Database Lookup From ComboBox selection - sql

Question

I have a question about database values and how to determine the id of a value that has been changed by the user at some point.
As it is currently set up there is a combobox that is populated from a dataset, and subsequent text boxes whose text should be determined by the value chosen from that combobox.
So let's say for example you select 'Company A' from the combobox, I would like all the corresponding information from that company's row in the dataset to fill the textboxes (Name = Company A, Address = 123 ABC St., etc.,)
I am able to populate the combobox just fine. It is only however when I change the index of the combobox that this specific error occurs:
An unhandled exception of type 'System.Data.OleDb.OleDbException'
occurred in System.Data.dll
Additional information: Data type mismatch in criteria expression.
Here is the corresponding code:
Imports System.Data.OleDb
Public Class CustomerContact
Dim cn As New OleDbConnection("Provider=Microsoft.ACE.OLEDB.12.0;Data Source=|datadirectory|\CentralDatabase.accdb;")
Dim da As New OleDbDataAdapter()
Dim dt As New DataTable()
Private Sub CustomerContact_Load(sender As Object, e As EventArgs) Handles MyBase.Load
cn.Open()
da.SelectCommand = New OleDbCommand("select * from Customers", cn)
da.Fill(dt)
Dim r As DataRow
For Each r In dt.Rows
cboVendorName.Items.Add(r("Name").ToString)
cboVendorName.ValueMember = "ID"
Next
cn.Close()
End Sub
Private Sub cboVendorName_SelectedIndexChanged(sender As Object, e As EventArgs) Handles cboVendorName.SelectedIndexChanged
cn.Open()
da.SelectCommand = New OleDbCommand("select * from Customers WHERE id='" & cboVendorName.SelectedValue & "'", cn)
da.Fill(dt)
Dim r As DataRow
For Each r In dt.Rows
txtNewName.Text = "Name"
txtAddress.Text = "Address"
Next
cn.Close()
End Sub
The error is caught at Line 24 of this code, at the second da.Fill(dt) . Now obviously from the exception I know that I am sending in a wrong datatype into the OleDbCommand, unfortunately I am a novice when it comes to SQL commands such as this. Also please keep in mind that I can't even test the second For loop, the one that is supposed to fill the Customer information into textboxes (for convenience I only copied the first two textboxes, of which there are nine in total). I am think I could use an If statement to determine if the row has been read, and from there populate the textboxes, but I will jump that hurdle when I can reach it.
Any guidance or suggestions would be much appreciated. Again I am a novice at managing a database and the code in question pertains to the project my current internship is having me write for them.

Answer 1

Since you already have all the data from that table in a DataTable, you dont need to run a query at all. Setup in form load (if you must):
' form level object:
Private ignore As Boolean
Private dtCust As New DataTable
...
Dim SQL As String = "SELECT Id, Name, Address, City FROM Customer"
Using dbcon = GetACEConnection()
Using cmd As New OleDbCommand(SQL, dbcon)
dbcon.Open()
dtCust.Load(cmd.ExecuteReader)
End Using
End Using
' pk required for Rows.Find
ignore = True
dtCust.PrimaryKey = New DataColumn() {dtCust.Columns(0)}
cboCust.DataSource = dtCust
cboCust.DisplayMember = "Name"
cboCust.ValueMember = "Id"
ignore = False
The ignore flag will allow you to ignore the first change that fires as a result of the DataSource being set. This will fire before the Display and Value members are set.
Preliminary issues/changes:
Connections are meant to be created, used and disposed of. This is slightly less true of Access, but still a good practice. Rather than connection strings everywhere, the GetACEConnection method creates them for me. The code is in this answer.
In the interest of economy, rather than a DataAdapter just to fill the table, I used a reader
The Using statements create and dispose of the Command object as well. Generally, if an object has a Dispose method, put it in a Using block.
I spelled out the columns for the SQL. If you don't need all the columns, dont ask for them all. Specifying them also allows me to control the order (display order in a DGV, reference columns by index - dr(1) = ... - among other things).
The important thing is that rather than adding items to the cbo, I used that DataTable as the DataSource for the combo. ValueMember doesn't do anything without a DataSource - which is the core problem you had. There was no DataSource, so SelectedValue was always Nothing in the event.
Then in SelectedValueChanged event:
Private Sub cboCust_SelectedValueChanged(sender As Object,
e As EventArgs) Handles cboCust.SelectedValueChanged
' ignore changes during form load:
If ignore Then Exit Sub
Dim custId = Convert.ToInt32(cboCust.SelectedValue)
Dim dr = dtCust.Rows.Find(custId)
Console.WriteLine(dr("Id"))
Console.WriteLine(dr("Name"))
Console.WriteLine(dr("Address"))
End Sub
Using the selected value, I find the related row in the DataTable. Find returns that DataRow (or Nothing) so I can access all the other information. Result:
4
Gautier
sdfsdfsdf
Another alternative would be:
Dim rows = dtCust.Select(String.Format("Id={0}", custId))
This would return an array of DataRow matching the criteria. The String.Format is useful when the target column is text. This method would not require the PK definition above:
Dim rows = dtCust.Select(String.Format("Name='{0}'", searchText))
For more information see:
Using Statement
Connection Pooling
GetConnection() method aka GetACEConnection