provided by the DataSet, you can improve the performance of your application by using the DataReader to return your data in a forward-only, read-only manner. Although the DataAdapter uses the DataReader to fill the contents of a DataSet, by using the DataReader, you can boost performance because you will save memory that would be consumed by the DataSet, and avoid the processing that is required to create and fill the contents of the DataSet.
Accessing Data using ADO.NET overview

Data access using ADO.NET involves the following steps: Defining the connection string for the database server Defining the connection (SqlConnection or OleDbConnection) to the database using a connection string Defining the command (SqlCommand or OleDbCommand) or command string that contains the query Defining the Data Adapter (SqlDataAdapter or OleDbDataAdapter) using the command string and the connection object Creating a new DataSet object If the SQL command is SELECT, filling the DataSet object with the results of the query through the Data Adapter Reading the records from the DataTables in the DataSets using the DataRow and DataColumn objects If the SQL command is UPDATE, INSERT or DELETE. The dataset will be updated through the data adapter Accepting to save the changes in the DataSet to the database
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DataSet The DataSet is a cache of data that is stored in memory. Its a lot like a mini database engine, but its data exists in memory. You can use it to store data in tables, and using the DataView component you can query the data in various ways. The DataSet is very powerful. In addition to storing data in tables, it stores a rich amount of metadata, or data about the data. This includes things like table and column names, data types, and the information needed to manage and undo changes to the data. All of this data is represented in memory in Extensible Markup Language (XML). A DataSet can be saved to an XML file and then loaded back into memory very easily. It can also be passed in XML format over networks, including the Internet. Because the DataSet component stores all of the data in memory, you can scroll through the data both forward and backward, and make updates to the data in memory. DataGridView The DataGridView control is a container that allows you to bind data from your data source and have it displayed in a spreadsheet-like format, displaying the columns of data horizontally and the rows of data vertically. The DataGridView also provides many properties that allow you to customize the appearance of the component itself, as well as properties that allow you to customize the column headers and the display of data. More important, though, are the quick links at the bottom of the Properties window for the Data- GridView, which allow you to customize the appearance of the DataGridView itself through several predefined format styles. BindingSource The BindingSource acts like a bridge between your data source (DataSet) and your data-bound controls (that is, controls that are bound to data components). Any interaction with the data from your controls goes through the BindingSource, which in turn communicates with your data source. For example, your DataGridView control will be initially filled with data. When you request that a column be sorted, the DataGridView control will communicate that intention to the BindingSource, which in turn communicates that intention to the data source. The BindingSource is the component that you will bind to the DataSource property of your controls. BindingNavigator The BindingNavigator control provides a standard UI that enables you to navigate through the records in your data source. The BindingNavigator control is bound to your BindingSource component much like the DataGridView control is. When you click the Next button in the BindingNavigator, it in turn sends a request to the BindingSource for the next record, and the BindingSource in turn sends the request to the data source.
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TableAdapter Theres one last component to talk about: the TableAdapter. This component does not reside in the Toolbox but can be automatically generated for you depending on how you add your data access components to your project. The TableAdapter contains the query that is used to select data from your database, as well as connection information for connecting to your database. It also contains methods that will fill the DataSet in your project with data from the database. You can also choose to have the TableAdapter generate INSERT, UPDATE, and DELETE statements based on the query that is used to select data. Data Binding Data binding means taking data referenced by your BindingSource and binding it to a control. In other words, the control will receive its data from your data access components, and the data will be automatically displayed in the control for the user to see and manipulate. In Visual Basic 2010, most controls support some level of data binding. Some are specifically designed for it, such as the DataGridView and TextBox. ADO.NET Namespaces System.Data namespace contains System.data.SqlClient System.Data.OleDb (e.g. ACCESS) for accessing SQL Server databases for accessing OLE DB-compliant databases
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Creating a Data Connection using the Wizard

Turn on the data Sources tab
Choose a database from the options
Go Browse to find your database (assuming you have put it somewhere easy to find like C Drive first)
Choose your database (4 ships)
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Choose YES to copy the file into your current project.
Choose all the objects to have in your dataset.
You now have a working database in your Project!
Drag the following fields onto your form and run.
Drag an ID field on to your form first to set the data properties then when you use a DataGridView it will all work OK. Otherwise its a pain in the ***
Each time you built your project the database file is copied to the output directory and used from there. Any changes you make during the build to the DB is lost when you rebuild it as the original DB is reloaded over the existing one you are using. Set the Copy to Output setting to copy if newer so that the copy in the output directory wont
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be overwritten unless the database file on the project directory contains the more current data.
Click Show all Files to see the dataset created from the database. The Files in the Solution Explorer are called the Schema.
Drag a DataGridView onto your form from the Data Toolbox. It displays data from the data source in a grid. The toolbar is also added at the same time.
The DataGridView adds 5 objects to the design tray at the bottom. The Dataset contains the table used The TableAdapter provides commands that can be used with the table in the database. Also manages the flow of data between the database and the dataset. The TableAdapterManager to write the data in two or more tables to the database to ensure integrity.
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The BindingNavigator defines the toolbar that contains the controls for working with the data source.
The code behind the program to date The TableAdapter Fill method loads the data into the DataSet Object.
Private Sub Form1_Load(ByVal sender As System.Object, ByVal e As System.EventArgs) Handles MyBase.Load 'TODO: This line of code below loads data into the '_4shipsDataSet.Ships' table. You can move, or remove it, as needed. Me.ShipsTableAdapter.Fill(Me._4shipsDataSet.Ships) End Sub
When the user changes data in the DataGridView the changes are updated to the However the changes arent saved to the database until the user clicks save on the Toolbar with the ShipsBindingNavigatorSaveItem_Click
Private Sub ShipsBindingNavigatorSaveItem_Click(ByVal sender As System.Object, ByVal e As System.EventArgs) Handles ShipsBindingNavigatorSaveItem.Click Me.Validate() Me.ShipsBindingSource.EndEdit() Me.TableAdapterManager.UpdateAll(Me._4shipsDataSet) End Sub Me.Validate()
does stuff mostly unimportant that validates the data to be saved.
ends the editing on that row and allows it to be saved. Data on a row cant be saved until the next row is selected.
Me.ShipsBindingSource.EndEdit() Me.TableAdapterManager.UpdateAll(Me._4shipsDataSet).
Saves the changes back to the
database
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How to use the Dataset Designer

Choose the dataset designer to work with a graphical interface. Note how it works with 2 tables. Although it looks like ShipName is connected to Surname, its not, its connected to Boat.
Note the TableAdapter lists the queries used in each table. Fill is the main query and generates the Insert, Update and delete statements for the table. The SQL statement from the Query is found in the Properties window.
Right click on a query and Preview Data to see what your query retrieves.
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Text Boxes - Formatting and Advanced Binding

Drag a textbox onto the form from the Data Sources
Build the program at least once to tie in the fields to the dataset. Then when you look in the Properties you will see under Text the BindingSource. If you see that then when you click on DataBindings you will find (Advanced)
Click on (Advanced) to open the Formatting and Advanced Binding window
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Using a DataGrid to create a Master/Detail form

A form that displays data from a main and related table is called a Master/Detail Form. You can see the relationship in the DataSources Window, The shipName table shows up twice also nested under the Ships Table. This indicates that the tables have a relationship with each other. To create a DataGridView control simply drag the ship-Name table from this subordinate place into the form and it immediately creates the correct binding source and table adapter objects.
Change the columns using the smart tag system to edit, and delete fields using the check boxes.
Header Text is the field at the top of the column. Edit this to better describe the contents of the column.
You can edit the cell style to format the columns by clicking on Default Cell Style.
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Add columns to your grid that hold extra features such as Buttons, text boxes, and combo boxes. Add the button detail and then use the Edit columns to set the following
Here is what it looks like .
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Creating a Parameterized Query

