Need urgent help loading user controls at runtime

rpeters83 · August 28th, 2006, 04:34 PM

I have a series of custom controls such as a DateBox, States/Country dropdown, etc in order to save me time for creating forms as well as allow me to load these controls into a form-builder i'm creating.

i have a class, FormField.cs that, depending on the element's type (input field, textbox, dropdown, DateBox, StateList, etc) dynamically create and return that control to be loaded into a placeholder.

I am able to set properties of the native controls with no issue. my issue is trying to set the properties on my custom user controls at runtime. currently, i use the LoadControl command and set it as a Control object (where I set its ID, thats all). I would like ot be able to set its object properties and this is where i'm having trouble.

I tried to cast it as cntStateList (NOT shown below), but the error I keep getting is that it cannot find the class.

Please help! Thanks!

Examples:

cntStateList.cs is the codebehind for cntStateList.ascx

cntStateList.cs

Code:

// C# Document

using System;
using System.Collections;
using System.Data;
using System.Web.UI.WebControls;

public class cntStateList : System.Web.UI.UserControl
{
    protected DropDownList drpStates;

    protected void page_Load (Object s, EventArgs e)
    {
        DataSet dsStates = new DataSet();
        dsStates.ReadXml(MapPath("../../XML/states.xml"));
        drpStates.DataSource = dsStates;
        drpStates.DataValueField = "abbrev";
        drpStates.DataTextField = "name";
        drpStates.DataBind();
    }

    public String Text
    {
        get { return drpStates.Text; }
    }

    public String SelectedValue
    {
        get { return drpStates.SelectedValue; }
    }
}

Below is the FormField.cs class

FormField.cs

Code:

// inside a switch statement to get the field type...

case 5:
                RadioButtonList rblRadioList = new RadioButtonList();
                rblRadioList.ID = _strFieldLabel;
                rblRadioList.DataSource = _cn.ExecQuery("select * from tblFieldValues where field_id = " + _iFieldId);
                rblRadioList.DataValueField = "value";
                rblRadioList.DataTextField = "value";
                rblRadioList.DataBind();
                return rblRadioList;
                break;

            case 6:
                FileUpload fuFileUpload = new FileUpload();
                fuFileUpload.ID= _strFieldLabel;
                return fuFileUpload;
                break;

                        // PROBLEM BEGINS HERE...
            case 7:
                Control cntTmpDateBox = (Control)Page.LoadControl("/cms/controls/cntDateBox/cntDateBox.ascx");
                cntTmpDateBox.ID= _strFieldLabel;
                return cntDateBox;
                break;

            case 8:
                Control cntStateList = (Control)Page.LoadControl("/cms/controls/cntStateList/cntStateList.ascx");
                cntStateList.ID= _strFieldLabel;
                return cntStateList;
                break;
                  // .....

rpeters83 · August 31st, 2006, 11:33 AM

Just an update:

I am currently using Session variables to set the properties of my custom controls, but would still like to be able to access the properties directly.

I would like to be able to do this...

Code:

Control myDateBox = Page.LoadControl("DateBoxControl.ascx");
((DateBoxControl)myDateBox).CurrDate = DateTime.Now;

But when I do, it says it cant find the class. If i put it into a namespace, it says it cant find the namespace. Any ideas? Anyone? Thanks!

DudeBori82 · August 31st, 2006, 11:43 AM

Maybe try casting it as the control of your custom control type:
cntStateList cntTmpDateBox = (cntStateList)Page.LoadControl("/cms/controls/cntDateBox/cntDateBox.ascx");
cntTmpDateBox.ID= _strFieldLabel;
cntTmpDateBox.CurrDate = DateTime.Now;

Actions are a direct result of your desires. Desire for good things.

rpeters83 · August 31st, 2006, 12:24 PM

DudeBori,

I tried that. It keeps saying that the type or namespace cannot be found. Everything else is in a namespace I defined.

I don't know what else to do.

rpeters83 · August 31st, 2006, 12:28 PM

I should also mention that while I am able to cast my user controls appropriately and manipulate their properties inside of an ASPX page directy, I want to be able to programmically load this control AND set its properties at runtime (inside of another class file). I can currently load it, but cant set its properties inside this class.

rpeters83 · August 31st, 2006, 12:59 PM

Nevermind!

I found out I had to use an abstract base class and set it up in my App_Code folder. thanks anyway folks.

yafarmo · September 3rd, 2006, 06:42 AM

you should add a reference on your aspx file like:

<%@ Reference VirtualPath="../UserControlFile.ascx"%>

and thats it.

rpeters83 · September 3rd, 2006, 10:17 AM

True, but that was if I was calling the class constructor from an ASPX file,which, in my case, I wasn't. I needed it to be an actual class that I could initilize inside another class. An abstract base class in App_Code did the trick!

Thanks!