John Van Hemert - New Transnational Life Space

Introduction

In three words, my academic background can be summed up with technology, application, and experience. I have always been interested in computing and enjoyed the systematic logic computers use. I am just as interested in the application of the computing power to complete more meaningful tasks. That is why I have given my academic career two faces—a technical face focusing on computer science and an application face focusing on business management. I plan to use these two degrees (B.A. Computer Science, B.A. Management Information Systems) at the University of Northern Iowa not only for satisfaction of my interests but also for flexibility in the job market upon graduation.

Experience has been the third face of my academic career. By studying at Montana State University through the National Exchange program in the US for one year as well as studying abroad here in Swansea, Wales I am growing both professionally and personally. These experiences will add richness and insight to every aspect of my life.

One of the main reasons I chose to study abroad with Swansea’s program is the opportunity to participate in an internship. From this internship I will also be able to take and apply new skills and ideas at home. I actually did not choose my internship placement but feel that those who did choose it for me could not have given me a better assignment. My placement has been wonderful because it has been very technical. I was able to learn on my own the “in’s and out’s” of some important information technology systems. My placement has also shown me the productive applications of technology. I learned how one can build and operate a business by marketing their skills in computing.

Gower Business Systems

Gower Business Systems Ltd. was formed in 1991 by three men, each of whom had a particular area of expertise to offer to the information technology industry. Using their experience in Sales, Accounting, and Technical Support, the three entrepreneurs began as an information system consultancy, training and support center. (Gower Business Systems) GowerBiz, as it is sometimes called, continues these three services today. Two of the founders remain today—Mark Bowling and Mark Wyatt (“The Marks”). They are a small business employing less than ten team members.

When the sales team contracts a new client, the technical team evaluates the client’s information needs and determines what hardware is required from computing workstations to servers to telephone systems. There is also a Legal Accounts team that is in some ways part of the Technical team and other ways part of the Accounting team. The Legal Accounts team tailors specific software needs to solicitors’ offices, which make up a large part of GowerBiz’ market.

Team members and responsibilities are as follows:

Two engineers serve as on-site hardware and software installation, consulting, and support.
Two programmers develop and maintain their own software written with GowerBiz customers in mind. They also serve as remote software support for clients.
Sales representatives facilitate marketing and sales strategies.
Legal Accounts specialists provide specialized consulting for clients who are solicitors.
The training team provides technical training lessons for clients either in simulated environments in the GowerBiz training room or on site.
All teams are overseen by the two remaining founders. (Gower Business Systems)

A brief list of the specific products offered by Gower Business Systems:

Systems:

GowerBiz is a partner of Intel and mainly uses Hewlett-Packard hardware for systems.

Accounting:

GowerBiz resells and supports Pegasus Opera and Sage systems, which offer different levels of complexity for different size clients to streamline and automate their accounting practices.

Legal Systems:

GowerBiz resells and supports the Laserform Law software package which provides legal offices with fast and reliable automation and communication.

Telephony:

GowerBiz resells and supports the Avaya hardware/software system which uses computer networking principles to integrate phone systems with computer workstations.

Point-of-Sale Systems:

GowerBiz also resells and supports PayPoint hardware and software which is an electronic point-of-sale system that streamlines sales for retail businesses. (Gower Business Systems)

Internship

When I arrived at Gower Business Systems for my first day of work experience “The Marks” sat me down to see what kind of technical background I have and to inform me of what projects were available to me to consider working on. We decided the best project for me to begin was the company’s intranet web site. This became my main project for the duration of my internship.

GetNetWise.org defines and intranet as “A private network inside a company or organization, which uses software like that used on the Internet, but is for internal use only, and is not accessible to the public. Companies use Intranets to manage projects, provide employee information, distribute data and information, etc.” (GetNetWise.org)

My first goal was to provide company information to employees in an organized and easy-to-use format. I created a staging area on an extra workstation and installed all the necessary development software. The server is pictured at right in the corner of the development office. This is where the intranet site, web applications, and web access are facilitated.

