Making an array of string in VB - arrays

I'm trying to make an array of string, but can't get it to run correctly. Here is what I have.
Public Class Form1
Dim wordArray() As String
Private Sub Button1_Click(sender As Object, e As EventArgs) Handles Button1.Click
'increase the size of string array by one, by setting the new upperBound at the current Length
'use Preserve so that string currently in the array are not overwritten with Nothing
ReDim Preserve wordArray(wordArray.Length)
'use an TextBox to get the name of the new string from the user
'assign this name (which is a String) to the last element of the string array
wordArray(wordArray.GetUpperBound(0)) = TextBox2.Text
End Sub
End Class
Any help will be appreciated, thank you.

How about a List(Of String)? No ReDim required here.
Private wordList As New List(Of String)
Private Sub Button1_Click(sender As Object, e As EventArgs) Handles Button1.Click
wordList.Add(textbox2.Text)
End Sub

For Fixed-size array:
Dim strCDRack(0 to 2) As String
strCDRack(0) = "Deftones"
strCDRack(1) = "Tool"
strCDRack(2) = "Disturbed"
For Dynamic array:
Dim strCDRack() As String
ReDim strCDRack(0 to 2) As String
strCDRack(0) = "Deftones"
strCDRack(1) = "Tool"
strCDRack(2) = "Disturbed"
For expanding the Dynamic array:
Dim strCDRack() As String
ReDim strCDRack(0 to 2) As String
strCDRack(0) = "Deftones"
strCDRack(1) = "Tool"
strCDRack(2) = "Disturbed"
ReDim Preserve strCDRack(0 to 3) As String
strCDRack(3) = "Charlotte Church"
For more info about VB arrays checkout this link..

Use a list!
Dim StringArray As New List(Of [String])()
And in the click handler:
StringArray.Add(TextBox1.Text)

You should use Collections here like List(Of String), it grows as the number of element grows. No need to maintain size yourself. Also the problem might at your end is, when you ReDim try to increase your array size.
ReDim Preserve wordArray(wordArray.Length + 1)

Related

Visual Basic code works but is inelegant - any suggestions?

