How do i make multiple variations of a string in vb.net? - vb.net-2010

I made this one code and I was wondering how I can make it more effective with little work.
This is an example of one of the if then else statements I put in:
If lblQuestion.Text = "anti-" Then
lblCorrectAnswer.Text = "against, opposed to, preventive; used as a prefix"
If txtPlayersAnswer.Text = "against, opposed to, preventive" Then
lblRight.Text = "Correct"
Else
lblRight.Text = "Wrong!"
End If
End If
I was wondering if it was possible to make multiple variations for the statement
If txtPlayersAnswer.Text = "against, opposed to, preventive" Then
For example: Instead of having to code out each possible variation for that line of code is there a way to make that one line of code have all the possible variations, and if so how?
Thank you in advance.

Too many assumptions of user input for me , but
pseudo code
Given answers was an array of ["against"],["opposed to"],["preventative"]
then you could do something like
count = 0;
foreach(answer in answers)
if txtPlayersAnswer.Contains(answer) count++
case sensitive will be an issue as would be answer like "not against"
Me I'd get the user to enter each potential answer separately instead of having to rely on them entering them in a format you knew how to chop up.

Related

validating user input to text only and integer only

i have searched for a simple, non complicated answer on how to ensure that the user is asked again if they enter anything other than text for 1 and an integer for 2.
when entering these input variables, however i have only found complicated solutions that my teacher wont acccept.
is it possible if anyone can provide me with simple solutions on how to validate these variables. so far all i know how to validate is to use "while not in" functions, which only works for specific options. I am new to python, so please explain in a simple manner. thanks! :)
1-studentname=input("what is your name?:")
2-print("what is 10+10?:")
3-studentanswer=int(input("insert answer:"))
You can use a while loop with if , else in it
while(true):
t = int(input());
if t == 1:
# do whatever --> break at the end
else if t == 2:
# do whatever ---> break at the end
else:
continue
You can use the .isalpha and .isdigit method.
For example,
studentname=input("what's your name) ?
studentname.isalpha()
That checks whether the string consists of alphabetic characters only.
Both .isalpha and .isdigit return boolean, so you can use an if condition then.

Use String for IF statement conditions

I'm hoping someone can help answer my question, perhaps with an idea of where to go or whether what I'm trying to do is not possible with the way I want to do it.
I've been asked to write a set of rules based on the data held by our ERP form components or variables.
Unfortunately, these components and variables cannot be accessed or used outside of the ERP, so I can't use SQL to query the values and then build some kind of SQL query.
They'd like the ability to put statements like these:
C(MyComponentName) = C(MyOtherComponentName)
V(MyVariableName) > 16
(C(MyComponentName) = "") AND V(MyVariableName) <> "")
((C(MyComponentName) = "") OR C(MyOtherComponentName) = "") AND V(MyVariableName) <> "")
This should be turned into some kind of query which gets the value of MyComponentName and MyOtherComponentName and (in this case) compares them for equality.
They don't necessarily want to just compare for equality, but to be able to determine whether a component / variable value is greaterthan or lessthan etc.
Basically it's a free-form statement that gets converted into something similar to an IF statement.
I've tried this:
Sub TestCondition()
Dim Condition as string = String.Format("{0} = {1}", _
Component("MyComponent").Value, Component("MyOtherComponent").Value)
If (Condition) Then
' Do Something
Else
' Do Something Else
End If
End Sub
Obviously, this does not work and I honestly didn't think it would be so simple.
Ignoring the fact that I'd have to parse the line, extract the required operators, the values from components or variables (denoted by a C or V) - how can I do this?
I've looked at Expression Trees but these were confusing, especially as I'd never heard of them, let alone used them. (Is it possible to create an expression tree for dynamic if statements? - This link provided some detail on expression trees in C#)
I know an easier way to solve this might be to simply populate the form with a multitude of drop-down lists, so users pick what they want from lists or fill in a text box for a specific search criteria.
This wouldn't be a simple matter as the ERP doesn't allow you to dynamically create controls on its forms. You have to drag each component manually and would be next to useless as we'd potentially want at least 1 rule for every form we have (100+).
I'm either looking for someone to say you cannot do this the way you want to do it (with a suitable reason or suggestion as to how I could do it) that I can take to my manager or some hints, perhaps a link or 2 pointing me in the right direction.
If (Condition) Then
This is not possible. There is no way to treat data stored in a string as code. While the above statement is valid, it won't and can't function the way you want it to. Instead, Condition will be evaluated as what it is: a string. (Anything that doesn't boil down to 0 is treated as True; see this question.)
What you are attempting borders on allowing the user to type code dynamically to get a result. I won't say this is impossible per se in VB.Net, but it is incredibly ambitious.
Instead, I would suggest clearly defining what your application can and can't do. Enumerate the operators your code will allow and build code to support each directly. For example:
Public Function TestCondition(value1 As Object, value2 As Object, op as string) As Boolean
Select Case op
Case "="
Return value1 = value2
Case "<"
Return value1 < value2
Case ">"
Return value1 > value2
Case Else
'Error handling
End Select
End Function
Obviously you would need to tailor the above to the types of variables you will be handling and your other specific needs, but this approach should give you a workable solution.
For my particular requirements, using the NCalc library has enabled me to do most of what I was looking to do. Easy to work with and the documentation is quite extensive - lots of examples too.

