asp.net web forms best practice to retrieve dynamic server control values
- by Andrew Florko
I populate web form with dynamic list of exams from database. I want user to enter examination marks for each exam. There is list of exam titles and textbox near each title.
I create list with repeater control:
<asp:Repeater ID="rptExams" runat="server" onitemdatabound="rptExams_ItemDataBound" >
<ItemTemplate>
<tr>
<td>
<asp:Literal runat="server" ID="ltTitle"/>
</td>
<td>
<asp:HiddenField runat="server" ID="hfId"/>
<asp:Textbox runat="server" ID="tbMark"/>
</td>
</tr>
</ItemTemplate>
</asp:Repeater>
And bind data to repeater on page_init:
class Exam
{
public int Id { get; set;}
public string Title { get; set;}
}
...
// this list is retrieved from database actually
Exam[] Exams = new Exam[]
{
new Exam { Id = 1, Title = "Math"},
new Exam { Id = 2, Title = "History"}
};
...
protected void Page_Init(object sender, EventArgs e)
{
rptExams.DataSource = Exams;
rptExams.DataBind();
}
So far so good. Then I have to retrieve data on postback. I have two ways but both of them looks ugly.
Idea is to store dynamically created databounded controls on ItemDataBoundEvent in Page_Init stage, and process their values in Page_Load stage. It looks like this:
private Dictionary<HiddenField, TextBox> Id2Mark = new Dictionary<HiddenField, TextBox>();
protected void rptExams_ItemDataBound(object sender, RepeaterItemEventArgs e)
{
...
if (IsPostBack)
{
var tbMark = (TextBox)e.Item.FindControl("tbMark");
var hfId = (HiddenField)e.Item.FindControl("hfId");
// store dynamically created controls
Id2Mark.Add(hfId, tbMark);
}
...
}
protected void Page_Load(object sender, EventArgs e)
{
if (IsPostBack)
{
foreach (var pair in Id2Mark)
{
int examId = Int32.Parse(pair.Key.Value);
string mark = pair.Value.Text;
// PROCESS
}
...
I'm completely sure there is a better way to retrieve data from dynamically created controls. Thank you in advance!
