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simple data binding not working - ArrayList of Customer objects to textbox's

Hello,

I have an arrayList of 'clsCustomer' objects. Each 'clsCustomer' object has the properties: strFirst, strLast, and strAddress. I have a form with 3 text box's : txtFirst, txtLast, and txtAddress. I bound the arraylist to the textbox's with this code:

txtFirst.DataBindings.Add("Text", arrCustomer, "strFirst");
txtLast.DataBindings.Add("Text", arrCustomer, "strLast");
txtAddress.DataBindings.Add("Text", arrCustomer, "strAddress");

I can increment the BindingContext (see btnInc_Click below) and all of the text box's will change correctly. However, if code is executed to modify the customer object currently displayed, the GUI text fields are not updated.
When the following code is executed in 'btnChange_Click' I expect txtAddress to show the changed value on the GUI but it does not:
((clsCustomer)arrCustomer[0]).strAddress = "Changed address";

I already have implemented INotifyPropertyChanged in the clsCustomer class. Any ideas?

Thanks.

You can see the problem of my program by pasting the following code into a new VS 2005 C# project form, then starting it up and pressing the button 'Add Binding', and then pressing the button 'change address'. The 'change address' button appears to do nothing but you would expect it to change the data displayed in the txtAddress text box.

Here is all of the code for the simple form (along with the clsCustomer class):

using System;
using System.Drawing;
using System.Collections;
using System.ComponentModel;
using System.Windows.Forms;
using System.Data;
using System.Data.SqlClient;
using System.Data.OleDb;
using System.Text.RegularExpressions;

namespace dnUtil
{
      public class Form1 : System.Windows.Forms.Form
      {
            #region Windows Form Designer generated code

public System.Windows.Forms.Button btnInc;
public System.Windows.Forms.Button btnAdd;
private dnUtil.Controls.TextBoxDroppable txtFirst;
private dnUtil.Controls.TextBoxDroppable txtLast;
private dnUtil.Controls.TextBoxDroppable txtAddress;
private Label txtStatus;
public Button btnChange;
public System.Windows.Forms.Button btnExit;

            public Form1()
            {
                  //
                  // Required for Windows Form Designer support
                  //
                  InitializeComponent();

                  //
                  // TODO: Add any constructor code after InitializeComponent call
                  //
            }

            /// <summary>
            /// Clean up any resources being used.
            /// </summary>
            protected override void Dispose( bool disposing )
            {
                  if( disposing )
                  {

