Displaying label text across multiple lines after reading from a CSV file - vb.net

I am writing a program that reads questions from a CSV file for the user to answer. Once i read from the question CSV file, i store my questions in a list of Question objects. My GUI then displays each question to the user
Public Sub displayQuestion(ByVal x As Integer)
QuizForm.questionLabel.Text = allQuestions(x).qText
End Sub
and they are able to cycle through them via next/previous buttons. Each Question object has an associated string variable representing the question text.
Some questions are simple sentences such as
'Which of the following statements is the MOST valid goal for a test team?'
However, some questions are in the following format:
Which of the following statements are TRUE?
A. Software testing may be required to meet legal or contractual
requirements.
B. Software testing is mainly needed to improve the quality of the
developer’s work.
C. Rigorous testing and fixing of defects found can help reduce the risk of
problems occurring in an operational environment.
D. Rigorous testing is sometimes used to prove that all failures have been
found.
The trouble is, when reading a question text from the CSV file, it must be on one line. This then leads to questions structured like the second example above being displayed on my GUI like this:
Which isn't very user-friendly.
Id like it to be presented like this:
I understand how i would do this by hardcoding vbnewLine into the text, but the questions are all loaded dynamically at run-time.
Any suggestions to how i my go about this?

Just add a vbNewLine at the end of your subroutine:
Public Sub displayQuestion(ByVal x As Integer)
QuizForm.questionLabel.Text = allQuestions(x).qText & vbNewLine()
End Sub
Don't make it harder on yourself then need be. Append a new line at the end of your Question String, nothing wrong with this.

Related

Splitting large code into Modules to Call

My end goal was to generate text into a TextBox (let's call it TextBox06) based on the values inserted into a series of Textboxes -- let's name them TextBox01, TextBox02, TextBox03, TextBox04, TextBox05. These TextBoxes are in a Userform (let's call it Userform01).
These TextBoxes can have a lot of different values and combinations (over 50 values each, and depending on which order the values are placed in the textboxes there will be a different output). Moral of the story: code probably works, but gives "procedure too large" error with no real way around it (pretty sure I have shrunk the code as much as possible, but there just aren't any more generic statements that repeat, and most of it must be a bruteforce-style method of inserting most of the combinations individually).
So I went looking on the internet for a way to split the code. I tried using the "call procedure" feature. What I did was:
I created two new Modules (Module01 and Module02) in the same "project".
I split the big code half in Module01, and half in Module02. The Modules' content is something like this:
Sub Module01()
[half the code]
End Sub
I wrote the following lines of code in each sub of the textboxes involved (this is in Userform01).
Private Sub TextBox01_Change()
Application.Run ("Module01")
Application.Run ("Module02")
End Sub
[Then five more copies for Private Sub TextBox02_Change () until Private Sub TextBox06_Change () included]
Assuming this is even the correct way of doing it, I then hit a roadblock. Apparently, copy-pasting the big code in Module01 and Module02 wasn't enough. From what I understood, the program doesn't seem to understand what the TextBox01.Text (and the like) values in the code are. So I tried looking for a solution to THAT, and found several possible codes, none of which seems to have worked so far. The one that I currently have is this:
Sub Module01()
Dim Text01 As String
Set Text01 = TextBox01.Text
[repeat for Text02 to Text06 included]
[half the code]
End Sub
[repeat for Module02 with the other half of the code]
Assuming that I'm even on the right track when it comes to properly using the "call" function, what is the proper way to make this work (i.e. how do I correctly reference the TextBox01.Text content in the Module, so I can then call the Modules in the Userform01) ?

