C# how do I make a winform button enable/disable using usercontrol ?

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So, I have a form1 with some buttons like button1,button2...etc. and also have an UserControl1 with panel1 and panel2. Both of these panels do contain their own buttons and textfields. I am able to add this UserControl1 to the form1 panel whenever I click button1 on the form1 and can show these UserControl1 panels dynamically using the panel visible property set to true/false by clicking on a button on the UserControl1

Now I want this form1 button2 enable property to be set into true/false based on UserControl1 panel visible property.

Suppose here I want to enable the form1 button2 when the UserControl1 Panel2 is visible and disable when it is not visible.

What I have tried:

I am currently stuck with this problem and can't figure it out how to do it!

I am relatively new to C# so any help will be appreciated with much respect Thank you

Posted 7-Jan-18 0:17am

Adnan Maruf

Updated 7-Jan-18 1:06am

v2

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Maciej Los 7-Jan-18 6:46am

If you're able to set UserControl1 visible=true on Button1_Click event, then you're able to set Button2.Enabled=false in the same event.

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OriginalGriff · Accepted Answer · 2018-01-07T01:06:00

Solution 1

OK. That's not really difficult: all you need to do is create an event in your UserControl, which is handled by your Form. Sounds complicated? It isn't not really.
In your user control, add this code:

C#

/// <summary>
/// Event to indicate VisibiltyChanged
/// </summary>
public event EventHandler VisibilityChanged;
/// <summary>
/// Called to signal to subscribers that VisibiltyChanged
/// </summary>
/// <param name="e"></param>
protected virtual void OnVisibilityChanged(EventArgs e)
    {
    EventHandler eh = VisibilityChanged;
    if (eh != null)
        {
        eh(this, e);
        }
    }

Now, when you have changed the visibility of the panel inside the UserControl, signal the event:

C#

OnVisibilityChanged(new EventArgs());

Add a property to your UserControl, which lets the outside world know what the visibility currently is:

C#

public bool IsVisible { get { return myPanel.Visible; }}

And handle the event in your form.
When the handler is called, use the information:

C#

void myUserControl_VisibilityChanged(object sender, EventArgs e)
    {
    myUserControl mc = sender as MyUserControl;
    if (mc != null)
        {
        MyButton.Enabled = mc.IsVisible;
        }
    }

Posted 7-Jan-18 1:06am

OriginalGriff

Comments

Maciej Los 7-Jan-18 7:44am

Well explained!

Adnan Maruf 7-Jan-18 10:23am

@OriginalGriff Sir thanks for your kind instruction. I don't know why but it is not working for me. I might messed up somewhere in between your codes and my codes. I think I did exactly how you said, but I might be wrong as I am extremely new to C#. Here's a brief explanation what I did->>

On the UserControl1
I exactly copy-paste your code that you provide for creating the event.
Then I add

public bool IsVisible { get { return panel2.Visible; } }

this piece of code just below the created event on the UserContrlo1. more specific

 public event EventHandler VisibilityChanged;
        protected virtual void OnVisibilityChanged(EventArgs e)
        {
            EventHandler eh = VisibilityChanged;
            if (eh != null)
            {
                eh(this, e);
            }
        }

        public bool IsVisible { get { return panel2.Visible; } }

Then as I am changing the UserControl panel visibility within the button it containing like when panel1 is showing then the click_event of button1 that is placed on the panel1 is changing the visibility property of panel2 into true and this panel2 also contain a button which is button2 and it's click_event changing the pane2 visibility property to false

[side.note: please don't get confuse these buttons with [form1{button1,button2}] and just to clear the whole thing again, I am trying to change the form1,button2 enable property to be changed accordingly with this UserControl1,panel2 visible property]

so I put this code

OnVisibilityChanged(new EventArgs());

inside the button1_clickEvent on the UserControl1.

On the form1.cs [[I think I am missing things here so I put the whole code]]

using System;
using System.Collections.Generic;
using System.ComponentModel;
using System.Data;
using System.Drawing;
using System.Linq;
using System.Text;
using System.Windows.Forms;

namespace WindowsFormsApplication1
{
    public partial class Form1 : Form
    {
        public Form1()
        {
            InitializeComponent();
        }
        void UserControl1_VisibilityChanged(object sender, EventArgs e)
        {
            UserControl1 uc = sender as UserControl1;
            if (uc != null)
            {
                button2.Enabled = uc.IsVisible;
            }
        }

        private void button1_Click(object sender, EventArgs e)
        {
            
            if (!mainPanel.Controls.Contains(UserControl1.Instance))
            {
                mainPanel.Controls.Add(UserControl1.Instance);
                UserControl1.Instance.Dock = DockStyle.Fill;
                UserControl1.Instance.BringToFront();
            }
            else
            {
                UserControl1.Instance.BringToFront();//
            }
           
        }
        
        private void Form1_Load(object sender, EventArgs e)
        {
            
        }
    }
}

Do I did all these correctly?? anyways thanks for your time... :) !

