A Basic ADO.NET Tutorial in Visual Basic.NET - CodeGuru http://www.codeguru.com/vb/gen/vb_database/adonet/print.php/c15031/...

www.codeguru.com/vb/gen/vb_database/adonet/article.php/c15031/

Back to Article

Home >> Visual Basic >> General >> Database >> ADO.NET

A Basic ADO.NET Tutorial in Visual Basic.NET

Rating: none

mendhak (view profile)

April 2, 2008

To work with ADO.NET, the first thing you'll need is a database. A database sample has been provided in the attachment; it
consists of a few simple fields in the tbl_master table:

EmployeeID
FirstName
LastName
Location

You will be creating a simple form for navigating through the records in the table.

Start by placing three labels, three textboxes, and four buttons on a form as shown in the following figure. Name the
textboxes txtFirstName, txtLastName, and txtLocation. The buttons should be self explanatory as well: btnFirst, btnPrevious,
btnNext, and btnLast.

Now you can begin the coding. Declare a dataset at the class level and import the System.Data.OleDb namespace.

1 of 5 9/28/2010 2:10 AM
A Basic ADO.NET Tutorial in Visual Basic.NET - CodeGuru http://www.codeguru.com/vb/gen/vb_database/adonet/print.php/c15031/...

Dim ds As New DataSet()

In the Form's Load event, fill the dataset. To do this, create a DataAdapter and use its Fill() method to fill up the dataset.

conn.ConnectionString = "Provider=Microsoft.Jet.OLEDB.4.0; _
Data Source=C:\Documents and Settings\mendhak\My Documents\ _
Visual Studio 2005\Projects\ADONetTutorial1\ADONetTutorial1\ _
sample.mdb;User Id=admin;Password=;"

Dim strSQL As String = "SELECT EmployeeID, FirstName, LastName, _

Location FROM tbl_Master"
Dim da As New OleDbDataAdapter(strSQL, conn)

da.Fill(ds)

(You will have to modify the connection string to point the location of the MDB file on your machine.)

The dataset has now been filled. If you have worked with classic ADO, think of a dataset as something like a recordset,
except that a dataset is disconnected from the dataset, so you don't need to worry about cursors, EOF, BOF, or closing
connections. Datasets are .NET collections as well; this makes them more flexible.

Anyway, you now fill the textboxes with the data in the dataset. Remember that a dataset is a collection. More specifically, it
is a collection of DataTables. A DataTable simply represents a table of data you have retrieved from the database. You'll
start with the first row. Immediately after the Fill() method, do this:

'Check if the table is empty

If ds.Tables(0).Rows.Count > 0 Then
txtFirstName.Text = ds.Tables(0).Rows(0).Item("FirstName").ToString()
txtLastName.Text = ds.Tables(0).Rows(0).Item("LastName").ToString()
txtLocation.Text = ds.Tables(0).Rows(0).Item("Location").ToString()
End If[/HIGHLIGHT]

Run your form, and it should look like this.

To do the navigation, you will need an integer to hold your current Row position in the dataset's table. Declare an integer
where you declared the dataset.

Now, double-click the << button (btnFirst) and in its Click event, set the textboxes to read from Row 0.

2 of 5 9/28/2010 2:10 AM
A Basic ADO.NET Tutorial in Visual Basic.NET - CodeGuru http://www.codeguru.com/vb/gen/vb_database/adonet/print.php/c15031/...

'Since 0 is the first row

txtFirstName.Text = ds.Tables(0).Rows(0).Item("FirstName").ToString()
txtLastName.Text = ds.Tables(0).Rows(0).Item("LastName").ToString()
txtLocation.Text = ds.Tables(0).Rows(0).Item("Location").ToString()

Double-click the < button (btnPrevious) and in its Click event,

'We move back only if we're not at the first row.

