How do you get at the Textbox that is in another User Control?

[aarepasky]

I am using ASP Web 2005 express.

I created the user control below and I am listing the html code. I
have 2 textboxes. One is txtCompanyName.

The main page has 2 panels on it and a button. Panel1 contains the
user control1 which is a form that has the txtCompanyName. Panel2
contains another user control2 which is another form.

When I click the button, I want to do something with the textbox
txtCompanyName in the code behind file using C#. But the code behind
does not see the textbox, because it is in another aspx file, not a
code behind file. So how do I set this up so that it sees the textbox?

I am new to asp.net and .net. I am getting frustrated that I can not
come up with a way to see this textbox. There must be a way to see
everything in every file.

Thanks,
Al

<%@ Control Language="C#" AutoEventWireup ="true"
CodeFile="Compa nies.ascx.cs" Inherits="Compa nies" %>
<table style="width: 348px">

<caption style="color: #ffffff; background-color: #6666cc;
font-weight: bold; font-family: Arial;" align="center">
New Client Information</caption>

<tr>
<td style="width: 544px; font-family: Arial; height: 6px;
background-color: buttonface;" align="right" bordercolor="#f fffff"
bgcolor="button face">
<asp:Label ID="lblCompanyN ame" runat="server" Text="Company
Name:" Width="150px" Font-Names="Arial"></asp:Label></td>
<td style="width: 318px; height: 6px;" bordercolor="#f fffff"
bgcolor="button face">
<asp:TextBox ID="txtCompanyN ame" runat="server"
CausesValidatio n="True" Width="220px"></asp:TextBox></td>
<asp:RequiredFi eldValidator ID="
RequiredFieldVa lidator1"
runat="server" ErrorMessage="M ust Enter Company Name"
ControlToValida te="txtCompanyN ame"></asp:RequiredFie ldValidator><td
style="height: 6px; width: 3px;" bordercolor="#f fffff">

<tr>
<td style="width: 544px; font-family: Arial; background-color:
buttonface; height: 6px;" align="right" bgcolor="button face">
<asp:Label ID="lblUniqueCo de" runat="server" Text="Unique
Client Code:" Width="150px" Font-Names="Arial"></asp:Label></td>
<td style="width: 318px" bgcolor="button face">
<asp:TextBox ID="txtUniqueCo de" runat="server" Wrap="False"
Width="220px"></asp:TextBox></td>
</tr>

</table>

[Tasos Vogiatzoglou]

You have to put an accessor in your user control code behind to have
access to the textControl object.

Regards,
Tasos

[aarepasky]

Tasos,

What is an accessor? I told you I am new.

Thanks,
Al

[aarepasky]

Tasos,

Ok, I know what an accessor is now. I set up the code below.

Now I get the error:
Object reference not set to an instance of an object.

I thought I instanciated it. Code is below.

Error is on this line: uc2.CompanyName 2 = uc1.CompanyName 1

-------------------------------
Public Class WebUserControl2
Inherits System.Web.UI.U serControl

#Region " Web Form Designer Generated Code "

'This call is required by the Web Form Designer.
<System.Diagnos tics.DebuggerSt epThrough()> Private Sub
InitializeCompo nent()

End Sub
Protected WithEvents uc1 As WebUserControl1
Protected WithEvents uc2 As WebUserControl2
Protected WithEvents uc1TextBox1 As New
System.Web.UI.W ebControls.Text Box
Protected WithEvents uc2TextBox1 As New
System.Web.UI.W ebControls.Text Box

Protected WithEvents Button1 As System.Web.UI.W ebControls.Butt on
'Protected WithEvents uc1TextBox1 As New

'NOTE: The following placeholder declaration is required by the Web
Form Designer.
'Do not delete or move it.
Private designerPlaceho lderDeclaration As System.Object

Private Sub Page_Init(ByVal sender As System.Object, ByVal e As
System.EventArg s) Handles MyBase.Init
'CODEGEN: This method call is required by the Web Form Designer
'Do not modify it using the code editor.
InitializeCompo nent()
End Sub

#End Region

Public Property CompanyName2() As String
Get
Return uc2TextBox1.Tex t
End Get
Set(ByVal Value As String)
uc2TextBox1.Tex t = Value
End Set
End Property

Private Sub Page_Load(ByVal sender As System.Object, ByVal e As
System.EventArg s) Handles MyBase.Load
'Put user code to initialize the page here
End Sub

Private Sub Button1_Click(B yVal sender As System.Object, ByVal e As
System.EventArg s) Handles Button1.Click

uc2.CompanyName 2 = uc1.CompanyName 1
End Sub
End Class

So what is wrong?

It seems simple enough. Please help!

Thanks,
Al

[Tasos Vogiatzoglou]

Al goodmorning,

can you put a break point in that line and check which of two
components are null ?

Regards,
Tasos

[aarepasky]

Hi Tasos,

It is CompanyName1 that is not declared.

Al

[Tasos Vogiatzoglou]

Al, can you also post the markup that you use to create the components
?

Regards,
Tasos

[aarepasky]

Hi Tasos,

I believe what you want is the code for the other user control, where I
create the component. So the code follows. I hope this is what you
want.

