C# Build Dynamic Form

[johang_80]

Hello,

I am currently trying to develop a window form application whose content is added dynamically. What I am trying to do here is to display a number of panels with different sources across the screen horizontally. I am getting the data from a DB and depending on the number of sources (collections) through a foreach loop a number of panels is printed on screen. Only the first panel is being diplayed somehow and I cannot figure out how to show the other panels.

This is my code so far:

List<string> collectionName = crudObj.getCollectionNames();

            _horizontalIter = 0;
            _panelIter = 0;            

            foreach (string colName in collectionName)
            {
                // Panel
                Panel pnlCollection = new Panel();
                pnlCollection.Name = "pnl" + colName;
                pnlCollection.TabIndex = 0;
                pnlCollection.Width = 250;
                pnlCollection.Location = new Point(_panelIter + 2, pnlButtons.Height + 10);
                pnlCollection.BorderStyle = System.Windows.Forms.BorderStyle.FixedSingle;


                List<string> stationName = crudObj.getStationNamesByCollection(colName);

                foreach (string statName in stationName)
                {
                    // Form controls
                    Label lblCollectionHeader = new Label();
                    Label lblStationName = new Label();
                    Label lblStationStatus = new Label();
                    Label lblStationToggle = new Label(); 

                    // Control dimensions
                    lblCollectionHeader.Width = 130;
                    lblStationName.Width = 80;
                    lblStationStatus.Width = 60;
                    lblStationToggle.Width = 60;

                    // Control text format
                    lblCollectionHeader.Font = new Font("MS Sans Seriff", 13, FontStyle.Bold);
                    lblStationName.Font = new Font("MS Sans Seriff", 11, FontStyle.Regular);
                    lblStationStatus.Font = new Font("MS Sans Seriff", 11, FontStyle.Regular);
                    lblStationToggle.Font = new Font("MS Sans Seriff", 11, FontStyle.Regular);

                    // Control location                    
                    lblCollectionHeader.Location = new Point(pnlCollection.Location.X + 70, 5);
                    lblStationName.Location = new Point(pnlCollection.Location.X + 5,
                        60 + 2 * _horizontalIter * lblStationName.Height);
                    lblStationStatus.Location = new Point(lblStationName.Width + 20,
                        60 + 2 * _horizontalIter * lblStationName.Height);
                    lblStationToggle.Location = new Point(lblStationStatus.Width + 100,
                        60 + 2 * _horizontalIter * lblStationName.Height);

                    // Contol naming and text assignment
                    lblCollectionHeader.Name = "lblCollectionHeader";
                    lblCollectionHeader.Text = colName;
                    lblStationName.Name = "lbl" + statName;
                    lblStationName.Text = statName;
                    lblStationStatus.Name = "lbl" + statName + "Status";
                    lblStationStatus.Text = "OFF";
                    lblStationToggle.Name = "lbl" + statName + "Toggle";
                    lblStationToggle.Text = "RED";

                    pnlCollection.Height = (lblCollectionHeader.Height + lblStationName.Height 
                        + lblStationStatus.Height + lblStationToggle.Height + 10) * 2;

                    // Add controls on screen 
                    pnlCollection.Controls.Add(lblCollectionHeader);
                    pnlCollection.Controls.Add(lblStationName);
                    pnlCollection.Controls.Add(lblStationStatus);
                    pnlCollection.Controls.Add(lblStationToggle);
                    this.Controls.Add(pnlCollection);                    
                    //this.Refresh();

                    _horizontalIter++;
                }

                _panelIter += pnlCollection.Width;                

                // Add controls on screen                
                //this.Controls.Add(pnlCollection);                
            }

Some help is greatly appreciated.

Thank you

Johan

[ddanbe]

_horizontalIter is defined as zero and I see no change in it? so e.g. on line 42 the multiplication stays zero. I that the intention?
What is crudObj?

[johang_80]

The horizontalAlter is used to place controls beside each other horizontally. crudObj is the instance of the class (object). It consists of various methods that get/save data in the DB.

[ddanbe]

Could you tell me where pnlButtons.Height(line 13) comes from?