I used Microsoft FrontPage for HTML development and Microsoft Visual Studio.NET for web application development. I used the programming language Visual Basic.NET. Here is what the site looks like when the user enters the Procedures Section:

The best part of my internship has been the opportunity to develop and implement two web applications for use on the intranet web. The first, called Pool Car Log satisfies the pool car logging and mileage record requests from employees. The first step was to determine what information I would need to store in the database which would store the information. The second step was to design the database that the program would use. I then created an Input-Processing-Output (IPO) table for the program that organizes its objects and processing logic. The user first sees a screen like the one below.

My second program is called Loaned Items Log. Sometimes GowerBiz clients need to have hardware repaired or serviced which requires a temporary replacement item to be loaned. This program makes record keeping for the loaned items simple, easy, and available to every employee at once. Here is the first screen that the user sees:

Further explanation and specification of the intranet site and each web application are attached.

I also spent a day on a support call with an engineer. We installed a new mail server (pictured at right) and diagnosed hardware problems with a workstation at a corporate solicitors’ office. I learned how to work with clients and keep them satisfied. It is important for IT support specialists to be able to communicate with customers who may not understand the technicality of your services. Support personnel must be charismatic when customers become frustrated, quick when time is against them, and innovative when unforeseen problem arise. A good motto for on-site engineers and support is “Expect the unexpected.”

Comparative Analysis

Today, less than 0.01 percent of the world population nomadically moves in small groups through unmarked geographic areas. However, this hunting and gathering way of life was the working system for more than 99 percent of the history of humanity. (Pries, 3) In the introduction to his academic collection, New Transnational Social Spaces, Ludger Pries argues that the current system of “nation-state bounded-containers” is just a small episode in humanity’s history. He says there is something developing that we do not yet fully understand. Pries uses the three old and outdated theories of World Civilizatoin, World System, and World Society along with the current theory of Globalization to explain the idea of Transnational Social Spaces.

Transnational social spaces can best be explained by example. I work at a concrete plant during my semester breaks at home with many men who leave their families in Mexico to work for years at a time in the US. They move back and forth, creating an identity that does not quite fit into the immigrant of emigrant definitions. These men are forming Transnational Social Spaces which transcend the nation-state containers of which they move in and out. Now apply this idea to a student who has a life and social space in the US and moves to the UK for one semester. The time frame may be miniature but the phenomenon can be seen as the same. As I build my social space (The word ‘social’ is misleading—the space is more than ‘making friends.’ It is really a ‘life space.’) here in the UK and connect it with my social space at home, I create my own Transnational Social Space.

My transnational space has two grounding points- the US and the UK. In the following comparative analysis, I will present my experiences in the US and the UK and then analyze similarities and differences regarding the academic environment, professional environment, and views on the outside world.

The academic systems of the US and UK are very similar up until the post-secondary level—the University. I have noticed differences in the breadth of education and learning systems in the US and UK.

The US university system requires students to complete a course in liberal studies. These include humanities, sciences, and arts. The idea is that a university graduate is a well-rounded and educated individual not only in their chosen field, but all the fields deemed important to be productive in society. UK university students are not required to complete this course of study. They only focus on their chosen field, or course. Therefore, the standard time to earn an undergraduate degree I the US is four years, one year longer than in the UK. Further, since the US system has a standard course that all students must take, it allows changes in a student’s chosen field, or major. Switching majors in the US is very common in the first two years of undergraduate study. As far as I can tell, that is not the case in UK universities.

Which system is better? Probably both. Each system has been designed to produce graduates suited for its part of the world. UK students may not need that liberal arts exposure because simply living in Europe exposes one to a much deeper sense of history culture than living in the US. The US is, after all, only a youngster when it comes to a nation’s age. Students that experience both systems only enrich their education and transnational social space.

The economic and business systems of the US and UK are essentially the same. They both operate on a minimally regulated market system where entry is always allowed and monopoly is not. From my experience in the US and in the UK in a business environment, I have noticed similarities that cut through the boundaries of the separate nation states as well as across different sectors. Both my internship (service sector) and my summer job at home (industrial sector) are for small businesses with less than 50 employees. Every employee knows every other employee as well as their responsibility. A team paradigm is easy to grasp. Employees may jump the boundaries of their individual job descriptions to help other team members. For instance, a programmer may diagnose a hardware problem if the engineer is busy with an installation or a bridge beam production crew leader may help set up a concrete quality control device. Cross-functional teams, as they are called, happen naturally in small business but must be formally created in larger corporate settings. (Hill, 139)

The fact that a small business can operate with some of the same organizational culture characteristics shows that transnational spaces are not just created by tangible individuals, but by Business, itself. In this case, Business bridges a gap between two different nation states.

