Subforms - emulating MS Access....

  • Thread starter Thread starter BradC
  • Start date Start date
B

BradC

I know that the design itself is not optimal, but the client wants it to
work, look and feel EXACTLY like their poorly-designed Access application...

What I need to figure out how to do is emulate a repeating subform in VB.NET
Winforms.
I don't think I can use a datagrid, because it is a larger section that is
repeated (some textboxes here, some checkboxes underneath, some comboboxes
over to the right...)

All of the controls are currently on a Panel on a form. Can't I just do
something like instantiate a new instance of that panel? Would this be a
custom control? I know just barely enough to be dangerous in .Net--OO
programming is pretty new to me.
If someone could at least point me in the right direction, that would be
great!

BradC
 
IMO if the client wants something that looks and feels EXACTLY like
Access, then the only realistic approach is to use Access. .NET was
not designed to be an Access-replacement, and the rich data-bound
controls that you have in Access simply don't exist in any other
application. Is it possible that you could take the poorly designed
elements of the Access app and fix them in Access? There's lots of
really horrible Access apps out there, but that's not the fault of the
product, just ignorant developers. It is possible to create a
lightweight Access app and still take advantage of its built-in
features. The reason I say this is that IMO you stand a better chance
of making your client happy by taking that approach than trying (and
probably failing) to satisfy them by using another product which you
don't even know very well. Just my $.02.

-- Mary
MCW Technologies
http://www.mcwtech.com
 
Just for anybody interested, I made a "repeating subform" by creating a
usercontrol, and manually placing copies of that usercontrol down a panel. I
did run into an error when I tried to put more than 207 of these
usercontrols on a form. I don't know whether there is a control count limit,
or a form size limit, or if it was just a memory issue. I ended up changing
it so that only 6 of the controls appeared on the screen, and as you
scrolled through, it simply populated them with different data. (kinda like
Access!)

UserControls are pretty dang sweet. You can control what properties of the
internal controls are exposed, and even pass events and stuff like that.
This is probably old hat to most of you, but from a VB6 background, I was
pretty impressed with the level of control you have with these objects.
 
Back
Top