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Repeater Control inside custom asp.net web control

I have programmatically created a Repeater control inside an asp.net web control. I need a bit of help setting up the structure correctly. After hours of research, i basically came up with the following:

// code block below is all inside my CreateChildControls() method
==========================================
Repeater1.ID="Repeater1";
Repeater1.DataSource = dt;
Repeater1.DataBind();

// set up TemplateBuilder to dynamically build ItemTemplate
TemplateBuilder rptrItem = new TemplateBuilder();

// build content for ItemTemplate
string BuildHTML1 = "";
BuildHTML1 += "<tr>";
BuildHTML1 += "<td valign='top'>";
BuildHTML1 += "<table cellspacing='0' cellpadding='0' align='Center' border='1' BGCOLOR='#E9E9EE'";
BuildHTML1 += "<tr>";
BuildHTML1 += "<td width='100' align='center' valign='middle' nowrap>";

// register BuildHTML1
rptrItem.AppendLiteralString(BuildHTML1);

// construct ThumbButton (an ImageButton)
//ThumbButton.ID = "ThumbButton";
ThumbButton.ImageUrl = Repeater1.Items[3].ToString();
ThumbButton.AlternateText = Repeater1.Items[4].ToString();
ThumbButton.BorderWidth = 0;
ThumbButton.Command += new CommandEventHandler(BuildBrava);
ThumbButton.CommandName = Repeater1.Items[0].ToString();
ThumbButton.CommandArgument = Repeater1.Items[2].ToString();

// register ThumbButton
Repeater1.ItemTemplate.InstantiateIn(ThumbButton);

// add ThumbButton
Repeater1.Controls.Add(ThumbButton);

// register final HTML
rptrItem.AppendLiteralString("</td></tr></table></td></tr>");
Repeater1.ItemTemplate = rptrItem;

// add Repeater1 as a control
Controls.Add(Repeater1);
==========================================

The 1st problem, right off the bat, is that all the "Repeater1.Items[3].ToString();" code is wrong. I can't figure out how to get the value of a chosen column of the "current" row of my DataTable (dt), so I can set properties of my ImageButton (ThumbButton).

so. . .I really need a bit of help with:
1- how do I grab the data values of the Repeater?
2- is my structure correct? i'm especially wondering whether the following 2 lines of code are right, and in the right place:

Repeater1.ItemTemplate.InstantiateIn(ThumbButton);

and. . .

Repeater1.Controls.Add(ThumbButton);

please help.

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edwinugomez

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SweatCoder

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there is still a problem. everything compiles, but the Repeater is not rendering. no errors, just doesn't render.

since my class must derive from WebPart (it's a MS Sharepoint thing) rather than WebControl or Control, things work a bit differently. One difference is that NOTHING will render/ouput unless it is defined inside the mandatory override method "RenderWebPart".

after getting your code, i tried to render ThumbButton separately in the RenderWebPart method, but that just created a broken image link above the FileInput control. when i leave it out, i get nothing. The RenderWebPart is supposed to be equivalent to the "Render" method of the Control class. In a standard environment in which Render is used, you don't *have* to put anything in Render, you can make the controls render from within CreateChildControls, but that's not the case in this environment.

I have a FileInput control and a button control, both of which render just fine (see attached image). It's when I get to the Repeater part that i have the trouble.

here's my code at this point:

void onItemCreated(Object sender, RepeaterItemEventArgs e) {
      ImageButton ThumbButton = new ImageButton();
      RepeaterItem MyItem = e.Item;
      DataRowView CurrentDataRow = (DataRowView)MyItem.DataItem;

      ThumbButton.ImageUrl = (String)CurrentDataRow.Row.ItemArray[3];
      ThumbButton.ID = "ThumbButton1";
      ThumbButton.AlternateText = (String)CurrentDataRow.Row.ItemArray[4];
      ThumbButton.BorderWidth = 0;
      ThumbButton.Command += new CommandEventHandler(BuildBrava);

      Table MyTable = new Table();
      MyTable.CellPadding = 0;
      MyTable.CellSpacing = 0;
      MyTable.Rows.Add(new TableRow());
      MyTable.Rows[0].Cells.Add(new TableCell());
      MyTable.Rows[0].Cells[0].Controls.Add(ThumbButton);
      e.Item.Controls.Add(MyTable);
}

protected override void CreateChildControls(){

      BuildFileList("CreateChildControls"); // build recordset
      Controls.Clear(); // clear controls

      // declaration of UpLoader (INPUT-SUBMIT)
      UpLoader.ID = "UpLoader";
      UpLoader.EnableViewState = false;
      Controls.Add(UpLoader);

      // declaration of InputSubmit (SUBMIT BUTTON)
      InputSubmit.ID = "InputSubmit";
      InputSubmit.Value="Upload";
      InputSubmit.EnableViewState = false;
      InputSubmit.ServerClick += new System.EventHandler(Upload_Click);
      Controls.Add(InputSubmit);

      // declaration of Repeater1
      Repeater Repeater1 = new Repeater();
      Repeater1.ID="Repeater1";
      Repeater1.DataSource = dt;
      Repeater1.ItemCreated += new RepeaterItemEventHandler(onItemCreated);
      Repeater1.DataBind();
      Controls.Add(Repeater1);
}

protected override void RenderWebPart(HtmlTextWriter output){
      EnsureChildControls(); // must call this first

      // stylesheet definitions
      output.Write("<STYLE>");
      output.Write("BODY,TD {FONT-FAMILY:" + IGCFont + ";COLOR:" + IGCFontColor + ";FONT-SIZE:" + IGCFontSize + "pt;}");
      output.Write("</STYLE>");

      // begin table defs
      output.Write("<table BORDER='0'>");
      output.Write("<tr>");
      output.Write("<td valign='top' nowrap>");
      output.Write("<table cellspacing='0' cellpadding='0' border='0' width='100%' bordercolor='#A09DB3'>");
      output.Write("<tr>");
      output.Write("<td nowrap>");

      // render UpLoader
      UpLoader.RenderControl(output);

      // render InputSubmit
      InputSubmit.RenderControl(output);

      // end html for uploader controls
      output.Write("</td>");
      output.Write("</tr>");

//===================================
      // render Repeater1
      Repeater1.RenderControl(output);
      //=====================================

      //ThumbButton.RenderControl(output);

      output.Write("</table>");
      output.Write("</td>");
      // end outer table def for thumbnails

      // begin cell for Brava DIV
      output.Write("<td valign='top'>");

      //===================================
      // render BravaDIV
      BravaDIV.RenderControl(output);
      //=====================================
// end cell for Brava DIV
      output.Write("</td>");
      output.Write("</tr>");
      output.Write("</table>");
      // end outermost table
}

. . .the input/submit stuff renders and works, but the Repeater (and controls inside repeater) is getting lost in deep space somehow. no rendering, nothing visible.