C#

using System;
using System.Configuration;
using System.Data;

namespace Common.Data {

    public static class DbAssist {

        private static void CheckConnectionClosed(IDbConnection connection) {
            if (connection.State != ConnectionState.Closed) {
                throw new InvalidOperationException("An error has occurred: connection is not in closed state.");
            }
        }

        // Connection help

        public static string GetConnectionString(string key) {
            try {
                return ConfigurationManager.ConnectionStrings[key].ConnectionString;
            } catch (NullReferenceException ex) {
                throw new ConfigurationErrorsException("An error has occurred: "
                    + key + " does not exist in config.", ex);
            }
        }

        // Scalar help

        public static object ExecScalar(string sqlText, IDbConnection connection) {
            return ExecScalar(sqlText, connection, CommandType.Text);
        }

        public static object ExecScalar(string sqlText, IDbConnection connection, CommandType cmdType) {
            return ExecScalar(sqlText, connection, cmdType, null);
        }

        public static object ExecScalar(string sqlText, IDbConnection connection,
                CommandType cmdType, IDataParameter[] parameters) {
            CheckConnectionClosed(connection);
            using (connection) {
                connection.Open();
                IDbCommand command = connection.CreateCommand();
                command.CommandText = sqlText;
                command.CommandType = CommandType.StoredProcedure;
                if (parameters != null) {
                    foreach (IDataParameter p in parameters) {
                        command.Parameters.Add(p);
                    }
                }
                return command.ExecuteScalar();
            }
        }

        // IDataReader help

        public static IDataReader ExecReader(string sqlText, IDbConnection connection) {
            return ExecReader(sqlText, connection, CommandBehavior.CloseConnection);
        }

        public static IDataReader ExecReader(string sqlText, IDbConnection connection,
            CommandBehavior behavior) {
            return ExecReader(sqlText, connection, CommandType.Text, behavior);
        }

        public static IDataReader ExecReader(string sqlText, IDbConnection connection,
                CommandType cmdType, CommandBehavior behavior) {
            CheckConnectionClosed(connection);
            connection.Open();
            IDbCommand command = connection.CreateCommand();
            command.CommandText = sqlText;
            command.CommandType = cmdType;
            return command.ExecuteReader(behavior);
        }

        public static IDataReader ExecReader(string sqlText, IDbConnection connection,
                CommandType cmdType, IDataParameter[] parameters, CommandBehavior behavior) {
            CheckConnectionClosed(connection);
            IDbCommand command = connection.CreateCommand();
            command.CommandText = sqlText;
            command.CommandType = cmdType;
            if (parameters != null) {
                foreach (IDataParameter p in parameters) {
                    command.Parameters.Add(p);
                }
            }
            return command.ExecuteReader(behavior);
        }

        public static T GetDataFromReader<T>(IDataReader reader, string fieldName, T fallbackValue) {
            int ordinal = reader.GetOrdinal(fieldName);
            if (!reader.IsDBNull(ordinal)) {
                return (T)reader.GetValue(ordinal);
            }
            return fallbackValue;
        }
    }
}

dateTimePicker1.CustomFormat = "MM.yyyy";
dateTimePicker1.Format = DateTimePickerFormat.Custom;

Blue_Boy wrote:

I hope I have understood you now!

sususan wrote:

Is the following grid layout possible with DataGridView in VB.net?

bool InsideMergedRowOfCells(e.ColumnIndex, e.RowIndex)
bool IsFirstOfMergedRowOfCells(e.ColumnIndex, e.RowIndex)
bool IsLastOfMergedRowOfCells(e.ColumnIndex, e.RowIndex)

private Rectangle accumulatedMerge = Rectangle.Empty;
private void grid_CellPainting(object sender, DataGridViewCellPaintingEventArgs e)
{
	// Default painting all other places than the merged cells
	if (!InsideMergedRowOfCells(e.ColumnIndex, e.RowIndex)) return;

	// Rows come x-first, then y. Utterly dependant on this we sample the
	// first cell in a set of merged cells and patiently wait for the last in the range
	if (IsFirstOfMergedRowOfCells(e.ColumnIndex, e.RowIndex))
	{
		accumulatedMerge = e.CellBounds;	// Save the first rectangle
		e.Handled = true;	// Tell caller not to call the cell's paint method override
		return;				// Return, i.e. wait for the last merged cell in the row
	}

	// If we are asked to paint the last of a horizontal range of merged cells, the we need to do some work
	if (IsLastOfMergedRowOfCells(e.ColumnIndex, e.RowIndex))
	{
		// First, calculate the entire rectangle of the merged cells
		accumulatedMerge.Width = (e.CellBounds.X + e.CellBounds.Width) - _accumulatedMerge.X;

		// Dirty hack to inject the CellBounds rectangle (which is read-only), by accessing the field directly through reflection
		FieldInfo cellBoundsField = e.GetType().GetField("cellBounds", BindingFlags.NonPublic | BindingFlags.Instance);
		cellBoundsField.SetValue(e, accumulatedMerge);

		// Call the standard paint with the hacked rectangle injected
		e.Paint(accumulatedMerge, DataGridViewPaintParts.All);
	}

	// Tell caller not to call the cell's paint method override
	e.Handled = true;
}