help minimizing If Then statement

[firstascent]

I have 4 textboxes that a user can input date into, a save button, and another textbox that gets filled automatically depending on what is entered into the 4 text boxes.

Lets call the 4 text boxes: Name1, Name2, Name3 and Name4
we'll call the last text box Complete.
When you press the save button I want the values to be displayed in the Complete text box like this: Name1="text" Name2="text" Name3="text" Name4="text", BUT, only if they actually have a value.

So if they all have some text in them except Name2 then the Complete box would read: Name1="text" Name3="text" Name4="text" - so Name2 wouldn't show up at all.

Is there a simple way to put this in an If Then statement without scripting out every possible outcome?

[Zeljko]

Try this:

txtComplete.Clear()
 
If Not txtName1.Text = Nothing Then
   txtComplete.Text += "txtName1=" & txtName1.Text & " "
End If
If Not txtName2.Text = Nothing Then
   txtComplete.Text += "txtName2=" & txtName2.Text & " "
End If
If Not txtName3.Text = Nothing Then
   txtComplete.Text += "txtName3=" & txtName3.Text & " "
End If

[The Fire Snake]

I am sure there are more clever ways to do this that would scale better for more textboxes but here is my version. It should work for the requirements you posted.

Imports System.Text
Public Class Form1
    Private Sub Save_Click(ByVal sender As System.Object, ByVal e As System.EventArgs) Handles Save.Click
        Dim Output As New StringBuilder()
 
        If Not String.IsNullOrEmpty(Name1.Text) Then
            Output = Output.Append("Name1 = " & Name1.Text & " ")
        End If
 
        If Not String.IsNullOrEmpty(Name2.Text) Then
            Output = Output.Append("Name2 = " & Name2.Text & " ")
        End If
 
        If Not String.IsNullOrEmpty(Name3.Text) Then
            Output = Output.Append("Name3 = " & Name3.Text & " ")
        End If
 
        If Not String.IsNullOrEmpty(Name4.Text) Then
            Output = Output.Append("Name4 = " & Name4.Text)
        End If
 
        Complete.Text = Output.ToString
        Output = Nothing
    End Sub
End Class

[Siddharth Rout]

    If Not String.IsNullOrEmpty(Name1.Text) then strTmp = _
    "Name1=" & """" & Name1.Text & """" & " "
    
    If Not String.IsNullOrEmpty(Name2Text) then strTmp = _
    strTemp &  "Name2=" & """" & Name2.Text & """" & " "
    
    If Not String.IsNullOrEmpty(Name3.Text) then strTmp = _
    strTemp &  "Name3=" & """" & Name3.Text & """" & " "
    
    If Not String.IsNullOrEmpty(Name4.Text) then strTmp = _
    strTemp &  "Name4=" & """" & Name4.Text & """"
    
    Complete.Text = strTemp

Edit: Oh I forgot to refresh the page!!!

[Hack]

Is there a simple way to put this in an If Then statement without scripting out every possible outcome?

Simple as defined by "absence of complexity", yes - but as you can tell by the existing examples, all of the textboxes will need to be accounted for.

[GaryMazzone]

Could be done in a For loop looking at all the controls on the page.

Get only the textbox controls and do the containation (or stringbuilder)
If more then just the Name series of TextBoxControls place Name1 .... into the Tag Property and then just do the work if the Tag Starts with Name

[dminder]

Here is my version:

       'Provide list of texbox names to check
        Dim textboxes() As String = {"Name1", "Name2", "Name3", "Name4"}
        'Create a control array
        Dim ctrl() As Control

        'Loop through the strings
        For Each s As String In textboxes
            'Check to see if the control exists
            ctrl = Me.Controls.Find(s, True)
            'If control exists and the length of its text is > 0 
            'then add its text to the complete box.
            If ctrl IsNot Nothing _
            AndAlso ctrl.Length > 0 _
            AndAlso CType(ctrl(0), TextBox).Text.Trim.Length > 0 Then
                Complete.Text += s & "=" & CType(ctrl(0), TextBox).Text.Trim
            End If
        Next

Let me know if you have any questions!

D

[firstascent]

thanks for all the examples, I will play around with those and see what will best fit my needs.

Im sure at least one (if not all) will work as I need it to.

[Claude2005]

How about this?

Complete.Text = ""
Dim txt() As TextBox = {"Name1", "Name2", "Name3", "Name4"}
For i As Short = 0 To txt.Length - 1
    txt(i).Text = txt(i).Text.Trim
    If txt(i).Text <> "" Then
        Complete.Text = Complete.Text & txt(i).ID & "=" & txt(i).Text
        If i <> txt.Length - 1 Then Complete.Text = Complete.Text & " "
    End If
Next i