Dynamic table and postback

microsoft.public.dotnet.framework.aspnet

8 Sep 2006 9:56 PM

Gregory Gadow

If there is a more appropriate forum, please let me know and I will post
there.

Our field reps can go on to our website and select from several sets of
data to create the address we then provide to their clients in company
correspondence. Using just name as an example, one rep might have a
choice between "James Smith", "James Smith MS, CFP, MBA" and "Jimmy
Smith" while a different rep might have only "Elizabeth Jones" and "Liz
Jones." Similar options exist for address, telephone numbers, etc.,
again with different variations: Smith might have one telephone number
and one fax number, while Jones might have a telephone, cell phone and
two faxes from which to choose.

The current page, written in classic ASP, uses VBScript to open a
database and write out the input controls that are needed. These are
rendered in several tables: one for name, one for address, and so on.
When a rep makes a choice, the form data is submitted to a second ASP
page which records the changes, then returns the user to the page he
just left, adding a note that the changes have been saved.

I am trying to switch this process over to ASP.net 2.0, and it is near
driving me to suicide. My first attempt was to basically cut-n-paste the
existing code into two pages and tidy it all up to work as ASPX, but I
kept getting viewstate errors just loading the code page. I then tried
moving the code to a static module in the app_code folder, but couldn't
figure out how to pass the form values.

So I figured I would rewrite the page from scratch in .NET and
dynamically generate the form fields I needed. The resulting page has a
base table structure, like this:

******
<asp:Table ID="NameTable" runat="server">
<asp:TableRow>
<asp:TableHeaderCell ColumnSpan="3">Name</asp:TableHeaderCell>
</asp:TableRow>
</asp:Table>
******

In the Page.PreRender sub, I pull the existing data out of our database
into a datarow object named Dr, then execute this:

******
i=0
If Dr("Name0").ToString <> String.Empty Then
i = ((I + 1) Mod 2)
Tr = New TableRow
Tr.CssClass = String.Format("color{0}", i)

Tc = New TableCell
Tc.Text = "Formal 1:"
Tr.Cells.Add(Tc)

Tc = New TableCell
Tc.CssClass = "item"
Rb = New RadioButton
Rb.ID = "RepName0"
Rb.GroupName = "RepName"
If CInt(Dr("NameToClients")) = 0 Then Rb.Checked = True
Tc.Controls.Add(Rb)
Tr.Cells.Add(Tc)

Tc = New TableCell
Tc.CssClass = "description"
Tc.Text = Dr("Name0").ToString
Tr.Cells.Add(Tc)
NameTable.Rows.Add(Tr)
End If

If Dr("Name1").ToString <> String.Empty Then.... etc.
******

Already on the page is the submit button, coded as

******
<asp:Button ID="SubmitDataButton" runat="server" Text="Submit"
OnClick="SubmitDataButton_Click"></asp:Button>
******

My problem is that on postback (ie when SubmitDataButton is clicked),
the rows I added programmatically no longer exist, which makes it a tad
difficult to retrieve the data. I have run out of ideas and really,
really could use some pointers. What can I do?

--
Gregory Gadow

9 Sep 2006 12:18 AM

Rob MacFadyen

Gregory,

It's a bit difficult to picture what you're trying.

Maybe what you want is a something like this (with a "select" being a link):

+--------------------------------------+

Clicking the select link beside the individual record initiates a post back
where you can do what ever you need to next.

You could do that with a gridview and a form view (or maybe just a literal
that you do the binding for directly).... does that sort look like what you
want?

With more work you could replace the "select" link with a radio button and
then add a "Next" button outside the grid.

Is that the sort of thing you mean?

Regards,

Rob

Show quote

"Gregory Gadow" <techb***@serv.net> wrote in message
news:4501E6FE.BCA5ACCF@serv.net...
> If there is a more appropriate forum, please let me know and I will post
> there.
>
> Our field reps can go on to our website and select from several sets of
> data to create the address we then provide to their clients in company
> correspondence. Using just name as an example, one rep might have a
> choice between "James Smith", "James Smith MS, CFP, MBA" and "Jimmy
> Smith" while a different rep might have only "Elizabeth Jones" and "Liz
> Jones." Similar options exist for address, telephone numbers, etc.,
> again with different variations: Smith might have one telephone number
> and one fax number, while Jones might have a telephone, cell phone and
> two faxes from which to choose.
>
> The current page, written in classic ASP, uses VBScript to open a
> database and write out the input controls that are needed. These are
> rendered in several tables: one for name, one for address, and so on.
> When a rep makes a choice, the form data is submitted to a second ASP
> page which records the changes, then returns the user to the page he
> just left, adding a note that the changes have been saved.
>
> I am trying to switch this process over to ASP.net 2.0, and it is near
> driving me to suicide. My first attempt was to basically cut-n-paste the
> existing code into two pages and tidy it all up to work as ASPX, but I
> kept getting viewstate errors just loading the code page. I then tried
> moving the code to a static module in the app_code folder, but couldn't
> figure out how to pass the form values.
>
> So I figured I would rewrite the page from scratch in .NET and
> dynamically generate the form fields I needed. The resulting page has a
> base table structure, like this:
>
> ******
> <asp:Table ID="NameTable" runat="server">
> <asp:TableRow>
> <asp:TableHeaderCell ColumnSpan="3">Name</asp:TableHeaderCell>
> </asp:TableRow>
> </asp:Table>
> ******
>
> In the Page.PreRender sub, I pull the existing data out of our database
> into a datarow object named Dr, then execute this:
>
> ******
> i=0
> If Dr("Name0").ToString <> String.Empty Then
> i = ((I + 1) Mod 2)
> Tr = New TableRow
> Tr.CssClass = String.Format("color{0}", i)
>
> Tc = New TableCell
> Tc.Text = "Formal 1:"
> Tr.Cells.Add(Tc)
>
> Tc = New TableCell
> Tc.CssClass = "item"
> Rb = New RadioButton
> Rb.ID = "RepName0"
> Rb.GroupName = "RepName"
> If CInt(Dr("NameToClients")) = 0 Then Rb.Checked = True
> Tc.Controls.Add(Rb)
> Tr.Cells.Add(Tc)
>
> Tc = New TableCell
> Tc.CssClass = "description"
> Tc.Text = Dr("Name0").ToString
> Tr.Cells.Add(Tc)
> NameTable.Rows.Add(Tr)
> End If
>
> If Dr("Name1").ToString <> String.Empty Then.... etc.
> ******
>
> Already on the page is the submit button, coded as
>
> ******
> <asp:Button ID="SubmitDataButton" runat="server" Text="Submit"
> OnClick="SubmitDataButton_Click"></asp:Button>
> ******
>
> My problem is that on postback (ie when SubmitDataButton is clicked),
> the rows I added programmatically no longer exist, which makes it a tad
> difficult to retrieve the data. I have run out of ideas and really,
> really could use some pointers. What can I do?
> --
> Gregory Gadow
>
>
>