I am trying to stay ahead of my Year 12 Software class. Starting to work with records and arrays. I have answered the question, but the solution feels very clunky. I am hoping someone has suggestions/links for completing this task in a more efficient way.
The task: read in lines from a text file and into a structure, and then loop through that, populating four list boxes if an animal hasn't been vaccinated.
Here's the code:
Imports System.IO
Public Class Form1
'Set up the variables - customer record, total pets not vaccinated, total records in the file, and a streamreader for the file.
Structure PetsRecord
Dim custName As String
Dim address As String
Dim petType As String
Dim vacced As String
End Structure
Dim totNotVac As Integer
Dim totalRecCount As Integer
Dim PetFile As IO.StreamReader
Private Sub Form1_Load(sender As Object, e As EventArgs) Handles MyBase.Load
End Sub
Private Sub btnLoad_Click(sender As Object, e As EventArgs) Handles btnLoad.Click
'set an array of records to store each record as it comes in. Limitation: you need to know how many records in the file. Set the array at 15 to allow for adding more in later.
Dim PetArray(15) As PetsRecord
'variables that let me read in a line and split it into sections.
Dim lineoftext As String
Dim i As Integer
Dim arytextfile() As String
'tell them what text file to read
PetFile = New IO.StreamReader("patients.txt")
totNotVac = 0
Try
totalRecCount = 0
' read each line in and split the lines into fields for the records. Then assign the fields from the array. Finally, reset the array and loop.
Do Until PetFile.Peek = -1
'read in a line of text
lineoftext = PetFile.ReadLine()
'split that line into bits separated by commas. these will go into the array.
arytextfile = lineoftext.Split(",")
'dunno whether this is the best way to do it, but stick the array bits into the record, and then clear the array to start again.
PetArray(totalRecCount).custName = arytextfile(0)
PetArray(totalRecCount).address = arytextfile(1)
PetArray(totalRecCount).petType = arytextfile(2)
PetArray(totalRecCount).vacced = arytextfile(3)
totalRecCount += 1
Array.Clear(arytextfile, 0, arytextfile.Length)
Loop
For i = 0 To PetArray.GetUpperBound(0)
If PetArray(i).vacced = "No" Then
lstVaccinated.Items.Add(PetArray(i).vacced)
lstCustomer.Items.Add(PetArray(i).custName)
lstAddress.Items.Add(PetArray(i).address)
lstPetType.Items.Add(PetArray(i).petType)
totNotVac += 1
lblVacTotal.Text = "The total number of unvaccinated animals is " & CStr(totNotVac)
End If
Next
Catch ex As Exception
MsgBox("Something went wrong with the file")
End Try
PetFile.Close()
End Sub
Private Sub btnExit_Click(sender As Object, e As EventArgs) Handles btnExit.Click
Close()
End Sub
End Class
And one line from the patient.txt file:
Richard Gere,16 Sunset Blvd,Gerbil,No
I hope this isn't out of place.
Regards,
Damian
If you want to use Streams be aware that they need to be disposed.
File.ReadAllLines returns an array of lines. Since the array is initialized where it is declared we don't need to specify a size.
If you use List(Of T) you do not have to know in advance the number of elements in the list. Avoids the limitation of array.
Using a For Each avoids having to use the size. The small c following "," tells the compiler that this is a Char which is what .Split is expecting. If you had Option Strict On, which you always should, you would have seen an error. You add items to the list by creating a New PetsRecord. The parametrized Sub New receives the values and sets the properties.
Don't change the display in the label on each iteration. Use an interpolated string (preceded by a $) which allows embedded variables surrounded by braces { }. It is not necessary to change the number to a string as it is implied by the interpolator. (Available in VS2015 and later)
Public Structure PetsRecord
Public Property custName As String
Public Property address As String
Public Property petType As String
Public Property vacced As String
Public Sub New(name As String, add As String, pType As String, vac As String)
custName = name
address = add
petType = pType
vacced = vac
End Sub
End Structure
Private Sub btnLoad_Click(sender As Object, e As EventArgs) Handles btnLoad.Click
Dim lines = File.ReadAllLines("patients.txt")
Dim lstPet As New List(Of PetsRecord)
For Each line In lines
Dim splits = line.Split(","c)
lstPet.Add(New PetsRecord(splits(0), splits(1), splits(2), splits(3)))
Next
Dim totNotVac As Integer
For Each pet In lstPet
If pet.vacced = "No" Then
lstVaccinated.Items.Add(pet.vacced)
lstCustomer.Items.Add(pet.custName)
lstAddress.Items.Add(pet.address)
lstPetType.Items.Add(pet.petType)
totNotVac += 1
End If
Next
lblVacTotal.Text = $"The total number of unvaccinated animals is {totNotVac}"
End Sub
If you don't need the 'PetsRecord' array to store data, take a look at the following code:
Dim totNotVac As Integer
Private Sub btnLoad_Click(sender As Object, e As EventArgs) Handles btnLoad.Click
File.ReadAllLines("your text file path").ToList().ForEach(Sub(x)
lstVaccinated.Items.Add(x.Split(","c)(0))
lstCustomer.Items.Add(x.Split(","c)(1))
lstAddress.Items.Add(x.Split(","c)(2))
lstPetType.Items.Add(x.Split(","c)(3))
totNotVac += 1
End Sub)
lblVacTotal.Text = "The total number of unvaccinated animals is " & CStr(totNotVac)
End Sub

