setting up an XML dataset

[modularbeing]

Im getting started with XML and I want to use it to hold configuration for my website. I know xml is a supported datasource just as SQL or OLEDB or Oracle. is it possible to load an XML document as a datasource and query against it using SQL commands? Ive read that there is the Xpath classes but I would prefer to use sql commands if possible since that is what im most familiar with. any suggestions would be appreciated. thanks.

[Wile]

After loading the XML into a dataset you can use the dataset in the same way as any other dataset. Only possible difference is that I dont think it is possible to create a TypedDataset, but I'm not sure about that, havent tried it yet ;).

 

To use XPath and other XML tricks, you have to load it as an XMLDocument, not in a dataset.

[ost]

I would like to know this too. Is it posible to Query a DataSet.

 

Say I have a dataSet that contains an entire Database table. Would it posible to query the dataset with a

 

SELECT name

FROM employee ( or whatever your datatable is called )

WHERE ID=@ID

[Wile]

You can use select statements on a DataTable. The DataTable object has a select method that allows you to give a SQL style WHERE clause to select specific records from that DataTable. I dont believe you can use JOINs or combine records from several tables like SQL can.

 

Here is an example of the way I used a DataSet. The DataTables are added to the DataSet during creation of the form.

 

Declaration of the DataTable, and adding it to the DataSet

private System.Data.DataTable dtKey;

this.dsIndex.Tables.AddRange(new System.Data.DataTable[] {
this.dtKey,
this.dtFileMasks,
this.dtFileKeys,
this.dtFiles,
this.dtSettings});

If you don't add any tables before loading the XML file, I assume the DataSet creates the necessary DataTables (depending on the XmlReadMode). You can access them through the Tables property of the DataSet.

 

And a bit of code where I select some of the records in the DataTable.

//Get the selected item
ListViewItem objSelected = lvSearchIn.SelectedItems[0];
//get the filemask and folder name
string sFileMask = objSelected.SubItems[1].Text;
string sFolder = objSelected.Text;
//select the records
DataRow[] colSelectedRows = dtFileMasks.Select("Folder = '" + sFolder + "' and FileMask = '" + sFileMask + "'");
//delete all the records.
foreach (DataRow objRow in colSelectedRows)
{
   objRow.Delete();
}

[modularbeing]

OK I have a strongly typed dataset from an XML file and Im trying to list all the nested items in a group that were pulled into the dataset. This is the code I am currently using, is there any better way anyone can think of doing this. this works fine but I was curious as to any other possibilites.

 

Example:

        Dim Group As dsControls.GroupRow
       Dim Item As dsControls._ItemRow
       For Each Group In siteSettings.Group.Select("ID='NameGroup'")
           For Each Item In Group.GetItemRows
               Response.Write("<b>" & Item.ID & "</b>:" & Item.Label & "<BR>")
               Response.Write("<b>" & Item.ID & "</b>:" & Item.Description & "<BR>")
               Response.Write("<b>" & Item.ID & "</b>:" & Item.TextBox & "<BR><BR>")
           Next
           Exit For
       Next

 

 

thanks