NullReferenceException when trying to fill an array

[Fabio Papa]

Hi,

I am fairly new to programming and and even newer to dotnet. I appoligise in advance if this is a dumb questions, and I would appreciate if you could answer it anyways. :)

I am writing a windows service wich sends emails to customers at a specific time. My app retrieves cities and the city's associated time from a database, waits until the specified time for each city and sends out the appropriate emails. Below is some code that is generating a NullReferenceException which I haven't been able to debug. Please help!

Friend Class RgsDbConnection

Private rgsConn As SqlConnection
Private goTimes() As Date
Private locales() As String
Private _numLocales As Integer

....

Private Sub GetLocalesAndTimes()

Dim cmd As SqlDataAdapter
Dim rsData As New DataSet
Dim i As Integer

'Get a list of all locales and their email/fax sending time
cmd = New SqlDataAdapter("SELECT zonename, EmailFaxTime " _
& "FROM dbo.tblzone", me.rgsConn)
cmd.Fill(rsData, "LocalesAndTimes")

'Get number of locales
me._numLocales = rsData.Tables("LocalesAndTimes").Rows.Count

For i = 0 To me._numLocales - 1
'fill array with locales
Dim log as EventLog = New EventLog()
Try
'This next line is the one that causes the error
Me.locales(i) = _
rsData.Tables("LocalesAndTimes").Rows(i).Item("zon ename")
Catch e As Exception
log.WriteEntry("RGS Email & Fax Sender", _
rsData.Tables("LocalesAndTimes").Rows(i).Item("zon ename").ToString())
log.WriteEntry("RGS Email & Fax Sender", e.ToString)
End Try
'fill array with sending times
' me.goTimes(i) = _
' rsData.Tables("LocalesAndTimes").Rows(i).Item("Ema ilFaxTime")
Next i
End Sub
....

End Class

In the "For...Next" block you will notice a "Try" block. Inside the try block
is the single line of code that is causing the problem.

You'll notice in the catch block I write to the application event log twice (for each iteration of the for...next block). When I look at the event log, there are two entries for every record in my db, one stating the zonename and one with the error, which reads:
"System.NullReferenceException: Object reference not set to an instance of an object.
at RgsEmailSenderSpace.RgsDbConnection.GetLocalesAndT imes()"

Thanks in advance for your help.
fabio

[William Ryan]

Try this:

If Not ISDBNULL(rsData.Tables("LocalesAndTimes").Rows(i). Item("zonename")
) Then
me.locales(1) = rsData.Tables("LocalesAndTimes").Rows(i).Item("zon ename")

Or this:

Debug.Assert(Not IsDBNull(rsData.Tables("LocalesAndTimes").Rows(i). Item("zonename")
))

If the assertion fails, you have a null value. This link will also show you a possible method to deal with it http://www.knowdotnet.com/testsite/nullvalues.html

You can also IIF that statement with the same logic and give it a different value.
"Fabio Papa" <fa****@hotmail.com> wrote in message news:bv*******************@news1.telusplanet.net.. .
Hi,

I am fairly new to programming and and even newer to dotnet. I appoligise in advance if this is a dumb questions, and I would appreciate if you could answer it anyways. :)

I am writing a windows service wich sends emails to customers at a specific time. My app retrieves cities and the city's associated time from a database, waits until the specified time for each city and sends out the appropriate emails. Below is some code that is generating a NullReferenceException which I haven't been able to debug. Please help!

Friend Class RgsDbConnection

Private rgsConn As SqlConnection
Private goTimes() As Date
Private locales() As String
Private _numLocales As Integer

...

Private Sub GetLocalesAndTimes()

Dim cmd As SqlDataAdapter
Dim rsData As New DataSet
Dim i As Integer

'Get a list of all locales and their email/fax sending time
cmd = New SqlDataAdapter("SELECT zonename, EmailFaxTime " _
& "FROM dbo.tblzone", me.rgsConn)
cmd.Fill(rsData, "LocalesAndTimes")

'Get number of locales
me._numLocales = rsData.Tables("LocalesAndTimes").Rows.Count

For i = 0 To me._numLocales - 1
'fill array with locales
Dim log as EventLog = New EventLog()
Try
'This next line is the one that causes the error
Me.locales(i) = _
rsData.Tables("LocalesAndTimes").Rows(i).Item("zon ename")
Catch e As Exception
log.WriteEntry("RGS Email & Fax Sender", _
rsData.Tables("LocalesAndTimes").Rows(i).Item("zon ename").ToString())
log.WriteEntry("RGS Email & Fax Sender", e.ToString)
End Try
'fill array with sending times
' me.goTimes(i) = _
' rsData.Tables("LocalesAndTimes").Rows(i).Item("Ema ilFaxTime")
Next i
End Sub
...

