After clearing textbox, saved value is lost. [c#]

[Markus]

Ok, so I'm just messing around with c# at the moment, learning some stuff -- it is surprisingly similar to JavaScript :S -- and I hit a snag: I'm grabbing the value of a texbox and then setting the textbox to have zilch in it. Consider the below code (lines 38 - 42)

using System;
using System.Collections.Generic;
using System.ComponentModel;
using System.Data;
using System.Drawing;
using System.Linq;
using System.Text;
using System.Windows.Forms;
using System.Text.RegularExpressions;
 
namespace WindowsFormsApplication1
{
    public partial class Form1 : Form
    {
        string Name;
        string Nameref;
 
        public Form1()
        {
            InitializeComponent();
        }
 
        private void setName_Click(object sender, EventArgs e)
        {
            // set the value from nameInput to Name
            // we shall check for a value first
            int NameLength = nameInput.Text.Length;
            Regex Pattern = new Regex( "[^a-zA-Z]" );
            if ( NameLength < 1 )
            {
                MessageBox.Show( "Please enter a name", "Error" );
            }
            else if( Pattern.IsMatch( nameInput.Text ) )
            {
                MessageBox.Show( "Please enter only letters", "Error" );
            }
            else
            {
                Name = nameInput.Text;
                nameInput.Text = "";
                this.Text = "Name set";
            }
        }
 
        private void nameReminder_Click(object sender, EventArgs e)
        {
            // check if Name is set
            int NameLength = nameInput.Text.Length;
            if( NameLength < 1 )
            {
                MessageBox.Show( "Name has not been set yet. Please do so now", "Error" );
                nameInput.Focus();
            }
            else
            {
                MessageBox.Show( Name, "Your name" );
            }
        }
    }

However, when I check the value of Name it's empty. I know this is because I'm setting the nameInput (textbox) to empty, so is there a way I can hold on to the value?

PS: Anyone find it annoying that line numbers are disabled by default?! >=[

[r035198x]

So the value disappears only if the name was set?
Why don't you just remove the line nameInput.Text = ""; then?

[tlhintoq]

If I'm reading this right, you have a member variable named "Name".
You have a textbox named "nameInput".
You set your variable to the text of the text box then clear the text of the textbox.

You say "whenever I check the value of Name its empty"... but I don't see anyplace you check the value of "Name". I see a few places you check against the value of the textbox.text that you emptied. But unless I'm blind, I don't see any comparrisons against "Name"

[Markus]

If I'm reading this right, you have a member variable named "Name".
You have a textbox named "nameInput".
You set your variable to the text of the text box then clear the text of the textbox.

You say "whenever I check the value of Name its empty"... but I don't see anyplace you check the value of "Name". I see a few places you check against the value of the textbox.text that you emptied. But unless I'm blind, I don't see any comparrisons against "Name"

You're right; after revising my code, I realised I was comparing against the textbox and not Name.

Revised code:

        private void nameReminder_Click(object sender, EventArgs e)
        {
            if( Name == null )
            {
                MessageBox.Show( "Name has not been set yet. Please do so now", "Error" );
                nameInput.Focus();
            }
            else
            {
                MessageBox.Show( Name, "Your name" );
            }
        }