Storing & recovering 2-dimensional Array in a Class

I just recently moved from VB6 to VB.NET and I'm recoding an old app. So I'm pretty unexperienced with .NET so far.
I have multiple (lets say 4 in this code example) twodimensional string arrays (or actually an array of arrays) which I want to store as a ComboBox items ie. one twodimensional array is one item.
Public Class MyItem
Private sName As String
Private sArr As Array()
Public Sub New(ByVal Name As String, ParamArray Arr As Array())
sName = Name
sArr = Arr
End Sub
Public Property Arr() As Array()
Get
Return sArr
End Get
Set(ByVal sValue As Array())
sArr = sValue
End Set
End Property
Public Overrides Function ToString() As String
Return sName
End Function
End Class
---
Dim sMyArray as Array()
For i As Integer = 0 to 3
sMyArray = Nothing ' resetting the array before refilling it
'
' No code here but filling sMyArray by reading a text file, each line
' number as dim 1 and splitted each line into dim 2 with ";" using Split(sRead, ";")
' so Debub.Print(sMyArray(0)(0)) prints the beginning of the first line until first ";" <- this works fine
'
' Then passing sMyArray to a ComboBox item
'
ComboBox.Items.Add(New MyItem("item" & i, sMyArray))
Next i
The problem is that when recovering the arrays from ComboCox items only the last ComboBox item has array data. So for example
Dim sMyNewArray As Array() = ComboBox.Items.Item(0).Arr
Debug.Print(sMyNewArray(0)(0))
throws an error while
Dim sMyNewArray As Array() = ComboBox.Items.Item(3).Arr
Debug.Print(UBound(sMyNewArray(UBound(sMyNewArray))))
does not and prints the last item's last row's ubound
Can anyone figure out what is it I'm missing or tell me a better way to do this? I'm pretty sure there is one..
I'm not 100% sure, but I think the problem is in this section:
Dim sMyArray as Array()
For i As Integer = 0 to 3
sMyArray = Nothing ' resetting the array before refilling it
Arrays are technically reference types, but like strings, there's some extra compiler magic to make them feel at times more like value types, and I have a sense in this case the actual sMyArray reference was used (perhaps because of a ParamArrays optimzation), such that setting it to Nothing broke things. The more idiomatic way to write this code for .Net it like this:
For i As Integer = 0 to 3
Dim sMyArray as Array()
.Net has a much more sophisticated garbage collector than was available for VB6. We don't often set variables to Nothing any more, but instead just re-assign them or let them fall out of scope. In fact, setting a variable to Nothing can in rare cases be actively harmful. Moreover, we want to see the Dim keyword inside the loop, so you're working with a different variable on each iteration, with the smallest possible scope.
While I'm here, in .Net we pretty much never use the base Array type. Instead of this:
Private sArr As Array()
You pretty much always do this:
Private arr As String()()
or this, for true two-dimensional (non-jagged) arrays:
Private arr As String(,)
or, best of all, this:
Private arr As New List(Of String())
Since VB.Net has more collection types than just array.
Also, I don't have the link handy, but Microsoft's coding guidelines now explicitly ask you not to use hungarian warts for variable and class names (so sArr can just be arr). This is a change from the VB6 era because of changes to the language where the type is more likely to be implicit with the variable and improvements to the tooling, where the prefixes usually no longer add much utility and have been shown to hurt readability.
Not really sure why you have a 2 dimensional array, but here is a small sample NOT using the Array type. It uses just plain strings and string arrays. Let me know if this helps. This splits a few strings, then reads out the results after populating.
Public Class Form1
Private Sub Form1_Load(sender As Object, e As EventArgs) Handles MyBase.Load
Dim sMyArray()() As String
Dim line1 As String = "a;b;c;d 1;2;3;4;5"
Dim line2 As String = "z;x;y;w 99;65;32;21;18"
sMyArray = ParseString(line1)
cboBox1.Items.Add(New MyItem("System0", sMyArray))
sMyArray = ParseString(line2)
cboBox1.Items.Add(New MyItem("System1", sMyArray))
For i As Integer = 0 To cboBox1.Items.Count - 1
For j As Integer = 0 To UBound(cboBox1.Items(i).arr)
For k As Integer = 0 To UBound(cboBox1.Items(i).arr(j))
Debug.Write(cboBox1.Items(i).arr(j)(k) & " ")
Next
Next
Debug.WriteLine("")
Next
End Sub
Private Function ParseString(s As String) As String()()
Dim rows As String() = s.Split(" ")
Dim matrix As String()() = New String(rows.Length - 1)() {}
For i As Integer = 0 To rows.Length - 1
matrix(i) = rows(i).Split(";")
Next
Return matrix
End Function
End Class
Public Class MyItem
Private sName As String
Private sArr As String()()
Public Sub New(ByVal Name As String, ByVal ParamArray Arr As String()())
sName = Name
sArr = Arr
End Sub
Public Property Arr() As String()()
Get
Return sArr
End Get
Set(ByVal sValue As String()())
sArr = sValue
End Set
End Property
Public Overrides Function ToString() As String
Return sName
End Function
End Class

ReDim doesn't reduce array

If this is a duplicate, sorry, I did search first, though.
Visual Basic 2013, the assignment is specific to arrays so I can't use lists. Add items to array and remove them, ReDim will enlarge it but not reduce it. The code:
Private Strings(-1) As String
Private Sub AddButton_Click(sender As Object, e As EventArgs) Handles AddButton.Click
ReDim Preserve Strings(Strings.Length)
Strings(Strings.Length - 1) = TextBox.Text
ShowStrings()
TextBox.Text = ""
Label.Text = Strings.Length
End Sub
Private Sub RemoveButton_Click(sender As Object, e As EventArgs) Handles RemoveButton.Click
Dim length As Integer = Strings.Length - 1
Dim what As Integer = ListBox.SelectedIndex
Do While what < length
Strings(what) = Strings(what + 1)
what = what + 1
Loop
ReDim Preserve Strings(length)
Label.Text = Strings.Length
ShowStrings()
End Sub
As I said, the ReDim in AddButton successfully enlarges the array, the in RemoveButton's ReDim does not shrink the array. I tried it without the Preserve, same problem, so that's not it.
Thanks for any ideas. Again, I realize this isn't the optimal solution (heck, if this wasn't for a homework about arrays, I'd just use ListBox's methods), so let's stay within the parameters, please.
Change
ReDim Preserve Strings(length)
to
ReDim Preserve Strings(length - 1)