End Class

In the "For...Next" block you will notice a "Try" block. Inside the try block
is the single line of code that is causing the problem.

You'll notice in the catch block I write to the application event log twice (for each iteration of the for...next block). When I look at the event log, there are two entries for every record in my db, one stating the zonename and one with the error, which reads:
"System.NullReferenceException: Object reference not set to an instance of an object.
at RgsEmailSenderSpace.RgsDbConnection.GetLocalesAndT imes()"

Thanks in advance for your help.
fabio

[Armin Zingler]

"Fabio Papa" <fa****@hotmail.com> schrieb

Private locales() As String
[...]
'This next line is the one that causes the error
Me.locales(i) = _
rsData.Tables("LocalesAndTimes").Rows(i).Item("zon ename")

You did not create an array of strings. Variable locales contains Nothing.
Use Redim to create an array.
--
Armin

[Fabio Papa]

Hi William, thanks for your help. However there are no nulls in the db (it's a test db with only five records that I have verified). Further, when i write the city to the event log (as in my catch block), or try to assign it to another variable (one that is not a member variable array), it works just fine (I can see the cities listed in the event log). Another piece to the puzzle is that the sdk documentation says this about the NullReferenceException exception:

"Note that applications throw the ArgumentNullException exception rather than the NullReferenceException exception discussed here. The following Microsoft intermediate language (MSIL) instructions throw NullReferenceException: ........"

From the little that I know about IL, it looks like the exception is being thrown by the stelem.ref instruction in my compiled code.
fabio
"William Ryan" <do********@comcast.nospam.net> wrote in message news:Oe*************@TK2MSFTNGP09.phx.gbl...
Try this:

If Not ISDBNULL(rsData.Tables("LocalesAndTimes").Rows(i). Item("zonename")
) Then
me.locales(1) = rsData.Tables("LocalesAndTimes").Rows(i).Item("zon ename")

Or this:

Debug.Assert(Not IsDBNull(rsData.Tables("LocalesAndTimes").Rows(i). Item("zonename")
))

If the assertion fails, you have a null value. This link will also show you a possible method to deal with it http://www.knowdotnet.com/testsite/nullvalues.html

You can also IIF that statement with the same logic and give it a different value.
"Fabio Papa" <fa****@hotmail.com> wrote in message news:bv*******************@news1.telusplanet.net.. .
Hi,

I am fairly new to programming and and even newer to dotnet. I appoligise in advance if this is a dumb questions, and I would appreciate if you could answer it anyways. :)

I am writing a windows service wich sends emails to customers at a specific time. My app retrieves cities and the city's associated time from a database, waits until the specified time for each city and sends out the appropriate emails. Below is some code that is generating a NullReferenceException which I haven't been able to debug. Please help!

Friend Class RgsDbConnection

Private rgsConn As SqlConnection
Private goTimes() As Date
Private locales() As String
Private _numLocales As Integer

...

Private Sub GetLocalesAndTimes()

Dim cmd As SqlDataAdapter
Dim rsData As New DataSet
Dim i As Integer

'Get a list of all locales and their email/fax sending time
cmd = New SqlDataAdapter("SELECT zonename, EmailFaxTime " _
& "FROM dbo.tblzone", me.rgsConn)
cmd.Fill(rsData, "LocalesAndTimes")

'Get number of locales
me._numLocales = rsData.Tables("LocalesAndTimes").Rows.Count

For i = 0 To me._numLocales - 1
'fill array with locales
Dim log as EventLog = New EventLog()
Try
'This next line is the one that causes the error
Me.locales(i) = _
rsData.Tables("LocalesAndTimes").Rows(i).Item("zon ename")
Catch e As Exception
log.WriteEntry("RGS Email & Fax Sender", _
rsData.Tables("LocalesAndTimes").Rows(i).Item("zon ename").ToString())
log.WriteEntry("RGS Email & Fax Sender", e.ToString)
End Try
'fill array with sending times
' me.goTimes(i) = _
' rsData.Tables("LocalesAndTimes").Rows(i).Item("Ema ilFaxTime")
Next i
End Sub
...