Click on the Smart tab for the ID field then select Add Query and call it FillByPassengerID
We are going to make a Paramaterised Query where someone types in the ID to see the people,. So add Where ID = ? to the Query text as above. Note: We are using ? as it is understood by an MDB based table if it was an SQL DB it would be ID = @ID. Now when you type in a number and click on the FillBy button it shows the person
Click on the Smart Tab on the Data Grid and choose New Query Add Where Boat = ? and save it as By Boat Name. Now when you run it you can type in the boat name and see the boat.
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Back in the dataset Schema you can see the Query you have created
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Create a new 4 new buttons on the same toolbar line as shown below.
Name them Sir George Seymour, Cressy, Randolph, Charlotte Jane. Set them as
In the Copy the code you made for the first button FillByBoatName and replace them with the names of the ships like
Private Sub btnRandolph_Click(sender As System.Object, e As System.EventArgs) Handles btnRandolph.Click 'Randolph Try Me.ShipsTableAdapter.FillByboatname1(Me._4shipsDataSet.Ships, "Randolph") Catch ex As System.Exception System.Windows.Forms.MessageBox.Show(ex.Message) End Try End Sub
Finally you end up with something like
And then you can delete the first Fillbyboatname.
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Creating Queries in the Table Adapter

You can add queries directly to the table Adapter and then call them from the program.
Follow the windows
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SELECT ID, Surname, [First names], Age, Sex, Status, Children, Family, Occupation, Fare, Cabin, Boat, Type, Embarked, DELATE FROM Ships WHERE type = 'Colonist' Order By Surname
Fill the existing datatable
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Back in your code make a new button on the toolbar and call it Colonist In the code for it add the following.
Private Sub TSBcolonist_Click(sender As System.Object, e As System.EventArgs) Handles TSBcolonist.Click Try Me.ShipsTableAdapter.FillByColonist(Me._4shipsDataSet.Ships) Catch ex As System.Exception System.Windows.Forms.MessageBox.Show(ex.Message) End Try End Sub
Clicking the Colonist button should return the following.
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Return a single value from the Database

Create a Query as shown above then choose Single Value. Use the SQL statement SELECT AVG(Age) FROM Ships and save as AverageAge
Create a button called AverageAge. I have also tidied up the tool bars deleting out the early stuff.
Add the code below Me.ShipsTableAdapter.AverageAge() gets the function (its called a function because it returns a value) and formats it to 2 decimal places and passes to a label. There is also a test one passed to the me.Text
Private Sub TSBAverageAge_Click(sender As System.Object, e As System.EventArgs) Handles TSBAverageAge.Click Try Me.Text = Me.ShipsTableAdapter.AverageAge() lblage.Text = "Average age " & FormatNumber(Me.ShipsTableAdapter.AverageAge(), 1) Catch ex As System.Exception System.Windows.Forms.MessageBox.Show(ex.Message) End Try End Sub
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Using the same structure as above create a query and attach it to a button called How Many Males that counts how many males there are on the ship.
SELECT COUNT(Sex) FROM Ships WHERE Sex = 'M'
Output it to the lblage.Text field
Create a third query to find how many of the males are married. Add the output to the lblage.text field to generate an output as seen below.
Using the table below find the oldest and the youngest males. Make 2 new queries to hold each data using MAX and MIN.
Output as a string in the same label as seen here
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Using the Query Builder

Instead of creating the SQL manually you can use a Query Builder to make it for you. This can be easier and more accurate than making it yourself however you lose the ego boost of writing a good SQL Statement. Create a new Query as we have earlier however when you enter the SQL window click the button.
As you build your Query it automatically writes the SQL and when you want to see the output you press Create the Query Below by unclicking the Delate field at the top, then adding in the following filters
WHERE (Boat = 'Cressy') AND (Age < 30) AND (Sex = 'M')
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Create a button on the Form to show the Data in the same table.
Create a new Query to find all people whos first name begins with B and are between 10 and 50 years old Wildcard characters are shown with a %. B% means every word starting with B. A range of numbers or dates can be given with the BETWEEN term
WHERE ([First names] LIKE 'B%') AND (Age BETWEEN 10 AND 50)
Create a button to show them off as per the last exercise.
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You can create an expression, a calculated field and name it in the Alias field. The COUNT will count how many of each type of boat there is, and when combined with Group By will show how many people came on each boat. People is a name given to the new field that is created, the name of the Expression. Group By will list each unique entry of Boats (ie: the 4 of them).
SELECT FROM GROUP BY Boat Boat, COUNT(Boat) AS People Ships
Note: this query doesnt output correctly back on the form. I am not sure why. However the design is still important.
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45. Practical Creating queries with the Cars Database

Create a new application and import the Cars database to use. 1. Build a DataGrid and load the data into it. 2. Resize the columns to get a better view of the contents. 3. Move AP (Automatic Price Price for Automatic cars) and MP (manual Price for cars) to 4th and 5th place. 4. Delete the deleted field.
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Using the NZ Cars database, create queries to solve the problems below. Save each query that you create on a button on the ToolBarStrip 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. List the make and model of cars that have 2 Doors Count the number of automatic cars in the database. List the make and model of automatic cars that have two doors. Count the number automatic cars that have two doors. List in alphabetical order of make, then model the cars that are less than 1000 cc 6. Count the number of cars that are less than 1000 cc 7. Fred's garage will only fit a car that is 3500mm or less. How many different car models can he choose from? Create a query that returns the number of cars. 8. Find the Make and Model of the highest priced automatic BMW. Hint you need to use two queries in a similar way to the above problem. 9. List in order of make then model the cars that have 5 doors, are manual and have a power rating that is greater than or equal to 70kw and less than or equal to 80kw. 10. Modify the query in 10 above so that it returns the number of cars. Hint Use the count function and change 'Group by' to 'Where' 11. Tom wants to buy a new car that in the price range 20000 to 23000 dollars inclusive. He doesn't want a make that starts with either the letter T or the letter F. Produce a list in alphabetic order of Make of the cars that fit these criteria. 12. Produce a list of manual cars in order of make then model for all cars that have the letters 'gt' in their model name. 13. Mary is a Toyota car dealer and is going to stock one of each model of the manual Toyota cars that are in the database. How much is this going to cost her. 14. Produce a listing in alphabetic order of make then model of all cars that are available in both manual and automatic versions. 15. Create a query to count and list the number of car models available for each make of car in the database. 16. Construct a query to calculate and list the average capacity (cc) for each Make of car in the database. 17. Mary is a fastidious buyer and has decided that she will only buy a car if the Model name starts with "F" or "C" and the model has the letter "i" in it, is an automatic and has a capacity (cc) that is less than 3 litres. What cars fit these criteria. 18. All cars in this database have GST added. Create a query to give both automatic and manual car prices without GST added i.e. exclusive GST. 19. Find the make and model of the shortest car? To answer this question you need to setup two queries. The first query simply finds the minimum value for car length. The second query combines this with the fields Make and Model to give you the make and model of the shortest car.
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46. Using manual Connections

Setting up SQL Server
Before we create a manual connection your computer has to be set up to run the SQL database. We are running Microsofts latest SQL Server 2012 which can be easily downloaded for free from the Microsoft website.
When you have installed it you have the following shortcuts loaded onto your Start menu
Click on SQL Management Studio to activate the SQL Server. In your Object Explorer you should be able to see
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The top line is the name of your computer\SQLExpress and in brackets the path to the Database you will use. (Mine is on the desktop) If you DONT see this then you need to do the following. Go to the SQL Server Configuration Manager back on your Start Menu bar
Right Click on the Server Agent and start it.
Hopefully that will get you going.
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If you see nothing in that window, you are really screwed. Try this.
When you cannot add a Database