Visual Basic Issue getting listbox to populate from text file

I am stuck and have tried re-writing my code multiple times and cannot figure out a solution. The application has a text file containing items and prices in a sequential access file. The app should display the price corresponding with the item when it is selected from the list box. Each line in the text file contains the item's number followed by a comma and then the price.
I need to define a structure named item. The structure has 2 member variables, a string to store the item number and a decimal storing the price. I also need to declare a class level array with 5 item structure variables. The load even should read the items and prices and store this info in the class-level array. Then it should add the item numbers to the list box.
This is what I have so far but nothing is working.
Option Explicit On
Option Strict On
Option Infer Off
Public Class frmMain
'declare structure with 2 member variables
Structure Item
Public strItemNum As String
Public decPrice As Decimal
End Structure
'declare array for 5 item structure variables
Private items(4) As Item
Private Sub btnExit_Click(sender As Object, e As EventArgs) Handles btnExit.Click
Me.Close()
End Sub
Private Sub frmMain_Load(sender As Object, e As EventArgs) Handles Me.Load
'declare variables
Dim inFile As IO.StreamReader
Dim strLineofText As String
Dim intSub As Integer
'check if the file exists
If IO.File.Exists("ItemInfo.txt") Then
'open the file
inFile = IO.File.OpenText("ItemInfo.txt")
'read the file
Do Until inFile.Peek = -1 OrElse
intSub = items.Length
strLineofText = inFile.ReadLine.Trim
'add item to list box
lstNumbers.Items.Add(items(intSub).strItemNum)
Loop
'close the file
inFile.Close()
Else
MessageBox.Show("Can't find the ItemInfo.txtfile",
"Kensington Industries",
MessageBoxButtons.OK,
MessageBoxIcon.Information)
End If
End Sub
Private Sub lstNumbers_SelectedIndexChanged(sender As Object, e As EventArgs) Handles lstNumbers.SelectedIndexChanged
lblPrice.Text = items(lstNumbers.SelectedIndex).decPrice.ToString("C2")
End Sub
End Class
I think that you need to change the name of Structure. Item can be used in another references.
Try to change the name to itemstr (for example)
Do Until inFile.Peek = -1 OrElse
intSub = items.Length
strLineofText = inFile.ReadLine.Trim
'add item to list box
Dim arr As String() = str.Split(","C)
Dim valitem As New itemstr()
valitem.text = arr(0)
valitem.value = Convert.ToDecimal(arr(1))
lstNumbers.Items.Add(valitem)
Loop
Thanks everyone. I ended up starting over again and trying something different that works finally!
Option Explicit On
Option Strict On
Option Infer Off
Public Class frmMain
'declare structure
Structure Item
Public strItemNum As String
Public decPrice As Decimal
End Structure
'declare class level array
Public itemList(4) As Item
Private Sub btnExit_Click(sender As Object, e As EventArgs) Handles btnExit.Click
Me.Close()
End Sub
Private Sub frmMain_Load(sender As Object, e As EventArgs) Handles Me.Load
'declare variables
Dim inFile As IO.StreamReader
Dim strLineOfText As String
Dim decPrice As Decimal
Dim strInfo(4, 1) As String
'check to see if the file exists
If IO.File.Exists("ItemInfo.txt") Then
'open the file
inFile = IO.File.OpenText("ItemInfo.txt")
For intRow As Integer = 0 To strInfo.GetUpperBound(0)
'read the line
strLineOfText = inFile.ReadLine
'assign substring from comma to first coloumn
strInfo(intRow, 0) = strLineOfText.Substring(0, strLineOfText.IndexOf(","))
Dim intSep As Integer = strLineOfText.IndexOf(",") + 1
'assign substring after comma to 2nd column
strInfo(intRow, 1) = strLineOfText.Substring(intSep)
'assign first column value to strItemNum variable
itemList(intRow).strItemNum = (strInfo(intRow, 0))
Decimal.TryParse(strInfo(intRow, 1), decPrice)
'assign 2nd columnn value to decPrice variable
itemList(intRow).decPrice = decPrice
'add item to listbox
lstNumbers.Items.Add(itemList(intRow).strItemNum)
Next intRow
'clost the file
inFile.Close()
Else
'error message if file cannot be found
MessageBox.Show("Can't find the ItemInfo.txtfile",
"Kensington Industries",
MessageBoxButtons.OK,
MessageBoxIcon.Information)
End If
End Sub
Private Sub lstNumbers_SelectedIndexChanged(ByVal sender As Object, ByVal e As EventArgs) Handles lstNumbers.SelectedIndexChanged
'display the price
lblPrice.Text = itemList(lstNumbers.SelectedIndex).decPrice.ToString("C2")
End Sub
End Class