Regex match SQL values string with multiple rows and same number of columns

I tried to match the sql values string (0),(5),(12),... or (0,11),(122,33),(4,51),... or (0,121,12),(31,4,5),(26,227,38),... and so on with the regular expression
\(\s*\d+\s*(\s*,\s*\d+\s*)*\)(\s*,\s*\(\s*\d+\s*(\s*,\s*\d+\s*)*\))*
and it works. But...
How can I ensure that the regex does not match a values string like (0,12),(1,2,3),(56,7) with different number of columns?
Thanks in advance...
As i mentioned in comment to the question, the best way to check if input string is valid: contains the same count of numbers between brackets, is to use client side programm, but not clear SQL.
Implementation:
List<string> s = new List<string>(){
"(0),(5),(12)", "(0,11),(122,33),(4,51)",
"(0,121,12),(31,4,5),(26,227,38)","(0,12),(1,2,3),(56,7)"};
var qry = s.Select(a=>new
{
orig = a,
newst = a.Split(new string[]{"),(", "(", ")"},
StringSplitOptions.RemoveEmptyEntries)
})
.Select(a=>new
{
orig = a.orig,
isValid = (a.newst
.Sum(b=>b.Split(new char[]{','},
StringSplitOptions.RemoveEmptyEntries).Count()) %
a.newst.Count()) ==0
});
Result:
orig isValid
(0),(5),(12) True
(0,11),(122,33),(4,51) True
(0,121,12),(31,4,5),(26,227,38) True
(0,12),(1,2,3),(56,7) False
Note: The second Select statement gets the modulo of sum of comma instances and the count of items in string array returned by Split function. If the result isn't equal to zero, it means that input string is invalid.
I strongly believe there's a simplest way to achieve that, but - at this moment - i don't know how ;)
:(
Unless you add some more constraints, I don't think you can solve this problem only with regular expressions.
It isn't able to solve all of your string problems, just as it cannot be used to check that the opening and closing of brackets (like "((())()(()(())))") is invalid. That's a more complicated issue.
That's what I learnt in class :P If someone knows a way then that'd be sweet!
I'm sorry, I spent a bit of time looking into how we could turn this string into an array and do more work to it with SQL but built in functionality is lacking and the solution would end up being very hacky.
I'd recommend trying to handle this situation differently as large scale string computation isn't the best way to go if your database is to gradually fill up.
A combination of client and serverside validation can be used to help prevent bad data (like the ones with more numbers) from getting into the database.
If you need to keep those numbers then you could rework your schema to include some metadata which you can use in your queries, like how many numbers there are and whether it all matches nicely. This information can be computed inexpensively from your server and provided to the database.
Good luck!

