SByte.Parse converts string in a style to 8-bit signed integer equivalent.
Imports System.Globalization Module Example Public Sub Main() Dim style As NumberStyles Dim number As SByte Dim values1() As String = { " 121 ", "121", "-121" } style = NumberStyles.None Console.WriteLine("Styles: {0}", style.ToString()) For Each value As String In values1 Try number = SByte.Parse(value, style) Console.WriteLine(" Converted '{0}' to {1}.", value, number) Catch e As FormatException Console.WriteLine(" Unable to parse '{0}'.", value) End Try Next End Sub End Module