FindControl question .. Creating a server control from code behind

[burak]

Hello,

 

I am tring to create a textbox on the code behind and then check its value when a button is clicked.

 

Dim ctrl As New WebControls.TextBox

ctrl.ID = "lname"

ctrl.Text = "smith"

 

plc1.Controls.Add(ctrl) ' placeholder contol

 

 

Private Sub btn1_Click(ByVal sender As Object, ByVal e As System.EventArgs) Handles btn1.Click

 

Dim ctrl1 As Control

ctrl1 = Page.FindControl("lname")

If (Not ctrl1 Is Nothing) Then

' Get control's parent.

Response.Write("Id = " & ctrl1.ID)

Else

Response.Write("Control not found.....")

End If

 

end sub

 

I am lawyas getting "Control not found" and I think the reason is because I am not able to assign "runat='server'" property to the textbox on the code behind.

 

How does one create a server control from code behind?

 

Thank you,

 

Burak

[mr relaxo]

Once you postback any control you create dynamically no longer exists.

 

Why do you need to create it dynamically?

[burak]

Well let's say you need a list of link buttons that get populated from the database, you would create them dynamically right?

 

Right now I hardcoded a number of link buttons because I know how many records are in the database.

 

In the future if the number of records changes, I would have to add new link buttons.

 

Burak

[Derek Stone]

Use the Page.Controls.Add()/AddRange() methods instead. You do not need to use FindControl().

[burak]

It didn't let me add the control using Page.Controls.Add, which makes sense because there is no placeholder associated with the control. How would it know where to put the control on the page?

[Derek Stone]

It would make sense then to add a PlaceHolder to the location in the page flow where the dynamic controls should be placed.

[mr relaxo]

You could use a datagrid or datalist control to give you a button for each record in the database.