                  }
                  base.Dispose( disposing );
            }


            /// <summary>
            /// Required method for Designer support - do not modify
            /// the contents of this method with the code editor.
            /// </summary>
            private void InitializeComponent()
            {
this.btnInc = new System.Windows.Forms.Button();
this.btnAdd = new System.Windows.Forms.Button();
this.btnExit = new System.Windows.Forms.Button();
this.folderBrowserDialog1 = new System.Windows.Forms.FolderBrowserDialog();
this.openFileDialog1 = new System.Windows.Forms.OpenFileDialog();
this.txtStatus = new System.Windows.Forms.Label();
this.btnChange = new System.Windows.Forms.Button();
this.txtAddress = new dnUtil.Controls.TextBoxDroppable();
this.txtLast = new dnUtil.Controls.TextBoxDroppable();
this.txtFirst = new dnUtil.Controls.TextBoxDroppable();
this.SuspendLayout();
//
// btnInc
//
this.btnInc.BackColor = System.Drawing.SystemColors.Control;
this.btnInc.Cursor = System.Windows.Forms.Cursors.Default;
this.btnInc.Font = new System.Drawing.Font("Arial", 8F, System.Drawing.FontStyle.Regular, System.Drawing.GraphicsUnit.Point, ((byte)(0)));
this.btnInc.ForeColor = System.Drawing.SystemColors.ControlText;
this.btnInc.Location = new System.Drawing.Point(266, 79);
this.btnInc.Name = "btnInc";
this.btnInc.RightToLeft = System.Windows.Forms.RightToLeft.No;
this.btnInc.Size = new System.Drawing.Size(105, 24);
this.btnInc.TabIndex = 33;
this.btnInc.Text = "Increment Binding";
this.btnInc.UseVisualStyleBackColor = false;
this.btnInc.Click += new System.EventHandler(this.btnInc_Click);
//
// btnAdd
//
this.btnAdd.BackColor = System.Drawing.SystemColors.Control;
this.btnAdd.Cursor = System.Windows.Forms.Cursors.Default;
this.btnAdd.Font = new System.Drawing.Font("Arial", 8F, System.Drawing.FontStyle.Regular, System.Drawing.GraphicsUnit.Point, ((byte)(0)));
this.btnAdd.ForeColor = System.Drawing.SystemColors.ControlText;
this.btnAdd.Location = new System.Drawing.Point(266, 6);
this.btnAdd.Name = "btnAdd";
this.btnAdd.RightToLeft = System.Windows.Forms.RightToLeft.No;
this.btnAdd.Size = new System.Drawing.Size(105, 24);
this.btnAdd.TabIndex = 32;
this.btnAdd.Text = "Add Binding";
this.btnAdd.UseVisualStyleBackColor = false;
this.btnAdd.Click += new System.EventHandler(this.btnAdd_Click);
//
// btnExit
//
this.btnExit.BackColor = System.Drawing.SystemColors.Control;
this.btnExit.Cursor = System.Windows.Forms.Cursors.Default;
this.btnExit.Font = new System.Drawing.Font("Arial", 8F, System.Drawing.FontStyle.Regular, System.Drawing.GraphicsUnit.Point, ((byte)(0)));
this.btnExit.ForeColor = System.Drawing.SystemColors.ControlText;
this.btnExit.Location = new System.Drawing.Point(298, 109);
this.btnExit.Name = "btnExit";
this.btnExit.RightToLeft = System.Windows.Forms.RightToLeft.No;
this.btnExit.Size = new System.Drawing.Size(73, 24);
this.btnExit.TabIndex = 31;
this.btnExit.Text = "E&xit";
this.btnExit.UseVisualStyleBackColor = false;
this.btnExit.Click += new System.EventHandler(this.btnExit_Click);
//
// txtStatus
//
this.txtStatus.AutoSize = true;
this.txtStatus.Location = new System.Drawing.Point(51, 177);
this.txtStatus.Name = "txtStatus";
this.txtStatus.Size = new System.Drawing.Size(0, 13);
this.txtStatus.TabIndex = 46;
//
// btnChange
//
this.btnChange.BackColor = System.Drawing.SystemColors.Control;
this.btnChange.Cursor = System.Windows.Forms.Cursors.Default;
this.btnChange.Font = new System.Drawing.Font("Arial", 8F, System.Drawing.FontStyle.Regular, System.Drawing.GraphicsUnit.Point, ((byte)(0)));
this.btnChange.ForeColor = System.Drawing.SystemColors.ControlText;
this.btnChange.Location = new System.Drawing.Point(266, 36);
this.btnChange.Name = "btnChange";
this.btnChange.RightToLeft = System.Windows.Forms.RightToLeft.No;
this.btnChange.Size = new System.Drawing.Size(105, 24);
this.btnChange.TabIndex = 47;
this.btnChange.Text = "Change Address";
this.btnChange.UseVisualStyleBackColor = false;
this.btnChange.Click += new System.EventHandler(this.btnChange_Click);
//
// txtAddress
//
this.txtAddress.AllowDrop = true;
this.txtAddress.Location = new System.Drawing.Point(7, 93);
this.txtAddress.Name = "txtAddress";
this.txtAddress.Size = new System.Drawing.Size(181, 20);
this.txtAddress.TabIndex = 45;
//
// txtLast
//
this.txtLast.AllowDrop = true;
this.txtLast.Location = new System.Drawing.Point(7, 67);
this.txtLast.Name = "txtLast";
this.txtLast.Size = new System.Drawing.Size(115, 20);
this.txtLast.TabIndex = 44;
//
// txtFirst
//
this.txtFirst.AllowDrop = true;
this.txtFirst.Location = new System.Drawing.Point(7, 41);
this.txtFirst.Name = "txtFirst";
this.txtFirst.Size = new System.Drawing.Size(115, 20);
this.txtFirst.TabIndex = 43;
//
// Form1
//
this.AutoScaleBaseSize = new System.Drawing.Size(5, 13);
this.ClientSize = new System.Drawing.Size(384, 141);
this.Controls.Add(this.btnChange);
this.Controls.Add(this.txtStatus);
this.Controls.Add(this.txtAddress);
this.Controls.Add(this.txtLast);
this.Controls.Add(this.txtFirst);
this.Controls.Add(this.btnInc);
this.Controls.Add(this.btnAdd);
this.Controls.Add(this.btnExit);
this.Name = "Form1";
this.Text = "BindingTest (1.0.0)";
this.Load += new System.EventHandler(this.Form1_Load);
this.ResumeLayout(false);
this.PerformLayout();

            }
            #endregion

ArrayList arrCustomer = new ArrayList();