If intCurrentIndex > 0 Then
'Subtract one from the current index.
intCurrentIndex = intCurrentIndex - 1

txtFirstName.Text = _
ds.Tables(0).Rows(intCurrentIndex).Item("FirstName").ToString()
txtLastName.Text = _
ds.Tables(0).Rows(intCurrentIndex).Item("LastName").ToString()
txtLocation.Text = _
ds.Tables(0).Rows(intCurrentIndex).Item("Location").ToString()
Else
MessageBox.Show("You're already at the first record.")
End If

Double-click the > button (btnNext) and in its Click event,

'ds.Tables(0).Rows.Count - 1 is the index for the last row

If intCurrentIndex < ds.Tables(0).Rows.Count - 1 Then

'Add one to the current index.

intCurrentIndex = intCurrentIndex + 1

txtFirstName.Text = _
ds.Tables(0).Rows(intCurrentIndex).Item("FirstName").ToString()
txtLastName.Text = _
ds.Tables(0).Rows(intCurrentIndex).Item("LastName").ToString()
txtLocation.Text = _
ds.Tables(0).Rows(intCurrentIndex).Item("Location").ToString()
Else
MessageBox.Show("You're already at the last record.")
End If

Double-click the >> button (btnLast) and in its Click event,

'ds.Tables(0).Rows.Count - 1 is the index for the last row

intCurrentIndex = ds.Tables(0).Rows.Count - 1
txtFirstName.Text = _
ds.Tables(0).Rows(intCurrentIndex).Item("FirstName").ToString()
txtLastName.Text = _
ds.Tables(0).Rows(intCurrentIndex).Item("LastName").ToString()
txtLocation.Text = _
ds.Tables(0).Rows(intCurrentIndex).Item("Location").ToString()

That's it! You've just created a basic navigation form. You should be able to move to other rows.

3 of 5 9/28/2010 2:10 AM
A Basic ADO.NET Tutorial in Visual Basic.NET - CodeGuru http://www.codeguru.com/vb/gen/vb_database/adonet/print.php/c15031/...

There are many improvements that can be done here. The code to fill up the fields can be placed in a single method to which
you pass a parameter. You'll see this in the next part of the tutorial, along with adding, updating, and deleting.

About the Author

Mendhak is a web developer and a Microsoft MVP who works with ASP.NET and PHP among the usual array[] of web
technologies. He is also rumored to be a three eyed frog, but the evidence is lacking. He can be contacted via his website,
www.mendhak.com.

Downloads

ADONetTutorial_NET20.zip - Download database sample - 76 Kb

The Network for Technology Professionals

Search:

About Internet.com
Copyright 2010 QuinStreet Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Legal Notices, Licensing, Permissions, Privacy Policy.

Advertise | Newsletters | E-mail Offers

Solutions
Whitepapers and eBooks
IBM Cloud Computing Development Center Microsoft TechNet Spotlight
MSDN Spotlight for Developers Helpful Cloud Computing Resources

4 of 5 9/28/2010 2:10 AM
A Basic ADO.NET Tutorial in Visual Basic.NET - CodeGuru http://www.codeguru.com/vb/gen/vb_database/adonet/print.php/c15031/...

Internet.com Cloud Computing Showcase MORE WHITEPAPERS, EBOOKS, AND ARTICLES

Webcasts
Virtual Events in October: IBM Cloud Computing for Developers All About Cloud Computing
IBM Webcast: Developing in the Cloud - Sept. 30 MORE WEBCASTS, PODCASTS, AND VIDEOS

Downloads and eKits

MORE DOWNLOADS, EKITS, AND FREE TRIALS

Tutorials and Demos

Demo: Google Site Search New Security Solutions Using Intel(R) vPro(TM) Technology
Virtual Event: Master Essential Techniques for Leveraging the Cloud All About Botnets
Article: Explore Application Lifecycle Management Tools in Visual Studio 2010 MORE TUTORIALS, DEMOS AND STEP-BY-STEP GUIDES
Internet.com Hot List: Get the Inside Scoop on IT and Developer Products

5 of 5 9/28/2010 2:10 AM