Why does Microsoft Visual Basic skip over part of this code - vb.net

Question

I'm trying to make some labels on my Form to be visible, but i don't want to use a lot of if statements, but for some reason whenever i put Me.Controls(lbl).Visbel = True in a for or do loop it skips the whole loop. The code worked perfectly the way I wanted it until i got an error for calling Dim lbl = Controls("Label" & counter_3) for the whole class instead of in the From_load private sub. Sometimes i can get it to work, but only one label is visible
Dim chararray() As Char = word_list(random_word).ToCharArray
Dim lbl = "Label" & counter_3
For Each item In chararray
If item = Nothing Then
Else
word_list(counter_2) = item.ToString()
counter_2 += 1
End If
Next
For Each item In chararray
If item = Nothing Then
Else
counter_3 += 1
Me.Controls(lbl).Visible = True
MsgBox(item & " " & counter_3)
End If
Next
I've also tried. In both the loops are completely skipped over. I know this because the MsgBox's don't appear.
Dim chararray() As Char = word_list(random_word).ToCharArray
Dim lbl = Controls("Label" & counter_3)
For Each item In chararray
If item = Nothing Then
Else
word_list(counter_2) = item.ToString()
counter_2 += 1
End If
Next
For Each item In chararray
If item = Nothing Then
Else
counter_3 += 1
lbl.Visble = True
MsgBox(item & " " & counter_3)
End If
Next

Answer 1

The thing that I am noticing is that you are creating a Char array based on a random word returned from your word_list, you then iterate through the Char array using the count of the character in the array as an index into your word_list, if the amount of characters in your word exceeds the amount of words in your list you will get an error and since this error is in the Forms Load event it will be swallowed and all the code after it will be aborted. There are also other issues that I would change like making sure all declarations have a type and I would probably use the Controls.Find Method instead and check that it has an actual object. But what I would probably do first is move your code to a separate Subroutine and call it after your IntializeComponent call in the Forms Constructor(New) Method.
Something like this.
Public Sub New()
' This call is required by the designer.
InitializeComponent()
' Add any initialization after the InitializeComponent() call.
YourMethod
End Sub
Public Sub YourMethod()
Dim chararray() As Char = word_list(random_word).ToCharArray
Dim lbl As Control() = Controls.Find("Label" & counter_3, True)
For Each item In chararray
If item = Nothing Then
Else
word_list(counter_2) = item.ToString()
counter_2 += 1
End If
Next
For Each item In chararray
If item = Nothing Then
Else
counter_3 += 1
If lbl.Length > 0 Then
lbl(0).Visible = True
Else
MsgBox("Control not Found")
End If
MsgBox(item & " " & counter_3)
End If
Next
End Sub