Share web user control between sub projects in ASP.NET: share, projects, control, between, user

Share web user control between sub projects in ASP.NET

Asked by: biang

Hi,
I have created a primary web application project and several subproject by using ASP.NET. Now I want to define a web user control under the root project and share it with all of subprojects. It seems it doesn't work if the web user control created under the root project. But it works well if it is created under each subproject folder. So the web user control can't be shared between primary project and sub projects?

Thanks a lot,

Instant Access to this Solution

Plus...

30 Day FREE access, no risk, no obligation

Collaborate with the world's top tech experts

Unlimited access to our exclusive solution database

Never be left without tech help again

Trusted by hundreds of thousands everyday for fast, accurate and reliable tech support.

"The time we save is the biggest benefit of Experts Exchange to Warner Bros. What could take multiple guys 2 hours or more each to find is accessed in around 15 minutes on Experts Exchange." Mike Kapnisakis, Warner Bros.

"Our team likes having a resource that is more secure than just using Google and most experts using this service really know their stuff. It's nice to look here first versus using Google." Dayna Sellner, Lockheed Martin

"Anytime that I've been stumped with a problem, 9 out of 10 times Experts Exchange has either the accepted solution or an open discussion of the potential solution to the problem." Kenny Red, eBay Inc.

See what Experts Exchange can do for you.

Got a question?

We've got the answer.

Experts Exchange has been collecting answers to technology questions since 1996…3 million and counting! If you have a question, chances are we already have your answer.

Screenshot of Experts Exchange Knowledgebase

Need individual assistance?

Our experts are ready to help.

If you can't find the exact answer you're looking for, ask our exclusive community of 50,000 experts. You’ll get a personalized answer from a trusted professional.

Want to learn from the best?

Read articles from industry experts.

Thousands of free tech tips, tricks, how-to’s and tutorials are available in our peer reviewed articles section. See for yourself how smart our experts are, no login required.

Working on a long term project?

Store your work and research.

Save solutions to your questions, answers you’ve discovered through searching plus helpful articles in your personal knowledgebase for easy future access.

Join the Community

Give a Little. Get a Lot.

Join the community of experts here and help other tech pros by answering question in your area of expertise. You can earn FREE access to all Experts Exchange's premium features and resources.

Your current usercontrol probably consists of two files.
1) .ascx
2) .ascx.cs or .ascx.vb

Those two files are your problem.

If you want to share your usercontrol in other projects you should make the usercontrol be only one file, and it must be a .cs file.

Instead of writing declarative code (html and asp:xxx tags) you should create a new Class within a project and have it derive from the System.Web.UI.WebControl class or another existing WebControl.

Within this newly created class you will have to override specific methods, like CreateChildControls (and other methods - depending on your current .ascx user control). These methods should take care of building the actual control.

public class MyNewControl System.Web.UI.WebControl
{
protected override void CreateChildControls()
{
LinkButton lb1 = new LinkButton();
lb1.ID = "mylinkbutton";
lb1.Text = "Click me";
lb1.Click += new EventHandler(lb1_Click);
this.Controls.Add(lb1);

base.CreateChildControls();
}

private void lb1_Click(object sender, EventArgs e){
... take care of click event ..
}
}

When compiled you can add this new WebControl to your subprojects by:
1) referencing the correct library (.dll)
2) implementing it with the correct Register tag on the page you want to use your control
...
<%@ register Tagprefix="uc" TagName="mycontrol" Assembly="yourclass, yourassembly" %>
...
3) use the control
...
<uc:mycontrol runat="server" ... />
...

4) write every other code you need to manage your control

I hope this information was a little helpful.

There however is also another method - using some kind of version control. Most version controls allow you to create stores, and reference another store with needed include files. This 'other' store can then also be updated with the latest version by issueing an update from the 'new' project. This method works almost the same as you currently use - it makes a copy of the existing file and puts it in a new directory. The advantage is that you can always update to the latest version with 1 click - instead of manually copying the file again.

Your call!

Cheers,
CJ.

Question

Share web user control between sub projects in ASP.NET

Subscribe now for full access to Experts Exchange and get

Instant Access to this Solution

Trusted by hundreds of thousands everyday for fast, accurate and reliable tech support.

See what Experts Exchange can do for you.

Got a question?

We've got the answer.

Need individual assistance?

Our experts are ready to help.

Want to learn from the best?

Read articles from industry experts.

Working on a long term project?

Store your work and research.

What Makes Experts Exchange Unique?

Trusted by the world's most respected brands.

Faithfully serving IT professionals since 1996.

Related Solutions

Free Tech Articles

Cloud Class Webinars

Join the Community

Give a Little. Get a Lot.

Answers

3 Ways to Join

The Experts

The Experts

Testimonials

Testimonials

Testimonials

Business Clients

Business Clients

In the Press

In the Press

In the Press