OriginalGriff 7-Jan-18 10:46am

The bit you probably forgot was to hook up the VisibitityChanged event to your handler - that doesn't happen automatically any more than it does when you add a textbox!

In the designer, add the handler to the UserControl1 instance event.

Adnan Maruf 7-Jan-18 13:32pm

@OriginalGriff sir sorry for asking your time again. I vaguely understand your this statement "In the designer, add the handler to the UserControl1 instance event" here. Do you mean to add these code-->>

/// <summary>
/// Event to indicate VisibiltyChanged
/// </summary>
public event EventHandler VisibilityChanged;
/// <summary>
/// Called to signal to subscribers that VisibiltyChanged
/// </summary>
/// <param name="e"></param>
protected virtual void OnVisibilityChanged(EventArgs e)
    {
    EventHandler eh = VisibilityChanged;
    if (eh != null)
        {
        eh(this, e);
        }
    }

to the UserControl1.Designer.cs ??

if so then I already tried that and it giving me a bunch of error...!

and if not then can please show me exactly, what to put where? and what to do?! Please do consider me as a novices here cause my knowledge about coding and C# is so thin. Hope you will understand what I am trying to say. Thanks again :)

OriginalGriff 7-Jan-18 14:03pm

No, that's the code that creates and raises the event - it goes in your UserControl1.cs file as part of your class, together with the property I showed you. Don't modify the designer file until you know exactly what you are doing - you can mess your whole control up so it won't display any more.

You added your user control to your form by dragging it from the toolbox, yes? That is "the designer" - highlight the control there and use the Properties pane ti examine the Events.

(If you don't understand that, find a basic Visual Studio tutorial and watch that - it will explain this stuff and there are loads of them. Watch one on the VS debugger as well - you will need to get familiar with that, it's the greatest tool you will ever meet!)

Adnan Maruf 8-Jan-18 6:14am

Sir thank you again, Last night it was already late [almost 3am] so I stop there and starting today it again. I understand the designer and it's toolbox that every elements on it has there own property and these values can be changed visually from the property pane and also the events which can be access through a single mouse click and it has loads of events handlers like loads,mouse up, visualChanged,etc. and can be add to code by double clicking on it. So I add the form1 VisualChanged event handler then add those code-->

 private void Form1_VisibleChanged(object sender, EventArgs e)
        {
            UserControl1 uc = sender as UserControl1;
            if (uc != null)
            {
                button2.Enabled = uc.IsVisible;
            }

        }

but no luck it didn't work. So then I thought it may be because of the UserControl1 is added to the form1 panel when I'm clicking the form1_button1. so it should be that panel VisualChanged event handler, so I add that and put the same code..>

private void mainPanel_VisibleChanged(object sender, EventArgs e)//mainPanel==form1_panel1
        {
            UserControl1 uc = sender as UserControl1;
            if (uc != null)
            {
                button2.Enabled = uc.IsVisible;
            }
            
        }

then again it still won't work, form1_button2 is not enabling as it should no matter how many time I change the UserControl1_panel2 visible property. I mean I'm a slow learner I know but it should work at some point right? Now it is the 4th day and I'm still stuck with the same problem.

OriginalGriff 8-Jan-18 6:31am

You are making me want to bang my head on the desk... :laugh:
Stop guessing and think about it.

The event is part of the UserControl - that's where you put the line

public event EventHandler VisibilityChanged;

and it's associated method yes?
So open Form1 in the designer, highlight the UserControl on the panel on form1 (check its name in the Properties pane) and look at it's events in the Properties pane. VisibilityChanged should be listed in the events.
Does it have a handler method listed to it's immediate right, and if so, what is it called?

Adnan Maruf 8-Jan-18 16:02pm

@OriginalGriff Thank you Sir for your kind and amazing time :)! I did bash my head hundred times the entire day :D! to figure it out I need to set the AutoToolBoxPopulate setting of my VS2008 to ture in order to have the UserControl on the toolbox. I did not exactly implemented your method this time but I found something pretty similar and guess what it's working now :D !! and that's because your word encourage me to search about my lackings and improve it. Now I know exactly what I need to do in order to deal with this type of situation. I really appreciate your help sir, you are amazing!! #keepCalm&deepSearch...
by the way I'm from a small country called Bangladesh[if you are wondering :)]

OriginalGriff 9-Jan-18 5:25am

Bigger than Wales: 163 million population, 3 million here. 57,000 square miles, versus 3000 here.

You're a lot warmer than us as well ... :laugh:

Adnan Maruf 8-Jan-18 6:15am

And I did watch the Vs debugger and it's kind of a confusing now...!