How to transfer data from a called form to the main form controls

[HDokes]

Hello,

 

I'd like to speak to Mr. Obvious!?

 

I have a series of button controls on the main form. I am trying to alter their text and tag properties while in another form.

 

My biggist problem... and I shutter to think that it's staring me betwixt the eyes, how do I reference the main form and subsequently its controls while in the other form?

 

The main form is called..... well.... main of course. Thought I could reference it's controls from the 2nd form by using the "Main.button" notation.... however.... no dice.

 

Any takers?

[mutant]

Refer to my post in that thread :) :

http://www.xtremedotnettalk.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=73157

[HDokes]

Hi Mutant...

 

Went to your link.... and implemented your solution.... I am getting the following error:

 

C:\Sound Effects System\SoundFX\Main.vb(2698): Argument not specified for parameter 'mainform' of 'Public Sub New(mainform As Main)'.

 

 

This comes as a result of the following code being called which creates the instance of the 2nd form:

 

Dim frmButtonManagement1 As Form

frmButtonManagement1 = New frmButtonManagement

frmButtonManagement1.Show()

 

I tried entering the argument to the New frmButtonManagement line however that didn't work... again... the above is being called from the first (the primary) main form. I entered your fix into the 2nd form as your link implied...

[HDokes]

Ok... nearly time to go find a clock tower to climb. I am an old school programmer... pretty darn proficient... and efficient if I do say.... Assembler, C, VB6 and older (all the way to BASIC interpretive), PLC Ladder Logic,... you get the jist....

 

Why is this so dern difficult to absorb regarding .NET? Ok... so I learned that .NET no longer allows you to do ANYTHING you once did in every ealier version of vb.... including the fact that instances are not automatically created upon the execution of a class... and that public variables REALLY aren't public.... so here's what I have tried to do to get around this confusion....

 

I created a public shared subroutine in the Main form, called "main", (again... this is the primary form initiated upon startup). in the arguments of the share sub I provide the ability to pass a variable by value called from form2 and then assign the variable to a control located on form1 (Main). Once I used the 'shared' directive I was promplty told I could no longer refer to the local control in the form of "me.localcontrol"..... the name of the main form..... is main!... you'd think I could use main.localcontrol... but NOOOOOOOOO (<---- he says in his best John Belushi imitatoin)

 

What's a guy to do? ...... I figure it out.... climb the clock tower and start shootin!!! :)

 

Ok... jest aside,

 

Here is the sub within main being called... and then the call from form2...

 

Public Shared Sub Button1tag(ByVal strPathName As String)

 

Main.Button1.Tag = strPathName

 

End Sub

 

error returned: Expression does not produce a value.

 

call from form 2

 

Private Sub btnAssignTemplate_Click(ByVal sender As System.Object, ByVal e As System.EventArgs) Handles btnAssignTemplate.Click

 

Main.Button1tag(grdButton_Assignment_Table.Item(grdButton_Assignment_Table.CurrentCell.RowNumber, 2))

 

End Sub

 

 

Now.... I'm not saying that I'm heading up the clock tower right this minute..... nope... not saying it.... but I am dang sure thinking it!!!

 

(not to worry... the only clock tower within walking distance around here is a 6 foot grandfather clock in my livingroom... hope the kids don't come around)

[dynamic_sysop]

here's a quick example :

in form2 ( the form you want to send information from, to form1 )

Public Class Form2

   Inherits System.Windows.Forms.Form
   Public frm As Form1 '/// first make a public reference to a new form

#Region " Windows Form Designer generated code "

   Public Sub New(ByVal myForm As Form)
       MyBase.New()
       'This call is required by the Windows Form Designer.
       InitializeComponent()
       frm = myForm '/// initialize the form
       'Add any initialization after the InitializeComponent() call

   End Sub

   'Form overrides dispose to clean up the component list.
   Protected Overloads Overrides Sub Dispose(ByVal disposing As Boolean)
       If disposing Then
           If Not (components Is Nothing) Then
               components.Dispose()
           End If
       End If
       MyBase.Dispose(disposing)
   End Sub

   'Required by the Windows Form Designer
   Private components As System.ComponentModel.IContainer

