Retrieving resources in sequence

lowell · February 26th, 2007, 06:07 PM

I have several hundred strings stored in string resources. I need to go through them all and select various ones based on other criteria. In VB5 I could sequence the resource identifier and use a for next loop to retrieve the appropriate strings.

Example
  for i = 1000 to 2000
    if somevalue > anothervalue then
      LoadResString(i)
    endif
  next

That's 5 lines of code to go through 1000 strings. Is there any way to do this in VBExpress? If so, how?

BrianWren · March 1st, 2007, 06:56 PM

I looked at VBExpressâs site. It does not look like VBExpress is a programming language, but a tool for generating boilerplate to fit your environment. Is that right?

Did you mean to ask âIs there any way to do this in VB.NET? If so, how?â

Could you expound on what you need a little?

BrianWren · March 8th, 2007, 06:38 PM

Lowell,

Since you posted this question again at http://p2p.wrox.com/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=57372, I presume that this answer didnât suffice.

I did ask you to expound. Would you please?

Could you clarify the environment you are working in, the way you have tried to accomplish this, and what the problems are you have encountered (raises an error or not; partially cucceeds; etc.)?

Dialog is better than just posting a question then abandoning it...

lowell · March 9th, 2007, 12:18 PM

Sorry about the duplicate posts.

I may not know enough to provide an adequate answer to you questions. But I'll try.

As far as I know VBExpress is a reduced version of VB.net. You can write complete programs and compile them in VBExpress. When I go to About under the Help menu it shows: Microsoft Visual Basic 2005 Express Edition. It also shows: Microsoft Visual Studio 2005 Version 8.0.50727.762 ... and Microsoft .NET Framework Version 2.0.50727 ...

Back to my original question.
In VB5 strings in the Resource File were numbered for identification purposes. With a For â¦ Next loop I could retrieve the needed strings by using a variable (the string identification number) to sequence through the stings and only load those I needed at the moment.

In VBExpress or VB.NET I can't use numbers to identify the stings in the Resource File. I also can't retrieve strings with My.Resources.{variable name}.

So I guess I am asking how you sequence through a series of string resources in VB.NET.

BrianWren · March 9th, 2007, 02:45 PM

OK.

I created a new resource file named Resource1.resx.
I added three strings to it using the resource designer.
I named them String1, String2 and String3.
The contents were (respectively): "This is string 1", "This is string 2" and "This is string 3"

Then I added a module with the following Sub:

Code:

Public Sub ReadResources()

    ' The resource filename is in the format "RootNameSpace.FileName"
    Dim TheFile As String = "DIS_Database.Resource1"

    ' Create a resource manager:
    Dim mgr As New _
        System.Resources.ResourceManager(TheFile, _
                           System.Reflection.Assembly.GetExecutingAssembly() _
                                        )

    For i As Integer = 1 To 3
        Dim CurResIdx As String = "String" & i.ToString("0")
        Dim CurResVal As String = mgr.GetString(CurResIdx)
        Debug.Print(CurResVal)
    Next

End Sub

Though the resources are not indexed per se, I myself effectively made an index for the strings by naming them with a contained sequential digit.

The routine put the strings into the immediate window in sequence, as the code indicates.

Does this get you where you want to be?

lowell · March 12th, 2007, 12:38 PM

The code you provided is a start. However, when I ran the program I got an unhandled exception. So far I have not been able to solve the unhandled exception.

MissingManifestResourceException was unhandled

Could not find any resources appropriate for the specified culture or the neutral culture. Make sure "DIS_Database.Resource1.resources" was correctly embedded or linked into assembly "WindowsApplication1" at compile time, or that all the satellite assemblies required are loadable and fully signed.

I clicked "Copy exception detail to the clipboard" and got the mess below.

