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C# Dynamic Panel SubPanel-Event Loop bug

I am currently making an UI using a flow layout panel in visual studio 19.
If i press a button it clones a panel using
public static T Clone<T>(this T controlToClone) where T : Control
{
PropertyInfo[] controlProperties = typeof(T).GetProperties(BindingFlags.Public | BindingFlags.Instance);
T instance = Activator.CreateInstance<T>();
foreach (PropertyInfo propInfo in controlProperties)
{
if (propInfo.CanWrite)
{
if (propInfo.Name != "WindowTarget")
propInfo.SetValue(instance, propInfo.GetValue(controlToClone, null), null);
}
}
return instance;
}
In the same press event it fires AddNewPanel("name");
private void AddPanel(string name)
{
var label = new Label();
label.AutoSize = false;
label.TextAlign = ContentAlignment.MiddleCenter;
label.Dock = DockStyle.Fill;
label.Text = name;
label.MouseEnter += labelEnter;
label.MouseLeave += labelLeave;
var panel = panel1.Clone();
var button = button1.Clone();
button.Name = "button" + new Random().Next(1, 100);
panel.Controls.Add(button);
panel.Controls.Add(label);
flowLayoutPanel1.Controls.Add(panel);
}
the event labelEnter triggers ShowButtons()
private void showButtons()
{
foreach (Control item in flowLayoutPanel1.Controls)
{
var button = item.Controls[1];
button.Visible = true;
}
}
and the mouseLeave event does the same except turning Visible to false.
Now I have experienced, dynamically adding Controls to a panel which then gets added to a flowlayout panel causes some Issues. For example, the labelMouseEnter/Leave event gets looped when moving the mouse over the button. Anyone experienced this before or similiar posts regarding this? It doesn't happen when the button is initially Visible, meaning Visible is turned to true in designer View. It clones it with the visible attribute.

The Solution is to add a check in the MouseLeave event as following:
private void control_MouseLeave(object sender, EventArgs e)
{
var control = sender as Control;
if (control.ClientRectangle.Contains(control.PointToClient(Cursor.Position))) return;
//rest
ShowButtons();
}

Switching Panels via Index Methods

I've been trying to solve my issue for quite a while and to be honest am getting nowhere. What i would like is when the user clicks the 'top' button on my panel it automatically goes to the top( and swaps with the one there.) and when they click the bottom button it automatically goes to the bottom. I'm setting the index panel manually but of course this doesnt work because its only viable for one panel (i have ten). Greatly appreciate some help in finding a method that can send the panel to the top of the stack regardless of its position.
Here is a image (basic) to help understand
Control ctrlToMove = (Control)this.bookControls[bookName];
int ctrlToMoveIndex = bookPanel.Controls.IndexOf(ctrlToMove);
int ctrlToSwapIndex = ctrlToMoveIndex - 5;
Control ctrlToSwap = bookPanel.Controls[ctrlToSwapIndex];
this.bookPanel.Controls.SetChildIndex(ctrlToMove, ctrlToSwapIndex);
this.bookPanel.Controls.SetChildIndex(ctrlToSwap, ctrlToMoveIndex);

Based on your drawing, I made a UserControl with a button on it:
void uc_ButtonClicked(object sender, EventArgs e) {
UserControl1 uc = sender as UserControl1;
if (uc != null) {
int childIndex = flowLayoutPanel1.Controls.GetChildIndex(uc);
if (childIndex > 0) {
UserControl1 ucTop = flowLayoutPanel1.Controls[0] as UserControl1;
flowLayoutPanel1.Controls.SetChildIndex(uc, 0);
flowLayoutPanel1.Controls.SetChildIndex(ucTop, childIndex);
}
}
}

