[RESOLVED] Getting values between brackets where anothe value exists

[VintageCoro]

Hey Everyone

I have a program that is designed to allow users to buy and sell models (as a small computing project). The user has to register an account which is stored in a database separately. They must Login to be able to edit their account information. I have a form called UserSettings. This contains the text boxes and drop down boxes with profile information (e.g. name, email, first and last name, etc). However at the bottom of this form I have two text boxes, one which is called "Default Model Download Location" and the other is called "Default model upload Location". In my application I have a routine that creates a file (called "mus", it stands for modeller user settings). Certain user settings are stored in here (like a ini file).

Example structure of a *.mus file:

ModelDownload_Directory=[C:\Modeller\Models\Download]
ModelUpload_Directory=[C:\Modeller\Models\Upload]

I want to be able to create a routine that goes like this:

txtModelDownloadLocation.text = value WHERE ModelDownload_Directory=
txtModelUpload_Directory.text = value WHERE ModelUpload_Directory=

I was thinking this could be possible if done with regex, but I've spend all day trying to figure it out and getting no where.

Thank you for reading and I would appreciate any help!

[kareninstructor]

Hello,

I would suggest looking at storing this information under My.Settings. You can bind a single setting say to a TextBox.

Basically you end up with little code

Private Sub cmdSelectDownLoadPath_Click(
    ByVal sender As System.Object,
    ByVal e As System.EventArgs) Handles cmdSelectDownLoadPath.Click

    If Not String.IsNullOrWhiteSpace(My.Settings.ModelDownloadPath) Then
        FolderBrowserDialog1.SelectedPath = My.Settings.ModelDownloadPath
    End If
    If FolderBrowserDialog1.ShowDialog() = Windows.Forms.DialogResult.OK Then
        txtDownloadPath.Text = FolderBrowserDialog1.SelectedPath
    End If
End Sub

You set the binding for say a TextBox under the TextBox properties --> ApplicationSettings, Property Binding

[VintageCoro]

Thank you for the quick response, I will try this out. The only problem with this (which my fault because I forgot to mention) is that the data that is stored in the file is encrypted when the application isn't using the data and temporarily decrypted when the file needs to be written or read (in memory). The reason I was using a file is so that I can store different bits of local user settings (including features I would like to add in the future which may not be linked to just text boxes, but also other components).

[kareninstructor]

All this means is you do not create the settings via the method I spoke of but instead under Project properties and not use data binding but instead manually set text property of a TextBox.

So say after the user selects a path you would encrypt the text and then assign it to the settings. When reading the setting you decrypt then assign it to the Textbox.

[VintageCoro]

Think I'm going to try and create a local XML file that is encrypted and decrypted like I have done with the *.mus file, that way I should be the " ModelDownload_Directory= " part as an element and the " C:\Modeller\Models\Download " as a value. I've never really used XML before (that's why I was trying to avoid it before)

[kareninstructor]

Using My.Settings is perfered method for stuff like this as the mechanics are handled for you unlike XML. You could read the xml via DataSet.ReadXml but I believe the My.Settings method is better and easier to work with

[dday9]

This would be the regex:

\[(.*?)\]

Short explination:

• \[ - Literally matches a "["
• (.*?) - the 'everything' inbetween
• \] - Literally matches a "]"

Putting it into vb.net syntax:

        Dim str As String = "ModelDownload_Directory=[C:\Modeller\Models\Download]" & Environment.NewLine & "ModelUpload_Directory=[C:\Modeller\Models\Upload]"
        Dim reg As New Regex("\[(.*?)\]")

        Console.WriteLine("Model Download: " & reg.Matches(str).Item(0).ToString.Replace("[", "").Replace("]", ""))
        Console.WriteLine("Model   Upload: " & reg.Matches(str).Item(1).ToString.Replace("[", "").Replace("]", ""))
        Console.ReadLine()

My regex is a little off because I use replace to get rid of the brackets... I'm sure someone else could give it to you where to didn't have to add the replace.

Edit -
Wow I sat in this post a while, stepped away from my computer, finished it, and then when I posted it there was like 8 other post already!

[VintageCoro]

Thank you, that looks like a good and efficient way doing it. I tried to create a regex pattern that would do it but couldn't think of one (I will try this out later). I managed to sort the problem out in a weird but useful way (I think I might fix and update all of the code to get rid of bugs or inconsistent programming styles). This is the code I am currently using:

 Public Sub UserSettingConfigurator()
        Dim ToRead As String = UserSettings_MDS.MusContent_UserSettings
        MsgBox(ToRead)
        'Read all lines in the Usersettings in private memory

        Try
            Dim i As Integer = ToRead.IndexOf("@1[")
            Dim f As String = ToRead.Substring(i + 3, ToRead.IndexOf("]1@", i + 1) - i - 3)
            UserSettings_MDS.ModelDownloadPath = f
            i = ToRead.IndexOf("@2[")
            f = ToRead.Substring(i + 3, ToRead.IndexOf("]2@", i + 1) - i - 3)
            UserSettings_MDS.ModelUploadPath = f

        Catch ex As Exception
            MsgBox(ex.Message)
        End Try
    End Sub

Mus File:

ModelDownload_Directory=@1[C:\Modeller\Models\Download\]1@
ModelUpload_Directory=@2[C:\Modeller\Models\Upload\]2@

Because I couldn't figure out the regex I tried to think of doing it in another manner. By giving the values a unique container

@1[ Contents goes here ]1@

, then I could read to the start of the unique container and the end of the unique container, and then delete 3 characters at the beginning and end of the container to leave the value behind. (E.g.

@1[C:\Modeller\Models\Download\]1@

->

C:\Modeller\Models\Download\

).

Thanks for your suggestions, and I will be sure to try them out later as I would like to see there results. However my realisation is what currently best fits with my project, and as I'm on a short deadline it's the only thing I can really use.

Thanks again guys!

[kareninstructor]

In short you are writing code that there are better methods in the Framework already. Besides what I already suggesteted (dataset, My.Settings) there are methods to serialize classes. All can have encryption. Serializing a class with encryption first off can only be properly read using code from the same namespace that created it so there is double security. Of course an expert hacker over time can break anything, depends how deep down the rabbit hole you are willing to go.