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ASP.NET Dynamic Column Binding Problem accessing coulmns on Update

Hi,

I'm binding a crosstab query to a datagrid. As a result the columns can vary in name and number, so I am dynamically create the columns at runtime. On update I need to get the column name dynamically as it is used in the sql update.

The markup for the datagrid looks this:

<asp:datagrid id="dgTimes"
                        OnEditCommand="dgTimes_Edit" OnUpdateCommand="dgTimes_Update" OnCancelCommand="dgTimes_Cancel"
                        Runat="server" AutoGenerateColumns="False">
                        <Columns>
                              <asp:EditCommandColumn EditText="Edit" HeaderText="Function" CancelText="Cancel" UpdateText="Update"></asp:EditCommandColumn>
                        </Columns>
                  </asp:datagrid>

In my Page_Load I call up BindGrid:

private void Page_Load(object sender, System.EventArgs e)
            {
                  if (!IsPostBack)
                  {
                        BindGrid();
                  }
            }

my BindGrid:
- executes a stored proc to return the cross tab (between a range of dates) as a dataset
- dynamically defines BoundColumns using the dataset ColumnNames and adds them to the datagrid
- binds the dataset to the datagrid

It looks like this:

protected void BindGrid()
            {
// execute a stored proc to return the cross tab (between a range of dates) as a dataset
                  SqlParameter[] myParamArray = new SqlParameter[2];
                  myParamArray[0] = new SqlParameter("@startDate", "2004/01/01");
                  myParamArray[1] = new SqlParameter("@endDate", "2004/05/12");

                  DataSet ds= SqlHelper.ExecuteDataset(ConfigurationSettings.AppSettings["dbConn"].ToString(),CommandType.StoredProcedure, "sp_GetHours" ,myParamArray);

//dynamically define BoundColumns using the dataset ColumnNames and adds them to the
                  int numCols = ds.Tables[0].Columns.Count;
                  for (int i=0; i<numCols;i++)
                  {
                        DataColumn dc = ds.Tables[0].Columns[i];

                        BoundColumn col = new BoundColumn();
                        col.HeaderText=dc.ColumnName;
                        col.DataField=dc.ColumnName;

                        dgTimes.Columns.Add(col);
                  }

//bind the dataset to the datagrid
                  dgTimes.DataSource=ds.Tables[0].DefaultView;
                  dgTimes.DataBind();
                  ds.Dispose();
            }

So far so good!

However when the update handler is fired it cannot see any of the columns in the grid apart from the EditCommandColumn.

protected void dgTimes_Update(Object sender, DataGridCommandEventArgs e)
            {
                  int numCols = e.Item.Cells.Count;
                  Response.Write ("numCols: " + numCols);
}

numCols comes out as 1.

What I want to do is loop through the cells on the edit row:

for (int i=0; i<numCols; i++)
                  {
                        if (e.Item.Cells[i].Controls[0] is TextBox)
                        {
                          String colname = dgTimes.Columns[i].HeaderText.ToString();
String datainput= e.Item.Cells[i].Text;
//sql to insert into database to go here
                        }
                  }

but as I'm getting numCols = 1 I can't do this

Can anyone help???

ASKER CERTIFIED SOLUTION

tovvenki

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rohanpandya

Hi

fill your datagrid into the page load event and do following. And also when update command is fired there is textboes in the datagrid so do following

Private Sub Page_Load(ByVal sender As System.Object, ByVal e As System.EventArgs) Handles MyBase.Load
            Dim connectionString As String = "Persist Security Info=False;Server=localhost;database=OnlineRecruitment;uid=sa;pwd=sa;"
            objConnection = New SqlConnection(connectionString)
            objCommand = New SqlCommand
            objCommand.CommandText = "Select * from tblUserProfile"
            objCommand.Connection = objConnection
            objDataAdapter = New SqlDataAdapter
            objDataset = New DataSet
            objDataAdapter.SelectCommand = objCommand
            objConnection.Open()
            objDataAdapter.Fill(objDataset, "Test")
            objConnection.Close()
            dgTest.DataSource = objDataset.Tables(0).DefaultView
            dgTest.DataBind()
      End Sub
      Private Sub doEdit(ByVal sender As Object, ByVal e As DataGridCommandEventArgs) Handles dgTest.EditCommand
            dgTest.EditItemIndex = e.Item.ItemIndex
            dgTest.DataBind()
      End Sub
      Private Sub doInsert(ByVal sender As Object, ByVal e As DataGridCommandEventArgs) Handles dgTest.UpdateCommand
            dgTest.SelectedIndex = e.Item.ItemIndex
            Dim txtTest As TextBox = e.Item.Cells(1).Controls(0)
            Dim test As String = txtTest.Text
            Response.Write(txtTest.Text)
      End Sub