For my analysis of world views, I am going to look at the entire non-American world instead of the UK alone. The BBC recently did a special on a survey taken from 11,000 people all around the world. The program was the first discussion I had seen between experts from outside the US. It was also the first political analysis program I had seen produced by and for people outside the US. There were some results that I found interesting. Firstly, 65% of the respondents thought the US is arrogant. 49% (more than those who did not due to more than two choices) of respondents thought the world is less safe while the US has its current amount of power, meaning these respondents feel the US has too much power. The world sees the US as very powerful but also sees the US as arrogant. Perhaps the arrogance in is the minds of those who see the US as too powerful. The attention that the world gives the US—the view that it has too much power, the view that the US is too rich, the very fact that a world survey was done on what people think about the US—may be a self-fulfilling prophecy of ‘arrogance’.

What if a world survey was done on what people think about another nation? Would the results be very different? I think they would be similar. Imagine someone who lives in a nation that is not the richest or most powerful nation in the world. This person loves and identifies with their country. What would they say if asked whether a richer and more powerful nation had too much money and power? Most people would naturally answer yes, the foreign country has too much money and power. In the current realist system of international relations, any nation other than my own that has more power or money has too much power and money. In his book, When Cultures Collide: Managing Successfully Across Cultures, Richard D. Lewis introduces his section on characteristics of different nations with, “We are normal, they are abnormal. Why do they have to be so devious, unpunctual, unsmiling, unreliable, undisciplined, cunning, lazy, corrupt, two-faced, aloof, distant, inscrutable? Why can’t they be more like us?” (Lewis, 164) Lewis’ point is that citizens of every nation says these things about every other nation. So, XX% of country A has problems with America. It does not really matter because YY% of country B has problems with country A. In this respect, America is no different from any other nation in the world.

As I prepared to study in the UK, I developed a fear of what other students and coworkers would think of me as an American. After living, studying and working with them, I have learned that no matter what a person in the UK thinks the US, they do not apply that to an individual from the US. Globalization has given every person in the developed world their own transnational social space. The world has become small enough that we are all very aware of world events and affairs. Individuals that I have been in contact in the UK make the distinction between aggregates—“America”—and individuals—“an American”. That is an attitude that I appreciate very much.

Future Applications

My internship in Swansea will be a very significant addition to my list of experiences, both professional and academic. I saw the workings of an IT service organization and learned what IT service entails. An business solutions company must have expertise in different fields- technology, accounting, management, and more, depending on customer needs.

I also learned what it is like to live and work in a UK city. As I prepare to enter the job market, employers will be pleased to know that I am willing and able to adapt to new and challenging environments.

My future academic/professional plans are uncertain today. I am seriously considering post-graduate study in the fields such as Computer Science: Software Engineering, Computer Science: Systems, Computer Science: Education, or Management Science: Quantitative Methods.

I have grown a great deal as a world citizen through my study and internship in Swansea by developing my own Transnational Social Space. On a small scale I have transcended the boundaries of nation-states and opened my eyes to life far from my home, although now Swansea, the rest of the UK and the world do not seem so far away from home at all.

Public Class WebForm1

Inherits System.Web.UI.Page

‘AUTHOR: John Van Hemert

‘DATE CREATED: Spring, 2005

‘This web application uses a database to record and log Gower Business Systems pool car usage.

