Bind Generic Dictionary to GridView

19 May 2006 5:48 PM

Fao, Sean

Is it possible to bind a GridView to a generic Dictionary object? When
I try it in my ASP.NET application, it throws an exception acknowledging
that the specified field or property does not exist. The problem, I
think, is that the GridView cannot see "inside" of the generic
Dictionary. I suspect this because setting the AutoGenerateColumns
property of the GridView causes the GridView to display only the Key
property, which is, of course, part of the Dictionary object.

Can I bind a GridView to a generic Dictionary or will I need to store my
objects in something else like an ArrayList?

Thank you in advance,

--
Sean

19 May 2006 6:04 PM

Galcho[MCSD.NET]

it should work. code below do exactly this. you must have just empty
webpage with GridView object called GridView1

    Dictionary<string, int> col;
    protected void Page_Load(object sender, EventArgs e)
    {
        col = new Dictionary<string, int>();
        col.Add("key 1", 1);
        col.Add("key 2", 2);
        col.Add("key 3", 3);
        col.Add("key 4", 4);
        col.Add("key 5", 5);

        GridView1.DataSource = col;
        GridView1.DataBind();

    }

I hope this helps
Galin Iliev[MCSD.NET]
www.galcho.com

19 May 2006 6:15 PM

Fao, Sean

Galcho[MCSD.NET] wrote:
Show quoteHide quote

> it should work. code below do exactly this. you must have just empty
> webpage with GridView object called GridView1
>
>
>     Dictionary<string, int> col;
>     protected void Page_Load(object sender, EventArgs e)
>     {
>         col = new Dictionary<string, int>();
>         col.Add("key 1", 1);
>         col.Add("key 2", 2);
>         col.Add("key 3", 3);
>         col.Add("key 4", 4);
>         col.Add("key 5", 5);
>
>         GridView1.DataSource = col;
>         GridView1.DataBind();
>
>     }

Thank you for your response. That's close to what I have. My TValue is
a custom class and it's the properties of this custom class that I am
having trouble accessing. My collection is more along the lines of:

     Dictionary<string, MyObject> col;
     protected void Page_Load(object sender, EventArgs e)
     {
         col = new Dictionary<string, int>();
         col.Add("key 1", new MyObject(param1, param2));
         col.Add("key 2", new MyObject(param1, param2));
         col.Add("key 3", new MyObject(param1, param2));
         col.Add("key 4", new MyObject(param1, param2));
         col.Add("key 5", new MyObject(param1, param2));

         GridView1.DataSource = col;
         GridView1.DataBind();
     }

I can't seem to see the public properties of MyObject through the GridView.

Does that make sense?

Thank you again,

--
Sean

19 May 2006 7:07 PM

Gary Holbrook

I'm guessing the grid doesn't know how to format the object. Does your
object have ToString() defined?

Fao, Sean wrote:
Show quoteHide quote

> Galcho[MCSD.NET] wrote:
>> it should work. code below do exactly this. you must have just empty
>> webpage with GridView object called GridView1
>>
>>
>>     Dictionary<string, int> col;
>>     protected void Page_Load(object sender, EventArgs e)
>>     {
>>         col = new Dictionary<string, int>();
>>         col.Add("key 1", 1);
>>         col.Add("key 2", 2);
>>         col.Add("key 3", 3);
>>         col.Add("key 4", 4);
>>         col.Add("key 5", 5);
>>
>>         GridView1.DataSource = col;
>>         GridView1.DataBind();
>>
>>     }
>
> Thank you for your response. That's close to what I have. My TValue is
> a custom class and it's the properties of this custom class that I am
> having trouble accessing. My collection is more along the lines of:
>
>     Dictionary<string, MyObject> col;
>     protected void Page_Load(object sender, EventArgs e)
>     {
>         col = new Dictionary<string, int>();
>         col.Add("key 1", new MyObject(param1, param2));
>         col.Add("key 2", new MyObject(param1, param2));
>         col.Add("key 3", new MyObject(param1, param2));
>         col.Add("key 4", new MyObject(param1, param2));
>         col.Add("key 5", new MyObject(param1, param2));
>
>         GridView1.DataSource = col;
>         GridView1.DataBind();
>     }
>
>
> I can't seem to see the public properties of MyObject through the GridView.
>
> Does that make sense?
>
> Thank you again,
>

19 May 2006 7:17 PM

Fao, Sean

Gary Holbrook wrote:

> I'm guessing the grid doesn't know how to format the object. Does your
> object have ToString() defined?

