VB.Net Project Application Settings Store and Retrieve Information

VB.Net Project Application Settings Store and Retrieve Information

In this tutorial, you will learn how to use VB.Net Project Application Settings usefulness in terms of storing and retrieving data without the use of mySQL or SQL Server databases.

Create a new VB.Net Windows Application Form and add these objects to your interface. (follow the example image).

Retrieving Application Settings

Next, on the Solution Explorer, right click the name of your project and go to Properties. After going to Properties tab, at the left side tab, select Settings and add the following settings for us to retrieve its value depending on the called name setting. (see image below).

On your Form1, double click the form and add this line of code to your Form1.

[vbnet]
Public Class Form1
Private Sub Form1_Load(sender As Object, e As EventArgs) Handles MyBase.Load
TextBox1.Text = My.Settings("Website")
TextBox2.Text = My.Settings("Blogsite")
End Sub
End Class
[/vbnet]

After adding this line of code, try to run your project. The expected output should be like the example image below.

Storing Application Settings

We are now going to create a button that will serve as the storing code or updating our application setting’s value.

Add a new button and double click it for us to insert this line of code.

[vbnet]
Private Sub Button1_Click(sender As Object, e As EventArgs) Handles Button1.Click
My.Settings("Website") = TextBox1.Text
My.Settings("Blogsite") = TextBox2.Text
My.Settings.Save()
End Sub
[/vbnet]

After that, try to change your current Website and Blogsite application settings and click the Save button.

After saving the values, try to exit your program and run it again. You will notice that your updated values are loaded instead of our set values.

For questions or any other concerns or thesis/capstone creation with documentation, you can contact me through the following:

E-Mail: [email protected]

Facebook: facebook.com/kirk.lavapiez

Contact No.: +639771069640

Ian Hero L. Lavapiez

BSIT Graduate

System Analyst and Developer

Related topic(s) that you may like:

• Limiting Data Selection Query in mySQL using VB.Net
• Complete POS and Inventory System using VB.Net

Technology stack and requirements

To run this VB.NET project, you need the following on your development machine:

• Visual Studio 2019 or later. The free Community Edition is enough for building, debugging, and running the project.
• .NET Framework 4.7.2 or higher. Most Windows 10 and 11 systems have it preinstalled through Windows Update.
• MySQL Server 8.0 or MSSQL Express 2019. Choose whichever your capstone panel prefers; both work with VB.NET data adapters.
• MySQL Connector/NET or SqlClient library. Add via NuGet Package Manager inside Visual Studio.
• Crystal Reports (optional). Required only if the project generates printable reports; install the runtime redistributable.

Installing the source code

The download link contains a ZIP archive with the full solution. Extract and set up in five steps:

1. Extract the archive to a folder outside Program Files (avoids permission issues).
2. Open the .sln file in Visual Studio. It loads the full solution with all forms and modules.
3. Restore NuGet packages. Right-click the solution then Restore NuGet Packages if prompted.
4. Import the database. Locate the .sql file in the archive and import via phpMyAdmin (MySQL) or SQL Server Management Studio.
5. Update the connection string in App.config or module code to match your local database name, user, and password.

How to use this project for your BSIT capstone

This VB.NET project maps cleanly to standard BSIT capstone documentation. Suggested chapter alignment:

• Chapter 1 (Introduction). Discuss the problem the system solves in real-world context. Cite Philippine business or academic use cases where a manual process could be replaced.
• Chapter 2 (Review of Related Literature). Compare this system’s features against 5-10 similar published projects. Cite journals like IJERT or IEEE Access for academic-standard sources.
• Chapter 3 (Methodology). Include Use Case Diagram, Data Flow Diagram, Entity Relationship Diagram, and Activity Diagram covering all major workflows in the system.
• Chapter 4 (Results and Discussion). Screenshot each module of the running system with a caption explaining what data it processes and which user role interacts with it.
• Chapter 5 (Conclusion and Recommendations). Identify features that could be added in a Version 2, such as web dashboard, mobile app, or REST API export.

Modules typical of VB.Net Project Application Settings Store and Retrieve Information

• Master data. CRUD forms for the primary entities the system manages, with search and filter.
• Transaction processing. Data entry forms for the day-to-day operations the system automates.
• Reports. Formatted printable output summarizing activity per day, per user, or per category.
• User management. Login with role-based permissions (Admin, Encoder, Viewer).
• Backup and restore. Export database to a .sql or .bak file and restore when needed.

Common enhancements for capstone review

• Modernize the UI. Add Bunifu or Guna UI controls for a more polished, modern appearance.
• Add printable receipts. Integrate a printer preview form with page-setup options.
• Multi-user concurrency. Ensure the database handles simultaneous writes without lost-update errors.
• Web version. Rewrite the front-end in ASP.NET Core or React for a modern deployment path.