#Region " Web Form Designer Generated Code "

#End Region

Private Sub Page_Load(ByVal sender As System.Object, ByVal e As System.EventArgs) Handles MyBase.Load

Dim dreader As OleDb.OleDbDataReader

If Not Page.IsPostBack Then

'fill data grids

OleDbDataAdapterStatus.Fill(DsStatus1)

dgStatus.DataBind()

OleDbDataAdapterLog.Fill(DsLog1)

dgLog.DataBind()

'fill car name drop down list from database

OleDbConnection1.Open()

dreader = cmdStatusAll.ExecuteReader()

While dreader.Read()

ddlCar.Items.Add(New ListItem(dreader(1).ToString()))

End While

dreader.Close()

OleDbConnection1.Close()

End If

End Sub

Private Sub btnSubmit_Click(ByVal sender As System.Object, ByVal e As System.EventArgs) Handles btnSubmit.Click

Dim sngMileage As Single

'Clear user notifications

lblSuccess.Visible = False

lblError.Visible = False

lstErrors.Visible = False

lstErrors.Items.Clear()

'update the database with information in the web controls

'get the selected car's location (in or out)

Dim strLocation As String

Dim dreader As OleDb.OleDbDataReader

OleDbConnection1.Open()

cmdFindCar.Parameters(0).Value = ddlCar.SelectedValue

dreader = cmdFindCar.ExecuteReader()

dreader.Read()

strLocation = dreader(0).ToString()

dreader.Close()

OleDbConnection1.Close()

If rblInOut.SelectedIndex = 0 Then

'User has selected to check out a car

'validate input

If txtStaffName.Text = "" Then

lblError.Visible = True

lstErrors.Visible = True

lstErrors.Items.Add("Please enter your name in the Staff Name box.")

Exit Sub

End If

'Verify that the selected car is currently in

If strLocation = "Out" Then

lblError.Visible = True

lstErrors.Visible = True

lstErrors.Items.Add("Car is currently out. It must be checked in before it is checked out.")

Exit Sub

End If

'Call cmdCheckOutLog command which adds a new incomplete record to the log table

With cmdCheckOutLog

.Parameters(0).Value = System.DateTime.Now

.Parameters(1).Value = ddlCar.SelectedValue

.Parameters(2).Value = txtStaffName.Text

.Parameters(3).Value = sngGetMileage(ddlCar.SelectedValue)

End With

OleDbConnection1.Open()

cmdCheckOutLog.ExecuteNonQuery()

OleDbConnection1.Close()

'Call the cmdCheckOut command which updates the selected car's status in the status table

'by setting In/Out to out

With cmdCheckOut

.Parameters(0).Value = ddlCar.SelectedValue

End With

OleDbConnection1.Open()

cmdCheckOut.ExecuteNonQuery()

OleDbConnection1.Close()

ElseIf rblInOut.SelectedIndex = 1 Then

'The user has selected to check a car in

'User may not remember the mileage.

'If they leave mileage blank the mileage will not change

If Not txtMileage.Text = "" Then

sngMileage = CSng(txtMileage.Text)

Else

sngMileage = sngGetMileage(ddlCar.SelectedValue)

End If

'Verify that the selected car is currently out

If strLocation = "In" Then

lblError.Visible = True

lstErrors.Visible = True

lstErrors.Items.Add("Car is currently in. It must be checked out before it is checked in.")

Exit Sub

End If

'Call the cmdCheckInLog command which completes the selected car's incomplete

'record in the log table

With cmdCheckInLog

.Parameters(0).Value = sngMileage

.Parameters(1).Value = sngMileage - sngGetMileage(ddlCar.SelectedValue)

.Parameters(2).Value = txtComments.Text

.Parameters(3).Value = ddlCar.SelectedValue

End With

OleDbConnection1.Open()

cmdCheckInLog.ExecuteNonQuery()

OleDbConnection1.Close()

'Call the cmdCheckIn command which updates the selected car's

'record in the status table by setting the mileage to the entered

'mileage and In/Out to in.