1. Make sure you have administrative rights on the computer 2. Uninstall the existing SQL Server 2008 and all the components from the control panel. Remember to backup the user databases before uninstalling SQL Server. 3. Backup the registry. 4. Delete the following keys in regedit: --HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Microsoft SQL Server --HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\MSSQLServer 5. Go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall and delete all the sub-keys referencing SQL Server. 6. Go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services and delete all the keys referencing SQL Server. 7. Rename all the SQL Server folders in the computer. 8. Download and install Windows Cleanup Utility: http://support.microsoft.com/?id=290301 Run the utility and remove any SQL Server components that you find. 9. Reboot the machine 10. Download and install Microsoft .Net Framework 3.5 SP1: http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyId=AB99342F-5D1A-413D-831981DA479AB0D7&displaylang=en
Download and install Windows Installer 4.5. (Windows 7 has Windows Installer 4.5) http://support.microsoft.com/kb/942288 Check if the computer has Visual Studio 2008. If so, you need to install Visual Studio 2008 SP1. For more information, please see http://support.microsoft.com/kb/956139 Download SQL Server 2008 Express Edition Service Pack 1 and install it: http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?familyid=01AF61E6-2F63-4291BCAD-FD500F6027FF&displaylang=en
How to restore administrator access to a SQL server

I recently obtained a development machine that had SQL Server 2008 installed. Unfortunately, I got this error:
CREATE DATABASE permission denied in database 'master'
Despite being an administrator on the box, AND having launched Management Studio in Administrator mode (on Windows 7). Attempts to grant myself permissions, or to make any changes to SQL server resulted in:
User does not have permission to perform this action( Microsoft SQL Server, Error:15247)
This all happened because I was not a SQL Server administrator despite being an administrator on the box itself. This is a new situation in SQL Server 2008. In SQL Server 2005, the local Administrators group was part of the SQL Server administrators. It turns out that only the person who installed SQL Server is a SQL Server administrator. Since that person was not available, I was faced with either uninstalling and reinstalling, or getting into an argument with SQL Server. Being stubborn, I chose to argue. I knew as an Administrator I could do anything I wanted, it was just a matter of finding the right registry keys/files/whatever to add myself to the group.
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The trick is to put SQL server into single-user maintenance mode so that it ignores authentication. NOTE: In all of the examples below, you may have to change parameters or command-lines based on your server name and instance name.
Force SQL server to support mixed-mode authentication 1. Run REGEDIT 2. Go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Microsoft SQL
Server\MSSQL10.SQLEXPRESS\MSSQLServer
NOTE: This key will vary slightly based on the installed version and instance name. 3. Set "LoginMode" to 2. (Source: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/285097) 4. Restart SQL Server. Force SQL server to let you in temporarily 1. Go to services. 2. Stop SQL Server. 3. Grab the SQL server command-line (right click the service - properties). Mine is:
"C:\Program Files\Microsoft SQL Server\MSSQL10.SQLEXPRESS\MSSQL\Binn\sqlservr.exe" -sSQLEXPRESS
4. Open an administrative command prompt. 5. Run the command-line from step 3, but add -m -c for single-user maintenance mode command-line. 6. Open another administrative command prompt. 7. Run cd C:\Program Files\Microsoft SQL Server\100\Tools\Binn 8. Run sqlcmd -S localhost\SQLEXPRESS from that same directory (replace with your server and instance name) 9. Now you can do all the stuff everyone told you to do that didn"t work. For example, to create a hero user with administrative access: CREATE LOGIN hero WITH
PASSWORD="123", DEFAULT_DATABASE=[master], DEFAULT_LANGUAGE=[us_english], CHECK_EXPIRATION=OFF, CHECK_POLICY=OFF EXEC sys.sp_addsrvrolemember @loginame = "hero", @rolename = "sysadmin" GO QUIT and close the command-prompt
10. 11. Go to the SQL Server command-line window and hit ctrl+C. It will prompt "Do you wish to shutdown SQL Server (Y/N)?" and enter Y. 12. Close the command-prompt (Source: http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/dd207004.aspx) Finally, login using your hero 1. Restart the SQL Server service 2. Login using SQL Server authentication as the user "hero" with password "123" 3. *BAM* now you are in. Now give yourself sysadmin access, etc, etc.
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Loading in your Golf Database

Once SQL Server is running we need to load in the database. Right click on Database and then you can choose to Add a new DB or Create one.
In this exercise we will create an empty Database and import data for it. Call your DB GOLF and click OK< we dont need to create tables for it.
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Right Click on Golf, Click on Tasks and Import Data.
Choose the Microsoft Access Jet Database Engine for DataSource then click Browse and find the Golf Database and click Open and then go Next
In the next window check the destination is going to the Golf DB (Mine is Golf2)
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After another window you will see the table to choose, just choose the Golf table, the others are queries.
Then Next, then when asked run it.
Success! Data has been imported into your Database. This is really handy on a number of levels, firstly you dont have to add data by hand to your database and secondly you can change from Access to SQL easily for small databases.
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Check that your data has arrived safely by running a simple SQL query
Run a Query in SQL Express

Click on New Query and in the window below type SELECT * FROM golf. This will select all the fields from the Golf table. Then click to see your fields.
You should have Query Executed Successfully and 32 rows at the bottom of the screen
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Creating an SQL Connection

Specify a connection string containing all the information required to open a connection to the database. Either use the constructor of the SqlConnection object or set it using the property SqlConnection.ConnectionString. The following information is required Server name of the SQL server to be accessed. - usually localhost if SQL Server is on the same machine as the one running VS .NET, or the computer name followed by a backslash followed by the named instance of SQL Server) Database the name of the database you want to connect to. UserID * an account with this name will need to exist in SQL Server and have permission to access the specified database. Password * for the specified user SQL Server can be setup to use the Account of the user who is running the program. In this case you dont need to specify a username and password. Specify that you are using Integrated Security. Set IntegratedSecurity = True in the connection string. Note that the user will still require permission to use the SQL Server database this is granted using the SQL Server Enterprise Manager. On a new Form under Form Load add the following to set the connection path.
Imports System.Data.SqlClient Private Sub Form1_Load(sender As Object, e As System.EventArgs) Handles Me.Load 'Create the DB connection Dim connection As New SqlConnection Dim connectionString As String = "Data Source=localhost\sqlexpress;Initial Catalog=golf;" & "Integrated Security=True" connection.ConnectionString = connectionString
Connect using SqlConnection Class To execute a query properties must first be set on the SqlCommand object. The command will usually be a Select, Insert, Update or Delete query. It can be either a SQL string or a call to a stored procedure. The query may contain parameters if desired. The simplest method is to initialise a SqlCommand object with no parameters and later set the properties required. Generally SqlCommand objects arent used on their own but rather with Data Adapters or DataReaders. You must set the Connection property on the SqlCommand object before the query can be executed.
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You must also set the CommandText property to specify the SQL string or stored procedure to be executed. Most databases require all string values to be in single quotes:
'select the data Dim selectcommand As New SqlCommand selectcommand.Connection = connection Dim selectStatement As String = "SELECT * " & "FROM Golf ORDER by ID" selectcommand.CommandText = selectStatement
You could specify multiple tables in this section
Opening and Closing the Connection theConnection.Open() theConnection.Close() Next we have to open the connection, and read in the data to a class called Golf. Then close the Reader and Close the Connection. Create a new class called Golf and add the Properties. (Example below)
Public Class Golf Private _id As Integer Private _Surname As String Private _Firstname As String Private _Title As String Private _Gender As String Private _DOB As Date Private _Street As String Private _Suburb As String Private _City As String Private _Available As Integer Private _Handicap As Integer
Public Property ID() As Integer Get Return _id End Get Set(ByVal value As Integer) _id = value End Set End Property
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Public Property Surname() As String Get Return _Surname End Get Set(ByVal value As String) _Surname = value End Set End Property
Etc ... add the rest of the properties as well. Once we have the Class created we can pass the data to it using the reader.
'read in the data with a datareader open the data connection connection.Open() 'instantiate a reader close the connection when the data reader is closed Dim reader As SqlDataReader = selectcommand.ExecuteReader(CommandBehavior.CloseConnection) Dim Golf As New Golf 'read the data into the class Do While reader.Read() Golf = New Golf Golf.ID = reader("ID") Golf.Title = reader("Title").ToString Golf.Firstname = reader("Firstname").ToString Golf.Surname = reader("Surname").ToString Golf.Gender = reader("Gender").ToString Golf.DOB = reader("DOB") Golf.Street = reader("Street").ToString Golf.Suburb = reader("Suburb").ToString Golf.City = reader("City").ToString Golf.Available = reader("Available week days") Golf.Handicap = reader("Handicap") Loop reader.Close() connection.Close()
Once the data has been added it can then be worked with.
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Display data in a ListView