Using colons to put two statements on the same line in Visual Basic [closed]

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Is it considered bad practice to use colons to put two statements on the same line in Visual Basic?
There is nothing inherently wrong with using the colon to combine statements. It really depends on the context but as long as it doesn't reduce readability, there is nothing wrong with it.
As a general rule I avoid using the colon for this purpose. I find it's more readable to have one statement per line. However this is not a colon specific issue. I avoid doing the same with a semi-colon in C# or C++. It's just a personal preference.
It's a good practice in moderation, because sometimes readability is enhanced by concatenating two lines:
when the lines are short and intimately
related
when the lines are short and trivial
Option Compare Database: Option Explicit ''My favorite!
rsDataSet.Close: Set rsDataSet= Nothing
Don't do it if:
it hurts readability.
it complicates debugging. Control structures such as If...Then need to stay clean. You'll be glad you kept it simple when it's time to set a break point.
it compromises future editing. Often you want to keep sections portable. Moving or re-structuring a block of code is easily hindered by attempts to minimize your code.
In general, I'd advise against it, as it makes for busier code.
However, for simple tasks, there is nothing wrong with it. For instance:
for i = 1 to 10: ProcessFoo(i): next
I think a line like this is short enough not to cause confusion.
I'll take the other side. I don't like dense lines of code. It is easier to skim code when lines are not combined.
Combining statements also makes it easier to create long functions that still fit on a single screen.
It isn't a major sin, I just don't like it.
I also don't like one line If statements.
To me you shouldn't say "never do thus", you should just say "If you do this, a possible problem is such and such." Then just weigh the pros and cons for yourself. The pro is brevity/few lines of code. Sometimes this can aid readability. For instance some people use it to do vb.Net declarations:
Dim x As Long: x = 1
Or wait loops:
Do Until IE.ReadyState = READYSTATE_COMPLETE: DoEvents: Loop
But obviously you can really make it rough on someone too:
Public Sub DoYouKnowWhatThisDoes()
MsgBox Example
End Sub
Private Function Example()
Const s$ = "078243185105164060193114247147243200250160004134202029132090174000215255134164128142"
Const w% = 3: Const l% = 42: Dim i%, r$: For i = 1 To l Step w: r = r & ChrW$(Mid$(s, i, w) Xor Mid$(s, i + l, w)): Next: Example = r
End Function
Another practical reason that you might not want to use this approach is breakpoints. Breakpoints can only be set by the line. So if you have several things executing on the same line you can't isolate the second thing. It will stop on the first statement. (This is also one of the reasons some people don't like single line ifs.) It just complicates debugging a little.
I usually don't use colons in production code for this reason. However I do use them to improve the brevity of "copy/paste" code that I post in forums and elsewhere. YMMV:)
I realize this is a very old question, but it was the first result on my Google search, so I hope I can be forgiven for chiming in here.
There is one situation (exactly what led me here in fact) in which this approach is not only useful, it's the only way to accomplish the desired result: the Immediate window. Any code you want to execute in the Immediate window must all be on one line. So in order to use any form of Do, Case, For, While, or With in the Immediate window, you will need to use colons.
It is considered bad practice in most of the sites at which I have worked. And by most of the VB developers with whom I have worked. And in my head. If I see it, I will admit that I would almost certainly change it. I say "almost" because I admit there's a possibility that I could find a piece of code that looked better that way. I don't expect to see it in my lifetime, though.
I also really don't like one-line **If**s either.
Both are most likely hangovers from the days of VGA (640x480) monitors; that's no excuse these days.
I've only ever used it when I'm clsoing a recordset and setting the variable to nothing. I figure one line instead of two gives me more lines of code on the screen and doesn't detract from readability.