            /// <summary>
            /// The main entry point for the application.
            /// </summary>
            [STAThread]
            static void Main()
            {
                  Application.Run(new Form1());
            }

            private void Form1_Load(object sender, System.EventArgs e)
            {
clsCustomer cCust = new clsCustomer();
cCust.strFirst = "cory";
cCust.strLast = "dosijy";
cCust.strAddress = "sacramento, ca";
arrCustomer.Add(cCust);

cCust = new clsCustomer();
cCust.strFirst = "bob";
cCust.strLast = "smith";
cCust.strAddress = "101 via vallejo ave";
arrCustomer.Add(cCust);
            }

            private void btnExit_Click(object sender, System.EventArgs e)
            {
                  this.Close();
            }

private void btnAdd_Click(object sender, EventArgs e)
{
txtFirst.DataBindings.Add("Text", arrCustomer, "strFirst");
txtLast.DataBindings.Add("Text", arrCustomer, "strLast");
txtAddress.DataBindings.Add("Text", arrCustomer, "strAddress");
}

private void btnInc_Click(object sender, EventArgs e)
{
if (this.BindingContext[arrCustomer].Position > 0)
this.BindingContext[arrCustomer].Position = 0;
else
this.BindingContext[arrCustomer].Position++;
}

private void btnChange_Click(object sender, EventArgs e)
{
((clsCustomer)arrCustomer[0]).strAddress = "Changed address";
}
      }

public class clsCustomer : INotifyPropertyChanged
{
private string _strFirst = "";
private string _strLast = "";
private string _strAddress = "";

public string strFirst
{
get
{
return _strFirst;
}
set
{
_strFirst = value;
PropertyChangedNotify("strFirst");
}
}

public string strLast
{
get
{
return _strLast;
}
set
{
_strLast = value;
PropertyChangedNotify("strLast");
}
}

public string strAddress
{
get
{
return _strAddress;
}
set
{
_strAddress = value;
PropertyChangedNotify("strAddress");
}
}

#region INotifyPropertyChanged Members

public event PropertyChangedEventHandler PropertyChanged;

private void PropertyChangedNotify(string strProperty)
{
if (PropertyChanged != null)
{
PropertyChanged(this, new PropertyChangedEventArgs(strProperty));
}
}

#endregion

}

}

_Eyeball_

I think i can imagine your problem. The problem is simply, that the graphic Elements do not know that you've changed the value behind. You have to save the bindings in the clsCustomer class an do, every time the parameter changed (set) something like this.

foreach(System.Windows.Forms.Binding bind in this.m_Bindingstore)
if(bind
try
{
bind.WriteValue();
}
catch{} // Error

By this you say the form to update! Hope this would help

best regards

_Eyeball_

Oh... I'm sorry... of course it's bind.ReadValue() instead of writeValue. You want the bindingpartners to read the value. not to write their value

prosh0t

ASKER

Quote:
"The problem is simply, that the graphic Elements do not know that you've changed the value behind."

But isn't that what implementing INotifyPropertyChanged is for? By implementing this the way I did, anything that is bound to a customer object should automatically know that it has been changed, right? Every time one of the properties is changed the propertychanged event is raised (see the clsCustomer class).

I see that the following code works:
((clsCustomer)arrCustomer[0]).strAddress = "Changed address";
foreach (Binding bind in txtAddress.DataBindings)
{
bind.ReadValue();
}

But it seems very tedious to have to call the 'foreach' loop after every time I've changed any variable in code. There must be a better way to do this. Isn't there a way to set up my the data binding to where it would just automatically update all associated bindings if I changed the property in code? it seems like there has to be since when a clsCustomer object property is changed, the clsCustomer object is broadcasting the change through the 'propertychanged' event.

Thanks

ASKER CERTIFIED SOLUTION

_Eyeball_

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prosh0t

ASKER

Thank you! You were right the answer was in that document. The problem was I needed to add a binding source to be in-between the control and the arrayList data source. This is because ArrayList does not implement IBindingList, and any list which will update correctly like that needs to implement IBindingList.

Here is the new code:

private void btnAdd_Click(object sender, EventArgs e)
{
bs = new BindingSource();
bs.DataSource = arrCustomer;

txtFirst.DataBindings.Add("Text", bs, "strFirst");
txtLast.DataBindings.Add("Text", bs, "strLast");
txtAddress.DataBindings.Add("Text", bs, "strAddress");
}

private void btnInc_Click(object sender, EventArgs e)
{
if (this.BindingContext[bs].Position >= bs.Count - 1)
this.BindingContext[bs].Position = 0;
else
this.BindingContext[bs].Position++;
}

private void btnChange_Click(object sender, EventArgs e)
{
((clsCustomer)arrCustomer[0]).strAddress = "Changed address";

//here is just a test to make sure the binding still works
// when editing the ArrayList. It does.
clsCustomer cCust = new clsCustomer();
cCust.strFirst = "11";
cCust.strLast = "22";
cCust.strAddress = "333";
//arrCustomer.Add(cCust);
bs.Add(cCust); //although the above commented out line works, when using a binding
//source you're supposed to interact with the data through
// it now instead of the original list (see msdn)
}