So we presumably have some data but we cant see it. Lets create a ListView to load the data in so that we know everything is working OK. From the Toolbox drag on a ListView and name it LVGolf
In the Property name 10 columns with the appropriate names as shown below. I changed the TEXT property and the NAME property to the same. In the View Property set it to Details
We need to add the code to read the data into a listview. Although we have a whole bunch of columns you cant just specify them in a listview as it only really holds one item down the page. The columns are really pseudo columns. Therefore we need to use the .SubItems. property to align the extra columns. We also use With and End With to tell the program to add them together. Add this code underneath your Golf.Handicap = reader("Handicap") code.
With LVgolf.Items.Add(Golf.ID) .SubItems.Add(Golf.Title) .SubItems.Add(Golf.Firstname) .SubItems.Add(Golf.Surname) .SubItems.Add(Golf.Gender) .SubItems.Add(Golf.DOB) .SubItems.Add(Golf.Street) .SubItems.Add(Golf.Suburb) .SubItems.Add(Golf.City) .SubItems.Add(Golf.Available) .SubItems.Add(Golf.Handicap) End With
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Returning Scalar (single) value

Create a new button. Call it BTNCount
You can also create Scalar queries to return a single value. In this example we will use a simple COUNT to show on the button how many Golfers there are. Copy the code from the Form Load section and change the SQL Query to see it run.
Private Sub btncount_Click(sender As System.Object, e As System.EventArgs) Handles btncount.Click 'Create the DB connection Dim connection As New SqlConnection Dim connectionString As String = "Data Source=localhost\sqlexpress;Initial Catalog=golf;" &"Integrated Security=True" connection.ConnectionString = connectionString Dim selectcommand As New SqlCommand selectcommand.Connection = connection Dim selectStatement As String = "SELECT COUNT(ID)" & "FROM Golf" selectcommand.CommandText = selectStatement connection.Open() btncount.Text = selectcommand.ExecuteScalar connection.Close() End Sub
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Insert Command
The insert command inserts the data "VALUES ('40','title', 'fn', 'sn', 'F', 23/12/56, 'street', 'suburb','city',-1,'56')" into the table at the last row. The problem, as we will find with the next set of data is that this is fixed. Using the code in the Insert, Update, and Delete commands, create a way to add code that is dynamic, using text boxes.
Private Sub btninsert_Click(sender As System.Object, e As System.EventArgs) Handles btninsert.Click 'Create the DB connection Dim connection As New SqlConnection Dim connectionString As String = "Data Source=localhost\sqlexpress;Initial Catalog=golf;" & "Integrated Security=True" connection.ConnectionString = connectionString Dim insertcommand As New SqlCommand insertcommand.Connection = connection Dim insertStatement As String = "INSERT INTO Golf (ID, Title, Firstname, Surname, Gender, DOB, Street, Suburb, City, [Available week days], Handicap)" & "VALUES ('40','title', 'fn', 'sn', 'F', 23/12/56, 'street', 'suburb','city',-1,'56')" Using insertconnection As New SqlConnection(connectionString) Dim adapter As New SqlDataAdapter() Try insertconnection.Open() adapter.InsertCommand = insertconnection.CreateCommand adapter.InsertCommand.CommandText = insertStatement adapter.InsertCommand.ExecuteNonQuery() MsgBox("Data Inserted Catch ex As Exception MsgBox(ex.ToString) End Try End Using End Sub !! ")
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Optimising your code by using Sub Routines

You will find is that although the query might be working the listview is not updating. Thats because so far it only updates on the Form Load event. To change this rebuild the front of your Code, in the Form Load section so that you can access it to refresh the listview. Here is the code below. There is so much that can be optimised, but to date I have left it untouched. For example you will see that the following exercises repeat the same code that is being used at the beginning to load the database. This is so that you have a block of code that can be used without much modifying, but in the real world would be cut right down and integrated back into the program. These have become Global to the program
Dim Golfconnection As New SqlConnection Dim selectcommand As New SqlCommand Dim connectionString As String
Form Load only holds the links to the new subs

Private Sub Form1_Load1(sender As Object, e As System.EventArgs) Handles Me.Load 'load updatlistview updatelistview() 'load createdataset (not yet made so use later) createdataset() End Sub
LoadDB provides the connection string and is called in the next sub Sub updatelistview().
Sub loadDB() 'Create the DB connection connectionString = "Data Source=LOCALHOST\SQLEXPRESS;Initial Catalog=Golf;" & "Integrated Security=True" Golfconnection.ConnectionString = connectionString selectcommand.Connection = Golfconnection End Sub
Now you can add updatelistview() to the next sections of code to see the listview update with the changed data. All code
Imports System.Data.SqlClient Public Class Form1 'declare them as global so you can see them anywhere in the code Dim Golfconnection As New SqlConnection Dim selectcommand As New SqlCommand
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Dim connectionString As String 'Form Load gets chopped up so you can get the listview to refresh Private Sub Form1_Load1(sender As Object, e As System.EventArgs) Handles Me.Load 'load updatlistview updatelistview() 'load createdataset (not yet made so use later) createdataset() End Sub 'name loadDB Sub loadDB() 'Create the DB connection connectionString = "Data Source=LOCALHOST\SQLEXPRESS;Initial Catalog=Golf;" & "Integrated Security=True" Golfconnection.ConnectionString = connectionString selectcommand.Connection = Golfconnection End Sub 'update the listview with this new subroutine Sub updatelistview() loadDB() 'clear the listview of existing items first, otherwise it just adds it to esiting items. LVgolf.Items.Clear() Dim selectStatement As String = "SELECT * " & "FROM Golf ORDER by ID" selectcommand.CommandText = selectStatement 'read in the data with a datareader 'open the data connection from above Golfconnection.Open() 'instantiate a reader close the connection when the data reader is closed Dim reader As SqlDataReader = selectcommand.ExecuteReader(CommandBehavior.CloseConnection) Dim Golf As New Golf 'read the data into the class Do While reader.Read() Golf = New Golf Golf.ID = reader("ID") Golf.Title = reader("Title").ToString Golf.Firstname = reader("Firstname").ToString Golf.Surname = reader("Surname").ToString Golf.Gender = reader("Gender").ToString Golf.DOB = reader("DOB") Golf.Street = reader("Street").ToString
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as a subroutine
Golf.Suburb = reader("Suburb").ToString Golf.City = reader("City").ToString Golf.Available = reader("Available week days") Golf.Handicap = reader("Handicap") With LVgolf.Items.Add(Golf.ID) .SubItems.Add(Golf.Title) .SubItems.Add(Golf.Firstname) .SubItems.Add(Golf.Surname) .SubItems.Add(Golf.Gender) .SubItems.Add(Golf.DOB) .SubItems.Add(Golf.Street) .SubItems.Add(Golf.Suburb) .SubItems.Add(Golf.City) .SubItems.Add(Golf.Available) .SubItems.Add(Golf.Handicap) End With Loop reader.Close() Golfconnection.Close() End Sub
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Update Command
Made this SQL statement dynamic - able to be changed We want to be able to update any field on any row. So number 20 John Smith changes his firstname to Jane, the handicap goes from 23 to 52 and he has a sex change to become Female. How would you update all those fields at once using your text boxes? "Update Golf set Firstname = 'Howard' where ID = 1"
Private Sub btnupdate_Click(sender As System.Object, e As System.EventArgs) Handles btnupdate.Click Dim con As New SqlConnection Dim cmd As New SqlCommand cmd.Parameters.AddWithValue("@ID", txtid.Text) Try con.ConnectionString = "Data Source=LOCALHOST\SQLEXPRESS;Initial Catalog=golf;" & "Integrated Security=True" con.Open() cmd.Connection = con cmd.CommandText = "Update Golf set Firstname = 'Howard' where ID = 10" cmd.ExecuteNonQuery() Catch ex As Exception MessageBox.Show("Error while deleting record on table..." & ex.Message, "Delete Records") Finally con.Close() End Try updatelistview() End Sub
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Delete Command
Here is the Parameter Delete Golf where ID = @ID" being inserted into the code
Private Sub btndelete_Click(sender As System.Object, e As System.EventArgs) Handles btndelete.Click Dim con As New SqlConnection Dim cmd As New SqlCommand 'Here is the parameter being defined cmd.Parameters.AddWithValue("@ID", txtid.Text) Try con.ConnectionString = "Data Source=LOCALHOST\SQLEXPRESS;Initial Catalog=golf;" & "Integrated Security=True" con.Open() cmd.Connection = con cmd.CommandText = "Delete Golf where ID = @ID" cmd.ExecuteNonQuery() Catch ex As Exception MessageBox.Show("Error while deleting record on table..." & ex.Message, "Delete Records") Finally con.Close() End Try updatelistview() End Sub
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Inserting Data into your database

