How to create controls at runtime in ASP.NET

May

28

Dynamically create controls at runtime

Filed under: ASP.NET;

Hi,
I was searching an article about creating controls at runtime based on a master table. But I couldnâ€™t find one. So I decided to write my own code and here is the result. I hope this post will help other guys who are looking to do same thing.So let’s first create a master table which will store details about fields need to appear on our page.
Let’s call this table tblFieldMaster.

Now Insert some data in it.

Now add a new webForm to your website project ( i assume you know how to create a website project with visual studio 2005 or 2008). Let’s Name it createControl.aspx.
Add following code to newly added webform between tag.

<body>
<form id="frmMain" runat="server">
<div>
<asp:ScriptManager ID="ScriptManager1" runat="server">
</asp:ScriptManager>
<table width="550px" cellspacing="1" cellpadding="1" class="outerBG" align="center">
<tr>
<td align="center">
<asp:UpdatePanel ID="UpdatePanel1" runat="server">
<ContentTemplate>
<asp:Panel ID="Panel1" runat="server" CssClass="innerTabBg">
</asp:Panel>
</ContentTemplate>
</asp:UpdatePanel>
</td></tr></table>
</div>
</form>
</body>

As you review this code i have added a scriptmanager so this form supports AJAX feature. Then i added an updatepanel and a Normal Panel inside this update panel. I will now add code to my code behind file which in this case will be createcontrol.vb.

Imports System.Data
Imports System.Data.OleDb

Partial Class createControl
Inherits System.Web.UI.Page
Private WithEvents cmdBtn As System.Web.UI.WebControls.Button
Private req As Web.UI.WebControls.RequiredFieldValidator
Private tbl As System.Web.UI.WebControls.Table
Private styl As System.Web.UI.WebControls.TableStyle
Private tr As System.Web.UI.WebControls.TableRow
Private td As System.Web.UI.WebControls.TableCell
Private txt As System.Web.UI.WebControls.TextBox
Private lbl As System.Web.UI.WebControls.Label
Private conn As OleDbConnection
Private da As OleDbDataAdapter
Private cmd As New OleDbCommand
Private ds As DataSet
Private dbPath As String = Server.MapPath('App_Data/regdb.mdb')
Private connString As String = 'Provider=Microsoft.Jet.OLEDB.4.0; Data source=' & dbPath & ';'
Private strSQL As String

Private Sub RenderForm()
conn = New OleDbConnection(connString)
conn.Open()
strSQL = 'Select * from tbl_IVS_Noida'
cmd.Connection = conn
cmd.CommandText = strSQL
cmd.CommandType = CommandType.Text
Dim dr As OleDb.OleDbDataReader = cmd.ExecuteReader
tbl = New Table
tbl.ID = 'tblForm'
tbl.Width = 550
'tbl.CssClass = '
Me.Panel1.Controls.Add(tbl)
While (dr.Read)
Select Case dr('Field_Type')
Case 'Character', 'Number'
tr = New TableRow
tbl.Controls.Add(tr)
td = New TableCell
td.Width = 230
lbl = New Label
lbl.Text = dr('Field_Label')
td.Controls.Add(lbl)
tr.Controls.Add(td)
td = New TableCell
td.Width = 320
txt = New TextBox
txt.ID = dr('Field_Name')
td.Controls.Add(txt)
If dr('Required') Then
req = New RequiredFieldValidator
req.ControlToValidate = txt.ID
req.ErrorMessage = txt.ID & ' Is Required'
td.Controls.Add(req)
End If
tr.Controls.Add(td)
Case 'Date'

End Select
End While
'Now create Save Button
tr = New TableRow
td = New TableCell
td.ColumnSpan = 2
tr.Controls.Add(td)
cmdBtn = New Button
cmdBtn.ID = 'btnSave'
cmdBtn.Text = 'Save!'
td.Controls.Add(cmdBtn)
tbl.Controls.Add(tr)
End Sub

Protected Sub Page_Init(ByVal sender As Object, ByVal e As System.EventArgs) Handles Me.Init
RenderForm()

End Sub

Private Sub btn_click(ByVal sender As Object, ByVal e As System.EventArgs) Handles cmdBtn.Click

End Sub
End Class

I think the code is quite self explanatory. Please ask away if you don’t get any point of this code.I hope this will help others who are looking to do same.

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4 Comments

4 Responses to “Dynamically create controls at runtime”

John, June 1st, 2009 at 9:09 pm

Hi,
Thanks for nice article.
This is exactly what i was looking for.
Thanks again.
Keep up good work!

John Butler.
admin June 2nd, 2009 at 12:56 am

Thanks John.
Agreecycrycle July 12th, 2009 at 12:41 pm

Good Article.

Please write more about this.

Thanks
tod July 12th, 2009 at 5:27 pm

Just looking for this.

Good job.