According to your picture you have one control per row in panel. Thus I suggest you to use TableLayoutPanel instead of FlowLayoutPanel. Also I'd create user control for items in panel. E.g. it will have name PriorityUserControl and four buttons to increase, decrease, maximize, minimize it's 'priority' (I placed buttons horizontally just to save place on screen):
Next, create four events in this user control:
public event EventHandler PriorityMaximized;
public event EventHandler PriorityIncreased;
public event EventHandler PriorityDecreased;
public event EventHandler PriorityMinimized;
And rise appropriate event when button clicked:
private void topButton_Click(object sender, EventArgs e)
{
if (PriorityMaximized != null)
PriorityMaximized(this, EventArgs.Empty);
}
That's it. We have user control which tells whether it want to move up or down. Now add user controls to TableLayoutPanel (either manually or dynamically) and subscribe same event handlers of these four events to ALL user controls. Something like:
// create user control and attach event handlers
PriorityUserControl control = new PriorityUserControl();
control.PriorityMaximized += priorityUserControl_PriorityMaximized;
control.PriorityMinimized += priorityUserControl_PriorityMinimized;
control.PriorityIncreased += priorityUserControl_PriorityIncreased;
control.PriorityDecreased += priorityUserControl_PriorityDecreased;
// add another row to table
panel.RowStyles.Add(new RowStyle(SizeType.AutoSize));
panel.RowCount = panel.RowStyles.Count;
// add control table layout panel
panel.Controls.Add(control);
panel.SetRow(control, panel.RowCount - 1);
Good. All you should do now is implement these event handlers. It's simple. E.g. decreasing priority (i.e. moving down):
private void priorityUserControl_PriorityDecreased(object sender, EventArgs e)
{
// sender is a control where you clicked Down button
Control currentControl = (Control)sender;
// get position in panel
var position = panel.GetPositionFromControl(currentControl);
// just to be sure control is not one at the bottom
if (position.Row == panel.RowCount - 1)
return;
// we want to switch with control beneath current
Control controlToSwitch = panel.GetControlFromPosition(0, position.Row + 1);
// move both controls
panel.SetRow(currentControl, position.Row + 1);
panel.SetRow(controlToSwitch, position.Row);
}
Now implementation of maximizing priority (i.e. moving to top):
private void priorityUserControl_PriorityMaximized(object sender, EventArgs e)
{
Control currentControl = (Control)sender;
var position = panel.GetPositionFromControl(currentControl);
if (position.Row == 0 || panel.RowCount < 2)
return;
Control topControl = panel.GetControlFromPosition(0, 0);
panel.SetRow(currentControl, 0);
panel.SetRow(topControl, position.Row);
}
I believe you will create rest two handlers by yourself.

The key of what you want is setting up a clear and extendable algorithm capable to deal with the different positions of the Panels. Here you have a simple code showing certain approach to this problem:
public partial class Form1 : Form
{
int[] panelLocations;
Point[] pointLocations;
public Form1()
{
InitializeComponent();
}
private void Form1_Load(object sender, EventArgs e)
{
panelLocations = new int[5];
pointLocations = new Point[5];
panelLocations[1] = 1;
panelLocations[2] = 2;
panelLocations[3] = 3;
pointLocations[1] = new Point(panel1.Left, panel1.Top);
pointLocations[2] = new Point(panel2.Left, panel2.Top);
pointLocations[3] = new Point(panel3.Left, panel3.Top);
}
private void relocate(int curPanel, bool goTop)
{
int curLoc = panelLocations[curPanel];
int newLoc = curLoc - 1;
if (!goTop)
{
newLoc = curLoc + 1;
}
if (newLoc < 1) newLoc = 3;
if (newLoc > 3) newLoc = 1;
if (newLoc != curLoc)
{
int otherIndex = Array.IndexOf(panelLocations, newLoc);
panelLocations[curPanel] = newLoc;
relocatePanel(curPanel);
panelLocations[otherIndex] = curLoc;
relocatePanel(otherIndex);
}
}
private void relocatePanel(int curIndex)
{
if (curIndex == 1)
{
panel1.Location = pointLocations[panelLocations[1]];
}
else if (curIndex == 2)
{
panel2.Location = pointLocations[panelLocations[2]];
}
else if (curIndex == 3)
{
panel3.Location = pointLocations[panelLocations[3]];
}
}
private void buttonTop1_Click(object sender, EventArgs e)
{
relocate(1, true);
}
private void buttonBottom1_Click(object sender, EventArgs e)
{
relocate(1, false);
}
}
Open a new project, add 3 panels (Panel1, Panel2 and Panel3... better put different background colors) and include two buttons (buttonUp and buttonDown). This code will make the Panel1 to go up and down (by changing its position with the other panels).
The idea is pretty simple: at the start you store the positions of all the Panels in an array. In another array, you store where each panel is located every time (1 is the original position of Panel1, etc.).
It is a quite simple code which you can improve and extend as much as required, but the idea is pretty reliable and you can use it in any case: a set of fixed positions through which the panels will be moving.