   'NOTE: The following procedure is required by the Windows Form Designer
   'It can be modified using the Windows Form Designer.  
   'Do not modify it using the code editor.
   Friend WithEvents Button1 As System.Windows.Forms.Button
   <System.Diagnostics.DebuggerStepThrough()> Private Sub InitializeComponent()
       Me.Button1 = New System.Windows.Forms.Button()
       Me.SuspendLayout()
       '
       'Button1
       '
       Me.Button1.Location = New System.Drawing.Point(136, 104)
       Me.Button1.Name = "Button1"
       Me.Button1.TabIndex = 0
       Me.Button1.Text = "Button1"
       '
       'Form2
       '
       Me.AutoScaleBaseSize = New System.Drawing.Size(5, 13)
       Me.ClientSize = New System.Drawing.Size(292, 266)
       Me.Controls.AddRange(New System.Windows.Forms.Control() {Me.Button1})
       Me.Name = "Form2"
       Me.Text = "Form2"
       Me.ResumeLayout(False)

   End Sub

#End Region

   Private Sub Button1_Click(ByVal sender As System.Object, ByVal e As System.EventArgs) Handles Button1.Click
       frm.TextBox1.Text = "i am some text from form2 to form1's textbox!"
   End Sub
End Class

in Form1 ( the form you want to start up with )

   Private Sub Button1_Click(ByVal sender As System.Object, ByVal e As System.EventArgs) Handles Button1.Click
       Dim frmTwo As New Form2(Me)
       frmTwo.Show()
   End Sub

[HDokes]

Ok... I've doen the above... and the instance gets passed, however, the controls do not show up in the instances i.e. frm properties or listing. I can see the reference to the instance (frm) as the main form but no button controls are any other controls are showing up in the sub procedure in form 2 when making the call...

 

Form1 (main form) entries:

 

Dim frmButtonManagement1 As Form

frmButtonManagement1 = New frmButtonManagement(Me)

frmButtonManagement1.Show()

 

Form2 entries:

Public Class frmButtonManagement

Inherits System.Windows.Forms.Form

Public formmain As Form

#Region " Windows Form Designer generated code "

 

Public Sub New(ByVal mainform As Main)

MyBase.New()

 

'This call is required by the Windows Form Designer.

InitializeComponent()

formmain = mainform

'Add any initialization after the InitializeComponent() call

 

 

End Sub

 

 

Private Sub btnAssignTemplate_Click(ByVal sender As System.Object, ByVal e As System.EventArgs) Handles btnAssignTemplate.Click

 

formmain.button1.tag = (grdButton_Assignment_Table.Item(grdButton_Assignment_Table.CurrentCell.RowNumber, 2))

 

End Sub

 

I get an error that indicates "button1" is not a member of the "System.Windows.Forms.Form"

[mutant]

Change that:

Public formmain As Form

To:

Public formmain As Main 'or whatever your form is called

You only declared it as a form, so it wont have what your form class has.

[HDokes]

My sincerest appreciations.....

 

That took care of it.... and it was something that I should have seen. Sometimes one can't see the characters for the paragraphs!

 

Thanks a bunch!

[yan19454]

I tried that. It gave me error in this sentence Dim frmTwo As New Form2(Me)-Too many argument to public sub New. While I took off me in the above sentence, while I click the button1 on frm2, it gave me the error msg about "Object reference not set to an instance of object.

Here is the code:

 

Public Class Form2

 

Inherits System.Windows.Forms.Form

 

 

#Region " Windows Form Designer generated code "

Public frm As Form1 '/// first make a public reference to a new form

 

Public Sub New()

MyBase.New()

 

'This call is required by the Windows Form Designer.

InitializeComponent()

 

'Add any initialization after the InitializeComponent() call

 

End Sub

 

'Form overrides dispose to clean up the component list.

Protected Overloads Overrides Sub Dispose(ByVal disposing As Boolean)

If disposing Then

If Not (components Is Nothing) Then

components.Dispose()

End If

End If

MyBase.Dispose(disposing)

End Sub

 

'Required by the Windows Form Designer

Private components As System.ComponentModel.IContainer

 

'NOTE: The following procedure is required by the Windows Form Designer

'It can be modified using the Windows Form Designer.

'Do not modify it using the code editor.