I tried that, too. The DropDownList control provides the DataTextField
and DataValueField properties, which let you specific where the key and
values are in a DataSet. I was hoping that the GridView control would
provide similar functionality so that I can specify which properties
contain the Key's and Value's. Unfortunately, I haven't been able to
implement such functionality into a GridView.

--
Sean

19 May 2006 7:21 PM

Galcho[MCSD.NET]

this is how you have to do it:
it is done by code in .aspx page
unfotunately you have to do it for all fields in custom object

<asp:GridView ID="GridView1" runat="server">
<Columns>
<asp:TemplateField>
<ItemTemplate>
<%# ((MyObject)Eval("value")).Name %>
</ItemTemplate>
</asp:TemplateField>
</Columns>
</asp:GridView>

See attached file

I hope this helps
Galin Iliev[MCSD.NET]
www.galcho.com

19 May 2006 7:17 PM

Galcho[MCSD.NET]

this is how you have to do it:
it is done by code in .aspx page
unfotunately you have to do it for all fields in custom object

<asp:GridView ID="GridView1" runat="server">
<Columns>
<asp:TemplateField>
<ItemTemplate>
<%# ((MyObject)Eval("value")).Name %>
</ItemTemplate>
</asp:TemplateField>
</Columns>
</asp:GridView>

See attached file

I hope this helps
Galin Iliev[MCSD.NET]
www.galcho.com

Show quoteHide quote

"Fao, Sean" <enceladus***@yahoo.comI-WANT-NO-SPAM> wrote in message
news:%23Hi90A3eGHA.4276@TK2MSFTNGP03.phx.gbl...
> Galcho[MCSD.NET] wrote:
>> it should work. code below do exactly this. you must have just empty
>> webpage with GridView object called GridView1
>>
>>
>>     Dictionary<string, int> col;
>>     protected void Page_Load(object sender, EventArgs e)
>>     {
>>         col = new Dictionary<string, int>();
>>         col.Add("key 1", 1);
>>         col.Add("key 2", 2);
>>         col.Add("key 3", 3);
>>         col.Add("key 4", 4);
>>         col.Add("key 5", 5);
>>
>>         GridView1.DataSource = col;
>>         GridView1.DataBind();
>>
>>     }
>
> Thank you for your response. That's close to what I have. My TValue is
> a custom class and it's the properties of this custom class that I am
> having trouble accessing. My collection is more along the lines of:
>
>     Dictionary<string, MyObject> col;
>     protected void Page_Load(object sender, EventArgs e)
>     {
>         col = new Dictionary<string, int>();
>         col.Add("key 1", new MyObject(param1, param2));
>         col.Add("key 2", new MyObject(param1, param2));
>         col.Add("key 3", new MyObject(param1, param2));
>         col.Add("key 4", new MyObject(param1, param2));
>         col.Add("key 5", new MyObject(param1, param2));
>
>         GridView1.DataSource = col;
>         GridView1.DataBind();
>     }
>
>
> I can't seem to see the public properties of MyObject through the
> GridView.
>
> Does that make sense?
>
> Thank you again,
>
> --
> Sean

[attached file: TestWeb.zip]

19 May 2006 7:55 PM

Fao, Sean

Galcho[MCSD.NET] wrote:

> this is how you have to do it:
> it is done by code in .aspx page
> unfotunately you have to do it for all fields in custom object
>
> <asp:GridView ID="GridView1" runat="server">
> <Columns>
> <asp:TemplateField>
> <ItemTemplate>
> <%# ((MyObject)Eval("value")).Name %>
> </ItemTemplate>
> </asp:TemplateField>
> </Columns>
> </asp:GridView>

That's it, exactly. Thank you very much!

--
Sean

Thread options