asked on

Loading XML Data on a DataGrid Control?

Hi, I'm trying to load the xml on the bottom of this post into a datagrid control. I'm using Visual Studio 2003 (VB.NET Windows Application). I built a form with two buttons and a datagrid and a data set. The button click events should be populating the datagrid but they do not. Any help experts?

The error I get:
An unhandled exception of type 'System.Xml.XmlException' occurred in system.xml.dll

Additional information: System error.
// And it highlights the following, indicating where the code break occurs:
DataSet1.ReadXml(RStream)

Private Sub Button1_Click(ByVal sender As System.Object, ByVal e As System.EventArgs) Handles Button1.Click
Dim RStream As New System.IO.StreamReader("c:\rte\dev\" & "PublishersTitles.xml")
DataSet1.Clear()
DataSet1.ReadXml(RStream)
DataSet1.Relations.Clear()
DataSet1.Relations.Add(New DataRelation("Pubs2Titles", DataSet1.Tables(0).Columns("pub_id"), DataSet1.Tables(1).Columns("pub_id")))
DataGrid1.DataSource = DataSet1
RStream.Close()

'Dataset.ReadXml("c:\testXMLOUT.xml")
End Sub

Private Sub Button2_Click(ByVal sender As System.Object, ByVal e As System.EventArgs) Handles Button2.Click
Dim WStream As New System.IO.StreamWriter("c:\rte\dev\" & "PublishersTitles.xml")
DataSet1.WriteXml(WStream, XmlWriteMode.DiffGram)
WStream.Close()
DataSet1.Clear()
End Sub
End Class

XML - PublishersTitles.xml

<publishers>
<pub_id>0736</pub_id>
<pub_name>New Moon Books</pub_name>
<titles>
<title_id>BU2075</title_id>
<title>You Can Combat Computer Stress!</title>
<pub_id>0736</pub_id>
<pubdate>1991-06-30T00:00:00.0000000+03:00</pubdate>
</titles>
<titles>
<title_id>PS2091</title_id>
<title>Is Anger The Enemy?</title>
<pub_id>0736</pub_id>
<price>10.95</price>
<pubdate>1991-06-15T00:00:00.0000000+03:00</pubdate>
</titles>
</publishers>
<publishers>
<pub_id>1389</pub_id>
<pub_name>Algodata Infosystems</pub_name>
<titles>
<title_id>BU1032</title_id>
<title>The Busy Executive's Database Guide</title>
<pub_id>1389</pub_id>
<price>19.99</price>
<pubdate>1991-06-12T00:00:00.0000000+03:00</pubdate>
</titles>
</publisher>

sapbucket

ASKER

Well, I go this walkthrough working:
http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/default.asp?url=/library/en-us/vbcon/html/vbwlkWalkthroughAccessingXMLData.asp

but when I switched to a different xml file (not authors.xml) to what I have above (PublishersTitle.xml) it did not work.

Is there a certain format of xml I should use? Could it be that the xml format I have above doesn't work?

RonaldBiemans

Well you xml file is definitly mall formed (you have multiple root elements for instance)

I can not make out from the file what belongs to what, so how would the xml parser :-)

Is this what you want ?

Root element Publishers
PubID
Pub_Name
Titles
title_id
title
pubdate
Price

then it should look like this

<publishers>
      <publisher>
            <pub_id>0736</pub_id>
            <pub_name>New Moon Books</pub_name>
            <titles>
                  <title_id>BU2075</title_id>
                  <title>You Can Combat Computer Stress!</title>
                  <price></price>
                  <pubdate>1991-06-30T00:00:00.0000000+03:00</pubdate>
            </titles>
            <titles>
                  <title_id>PS2091</title_id>
                  <title>Is Anger The Enemy?</title>
                  <price>10.95</price>
                  <pubdate>1991-06-15T00:00:00.0000000+03:00</pubdate>
            </titles>
      </publisher>
      <publisher>
            <pub_id>1389</pub_id>
            <pub_name>Algodata Infosystems</pub_name>
            <titles>
                  <title_id>BU1032</title_id>
                  <title>The Busy Executive's Database Guide</title>
                  <price>19.99</price>
                  <pubdate>1991-06-12T00:00:00.0000000+03:00</pubdate>
            </titles>
      </publisher>
</publishers>

ASKER CERTIFIED SOLUTION

RonaldBiemans

membership

This solution is only available to members.

To access this solution, you must be a member of Experts Exchange.

Start Free Trial

sapbucket

ASKER

Cool - I was able to populate the DataGrid using the XML you provided. So really my question here is how to construct well formed XML! You are definitely helping me out!