[johang_80]

Thats a panel at the top left of the screen that has a home button as content. Code:

// Panel to group buttonS
Panel pnlButtons = new Panel();
pnlButtons.Name = "pnlButtons";
pnlButtons.BackColor = SystemColors.GradientInactiveCaption;
pnlButtons.Width = 200;
pnlButtons.Height = 48;
pnlButtons.Location = new Point(2, 6);
pnlButtons.BorderStyle = System.Windows.Forms.BorderStyle.FixedSingle;

[ddanbe]

With a little modified code I became the following:

private void Form1_Load(object sender, EventArgs e)
        {
            List<string> collectionName = new List<string> { "collection1", "collection2","collection3" };
            int _horizontalIter = 0;
            int _panelIter = 0;
            foreach (string colName in collectionName)
            {
                // Panel
                Panel pnlCollection = new Panel();
                pnlCollection.Name = "pnl" + colName;
                pnlCollection.TabIndex = 0;
                pnlCollection.Width = 250;
                pnlCollection.Location = new Point(_panelIter + 2, 20+10);//(*20=pnlButtons.Height *)
                pnlCollection.BorderStyle = System.Windows.Forms.BorderStyle.FixedSingle;
                List<string> stationName = new List<string> { "station1", "station2","station3" };
                foreach (string statName in stationName)
                {
                    // Form controls
                    Label lblCollectionHeader = new Label();
                    Label lblStationName = new Label();
                    Label lblStationStatus = new Label();
                    Label lblStationToggle = new Label();
                    // Control dimensions
                    lblCollectionHeader.Width = 130;
                    lblStationName.Width = 80;
                    lblStationStatus.Width = 60;
                    lblStationToggle.Width = 60;
                    // Control text format
                    lblCollectionHeader.Font = new Font("MS Sans Seriff", 13, FontStyle.Bold);
                    lblStationName.Font = new Font("MS Sans Seriff", 11, FontStyle.Regular);
                    lblStationStatus.Font = new Font("MS Sans Seriff", 11, FontStyle.Regular);
                    lblStationToggle.Font = new Font("MS Sans Seriff", 11, FontStyle.Regular);
                    // Control location                    
                    lblCollectionHeader.Location = new Point(pnlCollection.Location.X + 70, 5);
                    lblStationName.Location = new Point(pnlCollection.Location.X + 5,
                        60 + 2 * _horizontalIter * lblStationName.Height);
                    lblStationStatus.Location = new Point(lblStationName.Width + 20,
                        60 + 2 * _horizontalIter * lblStationName.Height);
                    lblStationToggle.Location = new Point(lblStationStatus.Width + 100,
                        60 + 2 * _horizontalIter * lblStationName.Height);
                    // Contol naming and text assignment
                    lblCollectionHeader.Name = "lblCollectionHeader";
                    lblCollectionHeader.Text = colName;
                    lblStationName.Name = "lbl" + statName;
                    lblStationName.Text = statName;
                    lblStationStatus.Name = "lbl" + statName + "Status";
                    lblStationStatus.Text = "OFF";
                    lblStationToggle.Name = "lbl" + statName + "Toggle";
                    lblStationToggle.Text = "RED";
                    pnlCollection.Height = (lblCollectionHeader.Height + lblStationName.Height
                        + lblStationStatus.Height + lblStationToggle.Height + 10) * 2;
                    // Add controls on screen 
                    pnlCollection.Controls.Add(lblCollectionHeader);
                    pnlCollection.Controls.Add(lblStationName);
                    pnlCollection.Controls.Add(lblStationStatus);
                    pnlCollection.Controls.Add(lblStationToggle);
                    this.Controls.Add(pnlCollection);
                    //this.Refresh();
                    _horizontalIter++;
                }
                _panelIter += pnlCollection.Width;
                // Add controls on screen                
                this.Controls.Add(pnlCollection);                
            }
        }

[ddanbe]

Here it is I made a mistake during upload.

[johang_80]

Thanks for the suggestions.

My problem is that only the first panel is printed on screen. I want the whole lot (about 15) to be printed.

Output attached

[ddanbe]

Do you mean you only got one square printed or do you get a printout like your attachment?

[johang_80]

No the output is the same as in the print out. The desired output should be all collections (panels) printed on screen

[ddanbe]

Miauw! Think I found it! Example line 40 of your original code:
Change lblCollectionHeader.Location = new Point(pnlCollection.Location.X + 70, 5); int
lblCollectionHeader.Location = new Point(0 + 70, 5);( now it are local coordinates of the Panel, not the Form)
Do the same for the rest of the Labels.