End Class

In the "For...Next" block you will notice a "Try" block. Inside the try block
is the single line of code that is causing the problem.

You'll notice in the catch block I write to the application event log twice (for each iteration of the for...next block). When I look at the event log, there are two entries for every record in my db, one stating the zonename and one with the error, which reads:
"System.NullReferenceException: Object reference not set to an instance of an object.
at RgsEmailSenderSpace.RgsDbConnection.GetLocalesAndT imes()"

Thanks in advance for your help.
fabio

[Fabio Papa]

That worked! Thank you Armin.
"Armin Zingler" <az*******@freenet.de> wrote in message
news:ew**************@TK2MSFTNGP10.phx.gbl...

"Fabio Papa" <fa****@hotmail.com> schrieb

Private locales() As String
[...]
'This next line is the one that causes the error
Me.locales(i) = _
rsData.Tables("LocalesAndTimes").Rows(i).Item("zon ename")

You did not create an array of strings. Variable locales contains Nothing.
Use Redim to create an array.
--
Armin

[Charles]

redim your locals and goTimes arrays. Unless I am mistaken, they do
not automaticly do this

'Get number of locales
me._numLocales = rsData.Tables("LocalesAndTimes").Rows.Count
redim goTimes(_numlocals-1)
redim locales(_numlocals-1)

On Tue, 23 Sep 2003 15:18:31 GMT, "Fabio Papa" <fa****@hotmail.com>
wrote:

Hi,

I am fairly new to programming and and even newer to dotnet. I appoligise in advance if this is a dumb questions, and I would appreciate if you could answer it anyways. :)

I am writing a windows service wich sends emails to customers at a specific time. My app retrieves cities and the city's associated time from a database, waits until the specified time for each city and sends out the appropriate emails. Below is some code that is generating a NullReferenceException which I haven't been able to debug. Please help!

Friend Class RgsDbConnection

Private rgsConn As SqlConnection
Private goTimes() As Date
Private locales() As String
Private _numLocales As Integer

...

Private Sub GetLocalesAndTimes()

Dim cmd As SqlDataAdapter
Dim rsData As New DataSet
Dim i As Integer

'Get a list of all locales and their email/fax sending time
cmd = New SqlDataAdapter("SELECT zonename, EmailFaxTime " _
& "FROM dbo.tblzone", me.rgsConn)
cmd.Fill(rsData, "LocalesAndTimes")

'Get number of locales
me._numLocales = rsData.Tables("LocalesAndTimes").Rows.Count

For i = 0 To me._numLocales - 1
'fill array with locales
Dim log as EventLog = New EventLog()
Try
'This next line is the one that causes the error
Me.locales(i) = _
rsData.Tables("LocalesAndTimes").Rows(i).Item("zon ename")
Catch e As Exception
log.WriteEntry("RGS Email & Fax Sender", _
rsData.Tables("LocalesAndTimes").Rows(i).Item("zon ename").ToString())
log.WriteEntry("RGS Email & Fax Sender", e.ToString)
End Try
'fill array with sending times
' me.goTimes(i) = _
' rsData.Tables("LocalesAndTimes").Rows(i).Item("Ema ilFaxTime")
Next i
End Sub
...

End Class

In the "For...Next" block you will notice a "Try" block. Inside the try block
is the single line of code that is causing the problem.

You'll notice in the catch block I write to the application event log twice (for each iteration of the for...next block). When I look at the event log, there are two entries for every record in my db, one stating the zonename and one with the error, which reads:
"System.NullReferenceException: Object reference not set to an instance of an object.
at RgsEmailSenderSpace.RgsDbConnection.GetLocalesAndT imes()"

Thanks in advance for your help.
fabio