Inserting data can be done in at least 4 ways. Direct via the text box (txtinput.text), via a Class (golf.ID), via a variable. (intID) or via a parameter (@ID). The first 3 ways are shown below, parameters are over the page. Create a variable to hold the data, or use the golf.ID property from the Golf class to hold data. And then insert it into the SQL by using ' " & ID & " '. So try it with '" & Golf.ID & "'
'can also use Dim ID As String = txtid.Text "Values('" & ID & "', 'Mr', 'Howard', 'The Duck', 'm', '12/12/23', 'asd', 'sdf', 'City', '0', '56') "
Or in this case Connect to your class

Dim golf As New Golf
Pass the data to the property

golf.ID = txtid.Text
Add the Property to the SQL - '"
& golf.ID & "'
& "Values( '" & golf.ID & "', 'txtentry', 'Howard', 'The Duck', 'm', '12/12/23', 'asd', 'sdf', 'City', '0', '56') "
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47. Using Parameters

Placeholders are variables prefixed with an at @ sign in the SQL statement; they get filled in by parameters. For example, if you wanted to update the Golf table but didnt know the values at design time, you would do put in parameters @ID instead of values (23): Here, instead of providing values, you provide placeholders. Placeholders, as mentioned, always start with an @ symbol. They do not need to be named after the database column that they represent, but it is often easier if they are, and it helps to self-document your code. We are only discussing INPUT parameters, which hold data going into a program; OUTPUT parameters are also easy, but not covered here. You need to create parameters that will be used to insert the values into the placeholders when the SQL statement is executed. You create and add parameters to the Parameters collection of the SqlCommand object. After you access the Parameters collection, you can use its properties and methods to create one or more parameters in the collection. The term parameters here refers to the parameters required to provide data to your SQL statement or stored procedure, not to the parameters that are required to be passed to a Visual Basic 2010 method. Using Parameters to hold the data we can create text boxes that will allow us to input our data to our database. In this example data from the txtID textbox is passed to the @ID parameter
insertcommand.Parameters.AddWithValue("@ID", txtid.Text)
The AddWithValue method here accepts the name of the parameter and the object that you want to add. The ExecuteNonQuery Method Finally, you can execute the command. To do this, the connection needs to be opened. You can invoke the ExecuteNonQuery method of the SqlCommand object. This method executes the SQL statement and causes the data to be inserted into the database. It then returns the number of rows that were affected by the query, which can be a useful way to check that the command worked as expected. To complete your code fragment, you need to open the connection, execute the query, and close the connection again:
connection.Open() insertcommand.ExecuteNonQuery() connection.close()
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Golf using parameters Add text boxes to your form to hold the values of the database.
Sub insert() 'INSERT 'Connect to the data source Dim connectionString As String = "Data Source=LOCALHOST\SQLEXPRESS;Initial Catalog=golf;" & "Integrated Security=True" 'using that connection then Using connection As New SqlConnection(connectionString) 'insert the SQL Dim insertStatement As String = _ "INSERT INTO Golf (ID, Title, Firstname, Surname, Gender, DOB, Street, Suburb, City, [Available week days], Handicap)" _ & "Values( @ID, @Title, @FN, @SN, @Gender, @DOB, @Street, @Suburb, @City, @Available, @Handicap) " Using insertcommand As New SqlCommand(insertStatement, connection) connection.Open() 'create the parameters and pass the data from the textboxes insertcommand.Parameters.AddWithValue("@ID", txtid.Text) 'Give a default input if you can't be bothered entering data through the textbox by using .value = insertcommand.Parameters.AddWithValue("@title", txttitle.Text).Value = "Mr" insertcommand.Parameters.AddWithValue("@FN", txtfn.Text).Value = "Harry" insertcommand.Parameters.AddWithValue("@SN", txtsn.Text).Value = "Houdini" insertcommand.Parameters.AddWithValue("@Gender", txtgender.Text).Value = "M" insertcommand.Parameters.AddWithValue("@DOB", txtdob.Text).Value = "03/03/56" insertcommand.Parameters.AddWithValue("@Street", txtstreet.Text).Value = "aa" insertcommand.Parameters.AddWithValue("@Suburb", txtsuburb.Text).Value = "bb" insertcommand.Parameters.AddWithValue("@City", txtcity.Text).Value = "cc" insertcommand.Parameters.AddWithValue("@Available", txtavailable.Text).Value = 0 insertcommand.Parameters.AddWithValue("@Handicap", txthandicap.Text).Value = 45 insertcommand.ExecuteNonQuery() MsgBox("Data Inserted
connection.close()
!! ")
End Using End Using 'Update the listview to see the new data updatelistview() End Sub
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48. Golf Exercise using SQL

Create a listbox to hold your items. The input code might look like listbox.items.add(Firstname & & Surname)
Find the following 1. Which people have a handicap under 11 2. Which Golfers are from Spreydon? 3. Which Golfers are NOT from Christchurch? 4. How many people are male? 5. Order the handicap in ascending order 6. How many people are available to play on the weekday? 7. How many people live in a street? 8. How many people are born AFTER 1/1/50? 9. Without using the gender field, how many people are female? 10. How many people have a surname starting with B? 11. How many people are not from Christchurch or Rangiora?
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49. The SQL Data Adapter

The SqlDataAdapter acts as a bridge between the data source and the in-memory DataSet object. To access the data source they use the command objects associated with a connection. The SqlDataAdapter has a number of command properties, including the SelectCommand property. The SelectCommandProperty is used to hold a SqlCommand that retrieves data for the data source. The result is then placed in the DataSet or DataTable. There are also properties for UpdateCommand, InsertCommand, and DeleteCommand. These SqlCommand objects are used to write changes made to a DataSet or DataTable back to the data source.
The SelectCommand Property SQL String