With cmdCheckIn

.Parameters(0).Value = sngMileage

.Parameters(1).Value = ddlCar.SelectedValue

End With

OleDbConnection1.Open()

cmdCheckIn.ExecuteNonQuery()

OleDbConnection1.Close()

Else

'The submit button has been clicked without selecting an action.

lstErrors.Visible = True

lstErrors.Items.Add("Select Checking In or Out")

Exit Sub

End If

lblSuccess.Visible = True

ClearAll()

'update datagrids

OleDbDataAdapterStatus.Fill(DsStatus1)

dgStatus.DataBind()

OleDbDataAdapterLog.Fill(DsLog1)

dgLog.DataBind()

End Sub

Private Sub ClearAll()

'Clears all textboxes

txtMileage.Text = ""

txtStaffName.Text = ""

txtComments.Text = ""

End Sub

Private Sub btnClear_Click(ByVal sender As System.Object, ByVal e As System.EventArgs) Handles btnClear.Click

ClearAll()

End Sub

Private Sub rblInOut_SelectedIndexChanged(ByVal sender As System.Object, ByVal e As System.EventArgs) Handles rblInOut.SelectedIndexChanged

If rblInOut.SelectedIndex = 1 Then

'Make only mileage and comment controls visible

'make mileage text box visible

lblMileage.Visible = True

txtMileage.Visible = True

'make staff name text box invisible

lblStaffName.Visible = False

txtStaffName.Visible = False

'make comments text box visible

lblComments.Visible = True

txtComments.Visible = True

Else

'Make only StaffName control visible

'make staff name text box visible

lblStaffName.Visible = True

txtStaffName.Visible = True

'make mileage text box invisible

lblMileage.Visible = False

txtMileage.Visible = False

'make comments text box invisible

lblComments.Visible = False

txtComments.Visible = False

End If

End Sub

Private Function sngGetMileage(ByVal strCar As String)

'Returns the current mileage of the car strCar

'by reading from the status table

Dim dreader As OleDb.OleDbDataReader

OleDbConnection1.Open()

cmdGetMileage.Parameters(0).Value = strCar

dreader = cmdGetMileage.ExecuteReader()

dreader.Read()

sngGetMileage = dreader(0)

dreader.Close()

OleDbConnection1.Close()

End Function

End Class

Public Class WebForm1

Inherits System.Web.UI.Page

‘AUTHOR: John Van Hemert

‘DATE CREATED: Spring, 2005

‘This web application uses a database to log hardware loans to Gower Business Systems clients.

#Region " Web Form Designer Generated Code "

#End Region

Private Sub Page_Load(ByVal sender As System.Object, ByVal e As System.EventArgs) Handles MyBase.Load

'on the first loading of the page, put values

'from existing database into drop down lists

If Not Page.IsPostBack Then

Load_DDLs()

End If

End Sub

Private Sub Load_DDLs()

'fills the dataset and datagrid

'clears and then loads data from existing database into drop down lists

Dim dreader As OleDb.OleDbDataReader

OleDbDataAdapter1.Fill(DsLoanedItems1)

dgLoanedItems.DataBind()

Clear_Added_DDL_Items(ddlCustomers)

Clear_Added_DDL_Items(ddlLoanedItems)

Clear_Added_DDL_Items(ddlLoanedItemSerials)

Clear_Added_DDL_Items(ddlReplacings)

Clear_Added_DDL_Items(ddlReplaceeSerials)

Clear_Added_DDL_Items(ddlReturnItem)

'load past information into drop down lists

OleDbConnection1.Open()

dreader = cmdLoanedItemsAll.ExecuteReader()

While dreader.Read()

ddlCustomers.Items.Add(dreader(2).ToString())

ddlLoanedItems.Items.Add(dreader(3).ToString())

ddlLoanedItemSerials.Items.Add(dreader(4).ToString())

ddlReplacings.Items.Add(dreader(5).ToString())

ddlReplaceeSerials.Items.Add(dreader(6).ToString())

End While

dreader.Close()

OleDbConnection1.Close()

'load items currently on loan into drop down list

OleDbConnection1.Open()

dreader = cmdItemsOnLoan.ExecuteReader()

While dreader.Read()

ddlReturnItem.Items.Add("Entry: " & dreader(0).ToString() & ". Loaned on: " & dreader(1).ToString() & ". To: " & dreader(2).ToString() & ". Item: " & dreader(3).ToString() & ", " & dreader(4).ToString() & ". Replacing: " & dreader(5).ToString() & ", " & dreader(6).ToString())

End While

dreader.Close()

OleDbConnection1.Close()

End Sub

Private Sub Clear_Added_DDL_Items(ByRef DDL As System.Web.UI.WebControls.DropDownList)

'Clears all the items in the drop down list (DDL) and restores the

'first item which is the "Add a new ____" item.

