Vb6 "Tag" property equivalent in ASP.Net?
No, there's no direct equivalent, but if you're using v3.5 of the Framework, you can add this functionality quite easily using an extension method. For example:
Imports System.Runtime.CompilerServices
Public Module Extensions
<Extension()> _
Public Sub SetTag(ByVal ctl As Control, ByVal tagValue As String)
If SessionTagDictionary.ContainsKey(TagName(ctl)) Then
SessionTagDictionary(TagName(ctl)) = tagValue
Else
SessionTagDictionary.Add(TagName(ctl), tagValue)
End If
End Sub
<Extension()> _
Public Function GetTag(ByVal ctl As Control) As String
If SessionTagDictionary.ContainsKey(TagName(ctl)) Then
Return SessionTagDictionary(TagName(ctl))
Else
Return String.Empty
End If
End Function
Private Function TagName(ByVal ctl As Control) As String
Return ctl.Page.ClientID & "." & ctl.ClientID
End Function
Private Function SessionTagDictionary() As Dictionary(Of String, String)
If HttpContext.Current.Session("TagDictionary") Is Nothing Then
SessionTagDictionary = New Dictionary(Of String, String)
HttpContext.Current.Session("TagDictionary") = SessionTagDictionary
Else
SessionTagDictionary = DirectCast(HttpContext.Current.Session("TagDictionary"), _
Dictionary(Of String, String))
End If
End Function
End Module
Then, in your ASP.NET pages, first bring your extensions into scope, e.g:
Imports WebApplication1.Extensions
...and then use it your controls as desired:
TextBox1.SetTag("Test")
Label1.Text = TextBox1.GetTag
LATER EDIT: and if you really, really don't want to store your tags in the Session object, it's possible to stuff them into your Viewstate instead. This will of course mean that your tags will be exposed in the page markup sent to the user (albeit in obfuscated form), and, unfortunately, that some reflection-fu is required, since the ViewState property of a Page is marked as 'protected' for some reason.
So, this code should pretty much be considered for entertainment purposes only, unless you actually like to raise eyebrows during code reviews:
<Extension()> _
Public Sub SetTag(ByVal ctl As Control, ByVal tagValue As String)
ViewState.Add(ctl.ID & "_Tag", tagValue)
End Sub
<Extension()> _
Public Function GetTag(ByVal ctl As Control) As String
Return ViewState(ctl.ID & "_Tag")
End Function
Private Function ViewState() As Web.UI.StateBag
Return HttpContext.Current.Handler.GetType.InvokeMember("ViewState", _
Reflection.BindingFlags.GetProperty + _
Reflection.BindingFlags.Instance + _
Reflection.BindingFlags.NonPublic, _
Nothing, HttpContext.Current.CurrentHandler, Nothing)
End Function
FINAL EDIT (I promise...). And here's a way to get rid of the reflection: first, create a new class to expose the ViewState property with a usable protection level, then change your Code-Behind (.aspx.vb) classes to inherit that instead of Web.UI.Page, e.g.:
Public Class PageEx
Inherits System.Web.UI.Page
Friend ReadOnly Property ViewStateEx() As Web.UI.StateBag
Get
Return MyBase.ViewState
End Get
End Property
End Class
Now, in your extensions module, you can access this newly defined property as:
Private Function ViewState() As Web.UI.StateBag
Return DirectCast(HttpContext.Current.Handler, PageEx).ViewStateEx
End Function
Still a bit of a hack, but much more acceptable than using reflection...
You can also use the composite pattern instead of using inheritence:
public class TaggedControl<TControl, TTag> : Control
where TControl : Control, new()
{ public TaggedControl() {this.Control= new TControl();}
public TControl Control {get; private set;}
public TTag Tag {get; set;}
protected override void CreateChildControls(){Controls.Add(Control);}
}
var textBox = new TaggedControl<TextBox, string>();
textBox.Tag = "Test";
label.Text = textBox.Tag;