Used to fill a DataSet with data from a SQL Server database. To read from a data store you must set the SelectCommand property of the SqlAdapter object first.
Sub createdataset() ' Declare a SqlDataAdpater object. Dim GolfDataAdapter As New SqlDataAdapter() ' Assign a new SelectCommand to the SelectCommand property. GolfDataAdapter.SelectCommand = New SqlCommand() Dim objConnection As SqlConnection = New SqlConnection("Data Source=LOCALHOST\SQLEXPRESS;Initial Catalog=golf;" & "Integrated Security=True") ' Set the SelectCommand properties. GolfDataAdapter.SelectCommand.Connection = objConnection GolfDataAdapter.SelectCommand.CommandText = "SELECT * " & "FROM Golf ORDER by ID" End Sub
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The SelectCommand Property Stored Procedure

Instead of writing SQL commands (Select Insert, Update, Delete) you could instead execute a stored procedure - a group of SQL statements stored in the database under a unique name and executed as a unit. The benefits of Stored Procedures are reduced server/client network traffic, stronger security, reusable code, easier maintenance and improved performance.
Sub storedprocedure() ' Declare a SqlDataAdapter object. Dim GolfDataAdapter As New SqlDataAdapter() ' Assign a new SelectCommand to the SelectCommand property. GolfDataAdapter.SelectCommand = New SqlCommand() Dim objConnection As SqlConnection = New SqlConnection("Data Source=LOCALHOST\SQLEXPRESS;Initial Catalog=golf;" & "Integrated Security=True") ' Set the SelectCommand properties. GolfDataAdapter.SelectCommand.Connection = objConnection GolfDataAdapter.SelectCommand.CommandText = " "Count_ID" GolfDataAdapter.SelectCommand.CommandType = CommandType.StoredProcedure End Sub
The CommandText property now specifies the name of the stored procedure that you want to execute instead of the SQL string that was specified in the previous example.
GolfDataAdapter.SelectCommand.CommandText = "Count_ID"
Also notice the CommandType property. It is set to a value of CommandType.StoredProcedure, which indicates that the CommandText property contains the name of a stored procedure to be executed.
GolfDataAdapter.SelectCommand.CommandType = CommandType.StoredProcedure
Go to your SQL Management program and follow the path below. Right click on Stored Procedures and Choose New Stored Procedure
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In a new template add the Select statement.

select count(ID) from golf
Just put it at the end and comment out all that you see in the image. Use - - to comment out text.
Calling the Stored procedure from your code

Accessing a stored procedure is more verbose (but not more difficult) than accessing a normal SQL. The approach is as follows: 1. Create a SqlCommand object. 2. Configure it to access a stored procedure by setting the CommandType property. 3. Add parameters that exactly match those in the stored procedure itself. 4. Execute the stored procedure using one of the SqlCommand objects ExecuteX methods.
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50. Music Database in SQL Management Studio Relational Database

This may only work in SQL Management Studio 2012. Follow our first lessons to import the database tables from the file music.accdb. Accdb is the new form of Microsoft Access Database file replacing MDB. However as it is apparently too new for Microsofts own 2012 product you need to choose All Files from the option to see it (Bottom right)
Import all three tables
Note: This will NOT work if you have SQL management Server 2008 because Accdb is a newer version and cannot be imported. (sigh). Nor can you save your Accdb file as an MDB. Therefore you need to OPEN Music in Access, and then EXPORT out each table as an EXCEL file. This will give you 3 files. You then IMPORT those three files into your new Music database. Even then you are not home safe, it might be impossible to create new columns in your new tables owing to limitations of the free SQL Express. The solution is to install the free 2012 version which allows the actions shown in this manual. Either that or you can type in the new data into a new table.
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Primary Key / Foreign Key relationships

The Music database is a RELATIONAL database. A database with more than one table and each table is connected to each other. This relationship scheme from Access shows how the three tables are related. Each table has a Primary Key, which indicates that the field is one that will never repeat, it will always increment automatically 1, 2, 3, 4 etc. If you delete 3 then it will never replace it, the next record will be 5, then 6 then 7.
Note that from the Primary keys of Owner and CD are two lines that go to CD and CD Tracks. Those two lines are attached to other fields that are called Foreign keys. Foreign keys are the alien invaders from the other primary key tables. The Primary Key Foreign Key connection establishes the relationship between the tables in a One to Many relationship. For example ONE Owner (OwnerID in the Owner Table) can have MANY CDs. (Owner ID in the CD Table). ONE CD (CDID in the CD Table) has MANY tracks (CDID in the CDTracks Table). Thus by following the relationships you can easily see how many music tracks each Owner has, and their name and duration. To make the next section easier (it will hopefully avoid the problems you will read later) go Tools / Options / Designers and UNTICK the Prevent saving changes that require table re-creation. This is not recommended for a real database as it could mess up your data but for this practice its an easy workaround.
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Setting the Primary key / Foreign Key Relationships

Unfortunately when you import tables into SQL the tables move happily and the data moves happily but the Primary keys and their relationship to the Foreign keys is lost and we have to rebuild it by making a new Primary key. Sure its messy but beats typing in 100 rows of data into a new table. In SQL Server Management Studio Right click on the table and go Design Create a new Column Name CDID2. Scroll down the Column properties until you find Identity Specification and change Is Identity to YES. See that it starts at 1 (Seed) and increases by 1 for each entry. The click on the Primary key on the tool bar to add it.
Now make sure you SAVE it (Important) Go to the first column, CDID and delete it
The drag the CDID2 column up to the top and rename it CDID. When you try to save the changes it will throw a fit and say you cant. Dont worry just cancel out and leave without saving, when you open up again it has worked! Now repeat for the Primary key fields on the other two tables. Now we need to build the connections back between the Primary Key and the matching Foreign key.
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Database Diagrams Entity relationships One of the most interesting resources is the creation of entity-relationship diagrams (the database diagrams). With all of the tables created, we need to add a database diagram to our database and create all the necessary relationships between the tables. To do so, right click over Database Diagrams and choose New Database Diagram.
It will open a blank diagram and ask which tables you wish to insert in the new diagram. Select all the tables available, clicking the Add button to add them and then the Close button. In your screen you will have all the tables and their respective fields,
In case it is the first time you are using the database diagram resource in Management Studio Express, you will be asked to install some files necessary to the proper functioning of the diagrams module. Just click Yes so that these files are installed. To add a relation between two tables, select the table that contains the Foreign key (in our case, the CD table) and click the Relations button located in the Database Diagram toolbar. You have to choose the Foreign Key table first because the window that opens wont let you change it. You can only select the Primary key in the other table. Then Move to the right column and click the Table and Column Specific button
Then Choose the Owner for the Primary Key table
And choose OwnerID2 (or whatever you called it) and go OK, then Close
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Click the CDTracks table and the relationships.
Relationships button and add the other two
Finally save it as Diagram1 (Or whatever you like) Note that the relationship lines dont point to the fields they are joined to.
Now you have a new Database Diagram.
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Creating Database Views Queries

CDs and Owners Views are Queries, or questions that you make from your tables using SQL. Luckily Views generate the SQL for you. The Views window is divided in four parts: Diagram Panel, Criteria Panel, SQL Panel and Results Panel. Through these panels you can assemble its views through SQL language or through mouse selection. Create a new view
Add the Owner and CD tables Click in the tables as shown to add the fields to the windows below. See how the SQL is written for you. Hit the Execute/Run button to see the results generate at the bottom of the screen.
Save as CDOwners
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Tracks by CD Lets make a more interesting View. We want to count how many Tracks there are on each CD. Add CD and CDTracks Table Click on Name and TrackID Click the GroupBy button Count for TrackID then when the Group By column appears choose
You will now have the view below laid out Click the Run get.
button and see what you
Note that the column that shows how many tracks on each CD is called Expr1. Change the name in the Alias column to read CountofTracks. Now run again and see the new column name.
Save the View as CountOfTracks

