UserControl with Generics

Hi

I have my Color Picker Control which have ChildWinEditLayout Parent property. Now I want to use generics. I want to have my NewChildWinEditLayout Parent or OldChildWinEditLayout to be set as MyParent.

How can I make this code only have one constructor using generics ?

public partial class ColorPickerControl : UserControl
  {
   
    OldChildWinEditLayout myParent;
    NewChildWinEditLayout myParentControl;
    string tag;

    public ColorPickerControl(OldChildWinEditLayout myParent1, string tag1)
    {
      tag = tag1;
      myParent = myParent1;
      InitializeComponent();
    }

    public ColorPickerControl(NewChildWinEditLayout myParent1, string tag1)
    {
        tag = tag1;
        myParentControl = myParent1;
        InitializeComponent();
    }

}

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Also my ColorPicker control has this line of code

myParent.SetForeColor("UpDown");

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How can I enforce that classes that use my ColorPicker Color must have SetForeColor property.

Thanks

JoseHidalgoAsked: 2011-10-06

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Solutions

LVL 16

Easwaran ParamasivamConnect With a Mentor Commented: 2011-10-06

Create generics on parent class of both OldChildWinEditLayout and NewChildWinEditLayout. That can be used as a parameter to your constructor. Please refer http://www.15seconds.com/issue/031024.htm.

To enforce SetForeColor as mandatory. Define an interface that has property of SetForeColor and derive your Class from that Interface. In that case that would become mandatory.

LVL 96

Bob LearnedConnect With a Mentor Commented: 2011-10-06

It sounds like you need to implement an interface, that defines the contract that the classes will have the SetForeColor property.

JoseHidalgoAuthor Commented: 2011-10-06

I create an interface like this:

public interface IColorPicker
    {
        void SetForeColor(string s);
    }

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then

public partial class NewChildWinEditLayout : IColorPicker
public partial class OldChildWinEditLayout : IColorPicker

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finally

public void SetForeColor(string s)
    {
      txtForeColor.Text = s;
    }

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When I compile the code it show me an error in ColorPickerControl that says:

"Error 1 'object' does not contain a definition for 'SetForeColor' and no extension method 'SetForeColor' accepting a first argument of type 'object' could be found (are you missing a using directive or an assembly reference?)"

    Object myParent;
    string tag;

    public ColorPickerControl(Object myParent1, string tag1)
    {
      tag = tag1;
      myParent = myParent1;
      InitializeComponent();
    }  

    if (tag == "b")
    {
       //myParent.SetBackColor(s);
    }
    else
    {
       myParent.SetForeColor(s);
    }

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How can I solve this issue?

JoseHidalgoAuthor Commented: 2011-10-07

Fixed

    IColorPicker myParent;
    string tag;

    public ColorPickerControl(IColorPicker myParent1, string tag1)
    {
      tag = tag1;
      myParent = myParent1;
      InitializeComponent();
    }

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