Dynamic Gridview - item template control event handling

I have created a custom gridview control that inherits the asp.net gridview. I am required to use item templates in this gridview. I create a method in my custom gridview that generates the item template.
public void addTemplateField(Control headerTemplateControl, Control itemTemplateControl, EventHandler bindHandler, EventHandler initHandler, string headerText, string sortExpression, bool isVisible, int? heightPx, int? widthPercent)
{
TemplateField tField = new TemplateField();
if (headerTemplateControl != null)
tField.HeaderTemplate = new GridViewTemplate(ListItemType.Header, headerTemplateControl);
if (bindHandler != null && initHandler != null)
tField.ItemTemplate = new GridViewTemplate(ListItemType.Item, itemTemplateControl, bindHandler, initHandler);
else if (bindHandler != null)
tField.ItemTemplate = new GridViewTemplate(ListItemType.Item, itemTemplateControl, bindHandler, false);
else if (initHandler != null)
tField.ItemTemplate = new GridViewTemplate(ListItemType.Item, itemTemplateControl, initHandler, true);
else
tField.ItemTemplate = new GridViewTemplate(ListItemType.Item, itemTemplateControl);
if (sortExpression != null)
tField.SortExpression = sortExpression;
tField.Visible = isVisible;
if (headerText != null)
tField.HeaderText = headerText;
if (heightPx.HasValue)
tField.HeaderStyle.Height = new Unit(heightPx.Value, UnitType.Pixel);
if (widthPercent.HasValue)
tField.HeaderStyle.Height = new Unit(widthPercent.Value, UnitType.Percentage);
addColumnField(tField);
}
And this is how I have implemented ITemplate
public class GridViewTemplate : ITemplate
{
int _controlCount = 0;
ListItemType _templateType;
EventHandler _bindHandler;
EventHandler _initHandler;
Control _control;
public GridViewTemplate(ListItemType type, Control control)
{
this._templateType = type;
this._control = control;
}
public GridViewTemplate(ListItemType type, Control control, EventHandler Handler, bool isInitHandler)
{
this._templateType = type;
this._control = control;
if (isInitHandler)
this._initHandler = Handler;
else
this._bindHandler = Handler;
}
public GridViewTemplate(ListItemType type, Control control, EventHandler bindHandler, EventHandler initHandler)
{
this._templateType = type;
this._control = control;
this._bindHandler = bindHandler;
this._initHandler = initHandler;
}
public Control Copy(Control ctrlSource)
{
Type _type = ctrlSource.GetType();
Control ctrlDest = (Control)Activator.CreateInstance(_type);
foreach (PropertyInfo prop in _type.GetProperties())
{
if (prop.CanWrite)
{
if (prop.Name == "ID")
{
ctrlDest.ID = ctrlSource.ID + "_copy_" + _controlCount;
}
else
{
prop.SetValue(ctrlDest, prop.GetValue(ctrlSource, null), null);
}
}
}
_controlCount++;
return ctrlDest;
}
public void InstantiateIn(Control container)
{
switch (_templateType)
{
case ListItemType.Header:
container.Controls.Add(_control);
break;
case ListItemType.Item:
Control temp = Copy(_control);
if(_bindHandler != null)
temp.DataBinding += _bindHandler;
if (_initHandler != null)
temp.Init += _initHandler;
container.Controls.Add(temp);
break;
}
}
}
In the page that needs say Default.aspx.cs, I create this gridview onPreInit and attach its event handlers onInit.
I add a checkbox to the grid by calling the addTemplateField().
cbl = new CheckBox();
cbl.AutoPostBack = true;
init = new EventHandler(cbl_Init);
grd.addTemplateField(null, cbl, null, init, "SERVER", null, true, 20, 20);
void cbl_Init(object sender, EventArgs e)
{
CheckBox c = (CheckBox)sender;
c.CheckedChanged +=new EventHandler(cbl_CheckedChanged);
}
void cbl_CheckedChanged(object sender, EventArgs e)
{
// Modify datasource
// databind();
// if i remove this databind, checkchanged is handled every time. If i keep the databind, event is handled only alternate times.
}
The issue is the checkbox checkchanged event is fired for alternate times. Every other time, the page post backs but the checkchanged event is not handled. I am lost in finding the cause, let alone the solution.!?!?!

