copy controls of a form into a panel dynamically

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Hi Friends,
I am working on a windows project right now on my own.I had designed and coded almost of the program.And an Idea just strike my head. But I cant figure any possible ways to do it. Please help me in this matter.

First Project:
I have a form with button controls. And if I press each button another forms will appear as
" *.ShowDialog() ". I just done it in old fashion way.

New Idea :

I just made my parent form a little bit bigger. And I placed a panel there.

Now I need the controls, events and whatever in " *.ShowDialog() " to appear in my panel when I press that button.

That is: I just need to transfer whole form into a panel dynamically and execute the functions and events .

Waiting for your kindness.

Irshad

Posted 30-Apr-13 3:46am

Member 10012743

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CHill60 30-Apr-13 9:54am

Can I just check I've got this right ... the dialog forms are already in your project, so instead of creating panels at design time and putting the controls onto them, you want to transfer controls from the existing form that would have appeared when you push a particular button, onto a panel on your "main" form instead ...

Member 10012743 30-Apr-13 9:56am

yes.
and it works as just as the old form itself.

CHill60 30-Apr-13 10:06am

Hm ... see OriginalGriff's solution ... it is possible by using the this.Controls.Add construct but you could get into an awful mess if there is any code behind on those dialog forms. Much better to do this at design time rather than dynamically - I agree with OriginalGriff

Sergey Alexandrovich Kryukov 30-Apr-13 10:11am

First of all, why? Why?! I generally see no reason to answer such questions if the idea is not properly motivated.
—SA

Member 10012743 30-Apr-13 10:29am

see Mr. Sergey,
I just need a help in a matter. I ask for your favor.
I am not a professional, so please help.

How could I add an event handler dynamically?

Sergey Alexandrovich Kryukov 30-Apr-13 11:12am

I can only help if you describe your ultimate purpose. I need to be sure that your idea is really useful for you.
Why would you keep silence about something you are really interested in?
—SA

Member 10012743 30-Apr-13 11:25am

I was doing a project based on billing.

I have done almost in the project. But now I just thought of a new way which looks good than the old method.
Which would be more classic (if I say).

So I am thinking of any chance not altering the work I have done so far, and just by doing some arrangements I could accomplish the goal.

So for that;
I have made many forms;
In the main-form :
If I click Add_Button, The Add_Item form appears and I can add an item.
If I click Bill_Button, The Billing form appears and I can do the billing.

So instead of these Add_Item form, Billing form, I extended the main form (mainform.WindowState = Maximised).
And I added a panel. And in left hand corner a treeview.
so If I ever click the item on treeview, I could call the form in this panel along with the event handlers.

So a simple and good looking right?

NB: sorry for not pasting the design here. I cant copy paste the diagram. And I dont have the snapshot tool.

hope you get my part.
and as OriginalGriff had said, I will have to dynamically add the controls of Add_Item form along with the event handlers of that form.

so sergey, is there any other way out?

Sergey Alexandrovich Kryukov 30-Apr-13 11:36am

You seen to look in right direction, but perhaps not to its logical end so far...

First of all, if you have done some work and want to improve it by the change of design, don't fool yourself and the users into doing runtime trick you described. Be brave and redesign it. You can use some programming to move the control, but it should be your utility you only use internally. This should be out of your project. (By the way, how about simple cut and paste? could it work for your?)

The idea to put all controls into panels is right. You actually need to have a hierarchy of panels. Dock (other then None) and Padding. Never use absolute positioning and sizes.

Also, it's bad to have many forms (I don't count modal ones, but their number should be very limited). You need one main form, and show/hide some panels on it, using docking as in Visual Studio, or TabControl.

—SA

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OriginalGriff · Accepted Answer · 2013-04-30T03:56:00

Solution 1

I wouldn't do it that way.
Instead, I would create the collection of controls as a UserControl, and include one of those in the form, or in the panel instead. It's easier to do, and an lot more manageable.

Posted 30-Apr-13 3:56am

OriginalGriff

Comments

Member 10012743 30-Apr-13 11:39am

Thanks OriginalGriff and CHill60.

So I will have to create a dynamic panel with the controls right ?
So how could I add the events (when pressing a button) and invoke them dynamically?

OriginalGriff 30-Apr-13 11:49am

No, make a UserControl - it's similar to a panel, but it's designed to be a stand alone control. It can have properties and events of it's own, and the the outside world knows nothing about what it actually contains.
So you decide what events the outside world needs to know about("data entered" or whatever - I don't know your application) and it signals them for the containing control or form to handle.

Easy to make: Right click your project, and select "Add...User control". Resize it, drop your buttons, and stuff on and hook up the code copied from your existing form. Compile, and it appears in the tool box so you can drag'n'drop it onto your forms, or you can create it dynamically in exactly the same way you do a Button or TextBox, but you get all the controls it contains, and the functionality you gave them.

Member 10012743 30-Apr-13 16:16pm

thanks
let me check it out.

OriginalGriff 1-May-13 3:35am

You're welcome!