Null Reference Exception - Read from CSV

I have to code a WPF application for college which reads from a csv file. I get a null reference exception when I want to output the parts of the CSV lines into arrays. You can find the line where the error happens in commentary. Here is the code.
Imports System.Windows.Forms
Imports System.IO
Imports System.Globalization
Class MainWindow
Private foldername As String
Private arrGemeenten As String()
Private arrOppervlakte As Double()
Private arrInwoners As Integer()
Private arrDeelgemeenten As Integer()
Private Sub cboProvincie_SelectionChanged(ByVal sender As System.Object, ByVal e As System.Windows.Controls.SelectionChangedEventArgs) Handles cboProvincie.SelectionChanged
CSVInlezen()
End Sub
Private Sub MainWindow_Loaded(ByVal sender As Object, ByVal e As System.Windows.RoutedEventArgs) Handles Me.Loaded
FileBrowserAanmaken()
comboBoxVullen()
End Sub
Private Sub comboBoxVullen()
For Each file As String In IO.Directory.GetFiles(foldername)
If file.EndsWith(".csv") Then
Dim filenaam As String = System.IO.Path.GetFileNameWithoutExtension(file)
cboProvincie.Items.Add(filenaam)
End If
Next
End Sub
Private Sub FileBrowserAanmaken()
'folderbrowserdialog aanmaken
Dim fbd As New FolderBrowserDialog
fbd.SelectedPath = AppDomain.CurrentDomain.BaseDirectory
' Show the FolderBrowserDialog.
Dim result As DialogResult = fbd.ShowDialog()
If (result = Forms.DialogResult.OK) Then
foldername = fbd.SelectedPath
End If
End Sub
Private Sub CSVInlezen()
Dim filepath As String = foldername & "\" & cboProvincie.SelectedValue & ".csv"
If File.Exists(filepath) Then
fileInlezenHulpMethode(filepath)
End If
End Sub
Private Sub fileInlezenHulpMethode(ByVal path As String)
'declarations
Dim sr As New StreamReader(path)
Dim iTeller As Integer = 0
Dim arrLijn As String()
Dim culture As New System.Globalization.CultureInfo("nl-BE")
'eerste lijn meteen uitlezen, dit zijn kolomkoppen en hebben we niet nodig
'read out first line, these are titles and we don't need them
sr.ReadLine()
Do While sr.Peek <> -1
Dim lijn As String = sr.ReadLine()
arrLijn = lijn.Split(";")
arrGemeenten(iTeller) = Convert.ToString(arrLijn(0)) 'HERE I GET THE ERROR!
arrOppervlakte(iTeller) = Double.Parse(arrLijn(2), NumberStyles.AllowDecimalPoint, culture.NumberFormat)
arrInwoners(iTeller) = Integer.Parse(arrLijn(3), NumberStyles.Integer Or NumberStyles.AllowThousands, culture.NumberFormat)
arrDeelgemeenten(iTeller) = Convert.ToString(arrLijn(4))
Loop
End Sub
End Class
You haven't created the array, you have only created a reference for it. To create the array you need to specify a size, for example:
Private arrGemeenten As String(100)
However, to specify the size, you need to know the size when you create the array. (Well, actually you put all data in the first item, so just the size 1 would keep it from crashing, but I don't thing that's what you intended.) You probably want to use lists instead:
Private gemeenten As New List(Of String)()
Then you use the Add method to add items to the list:
gemeenten.Add(Convert.ToString(arrLijn(0)))
Also, consider putting the data in a single list of a custom object, instead of having several lists of loosely coupled data.

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