I found the root cause of the problem. It was in the Copy method of the gridviewtemplate class. The problem being for each postback, the controls generated were being done in a unique id. So on postback the event triggered by the control, had changed its id, so no event was triggered.
To be more crystal...
Page loads initially with controls having a unique id,
Click on the control to trigger an event
The page post backs with the controls being generated with the same id.
Click on the control to trigger the event.
The page posts back, but the controls are generated with a different it that does not match the event source of step 4.
Solution was to remove the control count variable.

Manage windows inside a panel with a 'Windows'-like menu

I've a panel.
I add WinForms inside it. The WinForms added have the TopLevel and Visible properties set to FALSE and TRUE.
I can do a panel.SetChildIndex(WinForm1,0) to bring WinForm1 to front.
What I've not managed to do is keep a track of the actual ChildIndex of the panel.
The idea is to have buttons that opens forms inside the panel, and that when the panel opens a new button is added in a Windows menu.
Something like when many files are open on a VS Project, you can go to Window menu and select one. Also, if you change the active page by clicking the page, the Window menu auto-updates and checks the actual active page.
I want to do this, but with a panel container. I've managed to get done everithing, but not the the Window menu auto-updates and checks the actual active page part.
Isn't there an event fired when BringToFront() or SetChildIndex(form, index) are called? Any event when I click another form that's inside the panel and it becomes the "active one"? Or some property of the panel that I can keep track of that changes when active form changes?

It is taken from here
When Control's ZOrder is chaged layout operation is always performed
in control's container control.
When I subscribed to container's Layout event and called
BringToFront() it showed me Control that changed its
ZOrder(LayoutEventArgs.AffectedControl) and changed property
(LayoutEventArgs.AffectedProperty).

Found that when a form inside a panel is closed, the Controls property of the panel gets reindexed, where the index zero is the form that gets the new focus. Now that I've a way to check the form that's in front when I close another one, windows administration in panels is done.
Going to put the source code, maybe it can help someone :)
Please note that I'm using a RadRibbonForm, a standard panel, and RadForms inside the panel. Rad's are from Telerik. Some things should change to make this work on standardWinForms, but the changes are minimal.
Also, I'm not using a menu that shows the forms, I'm using RadButtonElement's in a page of the ribbon menu instead.
AddRadFormWindow must be called to put a window and manage it automatically.
Example of adding a window:
AddRadFormWindow(typeof (MyRadForm))
Now, the source. It must be inside the code of the RadRibbonForm's class.
public static class ExtensionsRadForm
{
[DllImport("user32.dll")]
private static extern int ShowWindow(IntPtr hWnd, uint msg);
public static void Deminimize(this RadForm form)
{
if (form.WindowState == FormWindowState.Minimized)
ShowWindow(form.Handle, 9);
}
}
private void RefreshButtonsChecks(string windowName)
{
if (windowName != null)
{
principalPanel.Controls[windowName].BringToFront();
}
if (principalPanel.Controls.Count > 0)
{
if (principalPanel.Controls.Cast<RadForm>().Any(radForm => radForm.WindowState != FormWindowState.Minimized))
{
foreach (RadItem item in radRibbonBarGroupOpenWindows.Items)
{
var buttonBorder = ((RadButtonElement) item).BorderElement;
if (item.Name == panelPrincipal.Controls[0].Name + "Button")
{
buttonBorder.ForeColor = Color.LimeGreen;
buttonBorder.BottomColor = Color.LimeGreen;
buttonBorder.TopColor = Color.LimeGreen;
buttonBorder.LeftColor = Color.LimeGreen;
buttonBorder.RightColor = Color.LimeGreen;
principalPanel.Controls[0].Focus();
}
else
{
buttonBorder.ForeColor = Color.Transparent;
buttonBorder.BottomColor = Color.Transparent;
buttonBorder.TopColor = Color.Transparent;
buttonBorder.LeftColor = Color.Transparent;
buttonBorder.RightColor = Color.Transparent;
}
}
}
else
{
foreach (RadItem item in radRibbonBarGroupAbiertas.Items)
{
var buttonBorder = ((RadButtonElement)item).BorderElement;
buttonBorder.ForeColor = Color.Transparent;
buttonBorder.BottomColor = Color.Transparent;
buttonBorder.TopColor = Color.Transparent;
buttonBorder.LeftColor = Color.Transparent;
buttonBorder.RightColor = Color.Transparent;
}
}
}
}
private void PrincipalPanelLayout(object sender, LayoutEventArgs e)
{
RefreshButtonsChecks(null);
}
private void RadButtonElementCloseAllWindowsClick(object sender, EventArgs e)
{
int limitButtons = radRibbonBarGroupOpenWindows.Items.Count;
for (int index = 0; index < limitButtons; index++)
{
RadItem radItem = radRibbonBarGroupOpenWindows.Items[0];
radItem.Dispose();
}
int limitControls = principalPanel.Controls.Count;
for (int index = 0; index < limitControls; index++)
{
Control control = principalPanel.Controls[0];
control.Dispose();
}
Update();
GC.Collect();
}
private void AddRadFormWindow(Type windowToAdd)
{
if (!principalPanel.Controls.ContainsKey(windowToAdd.Name))
{
var window = (RadForm) Activator.CreateInstance(windowToAdd);
window.TopLevel = false;
window.Visible = true;
window.FormClosing += (method, args) =>
{
radRibbonBarGroupOpenWindows.Items[window.Name + "Button"].Dispose();
GC.Collect();
};
window.Enter += (method, args) => RefreshButtonsChecks(window.Name);
var closeMenuItem = new RadMenuItem("Close");
closeMenuItem.MouseDown += (method, args) =>
{
panelPrincipal.Controls[window.Name].Dispose();
radRibbonBarGroupOpenWindows.Items[window.Name + "Button"].Dispose();
};
var contextMenu = new RadContextMenu();
contextMenu.Items.Add(closeMenuItem);
var button = new RadButtonElement(window.Text) {Name = window.Name + "Button"};
button.MouseDown += (method, args) =>
{
switch (args.Button)
{
case MouseButtons.Left:
if (((RadForm) principalPanel.Controls[window.Name]).WindowState ==
FormWindowState.Minimized)
((RadForm) principalPanel.Controls[window.Name]).Deminimize();
principalPanel.Controls[window.Name].BringToFront();
principalPanel.Controls[window.Name].Focus();
break;
case MouseButtons.Right:
contextMenu.Show(MousePosition);
break;
}
};
radRibbonBarGroupOpenWindows.Items.Add(button);
principalPanel.Controls.Add(window);
principalPanel.Controls[window.Name].BringToFront();
principalPanel.Controls[window.Name].Focus();
}
principalPanel.Controls[windowToAdd.Name].BringToFront();
principalPanel.Controls[windowToAdd.Name].Focus();
Update();
GC.Collect();
}
public Constructor()
{
panelPrincipal.Layout += PanelPrincipalLayout;
}

