[RESOLVED] Getting SQL data into Label not DataGrid

[invitro]

I do not understand why every tutorial website that I go to uses the DataGrid control as an example.

Is this standard, should I also be using this control in my project?

I have a page called Article.aspx. It displays one image and one article that is pulled from a database.

I want to display this data using: <asp:Image src="image link"> and <asp:label text="body of the article"> not as a <asp:datagrid>

I have no problem with the DataGrid control, it just seems like overkill since I only need 1 row from the database. I also do not want this information in a grid, I would like to have the power to place it wherever I desired. I.E, I want to put the article image on the left, article title on the top, and the body of the article in the middle of the page... you get the idea.

Is there something I am missing here? Could one not do something like:

    LabelArticleBody.Text = ds.Tables["tblArticle"].Columns[1].???;

Incase you are interested, this is what my pageload looks like:

protected void Page_Load(Object sender, EventArgs e)
{
    String strCategoryID;
    String strArticleID;

    strCategoryID = Request.QueryString["sci"];
    strArticleID = Request.QueryString["sai"];
    
	SqlConnection sqlCon = new SqlConnection("private");
	SqlDataAdapter myCommand = new SqlDataAdapter("SELECT * FROM tblArticle WHERE tblArticle.charArticleID='" + strArticleID + "' AND tblArticle.charCategoryID='" + strCategoryID + "'",sqlCon);
	
	DataSet ds = new DataSet();
	myCommand.Fill(ds, "tblArticle");
	
	/* gridArticle.DataSource=ds.Tables["tblArticle"].DefaultView;
	    gridArticle.DataBind();
            Great for testing but I do not want to use a DataGrid.  
        */
    
    //lblArticleBody.Text = ds.Tables["tblArticle"].???;  -- whats the missing piece? :P
}

[sevenhalo]

Yeah, lose almost all of that (except the connection object). No datasets, no adapters, no binding and no girds.

		{
			String strCategoryID;
			String strArticleID;

			strCategoryID = Request.QueryString["sci"];
			strArticleID = Request.QueryString["sai"];
    
			System.Data.SqlClient.SqlConnection sqlCon = new System.Data.SqlClient.SqlConnection("private");
			System.Data.SqlClient.SqlCommand myCommand = new System.Data.SqlClient.SqlCommand("SELECT * FROM tblArticle WHERE tblArticle.charArticleID=@Article AND tblArticle.charCategoryID=@Category",sqlCon);
	
			try
			{
				sqlCon.Open();
				myCommand.Parameters.Add("@Article", strArticleID);
				myCommand.Parameters.Add("@Category", strCategoryID);
				this.label1.text = myCommand.ExecuteScalar();
			}
			catch (System.Exception ex)
			{
				//Handle
			}
			finally
			{
				if (sqlCon.State == System.Data.ConnectionState.Open)
				{
					sqlCon.Close();
				}
			}

[invitro]

Thanks so much. I see what you are doing here, much easier. I will try this when I get home, thanks again.

One question. You chose to use @Parameters rather then just placing the values into the command string. Is there a specific reason for this other then visual appeal?

[sevenhalo]

it also prevents sql injection attacks. Say for instance soeone typed:

';shutdown--

into one of the textboxes. The value would get processed as is. You would insert a bogus record and then the shutdown command would run (typically the db user wouldn't have this kind of elevated permission, but it's just an example). Paramaterizing your queries prevents this (it also takes are of special characters too).

[invitro]

Sorry about getting back to you so late, haven't had a chance to pick this up until today.

I somewhat understand your method, but it does not work. The error I get is this:

Description: An error occurred during the compilation of a resource required to service this request. Please review the following specific error details and modify your source code appropriately.

Compiler Error Message: CS0266: Cannot implicitly convert type 'object' to 'string'. An explicit conversion exists (are you missing a cast?)

Source Error:

Line 20: myCommand.Parameters.Add("@Article", strArticleID);
Line 21: myCommand.Parameters.Add("@Category", strCategoryID);
Line 22: label1.Text = myCommand.ExecuteScalar();
Line 23: }
Line 24: catch (System.Exception ex)


Source File: \\shared.hosting.local\nfs\cust\2\36\70\707632\web\main.aspx Line: 22

It seems that ExecuteScalar returns an object where as label1.text is obviously a string.

I'm thinking you could probably do 'something' like

object label;
label = myCommand.ExecuteScalar();
label1.text = label.value;

----------

Regardless of how one would implement it, I don't think the way you are doing it would work. Looking at what you suggested, only one record would be retrieved from the database. Not only that, Executescalar only gets the first row in the first column, meaning the first value. (I could be confused here)

I'm actually trying to get several values in the same row... the title, the body, and the image link. What im trying to get is not 1 value, but 1 full row and then pick the data fields that I need from that row (strArticle, strBody, strImage) etc.

Sorry if I was unclear in my initial question,

Thanks

[Fishcake]

All you need to do is add .ToString(). As the error says it cannot implicity convert an object to a string. Likewise if your scalar result was an int you'd use something like int i = Convert.ToInt32(myCommand.ExecuteScalar());

label1.Text = myCommand.ExecuteScalar().ToString();

I know what you mean about DataGrid heavy tutorials it annoys me too.

[invitro]

All you need to do is add .ToString(). As the error says it cannot implicity convert an object to a string. Likewise if your scalar result was an int you'd use something like int i = Convert.ToInt32(myCommand.ExecuteScalar());

label1.Text = myCommand.ExecuteScalar().ToString();

I know what you mean about DataGrid heavy tutorials it annoys me too.

Right, that works fine... but I want more then just the first row in the first column. Take a look at the second part of my last post, I'm trying to get 3 values from a row.

Thanks for taking a look at this problem fishcake!

[Fishcake]

ah ok sorry didn't read all the posts. ExecuteScalar will only return one result.

Use a datareader instead which will loop through all rows in the returned data.

        SqlDataReader dr;
        dr = command.ExecuteReader();

        while(dr.Read())
        {
            this.label1.Text = dr["Column1"].ToString();
            //or
            this.label2.Text = dr.GetString(dr.GetOrdinal("Column2"));
            //etc
        }

Replace Column1 etc with the field names from your database and remember to close your datareader and database connection.

[invitro]

This is EXACTLY what I needed.

Now to stuff this info into a c# class somehow...

Thanks for all the help guys!