Question

Kindly help me with the following :

I am using SQL database server 2008, in which I have a table with columns as shown in the image attached.

I want to retrieve the ToolTip column and extract string after Controls: and separate type=value strings and list in a ListBox separately.

Then I want to loop through each row get the list and compare this list with another set of similar list and check if they have same string lists. I haven’t tried any code, since I don’t know how to start in the first place. Any help will be appreciated. Thank you.

Answer 1

It would be better if you had

Profile_Controls Table

Profile_Name       Controls_Key     Controls_Value
-----------------------------------------------------
Lamp_Profile1      ON_OFF           ON
Lamp_Profile1      BRIGHTNESS       NONE
Fan_Profile1       ON_OFF           ON
Fan_Profile1       SPEED            NONE
.....

Then you can select

Select Controls_Key+'='+Controls_Value AS Settings From Profile_Controls Where Profile_Name = 'Fan_Profile1'

Results
-----------------
Settings
---------------------
ON_OFF=ON
SPEED=ON

This give you more flexibility as you can filter, JOIN, COMPARE, and use other built-in SQL functionality

If you still want to maintain your table structure like you have it

string[] mysplit = Tool_Tip.Split(s.Split(new string[]{"Controls:"}, StringSplitOptions.RemoveEmptyEntries);

string controls = mysplit[1].Substring(0); //ON_OFF=On;BRIGHTNESS=NONE

string[] eachSettings = controls.Split(';');

//eachSettings[0] = ON_OFF=ON
//eachSettings[1] = BRIGHTNESS=NONE

UPDATE

public System.Data.DataTable GetProfileSettings(string profilename)
{
   string sql = "Select Controls_Key+'='+Controls_Value AS Settings From Profile_Controls Where Profile_Name = '"+profilename+"'";
   //write ADO.Net code here to get settings into DataTable
   //DataTable dt = blah blah blah;

   return dt;
}

in your page

protected void SomeEvent_Handler(object sender, EventArgs e)
{
   myListBox2.DataSource = GetProfileSettings("FanProfile1");
   myListBox2.DataTextField = "Settings";
   myListBox2.DataBind();
}

You can use this link as reference for adding item to your listBox How to retrieve commas delimited values in SQL to a ListBox separately