How to work with XML in Console Applications using VB.NET

Extensible Markup Language (XML) is a meta-markup language which provides you a format for describing structured data. For data exchange on web XML is the universal language.

In this article I am creating a XML document and stored data into that and by using While in application code print the data on console window from the XML data source.

1. First we create a Xml sheet and store data into that sheet.
   
   Sample Code
   
   <?xml version="1.0" standalone="yes"?>
   <DataSet1 xmlns="http://www.tempuri.org/DataSet1.xsd">
       <Products>
           <ProductID>1</ProductID>
           <ProductName>Chai</ProductName>
           <SupplierID>1</SupplierID>
           <CategoryID>1</CategoryID><QuantityPerUnit>20 boxes x 10 bags</QuantityPerUnit>
           <UnitPrice>58.0000</UnitPrice>
           <UnitsInStock>79</UnitsInStock>
           <UnitsOnOrder>0</UnitsOnOrder>
           <ReorderLevel>20</ReorderLevel>
           <Discontinued>false</Discontinued>
       </Products>
       <Products>
       <ProductID>2</ProductID>
           <ProductName>Chang</ProductName>
           <SupplierID>1</SupplierID>
           <CategoryID>1</CategoryID>
           <QuantityPerUnit>24 - 4 oz bottles</QuantityPerUnit>
           <UnitPrice>39.0000</UnitPrice>
           <UnitsInStock>17</UnitsInStock>
           <UnitsOnOrder>40</UnitsOnOrder>
           <ReorderLevel>25</ReorderLevel>
           <Discontinued>false</Discontinued>
       </Products>
       <Products>
           <ProductID>3</ProductID>
           <ProductName>sugar</ProductName>
           <SupplierID>1</SupplierID>
           <CategoryID>1</CategoryID>
           <QuantityPerUnit>100 bags</QuantityPerUnit>
           <UnitPrice>42.0000</UnitPrice>
           <UnitsInStock>17</UnitsInStock>
           <UnitsOnOrder>40</UnitsOnOrder>
           <ReorderLevel>25</ReorderLevel>
           <Discontinued>false</Discontinued>
       </Products>
       <Products>
           <ProductID>4</ProductID>
           <ProductName>rice</ProductName>
           <SupplierID>1</SupplierID>
           <CategoryID>1</CategoryID>
           <QuantityPerUnit>30 kg</QuantityPerUnit>
           <UnitPrice>19.0000</UnitPrice>
           <UnitsInStock>17</UnitsInStock>
           <UnitsOnOrder>40</UnitsOnOrder>
           <ReorderLevel>25</ReorderLevel>
           <Discontinued>false</Discontinued>
       </Products>
       <Products>
           <ProductID>5</ProductID>
           <ProductName>oil</ProductName>
           <SupplierID>1</SupplierID>
           <CategoryID>1</CategoryID>
           <QuantityPerUnit>34 - 10 oz bottles</QuantityPerUnit>
           <UnitPrice>19.0000</UnitPrice>
           <UnitsInStock>17</UnitsInStock>
           <UnitsOnOrder>40</UnitsOnOrder>
           <ReorderLevel>25</ReorderLevel>
           <Discontinued>false</Discontinued>
       </Products>
   </DataSet1>
   
    

2. Now we create a Console Application in VB.NET and using IF....ELSE and While loop within the design code.
   
   Sample Code
   
   Module MainModule
   
       Private dsProducts As New DataSet
       Private dvProducts As DataView
   
       Private promptMessage As String = "Enter a product ID to display information or 'QUIT' to end this application."
   
       Sub Main()
           Dim input As String
           Dim data As Integer
           CreateDataSet()
           Console.WriteLine()
           Console.WriteLine(promptMessage)
           input = UCase(Console.ReadLine())
           While input <> "QUIT"
               While Not (IsNumeric(input) Or UCase(input) = "QUIT")
                   Console.WriteLine("A numeric product ID is required.")
                   Console.WriteLine("Please reenter the Product ID or QUIT to continue.")
                   input = Console.ReadLine()
               End While
               If UCase(input) = "QUIT" Then
                   End
               End If
               data = dvProducts.Find(input)
               If data = -1 Then
                   Console.WriteLine("No product found.")
               Else
                   Console.Write("Product Name: ")
                   Console.WriteLine(dvProducts(data)("ProductName"))
                   Console.Write("Quantity Per Unit: ")
                   Console.WriteLine(dvProducts(data)("QuantityPerUnit"))
                   Console.Write("Unit Price: ")
                   Console.WriteLine(dvProducts(data)("UnitPrice"))
                   Console.Write("Units In Stock: ")
                   Console.WriteLine(dvProducts(data)("UnitsInStock"))
                   Console.Write("Units on Order: ")
                   Console.WriteLine(dvProducts(data)("UnitsOnOrder"))
                   Console.Write("Reorder Level: ")
                   Console.WriteLine(dvProducts(data)("ReorderLevel"))
                   Console.Write("Discontinued: ")
                   If CBool(dvProducts(data)("Discontinued")) = False Then
                       Console.WriteLine("False")
                   Else
                       Console.WriteLine("True")
                   End If
               End If
               Console.WriteLine()
               Console.WriteLine(promptMessage)
               input = UCase(Console.ReadLine())
           End While
           End
       End Sub
   
       Private Sub CreateDataSet()
           Dim thisExe As System.Reflection.Assembly
           thisExe = System.Reflection.Assembly.GetExecutingAssembly()
           Dim xmlFile As System.IO.Stream
           xmlFile = thisExe.GetManifestResourceStream("ConsoleApp.Products.xml")
           dsProducts.ReadXml(xmlFile)
           dvProducts = New DataView(dsProducts.Tables(0))
           dvProducts.Sort = "ProductID"
       End Sub
   End Module

3. Debug the application and input your choice from 1 to 5 in console application, result will shows on same window.
   
   Output