Visual Basic keeps reseting my variables to 0 each time I leave and re-enter a class

Question

I have a form to obtain financial information from the user including a loan amount, rate, and term. I'm supposed to call a class to do the work and then return the answer to the form. However, for some reason, whenever my program moves out of the class, back to the form, then back to the class, the variables I have the class get reset to 0. My code is below. Any help would be awesome.

This is the code from my form:

    'Preform calculation when button is clicked
Private Sub buttonCalc_Click(sender As Object, e As EventArgs) Handles buttonCalc.Click
    Dim loanAmount As New finClass
    Dim rate As New finClass
    Dim term As New finClass
    Dim payment As New finClass
    loanAmount.getLoanAmount = textBoxMortgageAmount.Text
    rate.getAnnualRate = comboBoxAnnualRate.Text.Replace("%", "")
    term.getTermInYears = comboBoxTerm.SelectedItem
    textBoxMonthlyPayment.Text = payment.setMonthlyPayment

End Sub

And this code from the associated class:

Public Class finClass

Private loanAmt As Decimal
Private termValue As Decimal
Private rateValue As Decimal
Public paymentValue As Decimal

Public WriteOnly Property getLoanAmount
    Set(value)
        If IsNumeric(value) AndAlso value > 1000 AndAlso value < 10000000 Then
            Me.loanAmt = value
        Else
            MessageBox.Show("Mortgage amount must be a number between $1,000 and $10,000,000", "Invalid Number", MessageBoxButtons.OK, MessageBoxIcon.Error)
        End If
    End Set
End Property

Public WriteOnly Property getAnnualRate
    Set(value)
        rateValue = value.Replace("%", "")
        If rateValue < 1 Then
            rateValue *= 100
        End If

    End Set
End Property

Public WriteOnly Property getTermInYears
    Set(value)
        termValue = value
    End Set
End Property

Public ReadOnly Property setMonthlyPayment
    Get
        Return -Pmt((rateValue / 1200), termValue * 12, Me.loanAmt)
    End Get
End Property
End Class

Answer 1

I don't work in VS but it looks like you are creating four instances of the class. I'm pretty sure this is not correct.

Private Sub buttonCalc_Click(sender As Object, e As EventArgs) Handles buttonCalc.Click
    Dim loanAmount As New finClass  '## Creates NEW finClass object
    Dim rate As New finClass        '## Creates NEW finClass object
    Dim term As New finClass        '## Creates NEW finClass object
    Dim payment As New finClass     '## Creates NEW finClass object
    loanAmount.getLoanAmount = textBoxMortgageAmount.Text
    rate.getAnnualRate = comboBoxAnnualRate.Text.Replace("%", "")
    term.getTermInYears = comboBoxTerm.SelectedItem
    textBoxMonthlyPayment.Text = payment.setMonthlyPayment

End Sub

So each of those objects is a different instance of a finClass object. So each time you "re-enter" the class, you're actually entering a different instace of that class object, which is why all the variables are value = 0. They have not been instantiated or set, yet.

Try this instead, to create one class object which you manipulate with the methods in your class module:

Private Sub buttonCalc_Click(sender As Object, e As EventArgs) Handles buttonCalc.Click
    Dim objFinClass as New finClass

    objFinClass.getLoanAmount = textBoxMortgageAmount.Text
    objFinClass.getAnnualRate = comboBoxAnnualRate.Text.Replace("%", "")
    objFinClass.getTermInYears = comboBoxTerm.SelectedItem
    textBoxMonthlyPayment.Text = objFinClass.setMonthlyPayment

End Sub