I needed a way of selecting all primary key(s) from a certain table (Table_1) that was not used as a foreign key in a sub-table (Table_2). So I went at it with my SQL know-how to no end. It was obvious that I needed to do a little catching up.

I googled the following:

• all instances of unique id not found in sub-table
• primary key not found as foreign key in sub-table
• select all rows if not exist in sub-table
• sql tutorial
• sql join
• sql reference
• sql relational databases

…and found nothing useful. However, my research did lead me to one conclusion… what I needed was the opposite of a join. I googled for it, it as in “opposite of a join”. What I found was a very useful MS KB, http://support.microsoft.com/kb/136699.

The described “Subtract Join” was exactly what I was looking for and it works! What’s odd is of all the SQL tutorials I ran into, none of them mentioned the SUBTRACT JOIN. That makes me think there might be a better way of doing this query. Is there a better way? Am I simply not using the right keywords when I search? Anyways, if there is I couldn’t find it…

Private Sub Button1_Click(ByVal sender As System.Object, ByVal e As System.EventArgs) Handles Button1.Click
Dim oFile As System.IO.File
Dim oWrite As System.IO.StreamWriter
Dim Needy As String = tbx_main.Text
Dim Added As String = Regex.Replace(Needy, “(\p{P})(?=\Z|\r\n)”, “.”)
oWrite.Write(Added)
oWrite.Close()
oWrite = oFile.CreateText(“C:\Text_to_Speech.txt”)
End Sub

The end result is a little program that adds any desired character(s) to the beginning or end of all lines pasted into its textbox. The code is as follows…

Try
‘Make sure big tbx is not empty
If tbx_main.Text = “” Then
tbx_main.Text = “Please enter text!”
ElseIf tbx_main.Text = “Please enter text!” Then
tbx_main.Text = “Please enter text!”
Else
‘Make sure small tbx is not empty
If tbx_desired.Text = “” Then
tbx_desired.Text = “Char?”
ElseIf tbx_desired.Text = “Char?” Then
tbx_desired.Text = “Char?”
Else
‘Declare: file, stream and savefiledialog
Dim oFile As File
Dim oMyStream As Stream
Dim saveFileDialog1 As New SaveFileDialog
‘Set savefiledialog defaults
saveFileDialog1.Filter = “txt files (*.txt)|*.txt”
saveFileDialog1.FilterIndex = 2
saveFileDialog1.RestoreDirectory = True
‘Run nested code if user presses OK button in dialog
If saveFileDialog1.ShowDialog() = DialogResult.OK Then
oMyStream = saveFileDialog1.OpenFile()
Dim oWrite As New StreamWriter(oMyStream)
For Each LineInput As String In tbx_main.Lines
‘Core Code, add periods to beginning or end
If rbtn_begin.Checked = True Then
‘Beginning
oWrite.WriteLine(tbx_desired.Text + LineInput)
ElseIf rbtn_end.Checked = True Then
‘End
oWrite.WriteLine(LineInput + tbx_desired.Text)
End If
Next
oWrite.Close()
End If
‘Periods added, display success msgbx, close form
MessageBox.Show(“Success: file was created!”)
Me.Dispose()
Me.Close()
End If
End If
Catch exc As Exception
‘Catch Errors, display messagebox
MessageBox.Show(“Error: file was not created!”)
End Try

Sounds useful? If you want to download the program and use it at your own risk, click here.

<object type="application/x-shockwave-flash" data="[INSERT VIDEO URL FROM EMBED CODE PROVIDED HERE]" width="400" height="326"><param name="movie" value="[INSERT VIDEO URL FROM EMBED CODE PROVIDED HERE]" /><param name="FlashVars" value="playerMode=embedded" /></object>

With this code I can also allow users to embed Google Videos as well, this would have to be done soon before I fall behind. More and more video streaming sites are hitting the web that are a must for me. Stage6, for example is on the top of my list. If anyone has any advice on this, please comment.

Here’s my Psuedo/Logic:
1) Load Repeater with list of “UNmoderated” items
2) Put a checkbox inside the repeaters ItemTemplate
3) Add code to button (dosomething if checkbox is checked)

Problem:
I couldn’t locate the column with the PrimaryUniqueID because there are no columns in repeaters, but my Stored Procedure “requires” the PrimaryUniqueID.

Button code:
Private Sub MassApprove_Click(ByVal sender As System.Object, ByVal e As System.EventArgs) Handles MassApprove.Click
Try
Dim MyRptItem As RepeaterItem
For Each MyRptItem In MyRepeater.Items
Dim chbxMassApprove As CheckBox = CType(MyRptItem.FindControl(“chbxMassApprove”), CheckBox)
Dim PrimaryUniqueID As String = MyRptItem.DataItem(PrimaryUniqueID) PROBLEMATIC LINE
If chbxMassApprove.Checked = True Then
‘DO THE MASS APPROVE
‘LOOP THRU STORED PROCEDURE
End If
Next
Catch exc As Exception
Response.Write(exc.ToString)
End Try
End Sub

Solution:
I used this as a workaround if this helps anyone…

Front End:
Text=’<%# DataBinder.Eval(Container, “DataItem.PrimaryUniqueID”) %>’

Back End:
Dim PrimaryUniqueID As String = ckbxMassApprove.Text.ToString

System.Web.UI.WebControls.PagedDataSource

What we have to do for us to paging through our data vs. displaying all of it at once? We simply inject the paging into our data before displaying it. In my case, I am using a repeater:

'get the data
Dim myData As System.Collections.ArrayList
myData = ** myStoredProcedure **
'ensure there is data to work with
If myData .Count > 0 Then
'create a new instance of PagedDataSource
myPagedDataSource = New System.Web.UI.WebControls.PagedDataSource
'set my pagin preferences
myPagedDataSource.DataSource = myData
myPagedDataSource.AllowPaging = True
myPagedDataSource.PageSize = 5
myPagedDataSource.CurrentPageIndex = myCurrentPageIndex
'then finally bind the data to my repeater
myRepeater.DataSource = myPagedDataSource
myRepeater.DataBind()
End If

Quite simple to use. Knowing that the webcontrol is there really is the hard part of it all.

If you are new to osCommerce, you will soon find out that designing your osCommerce website can be quite painful. But once you add the STS contribution to your site, you essentially add a skinning method to it… making your job half as easy. Link? Click Here.