Match Words and Add Quantities vb.net

I am trying to program a way to read a text file and match all the values and their quantites. For example if the text file is like this:
Bread-10 Flour-2 Orange-2 Bread-3
I want to create a list with the total quantity of all the common words. I began my code, but I am having trouble understanding to to sum the values. I'm not asking for anyone to write the code for me but I am having trouble finding resources. I have the following code:
Dim query = From data In IO.File.ReadAllLines("C:\User\Desktop\doc.txt")
Let name As String = data.Split("-")(0)
Let quantity As Integer = CInt(data.Split("-")(1))
Let sum As Integer = 0
For i As Integer = 0 To query.Count - 1
For j As Integer = i To
Next
Thanks
Ok, lets break this down. And I not seen the LET command used for a long time (back in the GWBASIC days!).
But, that's ok.
So, first up, we going to assume your text file is like this:
Bread-10
Flour-2
Orange-2
Bread-3
As opposed to this:
Bread-10 Flour-2 Orange-2 Bread-3
Now, we could read one line, and then process the information. Or we can read all lines of text, and THEN process the data. If the file is not huge (say a few 100 lines), then performance is not much of a issue, so lets just read in the whole file in one shot (and your code also had this idea).
Your start code is good. So, lets keep it (well ok, very close).
A few things:
We don't need the LET for assignment. While older BASIC languages had this, and vb.net still supports this? We don't need it. (but you will see examples of that still floating around in vb.net - especially for what we call "class" module code, or "custom classes". But again lets just leave that for another day.
Now the next part? We could start building up a array, look for the existing value, and then add it. However, this would require a few extra arrays, and a few extra loops.
However, in .net land, we have a cool thing called a dictionary.
And that's just a fancy term of for a collection VERY much like an array, but it has some extra "fancy" features. The fancy feature is that it allows one to put into the handly list things by a "key" name, and then pull that "value" out by the key.
This saves us a good number of extra looping type of code.
And it also means we don't need a array for the results.
This key system is ALSO very fast (behind the scene it uses some cool concepts - hash coding).
So, our code to do this would look like this:
Note I could have saved a few lines here or there - but that would make this code hard to read.
Given that you look to have Fortran, or older BASIC language experience, then lets try to keep the code style somewhat similar. it is stunning that vb.net seems to consume even 40 year old GWBASIC type of syntax here.
Do note that arrays() in vb.net do have some fancy "find" options, but the dictionary structure is even nicer. It also means we can often traverse the results with out say needing a for i = 1 to end of array, and having to pull out values that way.
We can use for each.
So this would work:
Dim MyData() As String ' an array() of strings - one line per array
MyData = File.ReadAllLines("c:\test5\doc.txt") ' read each line to array()
Dim colSums As New Dictionary(Of String, Integer) ' to hold our values and sum them
Dim sKey As String
Dim sValue As Integer
For Each strLine As String In MyData
sKey = Split(strLine, "-")(0)
sValue = Split(strLine, "-")(1)
If colSums.ContainsKey(sKey) Then
colSums(sKey) = colSums(sKey) + sValue
Else
colSums.Add(sKey, sValue)
End If
Next
' display results
Dim KeyPair As KeyValuePair(Of String, Integer)
For Each KeyPair In colSums
Debug.Print(KeyPair.Key & " = " & KeyPair.Value)
Next
The above results in this output in the debug window:
Bread = 13
Flour = 2
Orange = 2
I was tempted here to write this code using just pure array() in vb.net, as that would give you a good idea of the "older" types of coding and syntax we could use here, and a approach that harks all the way back to those older PC basic systems.
While the dictionary feature is more advanced, it is worth the learning curve here, and it makes this problem a lot easier. I mean, if this was for a longer list? Then I would start to consider introduction of some kind of data base system.
However, without some data system, then the dictionary feature is a welcome approach due to that "key" value lookup ability, and not having to loop. It also a very high speed system, so the result is not much looping code, and better yet we write less code.

Clipboard data sort - Colon sorting issue

I asked a question on Stack Overflow a few days ago asking for a solution for copying email support forms and pasting the data into the appropriate text fields on a form. I got an answer which solved my problem - until I went to go use the tool and realized a problem.
I am using this code:
'Service Plan Description
For i = 0 To lines.Count - 1
If lines(i).StartsWith("Service Plan Desc. :") Then
StartLine = i
Exit For
End If
Next
tbx_ServicePlanDescription.Text = lines(StartLine).Split(":"c)(1).Trim 'Put sorted data into textbox
And when I copy the following text into the clipboard to test the Service Plan textbox:
Maint:AbloEnterprise S/W AddOn (5)
It only pastes 'Maint' in the textbox because the code purposely removes the colons.
So my question is: What would be a way to overcome this?
I used the Split(Char[], Int32) method to limit how many parts the split would split the string into, as suggested in the comments, like this:
tbx_ServicePlanDescription.Text = lines(StartLine).Split({":"c}, 2)(1).Trim()