Perhaps you can help me with the following exercise. I have generated a really nasty looking XML file by way of XML::Simple in Perl (dumping hash contents into XML). If I were to clean this up, how would it look? Also, where may I find a set of *understandable* rules about the correct formatting of XML? I have a third question, but I think it will be more appropriate for me to open another question for more points, which is: how do I link the dataset to different tools besides a DataGrid (like a label for instance), or link an image (a url) in the XML through the dataset to a PictureBox?

test case:

<opt current_player="0">
<current_cards></current_cards>
<dealer current_hand="0" number_hands="1" upcard="1D">
<bank></bank>
<hands name="table">
<bucket_0>1D</bucket_0>
<bucket_0>4D</bucket_0>
</hands>
<rules doubleAfterPairSplit="1" doublingNumCards="0" doublingRules="2" earlySurrender="0" hitSplitAce="1" insurance="1" lateSurrender="1" natural="2" numDecks="1" penetration="100" resplitAce="1" resplitPairs="1" soft17="0" softDoubling="1" splitAce="1" splitPairs="1" ties="0" />
</dealer>
<deck numDecks="1" penetration="100">
<deck>13D</deck>
<deck>3H</deck>
<deck>1C</deck>
<deck>3S</deck>
<deck>8S</deck>
<deck>10H</deck>
<deck>11S</deck>
<deck>8C</deck>
<deck>6C</deck>
<deck>2S</deck>
<deck>5H</deck>
<deck>2D</deck>
<deck>9D</deck>
<deck>10S</deck>
<deck>13C</deck>
<deck>9C</deck>
<deck>5C</deck>
<deck>11C</deck>
<deck>12H</deck>
<deck>11H</deck>
<deck>10C</deck>
<deck>7D</deck>
<deck>1S</deck>
<deck>4S</deck>
<deck>7S</deck>
<deck>11D</deck>
<deck>5S</deck>
<deck>8D</deck>
<deck>2C</deck>
<deck>8H</deck>
<deck>12D</deck>
<deck>3C</deck>
<deck>6D</deck>
<deck>1H</deck>
<deck>4H</deck>
<deck>6H</deck>
<deck>13S</deck>
<deck>4C</deck>
<deck>12C</deck>
<deck>12S</deck>
<deck>7H</deck>
<deck>9S</deck>
<deck>5D</deck>
<deck>3D</deck>
<deck>10D</deck>
<deck>7C</deck>
<holeCard></holeCard>
</deck>
<legal upcard="1D">
<rules doubleAfterPairSplit="1" doublingNumCards="0" doublingRules="2" earlySurrender="0" hitSplitAce="1" insurance="1" lateSurrender="1" natural="2" numDecks="1" penetration="100" resplitAce="1" resplitPairs="1" soft17="0" softDoubling="1" splitAce="1" splitPairs="1" ties="0" />
</legal>
<option_list></option_list>
<players bank="1000" buyin="1000" current_hand="0" insurance="0" insurance_wager="50" natural_payout="1.5" number_hands="1" player_id="player 1" surrender="0" wager="100">
<decisions name="table" />
<hands name="table">
<bucket_0>6S</bucket_0>
<bucket_0>13H</bucket_0>
</hands>
</players>
<players bank="500" buyin="500" current_hand="0" insurance="0" insurance_wager="50" natural_payout="1.5" number_hands="1" player_id="player 2" surrender="0" wager="100">
<decisions name="table" />
<hands name="table">
<bucket_0>9H</bucket_0>
<bucket_0>2H</bucket_0>
</hands>
</players>
<rules doubleAfterPairSplit="1" doublingNumCards="0" doublingRules="2" earlySurrender="0" hitSplitAce="1" insurance="1" lateSurrender="1" natural="2" numDecks="1" penetration="100" resplitAce="1" resplitPairs="1" soft17="0" softDoubling="1" splitAce="1" splitPairs="1" ties="0" />
<upcard></upcard>
</opt>

