Task: Design This Database

Blog Task 1

Answer the following questions:

1. What does a column in a table represent? Field
2. What does a row in a table represent? Record - A group of records about a certain object or person that has been applied to the selected fields
3. What does DBMS stand for?
A Database Management System (DBMS)

4. What is a primary key in a table used for? The Primary Key is used for the ID itself and is able to identify it in the database.

5. Why is the ID column such a useful field? The ID column is useful because it gives a indication what was inputted into the system first

6. What Access data type would you use to store the string “18 Segway Drive, Moonville” ? To store the string “18 Segway Drive, Moonville” a text data type of would be used.

7. What Access data type would you use to record True/False values? The Yes/No data type.

8. What Access data type would you use to store a number? The number data type would be used since this can be inputted for further calculations such as a pricing of an item.

9. What Access data type would you use to store a long string such as an essay or report?

10. A database is a collection of what? A database is a collection of data that is stored in a structured format of columns and rows.

11. A table is made up of what?
A Table is a group of releated records that contain the same fields

12. What is a record? A record is a group of related field that contain all valuable information about an object or person.

13. Are spaces allowed in field names? You're welcome to put spaces in your field names but its not necessary

Activity 1: Create a database

Object ToString method

Blogpost: Object ToString method

• What did the ToString method display?
• Include a screenshot.
• Was the information useful?

The Object class

What is the purpose of the Object class?
It's purpose is to support all other classes in the hierarchy and also service lower leveled classes

How many constructors does it contain?
It contains only 1 constructor

How many methods does it contain?
the object class contains 8 methods

What is the purpose of the ToString method?
the purpose of the ToString method is to return a string that represents the object eg. a number as an integer.

String Manipulation

3. Write about 6 of the functions listed

• Purpose of function
• Number of overloads (if any)
• Parameters and their data types
• Return type
• Exceptions thrown by the function

Join function
Purpose -  The join function joins a number of substrings that are positioned in an array
Overloads - Join has 2 overloads
Parameters/Data Types - SourceArray (Object) & Delimiter (String)
Returns - Join returns a String
Exceptions - ArguementException

StrDup function
Purpose - is to return a specified character from a specified number of times
Overloads - StrDup has 3 overloads
Parameters/Data Types - Number (Int32) Character (Char)
Returns - StrDup returns a Strng

Exceptions - ArguementException & ArguementNullException

StrConv function

Purpose - Covert to a specified string
Overloads - 0 overloads
Parameters/Data Types - Str(String) & Conversion(StrConv) & LocaleID(Int32)
Returns - StrConv returns a string

Exceptions - ArguementException


LTrim function
Purpose - a copy of a specified string that contains no leading spaces
Overloads - 0 overloads
Parameters/Data Types - str(String)
Returns - this returns a String

Exceptions - 0 exceptions

Filter function

Purpose - to return an array that contained
Overloads - 2 overloads
Parameters/Data Types - Source(Object) & Match(String) & Include(Boolean) & Compare(CompareMethod)
Returns - Filter returns a zero based array

Exceptions - ArguementException

LCase function
Purpose - to covert a string or character to lowercase
Overloads - 2 overloads
Parameters/Data Types - Value(Char)
Returns - this returns both a string or character

Exceptions - 0 exceptions

3. Exception Hierarchy

3. Exception Hierarchy

What are the names of the 2 exception type categories?
The 2 exception type categories are  ApplicationException and SystemException. 

When is a IndexOutOfRangeException thrown?
The exception that is thrown when an attempt is made to access an element of an array with an index that is outside the bounds of the array.

4. How to: Use the Try/Catch Block to Catch Exceptions

4. How to: Use the Try/Catch Block to Catch Exceptions

What is a Try/Catch block?
A Try/Catch block is, statements to try and then catch that statement and recover and alert the user

2. The Exception class.

2. The Exception class.

What is the purpose of the class?
Initializes a new instance of the Exception class.

What class does it directly inherit from?
it inherits from SystemObject

How many constructors are available for this class?
there are 4 constructors available for this class

1. Exceptions

1. Exceptions

What is an exception?

Exception handling is used to change the normal flow of the code execution if a specified error condition occurs.

HashTable

A HashTable is a collection of key/value pairs that are prepared and related to the hash code of the key.

A key/value pair gets a ICollection that contains both key & value in the hashtable.

Here is a link to learn more about HashTable
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/system.collections.hashtable.aspx

Sequence Diagrams

A Sequence Diagram is a diagram that connects all of the files and what they're doing in an operation, function etc, this shows how they all communicate with each other being with files and what they return to the form or other classes.

you can learn more about a Sequence diagram by going here
http://www.sequencediagrameditor.com/uml/sequence-diagram.htm

you can also download the StarUML program which is basic for making Sequence Diagrams.

http://staruml.sourceforge.net/en/download.php

Len, InStr & Mid functions.

What Do They Do?

Len - Returns an integer containing either the number of characters in a string or the nominal number of bytes required to store a variable.

InStr - Returns an integer specifying the start position of the first occurrence of one string within another. Returns the position of the first occurrence of one string within another.

Mid - Returns a specified number of characters from a string.

What data type do they return?

Len – integer characters in a string

InStr – return the position of the first occurrence of one string within another.

Mid - returns the characters while the Midstatement replaces the characters.

What parameters do they require?

Len - Any valid String expression or variable name
InStr - string being searched and being sought.
Mid - starting position of character, number of characters returned.

The 6 file types supported by the Windows Media Player object

The 6 files types which are supported by the Windows Media Player object are
-wmv
-avi
-wav
-mp3
-midi
-wma

Windows Media Player

Play - this function plays the appropriate media, and also plays a paused media file.

IWMPControls.play

Stop - This funtion stops the media file being played.

IWMPControls.stop

Pause - the pause function stops and hold the media file in the frame when the button was pressed.

IWMPControls.pause

FastForward - fast forward speeds up the media file to a point where you'd like to watch

IWMPControls.fastForward

Reverse - reverse is the opposite to fastforward, this function plays the media file backwards to which ever point you'd like.

IWMPControls.fastReverse

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