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Make a new view grouping all the records by Genre. Save as GroupByGenre. Ignore the error message and Save.
Make a new View Save it as UniqueGenre to show just unique names from the Genre list instead of each entry
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Who has the CD with the most Tracks? To answer this question we need to first find the CD with the most Tracks and save it as MaxTracks Save and close it.
Make a new View and add the following two views and two tables below. Drag the MaxTracks field (the one with the tick) from its Table box over to CountofTracks and drop it over the CountOftracks. This will show the program that MaxTracks is related to CountofTracks and build the little connection. Do the same for CountOftracks Name and CD Name. That will make a path all the way to Owner showing John Smith owns the record Abba with the most tracks.
Save as OwnerMaxTracks
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51. Music Database in Visual Studio

Create a new Project in Visual Studio and add the connections to connect to the Music database.
Imports System.Data.SqlClient Public Class Form1 Dim Musicconnection As New SqlConnection Dim selectcommand As New SqlCommand Private Sub Form1_Load(sender As Object, e As System.EventArgs) Handles Me.Load loadDB() End Sub Sub loadDB() Dim connectionString As String = "Data Source=LOCALHOST\SQLEXPRESS;Initial Catalog=Music;" & "Integrated Security=True" Musicconnection.ConnectionString = connectionString selectcommand.Connection = Musicconnection End Sub
Using a Datagridview
Add a Datagridview to your form and the following code. The DataGridView control reads the schema information and creates the correct number of columns for your data. It also uses the column names in the schema as the column names for the grid and each column has the default width. The SQLDataAdapter reads the data from the database and populates the Datatable using the Fill method. Note that you don't have to actually open and close the connection explicitly as the DataAdapter's Fill() method leaves the connection in the same state as when the method was invoked.
Private Sub DisplayDataGridView() DGVmusic.DataSource = Nothing Dim da As SqlDataAdapter = Nothing ' create a dataadapter to pass the data Dim dt As New DataTable 'create a datatable Dim SQL As String = "" Try SQL = "select * from CD" da = New SqlDataAdapter(SQL, Musicconnection) ''connect in to the DB and get the SQL DGVmusic.DataSource = dt 'pass the datatable data to the DataGridView Musicconnection.Open() 'open a connection to the DB da.Fill(dt) 'fill the datatable from the SQL Musicconnection.Close() 'close the connection Catch ex As Exception End Try End Sub
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Finally pop the Sub into the Form Load

DisplayDataGridView()
Using Views in the Form

The Views are just like tables. So replace the SQL table with the View name like this
SQL = "select * from GroupByGenre"
After much pondering and experimentation I found that although you can name your views Owner-CD in the Management Studio, Visual Studio or SQL doesnt like the Hyphen so rename the view to OwnerCD
SQL = "select * from OwnerCD"
Fill the Listbox from the Database

Private Sub DisplayListBox() ' DGVmusic.DataSource = Nothing lbgenre.DataSource = Nothing Dim da As SqlDataAdapter = Nothing ' create a dataadapter to pass the data Dim dt As New DataTable 'create a datatable Dim SQL As String = "" Try SQL = "select * from UniqueGenre" da = New SqlDataAdapter(SQL, Musicconnection) ''connect in to the DB and get the SQL ' DataGridView lbgenre.DataSource = dt Dim ds As New DataSet ' make a dataset to hold the data Musicconnection.Open() 'open a connection to the DB da.Fill(ds, "UniqueGenre") 'fill the datatable from the SQL and the dataset lbgenre.DataSource = ds.Tables("UniqueGenre").DefaultView lbgenre.DisplayMember = "Genre" Musicconnection.Close() 'close the connection Catch ex As Exception End Try End Sub DGVmusic.DataSource = dt 'pass the datatable data to the
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52. Linking DataGridViews to each other

In the image below you can see 3 datagrid views, each drawing from a different table. Owners, CDs and CD Tracks. When you click on an owner in the Owners DGV the second DGV CDs shows the CDs that the owner has. When you click on a CD in the second DGV you see the tracks of the CD in the third DGV. A nice click based navigation system.
There are two parts to making this magic happen. 1. Fill a DGV with data from a table. 2. Create a click event so clicking on a record sets the next DGV. Both of these are easy to create. Lets create the Owner DGV. The other two DGVs Music and Tracks are virtually identical so you will copy this and use it later changing the names of the datagrid in the code. You will recognise the first DGV from the previous exercises.
'LOAD THE OWNER DATAGRID Private Sub DisplayDataGridViewOwner() DGVOwner.DataSource = Nothing Dim da As SqlDataAdapter = Nothing ' create a dataadapter to pass the data Dim dt As New DataTable 'create a datatable Dim SQL As String = "" Try SQL = "select * from Owner " da = New SqlDataAdapter(SQL, Musicconnection) 'connect in to the DB and get the SQL DGVOwner.DataSource = dt 'pass the datatable data to the DataGridView Musicconnection.Open() 'open a connection to the DB da.Fill(dt) 'fill the datatable from the SQL Musicconnection.Close() 'close the connection Catch ex As Exception
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End Try End Sub
The heart of the Sub is the call to the database the other two DGVs will have a variation on this.
SQL = "select * from Owner "
Add the call to the Sub DisplayDataGridViewOwner() to the end of our LoadDB() Subroutine. So that it loads at start up.
DataGridView Click Event

Double click on the DGVOwner to load the code for the click event. The code is nested in a Try Catch in case you click in a place that doesnt return a value, otherwise it will make an error. The heart of this code is this line which is modified in the code
'Dim value As String = DGVmusic.Rows(e.RowIndex).Cells(e.ColumnIndex).Value
This passes to Value the contents of whatever cell you click on. If you put this line, in your code, a testing line, you can see in the form title the contents of the cell you click on.
Me.Text = "Row : " & e.RowIndex.ToString & " e.ColumnIndex.ToString & " Value = " & value Col : " &
However the problem is that you dont want EVERY cell value, you only want the value of the OwnerID cell to pass it to the next CD Datagrid. The OwnerID is in the 3rd column, Columns start at 0, so its 0, 1, 2. We replace e.ColumnIndex with the cell columns number, of 2.
Ownervalue = DGVOwner.Rows(e.RowIndex).Cells( 2).Value
To get the number of the OwnerID to the next datagrid we pass the value into with a ByVal.
FillWithOwnerCD(Ownervalue)
So adding this to the code passes the OwnerID from the click event to the next datagrid as seen below.
Private Sub FillWithOwnerCD(ByVal Ownervalue)
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Here is the code for the full DataGridView click event.

'CLICK EVENT FOR THE OWNER CELL Private Sub DGVOwner_CellClick(sender As System.Object, e As System.Windows.Forms.DataGridViewCellEventArgs) Handles DGVOwner.CellClick Dim Ownervalue As String Try Ownervalue = DGVOwner.Rows(e.RowIndex).Cells(2).Value If e.RowIndex >= 0 Then show it on the Form bar to check if its working Me.Text = "Row : " & e.RowIndex.ToString & " Col : " & e.ColumnIndex.ToString & " Value = " & Ownervalue 'Fill the next CD DGV with the OwnerID FillWithOwnerCD(Ownervalue) End If Catch End Try End Sub
Note the different line here where it is passing the OwnerID Primary Key to the OwnerID foreign key in the CD table.
Dim SQL As String = "select * from CD where OwnerID = '" & Ownervalue & "' "
'DISPLAY THE CD Fill event Private Sub FillWithOwnerCD(ByVal Ownervalue) DGVmusic.DataSource = Nothing Dim da As SqlDataAdapter = Nothing ' create a dataadapter to pass the data Dim dt As New DataTable 'create a datatable Dim SQL As String = "select * from CD where OwnerID = '" & Ownervalue & "' " da = New SqlDataAdapter(SQL, Musicconnection) 'connect in to the DB and get the SQL DGVmusic.DataSource = dt 'pass the datatable data to the DataGridView Musicconnection.Open() 'open a connection to the DB da.Fill(dt) 'fill the datatable from the SQL Musicconnection.Close() 'close the connection End Sub
Next create the CD click event. Use the click event for the Owner cell and just change the following code as well as change the name of your DataGridView to the one for your CD grid.
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Introduction to VB.Net th
Change the column index to 4, as the field is in the 5 column

value = DGVmusic.Rows(e.RowIndex).Cells(4).Value
Change the call to the Tracks Datagrid to the one below passing the value to that sub
DisplayDataGridViewTracks(value)
Finally create a DataGridview for the Tracks Table. Name it as below and remember to name it with the name of your Tracks DGV in the code.
Private Sub DisplayDataGridViewTracks(ByVal value)
And use the following as the SQL statement.

