I have an application that allows users to design a dashboard and I use an IDesignerHost implementation. Once they design the dashboard I save the specifics to a database. I want to then be able to load the definition from a database and then programmatically add to my IDesignerHost implementation. I am able to do all of the above except programmatically add to my IDesignerHost implementation...nothing is added to the design host. I have tried

toolitem = toolboxService.GetSelectedToolboxItem();
addedControl = toolitem.CreateComponents(designerHost);

but nothing is visibly added and I have also tried

gaugeAdded = designerHost.CreateComponent(typeof(GaugeContainer), designObject.ControlName) as GaugeContainer

and nothing is added. The only thing that works is when I add the components directly to the form that hosts the designer. However, the components are not selectable, but that is to be expected.

Any ideas?

Thanks

This is how I did it:

DesignSurface surface;

public void AddComponent(IComponent component)
{
((Form)surface.ComponentContainer.Components[0]).Controls.Add(component);
}


surface.ComponentContainer.Components[0] will be of whatever type you passed into surface.BeginLoad(Type), and it's the main form that you are designing.

I don't know if you have to use designerHost.CreateComponent() or not, I did and it worked but I haven't tried without yet. I guess it probably would, but you may not get the nice designer stuff, like the sizing/drag handles.

Let me know how it goes for you

Ben

This is how I did it:

DesignSurface surface;

public void AddComponent(IComponent component)
{
((Form)surface.ComponentContainer.Components[0]).Controls.Add(component);
}


surface.ComponentContainer.Components[0] will be of whatever type you passed into surface.BeginLoad(Type), and it's the main form that you are designing.

I don't know if you have to use designerHost.CreateComponent() or not, I did and it worked but I haven't tried without yet. I guess it probably would, but you may not get the nice designer stuff, like the sizing/drag handles.

Let me know how it goes for you

Ben

Dear Evil,

Thanks for the point in the right direction but it looks like I am using the .net 1.1 classes since I am using IDesignerHost instead of DesignSurface. I would rather not convert my code, I will try to use IDesignerHost until I can't figure out how to add a control programmaticlly.

Regards,

I just noticed figure out how to do it using your example code and using IDesignerHost by using ((Form)designerHost.Components[0]).Controls.Add(chartAdded); but I am not getting the drag handles or the select ability. Any more suggestions would be great.

Thanks

I found an example of implementing DesignerSurface at http://msdn.microsoft.com/msdnmag/issues/06/03/DesignerHosting/ and I downloaded the source code. I then added the below code and the button is added but I am not able to select it or view it's properties, am I missing something?

Button newButton = new Button();
newButton.Top = 100;
newButton.Left = 100;
newButton.Height = 100;
newButton.Width = 100;
newButton.Text = "New";
newButton.Visible = true;

((Form)_hostSurfaceManager.ActiveDesignSurface.ComponentContainer.Components[0]).Controls.Add(newButton);

Thanks

I believe that I have figured it out. The below code works

chartAdded = designerHost.CreateComponent(typeof(Chart), designObject.ControlName) as Chart;
chartAdded.Top = top;
chartAdded.Left = left;
chartAdded.Height = height;
chartAdded.Width = width;
((Form)designerHost.Components[0]).Controls.Add(chartAdded);

Ben, I guess that is what you meant by

'I don't know if you have to use designerHost.CreateComponent() or not, I did and it worked but I haven't tried without yet. I guess it probably would, but you may not get the nice designer stuff, like the sizing/drag handles.'

Thanks

Thank you for posting what you found, you just save me from few hours of technical reading all over the web (l).