How to access page controls from user control?

Is there a way to access page controls from user control . I have some controls in my page and i want to access these controls from the user control .

YourControlType ltMetaTags = null;
Control ctl = this.Parent;
while (true)
{
ltMetaTags = (ControlType)ctl.FindControl("ControlName");
if (ltMetaTags == null)
{
ctl = ctl.Parent;
if(ctl.Parent == null)
{
return;
}
continue;
}
break;
}
Example
System.Web.UI.WebControls.Literal ltMetaTags = null;
Control ctl = this.Parent;
while (true)
{
ltMetaTags = (System.Web.UI.WebControls.Literal)ctl.FindControl("ltMetaTags");
if (ltMetaTags == null)
{
if(ctl.Parent == null)
{
return;
}
ctl = ctl.Parent;
continue;
}
break;
}

There are actually several ways to accomplish this:
Create a public property in your user control
public Button PageButton { get; set; }
Then assign it in the page's OnInit or OnLoad method
myUserControl.PageButton = myPageButton;
You can make the control public and unbox Page:
public Button PageButton { get { return this.myPageButton; } }
In the user control:
MyPage myPage = (MyPage)this.Page;
myPage.PageButton.Text = "Hello";
The slowest, but easiest way would be to use FindControl:
this.Page.FindControl("myPageButton");

Parent.FindControl("hdnValue")

its work for me :
I declare Label in My .aspx page
<asp:Label ID="lblpage" runat="server" Text="this is my page"></asp:Label>
<asp:Panel ID="pnlUC" runat="server"></asp:Panel>
In .aspx.cs I have add UserControl through Panel
UserControl objControl = (UserControl)Page.LoadControl("~/ts1.ascx");
pnlUC.Controls.Add(objControl);
and access from in .ascx UserControl like this :
Page page = this.Page;
Label lbl = page.FindControl("lblpage") as Label;
string textval = lbl.Text;