Error: failed to convert stringbuilder to string

Question

4.00/5 (1 vote)

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I am trying to send some data to a database using C#. One of the fields that gets filled out is a checkbox list. If the use selects multiple options, i would like all of them to be stored in the database. I am trying to use a stringbuilder to connect all of the options together, but I keep getting an error of not being able to convert stringbuilder to a string.

I have looked at similar questions that have been posted, but nothing I have found has corrected my problem yet so I am going to post what I have and hope someone can assist me in figuring out how to correct the problem. any and all suggestions/assistance is appreciated.

C#

protected void btnSubmitRequest_Click(object sender, EventArgs e)
    {
        string employeeName = txtEmployeeName.Text;
        string employeeNumber = txtEmployeeNum.Text;
        string contact = txtContact.Text;
        string reason = rblReason.SelectedValue;
        Boolean quickCharge;
        if (rblReason.SelectedValue != "Lost")
        {
            quickCharge = false;
        }
        else
        {
            quickCharge = Convert.ToBoolean(rblQuickCharge.SelectedValue);
        }
        string notWorkingDetails = txtNotWorkingDetails.Text;
        string newTitle = txtNewTitle.Text;
        string newLocation = txtNewLocation.Text;
        string otherDesc = txtOtherDescription.Text;
        string specialInstructions = cblSpecialInstructions.Text;
        string deliverToLoc = txtDeliverToLoc.Text;
        string deliverToDept = txtDeliverToDept.Text;

        System.Text.StringBuilder sbSpecial = new System.Text.StringBuilder();
        foreach (var str in specialInstructions)
            sbSpecial.Append(str).Append(", ");

        #region //Send to Database
        try
        {
            using (SqlConnection connection = new SqlConnection("server=10.52.2.169\\sqlcluster,1206;uid=TannerAppsWriter;pwd=TannerAppsWriter;database=TannerInternal;"))
            {
                using (SqlCommand cmdInsertRequest = new SqlCommand("HR.BadgeReplacementRequest", connection))
                {
                    cmdInsertRequest.CommandType = CommandType.StoredProcedure;

                    #region //Set Parameters to Add to StoredProcedure
                    cmdInsertRequest.Parameters.Add("@employeeName", SqlDbType.VarChar, 150);
                    cmdInsertRequest.Parameters["@employeeName"].Value = employeeName;
                    cmdInsertRequest.Parameters.Add("@employeeNumber", SqlDbType.VarChar, 50);
                    cmdInsertRequest.Parameters["@employeeNumber"].Value = employeeNumber;
                    cmdInsertRequest.Parameters.Add("@contact", SqlDbType.VarChar, 150);
                    cmdInsertRequest.Parameters["@contact"].Value = contact;
                    cmdInsertRequest.Parameters.Add("@reason", SqlDbType.VarChar, 100);
                    cmdInsertRequest.Parameters["@reason"].Value = reason;
                    cmdInsertRequest.Parameters.Add("@quickCharge", SqlDbType.Bit);
                    cmdInsertRequest.Parameters["@quickCharge"].Value = quickCharge;
                    cmdInsertRequest.Parameters.Add("@notWorkingDetails", SqlDbType.VarChar, 250);
                    cmdInsertRequest.Parameters["@notWorkingDetails"].Value = notWorkingDetails;
                    cmdInsertRequest.Parameters.Add("@newTitle", SqlDbType.VarChar, 75);
                    cmdInsertRequest.Parameters["@newTitle"].Value = newTitle;
                    cmdInsertRequest.Parameters.Add("@newLocation", SqlDbType.VarChar, 150);
                    cmdInsertRequest.Parameters["@newLocation"].Value = newLocation;
                    cmdInsertRequest.Parameters.Add("@otherDesc", SqlDbType.VarChar, 250);
                    cmdInsertRequest.Parameters["@otherDesc"].Value = otherDesc;
                    cmdInsertRequest.Parameters.Add("@specialInstructions", SqlDbType.VarChar, 50);
                    cmdInsertRequest.Parameters["@specialInstructions"].Value = sbSpecial;
                    cmdInsertRequest.Parameters.Add("@deliverToLoc", SqlDbType.VarChar, 150);
                    cmdInsertRequest.Parameters["@deliverToLoc"].Value = deliverToLoc;
                    cmdInsertRequest.Parameters.Add("@deliverToDept", SqlDbType.VarChar, 150);
                    cmdInsertRequest.Parameters["@deliverToDept"].Value = deliverToDept;

