Private Sub ExecuteXMLButton_Click(ByVal sender As System.Object, ByVal e As System.EventArgs) Handles ExecuteXMLButton.Click

        ' Create a StringBuilder to store the results of the query
        Dim myItem As String = String.Empty 'results As New System.Text.StringBuilder

        ' Create an instance of the Command object
        Dim XMLCommand As New SqlCommand
        With XMLCommand
            .Connection = NWConn
            .CommandType = CommandType.Text
            .CommandText = "SELECT CompanyName FROM Customers For XML Auto"
            .Connection.Open()
        End With
        Try
            ' Assign the results of the SQL statement to a data reader
            Dim reader As System.Xml.XmlReader = XMLCommand.ExecuteXmlReader

            While reader.Read
                myItem = reader("CompanyName").ToString
                lbXML.Items.Add(myItem)
            End While

            ' Close the data reader and the connection
            reader.Close()
            XMLCommand.Connection.Close()

        Catch ex As Exception
            MessageBox.Show("An error occurred while creating your XML list. " & ex.Message, _
                            "System Message", MessageBoxButtons.OK, MessageBoxIcon.Error)

        End Try


        '---now save results to XML file
        If SaveToXMLFile() Then

            MessageBox.Show("Your data has been saved as XML.", "System Message", _
                             MessageBoxButtons.OK, MessageBoxIcon.Information)
        Else
            MessageBox.Show("An error occurred while saving to XML.", "System Message", MessageBoxButtons.OK, MessageBoxIcon.Error)

        End If

    End Sub


    Friend Shared Function SaveToXMLFile() As Boolean

        '---xmlWriter Settings
        Dim settings As New XmlWriterSettings
        settings.Indent = True
        settings.IndentChars = Space(4)     'just for clarity

        Try
            '---create writer
            Dim myWriter As XmlWriter = XmlWriter.Create(My.Settings.CustIDFile, settings)

            '---create the header
            myWriter.WriteStartDocument()
            myWriter.WriteStartElement("Customers")

            '---now write each element to the file from each listbox item
            For Each myItem As String In My.Forms.Form1.lbXML.Items
                myWriter.WriteStartElement("CompanyName")
                myWriter.WriteElementString("Description", myItem.ToString.Trim)
                myWriter.WriteEndElement()
            Next

            '---all done
            myWriter.Close()

            Return True

        Catch ex As Exception
            Return False
        End Try

    End Function