'This is part of making the web control drop down lists behave like

'the editable drop down lists of vb.net windows application controls.

Dim strBase As String

strBase = DDL.Items.Item(0).Text

DDL.Items.Clear()

DDL.Items.Add(strBase)

End Sub

Private Sub rblAction_SelectedIndexChanged(ByVal sender As System.Object, ByVal e As System.EventArgs) Handles rblAction.SelectedIndexChanged

If rblAction.SelectedIndex = 0 Then

'Make the controls for loaning out an item visible

'and the controls for returning a loaned item invisible.

lblCustomer.Visible = True

lblLoanedItem.Visible = True

lblReplacing.Visible = True

lblLoanedSerial.Visible = True

ddlCustomers.Visible = True

ddlLoanedItems.Visible = True

txtLoanedSerial.Visible = True

ddlReplacings.Visible = True

txtCustomer.Visible = True

txtLoanedItem.Visible = True

ddlLoanedItemSerials.Visible = True

txtReplacing.Visible = True

lblReplaceeSerial.Visible = True

txtReplaceeSerial.Visible = True

ddlReplaceeSerials.Visible = True

ddlReturnItem.Visible = False

lblComments.Visible = True

txtComments.Visible = True

ElseIf rblAction.SelectedIndex = 1 Then

'Make the controls for returning a loaned item out an item visible

'and the controls for loaning an item invisible.

lblCustomer.Visible = False

lblLoanedItem.Visible = False

lblReplacing.Visible = False

lblLoanedSerial.Visible = False

ddlCustomers.Visible = False

ddlLoanedItems.Visible = False

txtLoanedSerial.Visible = False

ddlReplacings.Visible = False

txtCustomer.Visible = False

txtLoanedItem.Visible = False

ddlLoanedItemSerials.Visible = False

txtReplacing.Visible = False

lblReplaceeSerial.Visible = False

txtReplaceeSerial.Visible = False

ddlReplaceeSerials.Visible = False

ddlReturnItem.Visible = True

lblComments.Visible = True

txtComments.Visible = True

End If

End Sub

Private Sub ddlCustomers_SelectedIndexChanged(ByVal sender As System.Object, ByVal e As System.EventArgs) Handles ddlCustomers.SelectedIndexChanged

'Uses a text box and a drop down list to make the web control drop down list behave like

'the editable drop down lists of vb.net windows application controls.

If ddlCustomers.SelectedIndex = 0 Then

txtCustomer.Text = ""

Else

txtCustomer.Text = ddlCustomers.SelectedValue

End If

End Sub

Private Sub ddlLoanedItems_SelectedIndexChanged(ByVal sender As System.Object, ByVal e As System.EventArgs) Handles ddlLoanedItems.SelectedIndexChanged

'Uses a text box and a drop down list to make the web control drop down list behave like

'the editable drop down lists of vb.net windows application controls.

If ddlLoanedItems.SelectedIndex = 0 Then

txtLoanedItem.Text = ""

Else

txtLoanedItem.Text = ddlLoanedItems.SelectedValue

End If

End Sub

Private Sub ddlLoanedItemSerials_SelectedIndexChanged(ByVal sender As System.Object, ByVal e As System.EventArgs) Handles ddlLoanedItemSerials.SelectedIndexChanged

'Uses a text box and a drop down list to make the web control drop down list behave like

'the editable drop down lists of vb.net windows application controls.

If ddlLoanedItemSerials.SelectedIndex = 0 Then

txtLoanedSerial.Text = ""

Else

txtLoanedSerial.Text = ddlLoanedItemSerials.SelectedValue

End If

End Sub

Private Sub ddlReplacings_SelectedIndexChanged(ByVal sender As System.Object, ByVal e As System.EventArgs) Handles ddlReplacings.SelectedIndexChanged

'Uses a text box and a drop down list to make the web control drop down list behave like

'the editable drop down lists of vb.net windows application controls.