Adding a reference for any user

I am struggling with references in my VBA project. In order to use my Drag and Drop function, I need to add the following reference to my workbook: Microsoft Windows Common Controls 6.0 (SP6). This reference has got the following location : C:\Windows\system32\MSCOMCTL.OCX.
I would like to make sure that for any user using my specific workbook, the reference won't be missing. I have seen many tutorials about it and could "easily" add a reference, but I would like to understand precisely what I am doing and choose the best solution. I have several questions:
Late binding, Early Biding, AddFromFile, AddFromGUI
In those two topics (1 and 2), I read many things about references. The problem is I really do not know which option fits the best to my particular case.
My reference has already been added manually. Should I code something in order to be sure it is not missing when the code runs?
About adding a reference : Which option between those four is the best? I am hesitating between AddFromFile and Late Binding.
Let's suppose I choose AddFromFile or Late Binding. I cannot manage to Print my reference's name! How do you know that Microsoft VBScript Regular Expressions 5.5's .Name is VBScript_RegExp_55? I tried the code in this topic but it does not work (Must have done something wrong...).
"Universal" Path to my reference
I am very pessimistic and I was wondering: are references always stored at the same location? Let's suppose a user uses my specific workbook and hasn't got the reference it needs for the Drag and Drop function. He/She would need to add MSCOMCTL.OCX from C:\Windows\system32\.
Are references always stored at the same location?
If not, how can I overcome that? Changing the path to something like the following?
Sub mySub()
Dim sRef, sPath As String
sRef = "MSCOMCTL.OCX"
sPath = Environ("Windir") & "\system32\" & sRef
End Sub
Thank you in advance for your answers and sorry if things are crystal clear and already answered in other posts, I may have missed it.

How do I use Google.GData.Client.AtomLinkCollection.FindService method to get the list of worksheets in a Google Spreadsheet?

I'm trying to write code that talks to Google Spreadsheets. We do a bunch of processing on our end and then pass data out to our client into this spreadsheet and I want to automate it. This seems like it should be easy.
On this page, Google says "Given a SpreadsheetEntry you've already retrieved, you can print a list of all worksheets in this spreadsheet as follows:"
AtomLink link = entry.Links.FindService(GDataSpreadsheetsNameTable.WorksheetRel, null);
WorksheetQuery query = new WorksheetQuery(link.HRef.ToString());
WorksheetFeed feed = service.Query(query);
foreach (WorksheetEntry worksheet in feed.Entries)
{
Console.WriteLine(worksheet.Title.Text);
}
Following along at home, I start with:
Dim link As AtomLink = Entry.Links.FindService(GDataSpreadsheetsNameTable.WorksheetRel, "")
Dim wsq As New WorksheetQuery(link.HRef.ToString)
and when execution gets to that second line, I find that "Object reference not set to instance of an object." The FindService method is returning nothing. And when I look at GDataSpreadsheetsNameTable.WorksheetRel, it's a constant value of "http://schemas.google.com/spreadsheets/2006#worksheetsfeed"
I'm not really at the point where I even grok what it wants to be doing. E.g., what's a feed? Is a worksheet really what I think it is based on Excel nomenclature? That kind of stuff. But I see a couple of things that might be causing my issue:
The C# method call "...FindService(GDataSpreadsheetsNameTable.WorksheetRel, null);" I'm not sure about that null. It demands a string, so I used "" in my VB, but I'm not sure that's right.
That schemas.google.com URI doesn't seem to be live. At least, if I punch it into a browser, I get server not found. But again, I don't exactly know what it's trying to do.
So, any thoughts? Anyone have VB code that reads Google Spreadsheets and time to instruct a newbie? I'm surprised to find that there's essentially no useful sample code floating around the net.
Thanks for reading!
So, of course, right after I posted this I found some inspiration over here. Manually iterating across the collections works just fine, even if it's not the preferred way to do this. I'm still keen to hear info from others related to this, so feel encouraged to help out even though I'm maybe over this one hurdle.
For Each Entry In mySprShFeed.Entries
If Entry.Title.Text = "spreadsheetNameSought" Then
For Each link As AtomLink In Entry.Links
If link.Rel = GDataSpreadsheetsNameTable.WorksheetRel Then
Dim wsf As WorksheetFeed = service.Query(New WorksheetQuery(link.HRef.ToString))
For Each worksheet In wsf.Entries
Console.WriteLine(worksheet.Title.Text)
Next
End If
Next
End If
Next