Thanks,
Al
Public Class WebUserControl1
Inherits System.Web.UI.U serControl

#Region " Web Form Designer Generated Code "

'This call is required by the Web Form Designer.
<System.Diagnos tics.DebuggerSt epThrough()> Private Sub
InitializeCompo nent()

End Sub

'NOTE: The following placeholder declaration is required by the Web
Form Designer.
'Do not delete or move it.
Private designerPlaceho lderDeclaration As System.Object

Private Sub Page_Init(ByVal sender As System.Object, ByVal e As
System.EventArg s) Handles MyBase.Init
'CODEGEN: This method call is required by the Web Form Designer
'Do not modify it using the code editor.
InitializeCompo nent()
End Sub

#End Region

Protected WithEvents uc1TextBox1 As
System.Web.UI.W ebControls.Text Box

Public Property CompanyName1() As String
Get
Return uc1TextBox1.Tex t
End Get
Set(ByVal Value As String)
uc1TextBox1.Tex t = Value
End Set
End Property

Private Sub Page_Load(ByVal sender As System.Object, ByVal e As
System.EventArg s) Handles MyBase.Load
'Put user code to initialize the page here
End Sub

End Class
--------------------------------------------
<%@ Page Language="vb" AutoEventWireup ="false"
Codebehind="Web Form1.aspx.vb" Inherits="testu c.WebForm1"%>
<%@ Register TagPrefix="uc1" TagName="WebUse rControl1"
Src="WebUserCon trol1.ascx" %>
<%@ Register TagPrefix="uc1" TagName="WebUse rControl2"
Src="WebUserCon trol2.ascx" %>
<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN">
<HTML>
<HEAD>
<title>WebForm1 </title>
<meta name="GENERATOR " content="Micros oft Visual Studio .NET 7.1">
<meta name="CODE_LANG UAGE" content="Visual Basic .NET 7.1">
<meta name="vs_defaul tClientScript" content="JavaSc ript">
<meta name="vs_target Schema"
content="http://schemas.microso ft.com/intellisense/ie5">
</HEAD>
<body MS_POSITIONING= "GridLayout ">
<form id="Form1" method="post" runat="server">
<asp:Panel id="Panel1" style="Z-INDEX: 101; LEFT: 275px; POSITION:
absolute; TOP: 72px" runat="server"
Height="50px" Width="259px">
<uc1:WebUserCon trol1 id="WebUserCont rol11"
runat="server"> </uc1:WebUserCont rol1></asp:Panel>
<asp:Panel id="Panel2" style="Z-INDEX: 102; LEFT: 277px; POSITION:
absolute; TOP: 177px" runat="server"
Height="35px" Width="363px">
<uc1:WebUserCon trol2 id="WebUserCont rol21"
runat="server"> </uc1:WebUserCont rol2></asp:Panel>
</form>
</body>
</HTML>
---------------------------------------------
<%@ Control Language="vb" AutoEventWireup ="false"
Codebehind="Web UserControl1.as cx.vb" Inherits="testu c.WebUserContro l1"
TargetSchema="h ttp://schemas.microso ft.com/intellisense/ie5" %>
<asp:TextBox id="uc1TextBox1 " runat="server"> </asp:TextBox>
------------------------------------------------
<%@ Control Language="vb" AutoEventWireup ="false"
Codebehind="Web UserControl2.as cx.vb" Inherits="testu c.WebUserContro l2"
TargetSchema="h ttp://schemas.microso ft.com/intellisense/ie5" %>
<asp:TextBox id="uc2TextBox1 " runat="server"> </asp:TextBox>
<asp:Button id="Button1" runat="server" Text="Button"></asp:Button>

[Tasos Vogiatzoglou]

Al,

from what I see (correct me if I am wrong) you are trying to access the
UC1 component from inside UC2 component without referencing in the user
control markup.

This is why you get a null reference as the component is not
initialized inside the UC2 component.

To achieve what you want to do, you have to expose the onClick event
from the UC2 and then wire them in the common parent (the page where
both user controls reside).

I hope this clarifies the issue.

Regards,
Tasos

[aarepasky]

Tasos,

I do not know what you mean in this paragraph:

To achieve what you want to do, you have to expose the onClick event
from the UC2 and then wire them in the common parent (the page where
both user controls reside).

How do I do that? How do I expose the onClick event?

This program is just a test for a larger program that I am working on.
I will have several user control where there will be textboxes for
input. I put each user control in a panel on the main page. I want to
make some visible while other are not visible at the same time. But I
have to have some way to get the input from one user control to the
other or to the main page. I took a class and the instructor said this
would be the way to do it. I did try putting the button (onclick
event) on the main page and it still got a instance error. I made this
little test program to test this out.

In class the instructor had a program very similar to this and it
worked. I have been trying to get him to look at it also, but he has
been busy. He teaches only as a sideline and has a full time job.
Maybe he will eventually get back to me, but no promises. So I have
been trying to solve this with you and you have been a big help so far.
So just bear with me a little longer.

I can sent a zip of the test program if you give me your email address.

Thanks,
Al