If ddlReplacings.SelectedIndex = 0 Then

txtReplacing.Text = ""

Else

txtReplacing.Text = ddlReplacings.SelectedValue

End If

End Sub

Private Sub ddlReplaceeSerials_SelectedIndexChanged(ByVal sender As System.Object, ByVal e As System.EventArgs) Handles ddlReplaceeSerials.SelectedIndexChanged

'Uses a text box and a drop down list to make the web control drop down list behave like

'the editable drop down lists of vb.net windows application controls.

If ddlReplaceeSerials.SelectedIndex = 0 Then

txtReplaceeSerial.Text = ""

Else

txtReplaceeSerial.Text = ddlReplaceeSerials.SelectedValue

End If

End Sub

Private Sub btnSubmit_Click(ByVal sender As System.Object, ByVal e As System.EventArgs) Handles btnSubmit.Click

'Updates the database according to which action is selected

'If the user has selected loaning an item

If rblAction.SelectedIndex = 0 Then

'Call the new loan oledb command.

With cmdNewLoan

.Parameters(0).Value = System.DateTime.Now

.Parameters(1).Value = txtCustomer.Text

.Parameters(2).Value = txtLoanedItem.Text

.Parameters(3).Value = txtLoanedSerial.Text

.Parameters(4).Value = txtReplacing.Text

.Parameters(5).Value = txtReplaceeSerial.Text

.Parameters(6).Value = txtComments.Text

End With

OleDbConnection1.Open()

cmdNewLoan.ExecuteNonQuery()

OleDbConnection1.Close()

lblSuccess.Visible = True

Clear_All()

ElseIf rblAction.SelectedIndex = 1 Then

'The user has selected Return a Loaned Item

Dim intEntryNumber As Integer

Dim strOldComments As String

If ddlReturnItem.SelectedIndex = 0 Then

'If an item has not been selected, ask user to do so.

'Do not call the ReturnItem oledb command.

lblSelectReturnItem.Visible = True

Else

'Get the Entry number (which is the primary key) of the selected entry.

intEntryNumber = intGetEntryNumber(ddlReturnItem.SelectedValue)

'Get the comments already entered in the selected entry

'so that any new comments can be appended.

strOldComments = strGetOldComments(intEntryNumber)

'Call the ReturnItem oledb command

With cmdReturnItem

.Parameters(0).Value = System.DateTime.Now

.Parameters(1).Value = strOldComments & "; " & txtComments.Text

.Parameters(2).Value = intEntryNumber

End With

OleDbConnection1.Open()

cmdReturnItem.ExecuteNonQuery()

OleDbConnection1.Close()

lblSuccess.Visible = True

Clear_All()

End If

End Sub

Private Function intGetEntryNumber(ByVal strRecord As String) As Integer

Dim result As String

Dim index As Integer = 0

'skip characters before entry number begins

Do Until Char.IsNumber(strRecord, index)

index = index + 1

Loop

'read digits into number until non-digit is found

Do While Char.IsNumber(strRecord, index)

result = result & strRecord.Chars(index)

index = index + 1

Loop

Return CInt(result)

End Function

Private Function strGetOldComments(ByVal intEntryNumber As Integer) As String

'Returns any comments entered when the item was loaned

Dim result As String

Dim CommentReader As OleDb.OleDbDataReader

OleDbConnection1.Open()

cmdGetOldComments.Parameters(0).Value = intEntryNumber

CommentReader = cmdGetOldComments.ExecuteReader()

CommentReader.Read()

result = CommentReader(0)

CommentReader.Close()

OleDbConnection1.Close()

Return result

End Function

Private Sub Clear_All()

'Reloads all drop down lists.

'Clears all text boxes.

'Updates the datagrid

Load_DDLs()

txtLoanedSerial.Text = ""

txtCustomer.Text = ""

txtLoanedItem.Text = ""

txtReplacing.Text = ""

txtReplaceeSerial.Text = ""

txtComments.Text = ""

End Sub

Private Sub btnClear_Click(ByVal sender As System.Object, ByVal e As System.EventArgs) Handles btnClear.Click

lblSuccess.Visible = False

lblSelectReturnItem.Visible = False

Clear_All()

End Sub

End Class