sapbucket

ASKER

ok, i cleaned it up some more, this is tough to figure out

<opt current_player="0">
<current_cards></current_cards>
<dealer current_hand="0" number_hands="1">
<bank></bank>
<hands name="table" />
<upcard></upcard>
</dealer>
<deck numDecks="1" penetration="100">
<deck>5H</deck>
<deck>12H</deck>
<deck>3C</deck>
<deck>4C</deck>
<deck>12S</deck>
<deck>7S</deck>
<deck>4D</deck>
<deck>1H</deck>
<deck>11C</deck>
<deck>9H</deck>
<deck>1S</deck>
<deck>5D</deck>
<deck>6D</deck>
<deck>1C</deck>
<deck>2D</deck>
<deck>7H</deck>
<deck>4S</deck>
<deck>8S</deck>
<deck>13C</deck>
<deck>4H</deck>
<deck>7C</deck>
<deck>2C</deck>
<deck>5S</deck>
<deck>3D</deck>
<deck>8H</deck>
<deck>1D</deck>
<deck>10H</deck>
<deck>13S</deck>
<deck>9C</deck>
<deck>3H</deck>
<deck>6S</deck>
<deck>10S</deck>
<deck>2S</deck>
<deck>11S</deck>
<deck>9D</deck>
<deck>9S</deck>
<deck>7D</deck>
<deck>6H</deck>
<deck>11H</deck>
<deck>6C</deck>
<deck>2H</deck>
<deck>13H</deck>
<deck>12D</deck>
<deck>5C</deck>
<deck>3S</deck>
<deck>11D</deck>
<deck>10C</deck>
<deck>10D</deck>
<deck>13D</deck>
<deck>8D</deck>
<deck>8C</deck>
<deck>12C</deck>
<holeCard></holeCard>
</deck>
<legal>
<upcard></upcard>
</legal>
<option_list></option_list>
<players bank="5000" buyin="5000" current_hand="0" insurance="0" insurance_wager="50" natural_payout="1.5" number_hands="1" player_id="Tom" surrender="0" wager="100">
<decisions name="table" />
<hands name="table" />
</players>
<rules doubleAfterPairSplit="1" doublingNumCards="0" doublingRules="2" earlySurrender="0" hitSplitAce="1" insurance="1" lateSurrender="1" natural="2" numDecks="1" penetration="100" resplitAce="1" resplitPairs="1" soft17="0" softDoubling="1" splitAce="1" splitPairs="1" ties="0" />
<upcard></upcard>
</opt>

RonaldBiemans

If you want to test your xml file, just add a

RonaldBiemans

Damned mouse :-),

If you want to test your xml file, just add a new xml document to your project (add new item/xml document) and paste in the xml you have, if there is something wrong with it, the IDE will tell you what and where.

RonaldBiemans

I don't know what the xml file should do, so I came up with this

<opt current_player="0">
      <current_cards></current_cards>
      <dealer current_hand="0" number_hands="1">
            <bank></bank>
            <hands name="table" />
            <upcard></upcard>
      </dealer>
      <deck numDecks="1" penetration="100">
            <card1>5H</card1>
            <card2>12H</card2>
            <card3>3C</card3>
            <card4>4C</card4>
            <card5>12S</card5>
            <card6>7S</card6>
            <card7>4D</card7>
            <card8>1H</card8>
            <card9>11C</card9>
            <card10>9H</card10>
            <card11>1S</card11>
            <card12>5D</card12>
            <card13>6D</card13>
            <card14>1C</card14>
            <card15>2D</card15>
            <card16>7H</card16>
            <card17>4S</card17>
            <card18>8S</card18>
            <card19>13C</card19>
            <card20>4H</card20>
            <card21>7C</card21>
            <card22>2C</card22>
            <card23>5S</card23>
            <card24>3D</card24>
            <card25>8H</card25>
            <card26>1D</card26>
            <card27>10H</card27>
            <card28>13S</card28>
            <card29>9C</card29>
            <card30>3H</card30>
            <card31>6S</card31>
            <card32>10S</card32>
            <card33>2S</card33>
            <card34>11S</card34>
            <card35>9D</card35>
            <card36>9S</card36>
            <card37>7D</card37>
            <card38>6H</card38>
            <card39>11H</card39>
            <card40>6C</card40>
            <card41>2H</card41>
            <card42>13H</card42>
            <card43>12D</card43>
            <card44>5C</card44>
            <card45>3S</card45>
            <card46>11D</card46>
            <card47>10C</card47>
            <card48>10D</card48>
            <card49>13D</card49>
            <card50>8D</card50>
            <card51>8C</card51>
            <card52>12C</card52>
            <holeCard></holeCard>
      </deck>
      <legal>
            <upcard></upcard>
      </legal>
      <option_list></option_list>
      <players bank="5000" buyin="5000" current_hand="0" insurance="0" insurance_wager="50" natural_payout="1.5"
            number_hands="1" player_id="Tom" surrender="0" wager="100">
            <decisions name="table" />
      </players>
      <rules doubleAfterPairSplit="1" doublingNumCards="0" doublingRules="2" earlySurrender="0"
            hitSplitAce="1" insurance="1" lateSurrender="1" natural="2" numDecks="1" penetration="100"
            resplitAce="1" resplitPairs="1" soft17="0" softDoubling="1" splitAce="1" splitPairs="1"
            ties="0" />
      <upcard></upcard>
</opt>