SQL = "select Trackname from CDTracks where CDID = '" & value & "' "
In this way you have daisy chained together the three datagridviews to create a full application. Finally it would be nice to be able to click on the track and have it play but that is beyond the scope of this program. Resizing Columns to fit contents This seems to be a hit or miss issue but I found
DGVmusic.AutoResizeColumns(DataGridViewAutoSizeColumnsMode.DisplayedCell s)
Or the following to have some success.

DGVmusic.AutoSizeColumnsMode = DataGridViewAutoSizeColumnsMode.DisplayedCells
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Passing data from a DataTable to text boxes for Updating

Get the OwnerID and also get the Firstname and Lastname with the same method earlier by selecting cells in the row and then just pass it to the text box. (Ignore the buttons on the image at this stage only the text boxes are being used. The SQL has been changed to show the values in the image. But you can easily do that)
First use the click event of the Datagridview (in this case the Owners click event) to select the row you need.
Ownervalue = DGVOwner.Rows(e.RowIndex).Cells(2).Value OwnerFN = DGVOwner.Rows(e.RowIndex).Cells(0).Value OwnerLN = DGVOwner.Rows(e.RowIndex).Cells(1).Value
Then pass the values from that row into the text boxes
txtFN.Text = OwnerFN txtLN.Text = OwnerLN TxtOwnerID.Text = Ownervalue
Full code.
'CLICK EVENT FOR THE OWNER CELL Private Sub DGVOwner_CellClick (sender As System.Object, e As System.Windows.Forms.DataGridViewCellEventArgs) Handles DGVOwner.CellClick Dim Ownervalue, OwnerFN, OwnerLN As String Try Ownervalue = DGVOwner.Rows(e.RowIndex).Cells(2).Value OwnerFN = DGVOwner.Rows(e.RowIndex).Cells(0).Value OwnerLN = DGVOwner.Rows(e.RowIndex).Cells(1).Value
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If e.RowIndex >= 0 Then 'Fill the next CD DGV with the OwnerID FillWithOwnerCD(Ownervalue) End If txtFN.Text = OwnerFN txtLN.Text = OwnerLN TxtOwnerID.Text = Ownervalue Catch End Try End Sub
Do the same for the CD and the Tracks DataGridViews INSERT new Data using Parameters Under the Button Click event for the Add Owner this code adds new owners to the list. Note that you cannot add to the Primary key field OwnerID it does that automatically.
'ADD NEW OWNER Private Sub btnAddOwner_Click(sender As System.Object, e As System.EventArgs) Handles btnAddOwner.Click 'only run if there is something in the textboxes If txtFN.Text <> "" And txtLN.Text <> "" Then Try Musicconnection.Open() ' open connection add in the SQL Dim myCommand = New SqlCommand("INSERT INTO Owner (FirstName, LastName) " & "VALUES(@Firstname, @Lastname)") myCommand.Connection = Musicconnection With myCommand.Parameters 'use parameters to prevent SQL injections .AddWithValue("Firstname", txtFN.Text) .AddWithValue("Lastname", txtLN.Text) End With myCommand.ExecuteNonQuery() MsgBox(txtFN.Text & " " & txtLN.Text & " has been inserted successfully") Catch ex As Exception MsgBox(ex.Message()) End Try Musicconnection.Close() 'update the datagrid view to see new entries DisplayDataGridViewOwner() txtFN.Text = "" txtLN.Text = "" Else MsgBox("Fill all the fields") End If End Sub
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Use this as a template for the other Insert commands for the CD and the Tracks tables. In them you will need to know and add the foreign keys for the OwnerID and the CDID for each entry. DELETE Data using Parameters A variation on the INSERT template the delete code only needs the OwnerID2 to delete an entire row.
'DELETE FROM OWNER Private Sub btndeleteOwner_Click(sender As System.Object, e As System.EventArgs) Handles btndeleteOwner.Click 'only run if there is something in the textboxes If TxtOwnerID.Text <> "" Then Try Musicconnection.Open() ' open connection add in the SQL Dim myCommand = New SqlCommand("DELETE FROM Owner WHERE OwnerID2 = @ID") myCommand.Connection = Musicconnection With myCommand.Parameters End With myCommand.ExecuteNonQuery() MsgBox(txtFN.Text & " " & txtLN.Text & " has been deleted successfully") Catch ex As Exception MsgBox(ex.Message()) End Try Musicconnection.Close() 'update the datagrid view to see new entries DisplayDataGridViewOwner() txtFN.Text = "" txtLN.Text = "" TxtOwnerID.Text = "" Else MsgBox("Fill all the fields") End If End Sub 'use parameters to prevent SQL injections .AddWithValue("ID", TxtOwnerID.Text)
Your program may look something like this by now.
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8 March 2013

Introduction to VB.Net 2012

Visual Basic.Net training 2013

Structure Diagrams - Processes, Decisions and Loops ...............................................14

Select Case Statement ................................................................................................31

IF with AND and OR Does the car run? ....................................................................36

Adding images to a Resource file ................................................................................51

Subroutines and Functions ..........................................................................................56

Byref and Byval - Functions - overview........................................................................60

Introduction to VB.Net 2012

Telecom Smart Phone Bill Project .................................................................................... 72

Multichoice test ...........................................................................................................76

Transparent background and automatic shutdown program ........................................81

Loops In VB.Net ..........................................................................................................86

For Each Loop.............................................................................................................94

Password CraCker with loops ...................................................................................109

17. 18. 19.

Background Workers .................................................................................................115

Text to Speech ..........................................................................................................118

22. 23. 24.

Inheritance based Polymorphism ..............................................................................147

Introduction to VB.Net 2012

Importing Text into your Program ..............................................................................155

26. 27. 28.

Using OpenFile Dialog and SaveFile Dialog ..............................................................159

Add Menus and Tool Strip to your project ..................................................................162

Common String Methods ...........................................................................................165

Stringbuilder ..............................................................................................................190 Web interface projects ...............................................................................................192

The DateTime and TimeSpan Types .........................................................................200

Arrays and Collections ..............................................................................................203

Introduction to VB.Net 2012

Permutations and Scrabble finder - incomplete .............................................................. 221

33. 34. 35.

Advanced Search and Sort Algorithms ......................................................................233

Introduction to VB.Net 2012

47. 48. 49.

Using Parameters .....................................................................................................300

Music Database in SQL Management Studio -Relational Database ..........................306

Music Database in Visual Studio ...............................................................................315

Linking DataGridViews to each other ........................................................................317

Introduction to VB.Net 2012

Cheat Sheet for VB.net

Introduction to VB.Net 2012

For Each Loop

Select Case Statement

Links to interesting sites and articles

Friday, 8 March 2013

Microsoft Exam 98-361: Software Development Fundamentals

Understand computer storage and data types.

Understand computer decision structures.

Identify the appropriate method for handling repetition.

Understand error handling.

Understand the fundamentals of classes.

Friday, 8 March 2013

Understand application life cycle management.

Interpret application specifications.

Understand algorithms and data structures.

Understand Web page development.

Understand Microsoft ASP.NET Web application development.

Understand Web hosting.

Understand Web services.

Understand Windows Forms applications.

Friday, 8 March 2013