selected value of nested repeater-build <select>

bttrflii · September 11th, 2006, 09:35 AM

i have a drop down list (a <select> element) constructed with a repeater nested within a repeater so that i can use <optgroup>s.

Code:

<asp:Repeater ID="rptIssuesNotInRelease" runat="server" DataSourceID="sdsSectionsNotInRelease">
    <HeaderTemplate>
        <select id="ddlIssuesNotInRelease">
    </HeaderTemplate>
    <ItemTemplate>
        <asp:HiddenField Value='<%# Eval("SectionID") %>' ID="hidSectionID" runat="server" Visible="false"/>
        <optgroup label='<%# Eval("Name") %>'>

            <asp:Repeater ID="rptIssuesInSection" runat="server" DataSourceID="sdsIssuesInSection">
                <ItemTemplate>
                    <option value='<%# Eval("IssueID") %>'><%# (Eval("Problem").ToString().Length > 100 ? Eval("Problem").ToString().Substring(0, 100) + "..." : Eval("Problem")) %></option>
                </ItemTemplate>
            </asp:Repeater>

        </optgroup>
    </ItemTemplate>
    <FooterTemplate>
        </select>
    </FooterTemplate>
</asp:Repeater>

the code it produces is something like (picture this as a drop down list with groups):

+ Section 1 +
   Item A
   Item B
+ Section 2 +
   Item C
   Item D

whichever item my user selects, i need to get the value of that selected item. trying to use FindControl inside my "add to release" button event produces a null control.

Code:

System.Web.UI.HtmlControls.HtmlSelect ddlIssuesNotInRelease = (System.Web.UI.HtmlControls.HtmlSelect)rptIssuesNotInRelease.FindControl("ddlIssuesNotInRelease");

what i am missing? how can i access the value of my drop down list during my button click event? am i creating optgroups with asp all wrong?

thenoseknows · September 12th, 2006, 09:01 AM

The reason you can not find this control on the server side is that you have used a server side control (a repeater) to simply print out a client side select box to the client tier. You named that client side select box "ddlIssuesNotInRelease" but in reality there is no "ddlIssuesNotInRelease" control on the server, thus there is nothing for that select box to post back to. ddlIssuesNotInRelease only exists in the client tier as you have it now.

I am pretty sure you don't want to be using a repeater to do this. I am not quite sure what to recommend but you definitely need to use a server side control if you need to post back and access the control on the server side.

Neil Timmerman
Programmer
Veris Consulting

bttrflii · September 15th, 2006, 09:52 AM

while that's not the answer i was hoping for, it's the answer i feared i'd get. "Connect" from the asp forums [1] was able to point me to a different way of getting optgroups into my page while still being able to access the value of the select. perhaps someone else will find it useful.

thanks very much for the reply. :) maybe i'll be more fortunate in asp 3.

[1] http://forums.asp.net/thread/1395549.aspx