[Help] Visula Basic Loops

**Failor** · February 19th, 2012, 06:36 PM

I have been trying to figure out a problem for one of my assignments and I got completely stuck. I need to make a program that asks a user for 6 names. After the final name gets entered the program should display 2 names in alphabetical order the highest first the lowest second. Here is what I got so far:

Code:

Module Module1
    Const MAX_Names = 6

    Sub Main()

        Dim name, highName, lowName As String
        Dim count As Integer

        count = 0

        Console.WriteLine("Enter the name: ")
        name = Console.ReadLine()

        Do While count = MAX_Names
            
            If name < lowName Then
                lowName = name
            ElseIf name > highName Then
                highName = name
            End If
        Loop

        Console.WriteLine("Low name is: " & lowName)
        Console.WriteLine("Low name is: " & highName)
    End Sub
    
End Module

If you can help me out or at least point me in a right direction I would really appreciate it. Thank you.

**DataMiser** · February 19th, 2012, 06:57 PM

First of all your Dim statements are not form properly.

Code:

Dim name, highName, lowName As String

is the same as it you had typed

Code:

Dim name as Variant, highName as Variant, lowName As String

If you want to collect 6 names then you need to loop the input in order to collect the 6

Your actual loop is formed badly as well

While Count=Max_Names will never be true so the loop will not execute. E.g. same as saying while 0=6

Move your do while to the line above the first Console.WriteLine
Change the while condition to Count<Max_Names
Or optionally change the while to Until
Add within the loop code to increase the count e.g. Count+=1

**Failor** · February 19th, 2012, 07:12 PM

Ok I did as much correction as I could can you see whats wrong in here

Code:

    Module Module1
    Const MAX_Names = 6


    Sub Main()
        Dim name As String
        Dim count As Integer
        Dim highName As String
        Dim lowName As String

        count = 0
        Do Until count = MAX_Names
            Console.WriteLine("Enter the name: ")
            name = Console.ReadLine


            If name > lowName Then
                name = lowName
            ElseIf name < highName Then
                name = highName
            End If
            count = count + 1
        Loop

        Console.Write("High name is:" & highName)
        Console.Write("Low name is:" & lowName)
        
        Console.ReadLine()
    End Sub
End Module

**DataMiser** · February 19th, 2012, 09:47 PM

Code:

If name > lowName Then
name = lowName
ElseIf name < highName Then
name = highName
End If

Basically you are never setting lowname or highname and when the name entered is <> then you are setting it to one of these which have not been set so in effect you are setting name=nothing or empty.

You need to be setting high and low name = to what was entered rather than what is there now.

You also need to initialize the variables. lowName needs to be initialized high and higname needs to initialized low before you can get the results you expect. You will want the first name they enter to be both the low and the high and then for these to change as needed based on user input.

**Cimperiali** · February 20th, 2012, 06:38 AM

Oooppssss....

Originally Posted by DataMiser

First of all your Dim statements are not form properly.

Code:

Dim name, highName, lowName As String

is the same as it you had typed

Code:

Dim name as Variant, highName as Variant, lowName As String

That was vb6. In Net, the declaration is correct, and name, highName, lowName are all of String type.

framework 3.5 and vs 2008: look for "Different Types. You can specify different data types for different variables by using"
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/libr...(v=vs.90).aspx
framework 4.0 and vs 2010: look for "Declaring Multiple Variables"
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/libr...v=vs.100).aspx
framework 2.0-3.0 and vs 2005 : look for "Multiple Variables. "
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/libr...(v=vs.80).aspx

**Cimperiali** · February 20th, 2012, 07:24 AM

There are many ways you can achieve your goal. Here a couple of examples on how you could code it. :

Code:

Module Module1

    Sub Main()
        '
        'I need to make a program that asks a user for 6 names. 
        'After the final name gets entered the program should display 2 names in alphabetical order 
        'the highest first the lowest second. 
        '
        'Do you mean you want the highest of the six and the lowest of teh six?
        '
        'you can do it in more than one way:
        '1)using list of strings 
        Const MaxNames As Integer = 6
        Dim namesList As New List(Of String)
        Console.WriteLine("You will be asked to Enter " & MaxNames.ToString() & " names.")
        For counter As Integer = 1 To MaxNames
            Console.WriteLine("Enter name number " & counter.ToString() & " and press Enter")
            namesList.Add(Console.ReadLine())

        Next
        'now get the highest and the lowest
       'a small trick: sort the list (or the array) and get the first and last value:
        namesList.Sort()
        Console.WriteLine("Higest name is : " & namesList(MaxNames - 1))
        Console.WriteLine("Lowest name is : " & namesList(0))
        Console.WriteLine("Press q to quit, any other key to proceed with example")
        Dim response As ConsoleKeyInfo = Console.ReadKey()
        If response.Key = ConsoleKey.Q Then
            Return
        End If


        '--------------------------------------------
        '2)using array of strings
        Dim namesArray(MaxNames - 1) As String

        Console.WriteLine("You will be asked to Enter " & MaxNames.ToString() & " names.")
        For counter As Integer = 0 To MaxNames - 1
            Console.WriteLine("Enter name number " & (counter + 1).ToString() & " and press Enter")
            namesArray(counter) = Console.ReadLine()

        Next
        Array.Sort(namesArray)
        Console.WriteLine("Higest name is : " & namesArray(MaxNames - 1))
        Console.WriteLine("Lowest name is : " & namesArray(0))
        Console.WriteLine("Press any key to exit")

        response = Console.ReadKey()
        'do nothing, quit in any case
        

    End Sub

End Module