'Friend WithEvents Button1 As System.Windows.Forms.Button

Friend WithEvents Button1 As System.Windows.Forms.Button

<System.Diagnostics.DebuggerStepThrough()> Private Sub InitializeComponent()

Me.Button1 = New System.Windows.Forms.Button()

Me.SuspendLayout()

'

'Button1

'

Me.Button1.Location = New System.Drawing.Point(72, 80)

Me.Button1.Name = "Button1"

Me.Button1.Size = New System.Drawing.Size(96, 56)

Me.Button1.TabIndex = 0

Me.Button1.Text = "Button1"

'

'Form2

'

Me.AutoScaleBaseSize = New System.Drawing.Size(5, 13)

Me.ClientSize = New System.Drawing.Size(292, 273)

Me.Controls.AddRange(New System.Windows.Forms.Control() {Me.Button1})

Me.Name = "Form2"

Me.Text = "Form2"

Me.ResumeLayout(False)

 

End Sub

 

#End Region

 

Private Sub Form2_Load(ByVal sender As System.Object, ByVal e As System.EventArgs) Handles MyBase.Load

 

End Sub

'Friend WithEvents Button1 As System.Windows.Forms.Button

 

Private Sub Button1_Click(ByVal sender As System.Object, ByVal e As System.EventArgs) Handles Button1.Click

frm.TextBox1.Text = "i am some text from form2 to form1's textbox!"

 

End Sub

 

Private Sub Button1_Click_1(ByVal sender As System.Object, ByVal e As System.EventArgs) Handles Button1.Click

frm.TextBox1.Text = "i am some text from form2 to form1's textbox!"

End Sub

End Class

 

Public Class Form1

Inherits System.Windows.Forms.Form

 

#Region " Windows Form Designer generated code "

 

Public Sub New()

MyBase.New()

 

'This call is required by the Windows Form Designer.

InitializeComponent()

 

'Add any initialization after the InitializeComponent() call

 

End Sub

 

'Form overrides dispose to clean up the component list.

Protected Overloads Overrides Sub Dispose(ByVal disposing As Boolean)

If disposing Then

If Not (components Is Nothing) Then

components.Dispose()

End If

End If

MyBase.Dispose(disposing)

End Sub

 

'Required by the Windows Form Designer

Private components As System.ComponentModel.IContainer

 

'NOTE: The following procedure is required by the Windows Form Designer

'It can be modified using the Windows Form Designer.

'Do not modify it using the code editor.

Friend WithEvents TextBox1 As System.Windows.Forms.TextBox

Friend WithEvents Button1 As System.Windows.Forms.Button

<System.Diagnostics.DebuggerStepThrough()> Private Sub InitializeComponent()

Me.TextBox1 = New System.Windows.Forms.TextBox()

Me.Button1 = New System.Windows.Forms.Button()

Me.SuspendLayout()

'

'TextBox1

'

Me.TextBox1.Location = New System.Drawing.Point(104, 56)

Me.TextBox1.Name = "TextBox1"

Me.TextBox1.Size = New System.Drawing.Size(136, 20)

Me.TextBox1.TabIndex = 0

Me.TextBox1.Text = "TextBox1"

'

'Button1

'

Me.Button1.Location = New System.Drawing.Point(72, 144)

Me.Button1.Name = "Button1"

Me.Button1.Size = New System.Drawing.Size(144, 88)

Me.Button1.TabIndex = 1

Me.Button1.Text = "Button1"

'

'Form1

'

Me.AutoScaleBaseSize = New System.Drawing.Size(5, 13)

Me.ClientSize = New System.Drawing.Size(292, 273)

Me.Controls.AddRange(New System.Windows.Forms.Control() {Me.Button1, Me.TextBox1})

Me.Name = "Form1"

Me.Text = "Form1"

Me.ResumeLayout(False)

 

End Sub

 

#End Region

 

Thanks.:(

[dynamic_sysop]

try this :

accessing controls on another form in vb.net

 

and btw that code needs changing to run it that way :

Public Class Form2

 

Inherits System.Windows.Forms.Form

 

 

#Region " Windows Form Designer generated code "

Public frm As Form1 '/// first make a public reference to a new form

 

Public Sub New()

MyBase.New()

 

'This call is required by the Windows Form Designer.

InitializeComponent()

needs to be something like this :

Public Class Form2

Inherits System.Windows.Forms.Form


#Region " Windows Form Designer generated code "
Public frm As Form1 '/// first make a public reference to a new form

Public Sub New(ByVal newFrm As Form)'/// <<<<<< this
MyBase.New()

'This call is required by the Windows Form Designer.
InitializeComponent()
frm = newFrm'/// <<<< and this line.

they should be in form2's code , then in form1

Dim MyForm As New Form2(Me)
MyForm.Show()