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Asked: 2026-05-14T08:30:39+00:00

I am writing a program that needs to read a set of records that

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I am writing a program that needs to read a set of records that describe the register map of a device I need to communicate with. Each record will have a handfull of fields that describe the properties of each register.

I don’t really need to edit or modify the data in my VB or C# program, though I would like to be able to display the data on a grid. I would like to store the data in a CSV file, or perhaps an XML file. I need to enable users to edit the data off-line, preferably in excel.

I am considering using a DataTable or a Collection of “Register” objects (which I would define).

I prototyped a DataTable, and found I can read/write XML easily using the built in methods and I can easily bind to a DataGridView. I was not able to find a way to retreive info on a single register without using a query that returns a collection of rows, even though I defined a unique primaty key column. The syntax to get a value from a column is also complex, though I could be missing something on both counts.

I’m tempted to use a collection of “Register” objects that I can access via a unique key. It would be a little more coding up front, but seems like a cleaner solution overall. I should still be able to use LINQ to dataset to query subsets of registers when I need them, but would also be able to grab a single field using a the key value, something like this: Registers(keyValue).fieldName).

Which would be a cleaner approach to the problem?

Is there a way to read/write XML into a Collection without needing custom code?

Could this be accomplished using String for a key?

UPDATE: Sounds like the consensus is towards the Collection of register Objects. Makes sense to me. I was leaning that way, and since nobody pointed out any DataTable features that would simplify acessing a single row, it looks like the Collection is clearly the way to go. Thanks to those who weighed in.

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1 Answer

  1. Editorial Team

    I usually use datatables if its something quick and unlikely to be used in any other way. If it’s something I can see evolving into an object that has its own use within the app (like your Register Object you mentioned).

    It might be a little extra code up front – but it saves converting from a datatable to the collection in the future if you come up with something you would like to do based on an individual row, or if you want/need to add some sort of extra functionality to that element down the road.

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