Member Avatar for adrian.mcguinness

I have a connection in a DAL to SQL server. Using this connection I am trying to read the query. I have tried using ExecuteReader() and ExecutreNonQuery() with no luck.
Here is my code:

      private void button1_Click(object sender, EventArgs e)
        {
                    try{
            var cn = new Connection_Handler();
            string input = selectinput.Text;
            string reader = cn.Execute_SQL(input).ToString();
            MessageBox.Show(reader);
                        }
            catch(Exception ex){
                MessageBox.Show(ex.Message);
            }
}
    class Connection_Handler
    {
        SqlConnection cn;
        void ConnectiontoSQL()
        {
            string str = "server=xxx; database=jobSearch; user=sa; password=xxx";
            cn = new SqlConnection(str);
            cn.Open();            
        }
        public int Execute_SQL(string select)
        {
            ConnectiontoSQL();
            string Query = "select " + select + " from jobSearch where searchID = 1";
            SqlCommand cmd = new SqlCommand(Query, cn);
            SqlDataReader reader = cmd.ExecuteReader();
            return Convert.ToInt32(reader);
        }
    }

my error message is "unable to cast object of type 'sqldatareader' to type 'iconvertible' "

Hi there!

You can't convert an SQLDataReader to an int. You have to use the reader to get your values.

Check those links:
http://msdn.microsoft.com/pt-br/library/haa3afyz(v=vs.110).aspx
http://www.akadia.com/services/dotnet_data_reader.html

Anyway... I think is more practial to use an DataSet, something like this:

class Connection_Handler
    {
        SqlConnection cn;
        void ConnectiontoSQL()
        {
            string str = "server=xxx; database=jobSearch; user=sa; password=xxx";
            cn = new SqlConnection(str);
            cn.Open();            
        }
        public DataSet SelectSQL(string select) {

            SqlCommand command = new SqlCommand( select, this.cn );

            DataSet objDataSet = new DataSet();
            SqlDataAdapter objSqlDataAdapter;

            objSqlDataAdapter = new SqlDataAdapter( command );
            objSqlDataAdapter.Fill( objDataSet );

            command.Dispose();

            objSqlDataAdapter.Dispose();
            objSqlDataAdapter = null;

            return objDataSet;
        }

        public int Execute_SQL(string select)
        {
            ConnectiontoSQL();
            string Query = "select " + select + " from jobSearch where searchID = 1";

            DataSet ds = SelectSQL(Query);

            if ( ds.Tables[0].Rows.Count > 0 ) { // Found something

                // Returns the first cell of the first row
                return Convert.ToInt32(ds.Tables[0].Rows[0][0].ToString());

            }
            // Exit code for no item found
            return -1;
        }
    }

Or, if you are going to retrieve just one value, you could use ExecuteScalar that already returns the first cell of the first row.

int result = Convert.ToInt32(command.ExecuteScalar())
Member Avatar for adrian.mcguinness

it returns "cannot find table 0"
The database isnt empty.

Is ds.Tables null? Is the connection and query ok?

Member Avatar for adrian.mcguinness

Hi it accesses the database. the resulting error message is "input string was not a correct format"

In wich line does this error occurrs?

Member Avatar for adrian.mcguinness

On debugging, ds.Tables[0].Rows[0][0] shows the value from the query in execute_SQL(). from

            if (ds.Tables[0].Rows.Count > 0)
            {
                return Convert.ToInt32(ds.Tables[0].Rows[0][0].ToString());

            }

            return -1;

the error is thrown after the try-catch statement.

I suspect it is to do with

            string reader = Convert.ToInt32(cn.Execute_SQL()).ToString();
            MessageBox.Show(reader);

Whats the value in ds.Tables[0].Rows[0][0] ?

In debugging, use the Exception.StackTrace and Exception.InnerException.StackTrace to see exactly where the errors occurs and it's full stack trace.
Obs.: InnerException is recursive.

Member Avatar for adrian.mcguinness

the value is "monster.co.uk" as expected in ds.Tables[0].Rows[0][0]. when debuging but the exception is still thrown.

but the stackexception is

    ex.StackTrace   "   at System.Number.StringToNumber(String str, NumberStyles options, NumberBuffer& number, NumberFormatInfo info, Boolean parseDecimal)\r\n   at System.Number.ParseInt32(String s, NumberStyles style, NumberFormatInfo info)\r\n   at System.Convert.ToInt32(String value)\r\n   at SearchingforJob.DAL.Connection_Handler.Execute_SQL() in C:\\Documents\\Visual Studio 2010\\Projects\\SearchingforJob\\SearchingforJob\\DAL\\Connection_Handler.cs:line 46\r\n   at SearchingforJob.input.button1_Click(Object sender, EventArgs e) in C:\\Documents\\Visual Studio 2010\\Projects\\SearchingforJob\\SearchingforJob\\input.cs:line 33"   string

Looks like your trying to convert "monster.co.uk" to an int

ggamble is right... I assume that you were selecting an int, because you was already converting.

If the value is 'monster.co.uk' you can't convert it, just use .ToString().

Member Avatar for adrian.mcguinness

Hi, I have an if statement in my connectionhandler and it will not let me return a string for ds.Tables[0].Rows[0][0] i tried making a variable and it still didnt like it.

here is the code im on at the moment.

            if (ds.Tables[0].Rows.Count > 0)
            {
                string reader = ds.Tables[0].Rows[0][0].ToString();
                return reader;

            }

            return -1;

That's probably because your method returns an int.
Try this:

public string Execute_SQL(string select)
        {
            ConnectiontoSQL();
            string Query = "select " + select + " from jobSearch where searchID = 1";
            DataSet ds = SelectSQL(Query);
            if ( ds.Tables[0].Rows.Count > 0 ) { // Found something
                // Returns the first cell of the first row
                return ds.Tables[0].Rows[0][0].ToString();
            }
            // Exit code for no item found
            return "-1";
        }
Member Avatar for adrian.mcguinness

will not debug. cannot implicitly convert type "string" to "int"

Member Avatar for adrian.mcguinness

Sorted it. changed public int Execute_SQL(), to public string Execute_SQL()

That's exactly what I posted. =)

Member Avatar for adrian.mcguinness

My apologies.

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