Member Avatar for Pamilerin

Hey guys,
I am to do a final year project to monitor the trading floor of the Nigerian Stock Exchange and my question is if I were to write an application what things should I consider. The application is supposed to be a stand alone but works when it connects to the internet just like Tweetdeck. My question is how can I connect to the server and then use the data from the server to build my application. My preferred language is VB.Net. How dos the whole idea work, like how does tweetdeck connect to the twitter server without the need for twitter.com, that is how my application is supposed to work.

Thanks very much for your help.

  • 2 Contributors
  • 4 Replies
  • 187 Views
  • 3 Days Discussion Span
  • Latest Post Latest Post by Pamilerin

Dani AI

Generated

For ’s final-year project to monitor the Nigerian Stock Exchange, the two highest-level choices are the data source (official exchange feed / broker API / public delayed feeds / synthetic test feed) and the delivery model (streaming push vs periodic polling). ’s checklist (connect, authenticate, request, parse, close, massage, display) is the right mental model—the rest is picking concrete protocols, storage and failure-handling that fit the project scope and budget.

Practical architecture to consider: an offline-first client with a small embedded database (SQLite or LocalDB) plus a sync/ingest layer. For real-time use WebSocket or a streaming API; for simpler prototyping use a REST polling endpoint. Professional market feeds often use FIX or proprietary binary TCP with sequence numbers—those require licensing and careful handling of gaps. Always plan licensing/legal checks before building against a production feed and assume real-time feeds may be paid and rate-limited.

A few concrete implementation notes for VB.Net:

  • Use async background workers (Task/Async) so the UI thread stays responsive.
  • Parse JSON or XML with a robust library and normalize timestamps to UTC.
  • Protect API keys/tokens with the OS key store or DPAPI; never hardcode credentials.
  • Implement reconnect/backoff, sequence-number checks for missed messages, and idempotent writes to the local DB.
' simple async GET (requires System.Net.Http and Newtonsoft.Json)
Public Async Function FetchAsync(url As String, token As String) As Task(Of JObject)
    Using client As New HttpClient()
        client.DefaultRequestHeaders.Authorization = New AuthenticationHeaderValue("Bearer", token)
        Dim resp = Await client.GetAsync(url)
        resp.EnsureSuccessStatusCode()
        Dim json = Await resp.Content.ReadAsStringAsync()
        Return JsonConvert.DeserializeObject(Of JObject)(json)
    End Using
End Function

Suggested local schema: Instruments, Quotes, Trades (trade_id or seq_no, instrument_id, timestamp_utc, price, size), plus Events/Logs. Index on (instrument_id, timestamp). For testing and grading, start with delayed public data or a recorded CSV feed to validate UI and DB logic, then add streaming and licensed data. Common pitfalls: timezones, duplicate messages, UI update flood (batch updates), and unsecured API credentials.

Recommended Answers

All 4 Replies

Member Avatar for griswolf

I speak no VB, so in general terms:

  1. You open a connection to (some web service)
  2. You provide your bona fides to that server
  3. You make your request
  4. You receive and parse the data
  5. You close the connection
  6. You massage the new data
  7. You display the massaged data

Repeat

There are several places where this can be troublesome.

  • Opening the connection: VB will have some way to do it
  • Providing your bona fides: Each service has its own requirements. Probably a username and password. You don't want to send that in the clear, so think about it first.
  • Sending requests and receiving data: You will need to understand the service requirements in both directions
  • Parsing: You have to handle what they send you. Probably XML or json. VB has parser tools, I'm sure.
  • Closing the connection: They are a scarce resource, so when you're done for the moment, close it.
Member Avatar for Pamilerin

Thanks very much for that info but I want to ask, how do I get access to a web service

Member Avatar for griswolf

Your question is not precise. You two kinds of access:

  1. You obtain permission to access the service, which may require some form of authorization, signing a EULA, or other legal issue.
  2. You make a connection with the service

I am not able to give you details about this, partly because I simply don't know: What web service, how VB deals with internet connections; and partly because DaniWeb is a place where we HELP you do the work, not do it for you.

Member Avatar for Pamilerin

Thanks, I appreciate it

Be a part of the DaniWeb community

We're a friendly, industry-focused community of developers, IT pros, digital marketers, and technology enthusiasts meeting, networking, learning, and sharing knowledge.