I've seen it used in simple select cases such as the following but that would be as far as I would go.
Select Case success
Case ERROR_FILE_NO_ASSOCIATION: msg = "no association"
Case ERROR_FILE_NOT_FOUND: msg = "file not found"
Case ERROR_PATH_NOT_FOUND: msg = "path not found"
Case ERROR_BAD_FORMAT: msg = "bad format"
from http://vbnet.mvps.org/index.html?code/system/findexecutable.htm
And even then I would've lined up the "msg =" portion.
I've never seen this mentioned in an official capacity at any of the companies which I've worked. But I do think that using colons excessively can start to make your code less readable and more of a pain to maintain.
I do tend to use these myself at times, for example when checking for cancel in one of my recent projects:
If _bCancel Then Status = CancelProcess() : Return Status
Putting this in kept my code readable than the alternative IF block.
But it can be taken too far, I've recently inherited a project which is replete with examples of taking colon usage too far :
Select Case GetStringValue(Index).Trim.ToLower
Case "yes", "y" : GetBooleanValue = True
Case "no", "n" : GetBooleanValue = False
Case Else : GetBooleanValue = Nothing
End Select
Personally I find the above to be a bit much.
I like this one
Using pro As New Process() : With pro
...
End With
End Using
I've seen it used in class declarations when using inheritance or implementing an interface:
Public Class DerivedClass : Inherits BaseClass
...
End Class
But like the others, I also discourage its use.
Chris
The answer to the question is No. Anything beyond No is purely subjective and wasteful irrespective of the answer outside of a simple No. Below is my waste of typing.
Are you some sort of slave? Do as you wish. You are the center of your universe not some stranger from StackOverflow. If you work for a company the question is mute because coding style would already be defined and completely out of your control. As for one's self, who in this universe is going to ever in all eternity look at let along care about your code.
I would choose A over B. As evident this shows the purpose of a colon without the use of a colon. It's to save space. Below saves space and makes code far more readable. Keeps It Simple Stupid. Same for ternary ? : usage. When the code is inherently complex then a colon, single line if then else, or ternary no longer should be considered.
'================================================================
'A
If somevalue1 = 0 Then AddLogTry("True") Else AddLogFalse("False")
If somevalue2 = 0 Then AddLogTry("True") Else AddLogFalse("False")
If somevalue3 = 0 Then AddLogTry("True") Else AddLogFalse("False")
'================================================================
'================================================================
'B
If somevlaue1 = 0 Then
AddLogTrue("True")
Else
AddLogFalse("False")
EndIf
If somevlaue2 = 0 Then
AddLogTrue("True")
Else
AddLogFalse("False")
EndIf
If somevlaue3 = 0 Then
AddLogTrue("True")
Else
AddLogFalse("False")
EndIf
'================================================================

Newbie issue with LINQ in vb.net

Here is the single line from one of my functions to test if any objects in my array have a given property with a matching value
Return ((From tag In DataCache.Tags Where (tag.FldTag = strtagname) Select tag).Count = 1)
WHERE....
DataCache.Tags is an array of custom objects
strtagname = "brazil"
and brazil is definitely a tag name stored within one of the custom objects in the array.
However the function continually returns false.
Can someone confirm to me that the above should or should not work.
and if it wont work can someone tell me the best way to test if any of the objects in the array contain a property with a specific value.
I suppose in summary I am looking for the equivalent of a SQL EXISTS statement.
Many thanks in hope.
Your code is currently checking whether the count is exactly one.
The equivalent of EXISTS in LINQ is Any. You want something like:
Return DataCache.Tags.Any(Function(tag) tag.FldTag = strtagname)
(Miraculously it looks like that syntax may be about right... it looks like the docs examples...)
Many Thanks for the response.
Your code did not work. Then I realised that I was comparing to an array value so it would be case sensitive.
However glad I asked the question, as I found a better way than mine.
Many thanks again !