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dotnet windows forms : Child Windows
I'm new to windows forms, and I'm a bit puzzled how to add child windows to
the main window and interact between them. In my case I just want to open up an Options window which, depending on what the user does in there, affects things on the main window. There's no ChildWindow control as far as I can see so I assume I'll have to create my Options window as a new Form object and create it and show it from my main form. But I want to apply changes to my main window from the options window. So as I see it I can either: (1) pass a reference to the master form to my child form and within code on my child form make changes directly to the controls on the master form - of course to do this I have to make those controls public, or (2) create delegates and events on my child form and subscribe to those events on my main form, so that I can manipulate the controls via code on the master form. Both these approaches seem more complex that it really should be ! Is there an easier way or am I missing something ?
Do you want the user to be able to still work with the main Form while the
child Form is open, or is it acceptable to open the child Form in a modal state? If you're showing the child Form using the ShowDialog method, modal, then you may consider exposing the appropriate information using custom properties, in the same way that the common dialogs work. Assuming that you have an "OK, Cancel, Apply" setup in your dialog, then you may want to expose an "Apply" event from the dialog that the main Form can hook before showing the child. Handling the "OK" and "Cancel" of the dialog would work as usual for a common dialog. if (child.ShowDialog() == DialogResult.OK) { // Then the user wants the changes to be applied/committed. } So in the above scenario you'd need to create some custom properties, or just one if you're exposing all the information through a custom class instance, and one custom event. This is like option "(2)". -- Tim Wilson ..Net Compact Framework MVP [quoted text, click to view] "JezB" <jezbroadsword@blueyonder.co.uk> wrote in message news:O2wO7ItYFHA.3864@TK2MSFTNGP10.phx.gbl... > I'm new to windows forms, and I'm a bit puzzled how to add child windows to > the main window and interact between them. In my case I just want to open up > an Options window which, depending on what the user does in there, affects > things on the main window. > > There's no ChildWindow control as far as I can see so I assume I'll have to > create my Options window as a new Form object and create it and show it from > my main form. But I want to apply changes to my main window from the options > window. So as I see it I can either: > > (1) pass a reference to the master form to my child form and within code on > my child form make changes directly to the controls on the master form - of > course to do this I have to make those controls public, or > > (2) create delegates and events on my child form and subscribe to those > events on my main form, so that I can manipulate the controls via code on > the master form. > > Both these approaches seem more complex that it really should be ! Is there > an easier way or am I missing something ? > > >
Every Form is an object that, by default, encapsulates and hides the
controls within it. So short of exposing every control by making it internal or public, which IMO would be bad practice, then you'd need to create some special properties and/or events. -- Tim Wilson ..Net Compact Framework MVP [quoted text, click to view] "JezB" <jezbroadsword@blueyonder.co.uk> wrote in message news:evQpiicZFHA.2128@TK2MSFTNGP15.phx.gbl... > OK thanks - that helps a bit. > > I was hoping that one form could "own" another so that each has access to > all the other's controls without exposing public variables or delegates, > keeping things nice and simple. > > "Tim Wilson" <TIM(UNDERSCORE)WILSON(AT)ROGERS(PERIOD)COM> wrote in message > news:%23Y7IlztYFHA.980@TK2MSFTNGP12.phx.gbl... > > Do you want the user to be able to still work with the main Form while the > > child Form is open, or is it acceptable to open the child Form in a modal > > state? > > > > If you're showing the child Form using the ShowDialog method, modal, then > > you may consider exposing the appropriate information using custom > > properties, in the same way that the common dialogs work. Assuming that > > you > > have an "OK, Cancel, Apply" setup in your dialog, then you may want to > > expose an "Apply" event from the dialog that the main Form can hook before > > showing the child. Handling the "OK" and "Cancel" of the dialog would work > > as usual for a common dialog. > > > > if (child.ShowDialog() == DialogResult.OK) > > { > > // Then the user wants the changes to be applied/committed. > > } > > > > So in the above scenario you'd need to create some custom properties, or > > just one if you're exposing all the information through a custom class > > instance, and one custom event. This is like option "(2)". > > > > -- > > Tim Wilson > > .Net Compact Framework MVP > > > > "JezB" <jezbroadsword@blueyonder.co.uk> wrote in message > > news:O2wO7ItYFHA.3864@TK2MSFTNGP10.phx.gbl... > >> I'm new to windows forms, and I'm a bit puzzled how to add child windows > > to > >> the main window and interact between them. In my case I just want to open > > up > >> an Options window which, depending on what the user does in there, > >> affects > >> things on the main window. > >> > >> There's no ChildWindow control as far as I can see so I assume I'll have > > to > >> create my Options window as a new Form object and create it and show it > > from > >> my main form. But I want to apply changes to my main window from the > > options > >> window. So as I see it I can either: > >> > >> (1) pass a reference to the master form to my child form and within code > > on > >> my child form make changes directly to the controls on the master form - > > of > >> course to do this I have to make those controls public, or > >> > >> (2) create delegates and events on my child form and subscribe to those > >> events on my main form, so that I can manipulate the controls via code on > >> the master form. > >> > >> Both these approaches seem more complex that it really should be ! Is > > there > >> an easier way or am I missing something ? > >> > >> > >> > > > > > >
OK thanks - that helps a bit.
I was hoping that one form could "own" another so that each has access to all the other's controls without exposing public variables or delegates, keeping things nice and simple. [quoted text, click to view] "Tim Wilson" <TIM(UNDERSCORE)WILSON(AT)ROGERS(PERIOD)COM> wrote in message news:%23Y7IlztYFHA.980@TK2MSFTNGP12.phx.gbl... > Do you want the user to be able to still work with the main Form while the > child Form is open, or is it acceptable to open the child Form in a modal > state? > > If you're showing the child Form using the ShowDialog method, modal, then > you may consider exposing the appropriate information using custom > properties, in the same way that the common dialogs work. Assuming that > you > have an "OK, Cancel, Apply" setup in your dialog, then you may want to > expose an "Apply" event from the dialog that the main Form can hook before > showing the child. Handling the "OK" and "Cancel" of the dialog would work > as usual for a common dialog. > > if (child.ShowDialog() == DialogResult.OK) > { > // Then the user wants the changes to be applied/committed. > } > > So in the above scenario you'd need to create some custom properties, or > just one if you're exposing all the information through a custom class > instance, and one custom event. This is like option "(2)". > > -- > Tim Wilson > .Net Compact Framework MVP > > "JezB" <jezbroadsword@blueyonder.co.uk> wrote in message > news:O2wO7ItYFHA.3864@TK2MSFTNGP10.phx.gbl... >> I'm new to windows forms, and I'm a bit puzzled how to add child windows > to >> the main window and interact between them. In my case I just want to open > up >> an Options window which, depending on what the user does in there, >> affects >> things on the main window. >> >> There's no ChildWindow control as far as I can see so I assume I'll have > to >> create my Options window as a new Form object and create it and show it > from >> my main form. But I want to apply changes to my main window from the > options >> window. So as I see it I can either: >> >> (1) pass a reference to the master form to my child form and within code > on >> my child form make changes directly to the controls on the master form - > of >> course to do this I have to make those controls public, or >> >> (2) create delegates and events on my child form and subscribe to those >> events on my main form, so that I can manipulate the controls via code on >> the master form. >> >> Both these approaches seem more complex that it really should be ! Is > there >> an easier way or am I missing something ? >> >> >> > >
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