bertybasset

ASKER

tovvenki and rohanpandya,

thanks for you responses.

Tovennki hit the nail on the head - I've added the dynamic column building to the page load. When I did this I could then access the datagrid columns collection. The only problem then was that I couldn't access the Cells collection of the Selected Row. It works now that I bind the grid each time the page loads (ie got rid of the (!PostBack) condition). I'm guessing that as I'm creating the datagrid dynamically, it could in theory vary between page loads, and thus I have to rebind on each load (????).

My full code is:

DataSet ds;
            private void Page_Load(object sender, System.EventArgs e)
            {
                  // execute a stored proc to return the cross tab (between a range of dates) as a dataset
                  SqlParameter[] myParamArray = new SqlParameter[2];
                  myParamArray[0] = new SqlParameter("@startDate", "2004/01/01");
                  myParamArray[1] = new SqlParameter("@endDate", "2004/05/12");

                  ds= SqlHelper.ExecuteDataset(ConfigurationSettings.AppSettings["dbConn"].ToString(),CommandType.StoredProcedure, "sp_GetHours" ,myParamArray);

                  //dynamically define BoundColumns using the dataset ColumnNames and adds them to the
                  int numCols = ds.Tables[0].Columns.Count;
                  for (int i=0; i<numCols;i++)
                  {
                        DataColumn dc = ds.Tables[0].Columns[i];
                        if (dc.ColumnName.IndexOf("fk")==-1)
                        {
                              BoundColumn col = new BoundColumn();
                              col.HeaderText=dc.ColumnName;
                              col.DataField=dc.ColumnName;

                              dgTimes.Columns.Add(col);
                        }
                  }

                  BindGrid();

            }

            protected void BindGrid()
            {
                  //bind the dataset to the datagrid
                  dgTimes.DataSource=ds.Tables[0].DefaultView;
                  dgTimes.DataBind();
                  ds.Dispose();
            }

            protected void dgTimes_Edit(Object sender, DataGridCommandEventArgs e)
            {
                  dgTimes.EditItemIndex = (int) e.Item.ItemIndex;
                  BindGrid();
            }

            protected void dgTimes_Cancel(Object sender, DataGridCommandEventArgs e)
            {
                  dgTimes.EditItemIndex = -1;
                  BindGrid();
            }

            protected void dgTimes_Update(Object sender, DataGridCommandEventArgs e)
            {
                  int numCols = e.Item.Cells.Count;

                  for (int i=0; i<numCols; i++)
                  {
                        if (e.Item.Cells[i].Controls[0] is TextBox)
                        {
                              String colname = dgTimes.Columns[i].HeaderText.ToString();
                              String dataValue = ((TextBox) e.Item.Cells[i].Controls[0]).Text;
                              Response.Write ("colname " + colname + "<BR>");
                              Response.Write ("dataValue " + dataValue + "<BR>");
                        }
                  }

                  dgTimes.EditItemIndex = -1;
                  BindGrid();
            }

bertybasset

ASKER

btw you'll see that I've put a condition in it so that it does not render any of the foreign keys that are in the dataset - these are all identified by "fk":

if (dc.ColumnName.IndexOf("fk")==-1)
{
//create column
}

praneetha

hey if u bind on each page_load...

when u edit some value after clicking "edit" button and hit "update"...it goes to page_load and again over writes the changed values with the old values...so i don't think it updates...did u try that