System.Resources.MissingManifestResourceException was unhandled
  Message="Could not find any resources appropriate for the specified culture or the neutral culture. Make sure "DIS_Database.Resource1.resources" was correctly embedded or linked into assembly "WindowsApplication1" at compile time, or that all the satellite assemblies required are loadable and fully signed."
  Source="mscorlib"
  StackTrace:
       at System.Resources.ResourceManager.InternalGetResour ceSet(CultureInfo culture, Boolean createIfNotExists, Boolean tryParents)
       at System.Resources.ResourceManager.InternalGetResour ceSet(CultureInfo culture, Boolean createIfNotExists, Boolean tryParents)
       at System.Resources.ResourceManager.InternalGetResour ceSet(CultureInfo culture, Boolean createIfNotExists, Boolean tryParents)
       at System.Resources.ResourceManager.GetString(String name, CultureInfo culture)
       at System.Resources.ResourceManager.GetString(String name)
       at WindowsApplication1.Module1.ReadResources() in C:\Documents and Settings\Lowell\Local Settings\Application Data\Temporary Projects\WindowsApplication1\Module1.vb:line 15
       at WindowsApplication1.Form1.Button1_Click(Object sender, EventArgs e) in C:\Documents and Settings\Lowell\Local Settings\Application Data\Temporary Projects\WindowsApplication1\Form1.vb:line 4
       at System.Windows.Forms.Control.OnClick(EventArgs e)
       at System.Windows.Forms.Button.OnClick(EventArgs e)
       at System.Windows.Forms.Button.OnMouseUp(MouseEventAr gs mevent)
       at System.Windows.Forms.Control.WmMouseUp(Message& m, MouseButtons button, Int32 clicks)
       at System.Windows.Forms.Control.WndProc(Message& m)
       at System.Windows.Forms.ButtonBase.WndProc(Message& m)
       at System.Windows.Forms.Button.WndProc(Message& m)
       at System.Windows.Forms.Control.ControlNativeWindow.O nMessage(Message& m)
       at System.Windows.Forms.Control.ControlNativeWindow.W ndProc(Message& m)
       at System.Windows.Forms.NativeWindow.DebuggableCallba ck(IntPtr hWnd, Int32 msg, IntPtr wparam, IntPtr lparam)
       at System.Windows.Forms.UnsafeNativeMethods.DispatchM essageW(MSG& msg)
       at System.Windows.Forms.Application.ComponentManager. System.Windows.Forms.UnsafeNativeMethods.IMsoCompo nentManager.FPushMessageLoop(Int32 dwComponentID, Int32 reason, Int32 pvLoopData)
       at System.Windows.Forms.Application.ThreadContext.Run MessageLoopInner(Int32 reason, ApplicationContext context)
       at System.Windows.Forms.Application.ThreadContext.Run MessageLoop(Int32 reason, ApplicationContext context)
       at System.Windows.Forms.Application.Run(ApplicationCo ntext context)
       at Microsoft.VisualBasic.ApplicationServices.WindowsF ormsApplicationBase.OnRun()
       at Microsoft.VisualBasic.ApplicationServices.WindowsF ormsApplicationBase.DoApplicationModel()
       at Microsoft.VisualBasic.ApplicationServices.WindowsF ormsApplicationBase.Run(String[] commandLine)
       at WindowsApplication1.My.MyApplication.Main(String[] Args) in 17d14f5c-a337-4978-8281-53493378c1071.vb:line 81
       at System.AppDomain.nExecuteAssembly(Assembly assembly, String[] args)
       at System.AppDomain.ExecuteAssembly(String assemblyFile, Evidence assemblySecurity, String[] args)
       at Microsoft.VisualStudio.HostingProcess.HostProc.Run UsersAssembly()
       at System.Threading.ThreadHelper.ThreadStart_Context( Object state)
       at System.Threading.ExecutionContext.Run(ExecutionCon text executionContext, ContextCallback callback, Object state)
       at System.Threading.ThreadHelper.ThreadStart()

BrianWren · March 13th, 2007, 04:02 PM

You need to read the contents of answers you get; it will save you trouble down the road.
I put in a comment:

Code:

        ' The resource filename is in the format "RootNameSpace.FileName"

Since the root namespace of your application is probably not "Dis_Database," it is equally unlikely that using that namespace will function right for you.

Read the comments I put in the code I suggested. If you do not understand the comments, come back here and I will try to clarify.

If you open your project's properties, you should find therein the root namspace. You will need to use that name and the name of [u]your</u> resource file, rather than the name of my namspace, and my resource file.

lowell · March 14th, 2007, 08:47 PM

I fear that neither you nor I realize how little I know. I did read your comments but don't know what a RootNameSpace is. However, I did find it under the Application tab of the project properties and correct it. This didn't solve all the problems.

In the post in which you provided the code you state that you created a "resource file named Resource1.resx". I don't know how to create a resource file in VB.NET. I just put the resources under the Resource tab in the project properties.

When I run the program I still get a MissingManifestResourceException was unhandled at the line:
Dim CurResVal As String = mgr.GetString(CurResIdx)

The exception states:
Could not find any resources appropriate for the specified culture or the neutral culture. Make sure "WindowsApplication1.Resource1.resources" was correctly embedded or linked into assembly "WindowsApplication1" at compile time, or that all the satellite assemblies required are loadable and fully signed.

This doesn't make a lot of sense to me. I don't know what is meant by "specified culture or the neutral culture". I don't know what "satellite assemblies" are. Nor do I know what is meant by "loadable and fully signed".

I have managed to write a fairly complex program with VB5 by modifying code from various examples. Once I see a complete working example, I can usually modify it to suit my needs. Unfortunately, with VB.NET there is a lot more to making code work than just writing the code. This is where I am having trouble as you can see by what I've said I don't understand.

Any further help would be greatly appreciated.

BrianWren · March 15th, 2007, 02:10 PM

OK. I was not aware of the tab in the project's properties, but I built a test to investigate it.

I created a new console application project named âTestResources.â that creates a root namespace of âTestResources.â

I added 2 strings to its resources tab called String1 & String2.

I added this routine in the default module that creating a new app makes for me:

Code:

Module Module1

    Sub Main()

        Dim RM As _
            New Resources.ResourceManager("TestResources.Resources", _
                                          Reflection.Assembly.GetExecutingAssembly() _
                                         )

        For i As Integer = 1 To 2
            Dim CurResIdx As String = "String" & i.ToString("0")
            Dim CurResVal As String = RM.GetString(CurResIdx)
            Debug.Print(CurResVal)
        Next

    End Sub

End Module

As with the previous code I posted, this too put the strings into the Immediate Window.
I guessed at the filename in the statement that creates the New ResourceManager().
I lucked out, and got it right.

So try that, and see what happens.

lowell · March 15th, 2007, 03:40 PM

Wonderful. That works just as I wanted. Thank you so much.

I wonder how many years it would have taken me to come up with the line:
        Dim RM As _
            New Resources.ResourceManager("TestResources.Resources ", _
                                          Reflection.Assembly.GetExecutingAssembly() _
                                         )
It may take me quite a while to figure out exactly what it all means.

Again, I thank you for the time and effort you spent helping me.