I don't see how the code can work

The list box is populated using:

Me.lstCustomers.Items.Add(objNewCustomer.ToString)

This calls the override function which returns:

Return Name & " (" & Email & ")"

How can the 'Public ReadOnly Property SelectedCustomer() As Customer' return a 'Customer' from:

Return lstCustomers.Items(lstCustomers.SelectedIndex)

???

I think the How It Works section on page 155 explains this pretty clearly. If you have already read this then please ask a specific question and I'll be happy to try to clear things up for you.

Thearon

The following line of code is expected to return a customer:

Return lstCustomers.Items(lstCustomers.SelectedIndex)

How can this be so? The items in the listbox are in the form (for example) "Bill Scott ([email protected])" - How does this translate into a customer structure which the property must return?

The CustomerCollection class, defined in the objCustomers object, inherits the .Net Framework Collections.CollectionBase class. Every item in the collection is indexed based. Thus the first item is item 0, the second item is item 1. Using the selected index value of the lstCustomers listbox, we can determine which items is selected (e.g. 0, 1, 2) and then use that number to access the item in the customer in the CustomerCollection class, defined in the objCustomers object.

Does this help?

Thearon

Yes thank you, it all makes sense now. There is nothing wrong with the code in the book. I am doing the example in a web form and I thought it wouldn't matter but I'd forgetten about the module level variable so it keeps losing it's value and I get an error. I have solved the problem. For any one else doing it the same way you have to put <Serializable()> before the 'Public Structure Customer' declaration and include the following vb code on the form:

    Private Sub Page_Load(ByVal sender As Object, ByVal e As System.EventArgs) Handles Me.Load

        If (Me.ViewState("arrayListInViewState") IsNot Nothing) Then
            objCustomers = CType(Me.ViewState("arrayListInViewState"), ArrayList)
        End If

    End Sub

    Protected Sub Page_PreRender(ByVal sender As Object, ByVal e As System.EventArgs) Handles Me.PreRender

        'Save PageArrayList before the page is rendered.
        Me.ViewState.Add("arrayListInViewState", objCustomers)

    End Sub