Dynamically adding user controls, and then setting custom properties on those instances?

>I have made some user controls with custom properties. I can set those
>properties on instances of my user controls, and I have programmed my user
>control to do useful visual things in response to how those properties are
>set.
>
I want to be able to do two other things:
a) add User control instances to my page, filling in the place of
placeholder controls, and
b) programmatically setting custom properties on those dynamically spawned
instances of my user controls. At the end of all of this I'm hoping I will
be able to determin the value of those custom properties at runtime as
well.
>
So far I have managed to figure out how to do a), adding UC's to my page
and subbing them in for placeholder controls, as follows:
Control Uwn_ImageBox =
LoadControl("~/App_UserControls/Presentational/Uwn_ImageBox.ascx");
PlaceHolder1.Controls.Add(Uwn_ImageBox);
>
I have not figured out how to do b). It does not seem like VS.NET has
support for dynamically/programmatically placed UC's loaded via
LoadControl, which is not so surprising. However, I cannot figure out how
to add/load custom properties that I've developed for my UC.
>
Can some offer some insight here? Is what I'm hoping to do possible?
>
Thanks,
>
-KF
>
>

You can do one of two things. You can cast your usercontrol specifically
when you load it. For example: if your control is called MyWeb.MyControl
then you would do the following:
>
MyWeb.MyControl dynamicControl =
(MyWeb.MyControl)LoadControl("~/MyControl.ascx");
>
Even though the LoadControl says it returns an object of type Control it
still works because your control is derived from the Control type so is
still seen as a valid control.
>
The other way is through reflection. Reflection is a lot slower but can
get the job done. To get at the properties you have to use the GetType()
attribute.
>
First, include the System.Reflection namespace.
>
PropertyInfo myProp = dynamicControl.GetType().GetProperty("myProperty") ;
>
This just holds information about the property. To set the property you
would do the following.
>
myProp.SetValue(dynamicControl,"myvalue",null);
>
basically passing the object, and then the value to it. There is a similar
get method to match this.
>
Something you need to be aware of, sometimes the GetType() won't get the
correct type. Sometimes it will return the type of the page or control, as
in ASCX_SOMETHING, or basically the code that is running in the .ascx or
.aspx page, not the code running in codebhind. If you run into this error
then you get call the GetType() then call the BaseType property like so
dynamicControl.GetType().BaseType
>
>
--
>
Hope this helps,
Mark Fitzpatrick
Former Microsoft FrontPage MVP 199?-2006
>
>
>
<kenfine@nospam.nospamwrote in message
news:OyJmpELJHHA.1468@TK2MSFTNGP04.phx.gbl...>
>

Hi KF,
>
If you're using Repeater and databinding, you can use the UserControl in
the Repeater's ItemTemplate:
>
<asp:Repeater ID="repeater1" runat="server">
<HeaderTemplate>
<table>
</HeaderTemplate>
<ItemTemplate>
<tr>
<td>
<uc1:MyControl ID="MyControl1" runat="server"
LabelText='<%# Eval("Name") %>' />
</td>
</tr>
</ItemTemplate>
<FooterTemplate>
</table>
</FooterTemplate>
</asp:Repeater>
>
>
In the above example, I'm directly binding the Name field to the
UserControl's custom property LabelText.
>
Let me know if you need further information.
>
>
Regards,
Walter Wang (wawang@online.microsoft.com, remove 'online.')
Microsoft Online Community Support
>
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>

Hi KF,
>
If you're using Repeater and databinding, you can use the UserControl in
the Repeater's ItemTemplate:
>
<asp:Repeater ID="repeater1" runat="server">
<HeaderTemplate>
<table>
</HeaderTemplate>
<ItemTemplate>
<tr>
<td>
<uc1:MyControl ID="MyControl1" runat="server"
LabelText='<%# Eval("Name") %>' />
</td>
</tr>
</ItemTemplate>
<FooterTemplate>
</table>
</FooterTemplate>
</asp:Repeater>
>
>
In the above example, I'm directly binding the Name field to the
UserControl's custom property LabelText.
>
Let me know if you need further information.
>
>
Regards,
Walter Wang (wawang@online.microsoft.com, remove 'online.')
Microsoft Online Community Support
>
==================================================
When responding to posts, please "Reply to Group" via your newsreader so
that others may learn and benefit from your issue.
==================================================
>
This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no
rights.
>