Ok, i am going to try and explain this as accurately as i can, i have tried but i know i am not all that easy to understand.

This is the method that adds a tab to a tab control that is supposed to hold all the tabs representing an IM session. in my myMSN object, i have methods to sign me in, sign out, send messages, shake buddy, all the msn features.

private void tvMSNContacts_DoubleClick(object sender, EventArgs e)
        {

            Email = tvMSNContacts.SelectedNode.ToString();
            TabPage tcContact = new TabPage(Email);

            // Make a textbox in the tab to hold incomming and outgoing messages.
            TextBox tbConversation = new TextBox();
            tbConversation.Multiline = true;
            tbConversation.Dock = DockStyle.Top;
            tbConversation.Height += 200;
            tcContact.Controls.Add(tbConversation);

            TextBox tbMessageToSend = new TextBox();
            tbMessageToSend.Multiline = true;
            tbMessageToSend.Size = new Size(332, 91);
            tbMessageToSend.Location = new Point(6, 232);
            tbMessageToSend.TextChanged +=new EventHandler(tbMessageToSend_TextChanged);

            // Make a button to send the data to your buddy
            Button btnSendData = new Button();
            btnSendData.Text = "Send";
            btnSendData.Location = new Point(263, 329);
            btnSendData.Click +=new EventHandler(btnSendData_Click);

            // Make a button to close this tab.
            Button btnCloseTab = new Button();
            btnCloseTab.Text = "Close";
            btnCloseTab.Location = new Point(6, 329);
            btnCloseTab.Click += new EventHandler(btnCloseTab_Click);


            tcContact.Controls.Add(btnSendData);
            tcContact.Controls.Add(btnCloseTab);
            tcContact.Controls.Add(tbConversation);
            tcContact.Controls.Add(tbMessageToSend);

            tcMSNConversations.Controls.Add(tcContact);

            tcContact.Show();

            btnCloseTab.Show();
            btnSendData.Show();
            tbMessageToSend.Show();
            tbConversation.Show();
        }

  Here is the problem. My variables(they are private vars i made at the begining of my form1 class. Email is a string and MSNMessageToContact is a string as well. MSNMessageToContact is the text from the textbox you use to type messages. Look at the method: tbMessageToSend_EventHandler below

        private void btnSendData_Click(object sender, EventArgs e)
        {
            myMSN.SendMessage(Email, MSNMessageToContact);
        }

        private void btnCloseTab_Click(object sender, EventArgs e)
        {
            // Waiting for help...
        }
I figured it could update the string every time a character is entered but it complains at me. it says tbMessageToSend is a null reference. I have made a private Member var "private TextBox tbMessageToSend = null" thats where my problem is. but if you look at the first method i made, the tvMSNContacts_DoubleClick, tv is treeview, you will see i set tbMessageToSend = new TextBox. how do i get it to not disinitialize when it leaves that block? i need to
get tbMessageToSend to give me its text somehow, if you have a different design idea i am open to suggestions.
        private void tbMessageToSend_TextChanged(object sender, EventArgs e)
        {
            MSNMessageToContact = tbMessageToSend.Text;
        }

The above create a new variable, and assigns it a new TextBox - even if a variable of the same name already exists.

This sets an existing variable to a new TextBox.

Another alternative would be to get rid of the private member variable and change your event handler to this:

/- Sam Judson : Wrox Technical Editor -/

thanks that works

can u explain the code to me a little. it just looks strange to me.

also, i get a string from the name of a treenode(its the contacts email) and the string comes in the format "treenode <contact"
how do i make it just print the string without adding treenode?

The revised event handler simply gets the textbox value.
Since TextChanged sends the control as an Object, you need to cast it to a TextBox to be able to access its TextBox properties. It's OK to go ahead and do this cast, because we know tbMessageToSend is a TextBox :)

Rob
The Developing Developer
Currently Working Towards: MCAD C#
My Blog: http://www.robzyc.spaces.live.com
<center>"Nothing can stop the man with the right mental attitude from achieving his goal;
nothing on earth can help the man with the wrong mental attitude".
Thomas Jefferson</center>

my textboxes work!!... mostly. i can send the message, it shows up in the conversationbox but my problem is in adds the strings together, i dont want it to look like this:
You said: HiContact said:sup

it puts the strings together,

i want
You said: Hi

Contact said: Sup

how do i make it look like that, the "\n" didnt work.

How are you concatenating the strings and what are they being output to? (standard text box, etc.)

Remember, you need to demonstrate to us what you are doing so we can help you.

Rob
The Developing Developer
Currently Working Towards: MCAD C#
My Blog: http://www.robzyc.spaces.live.com
<center>"Nothing can stop the man with the right mental attitude from achieving his goal;
nothing on earth can help the man with the wrong mental attitude".
Thomas Jefferson</center>

here is the event handler for the SendData button. it takes the string out of my text box and puts in it the conversation box and also sends the string as a message to my contact. i am using the + symbol to add the strings together at the moment. i also added + "\n " to the end but it didnt work. it keeps adding, how do i programmatically hit the "enter button" on the control or something, so that it sets the '|' cursor to a new line so the next string that prints goes under it instead of attatched to it.

private void btnSendData_Click(object sender, EventArgs e)
        {
            myMSN.SendMessage(Email, MSNMessageToContact);
            tbConversation.Text += "You said: " + MSNMessageToContact + "\n"; // the \n doesn not show in the string or
// make set the cursor to next line.

// i have to reset these two variables so i dont send same messages
            tbMessageToSend.Text = "";
            MSNMessageToContact = "";
            // i want to give focus to the text box so the user doesnt have to click
            // it every time.
            tbMessageToSend.Focus();
        }

in the last post, i forgot to menion, yes they are just standard textboxes, with multiline set to true.

OK, this thread has now gone way off-topic, I recommend you create a new thread for this question.

Rob
The Developing Developer
Currently Working Towards: MCAD C#
My Blog: http://www.robzyc.spaces.live.com
<center>"Nothing can stop the man with the right mental attitude from achieving his goal;
nothing on earth can help the man with the wrong mental attitude".
Thomas Jefferson</center>