Adding Controls to a custom user control

I am trying to make a "template" control that can be used as a fake window.

So it have a title bar, title icon and close button.

I have the control created, but when i add it to the aspx page I can not drag a button into the control.

Control code

<%@ Control Language="C#" AutoEventWireup="true" CodeFile="webWindow.ascx.cs" Inherits="webWindow" %>

<link href="StyleSheet.css" rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" />
<asp:Panel ID="webWindowPan" runat="server" cssClass="modalPopup" Width="500px" >

            <table class="titleBar" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0">
               <tr>
                 <td>
                    <asp:Image ID="webWindowTitleIcon" runat="server" Height="16px" ImageUrl="~/images/application.png" Width="16px" />
                    <asp:Label ID="webWindowTitle" runat="server" Font-Bold="True" Text="New Web Window" ForeColor="White" BackColor="Transparent" Height="20px"></asp:Label>
                 </td>
                 <td width="20" > 
                 </td>
                 <td align="right" style="width: 55px">
                    <asp:ImageButton ID="webWindowCloseButton" runat="server" Height="16px" ImageUrl="~/images/close_gray.png" Width="40px" />
                 </td>
               </tr>
            </table>
            <asp:Panel ID="webWindowContent" runat="server" Width="100%" >
            Hello
            </asp:Panel>
</asp:Panel>

ASPX Code -

<%@ Register src="webWindow.ascx" TagName="webWindow" TagPrefix="uc1" %>

I have been searching and can't figure out how to edit the usercontrol in the aspx page to add content to the "window"

Thank you

Re: Adding Controls to a custom user control

Try this in the Page_Load method of your .aspx page:

Button btnNewButton = new Button();
WebWindow1.Controls.Add(btnNewButton);

Hope this provides some insight.

- Jesse

Re: Adding Controls to a custom user control

Thank you Jesse,

This is a project that several people from my team are working on. What I am wanting to do is allow them to create a page then drag the custom control on to their page and drag controls inside the custom control. I am not sure if this is even possible. If it is not I will probably just step back and keep reproducing the code on each page needed rather than use the user control.

Re: Adding Controls to a custom user control

Anyone else have any ideas?

Re: Adding Controls to a custom user control

Sorry about, didn't get a chance to get on the computer last night after work.

I see what your issue is, you are correct, you cannot 'drag and drop' additional controls onto a control in the Visual Studio Designer. My next question is, do you know what controls the other developers would be adding? In my opinion it would seem a little overhead to manually add the controls to your control everytime there is a page load.

If you know what the other developers need you could always create additional user controls that they could then drag and drop onto the page as needed. The controls will be able to communicate with one another. Also, you start developing your own framework on top of .NET.

Hope this helps a little more.

- Jesse

Re: Adding Controls to a custom user control

Sorry Jesse,

I don't think my original post was very clear. I have gone in a slightly different direction. Same basic idea, but using Templates inside a user control.

I am looking for something like this

http://wss3.theseders.com/robsederblog/Lists/Posts/Post.aspx?List=4c9e886c%2D4b5c%2D4a3e%2D95a0%2De30b3f4a1e9c&ID=67

But I am getting an error on this that says "Type 'System.Web.UserControl' does not have a public property named 'ContentTemplate'

However I do have :)

[In the User Control]

private ITemplate _windowContent;

    protected override void OnInit(EventArgs e)
    {

        base.OnInit(e);

        if (_windowContent != null)
        {

            _windowContent.InstantiateIn(webWindowContent);

        }

    }

[PersistenceMode(PersistenceMode.InnerProperty),
    TemplateContainer(typeof(TemplateControl))]
    public ITemplate ContentTemplate
    {

        get { return _windowContent; }

        set { _windowContent = value; }

    }

Re: Adding Controls to a custom user control

Found this also,

http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/library/36574bf6(VS.80).aspx

My issue is getting it to somehow show up in the designer.

I tried the things in teh comments from the above page, but it doesn't change the results I am getting.

Re: Adding Controls to a custom user control

Thanks for the info! What is the markup in your user control (.ascx)?

- Jesse

Re: Adding Controls to a custom user control

I finally gave up and am just going to have the "title bar" be a user control. So I am not using the templates at all. I think this will get me what i need. Thank you Jesse for taking the time to help me.