                    #endregion

                    connection.Open();

                    cmdInsertRequest.ExecuteNonQuery();
                }
            }
        }
        catch (Exception ex)
        {
            Response.Write("Error: " + ex.ToString());
        }
        #endregion
}

Posted 7-Jun-13 8:10am

Jason Milam

Updated 7-Jun-13 8:11am

v2

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Comments

Richard C Bishop 7-Jun-13 14:12pm

What line does it fail at?

Jason Milam 7-Jun-13 14:13pm

cmdInsertRequest.ExecuteNonQuery();

Richard C Bishop 7-Jun-13 14:17pm

You are setting "@specialInstructions" as VarChar(50), which is essentially a string with 50 characters. However, you are assiging it a stringbuilder value, which is not the same thing hence why you cannot convert one to the other.

I presume you are meaning to pass it a string that your string builder contructed?

Jason Milam 7-Jun-13 14:22pm

ok I see what you are saying. is there a way to convert the stringbuilder value to a string so that it could be successfully converted to a VarChar?

Richard C Bishop 7-Jun-13 14:22pm

Try sbSpecial.ToString().

Keep in mind that if the string builder exceeds the VarChar length, it will be truncated.

2 solutions

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Allan Chong · Accepted Answer · 2013-06-07T08:20:00

Solution 1

C#

cmdInsertRequest.Parameters["@specialInstructions"].Value = sbSpecial.ToString();

Fix this line and it should work

Posted 7-Jun-13 8:20am

Allan Chong

Updated 7-Jun-13 8:31am

v3

Comments

Jason Milam 7-Jun-13 14:53pm

well That definitely got me somewhere. The error is gone and information gets put in the database, but there is a problem with how it is doing it.
Here is a figurative list of items in my checkbox list:
ball - "checked"
shoe
bag - "checked"
glove
hat

Instead of putting the checked items in like this:
"ball, bag"

It is doing this
"b,a,l,l" and not putting in bag.

I give your answer 5 stars for getting the error to go away! time to fix my new problem. Thanks for your help!

Richard C Bishop 7-Jun-13 15:10pm

Depending on what "speciealInstructions" contains as a collection, you are iterating through all of them and adding a "," after each item. The string builder is probably constructing ball in that manner.

Jason Milam · Accepted Answer · 2013-06-07T09:59:00

I couldn't figure out how to get it to push each selection to the database. It just kept pushing 1 and separating the letters in it by commas as showed previously. I changed up my code and ended up doing this:

C#

CheckBoxList chkbxspecial = (CheckBoxList)form1.FindControl("cblSpecialInstructions");
        StringBuilder sb = new StringBuilder();
        for (int i = 0; i < chkbxspecial.Items.Count; i++)
        {
            if (chkbxspecial.Items[i].Selected)
            {
                sb.Append(chkbxspecial.Items[i].Value + ", ");
            }
        }
        string InputString = sb.ToString().Substring(0, sb.ToString().Length - 1);

Then did this at the stored procedure area:

C#

cmdInsertRequest.Parameters.Add("@specialInstructions", SqlDbType.VarChar, 50);
cmdInsertRequest.Parameters["@specialInstructions"].Value = InputString;

Displays great now! thanks for leading me in the right direction guys. @Allen Chong, I am still accepting your solution since it answered the original question I asked and removed the error. I just had to change things around because of the new error that arose.