convert string to a control type

[PopsMcF]

Hi All,

Using Win2k
When I return a db column via a datareader to my app I'll see that rdr("ControlType") contains "Label" or "Textbox", etc. I'd like to use this string to as a datatype for a variable. I have tried...

Dim ct As Control = CType(TypeDescriptor.GetConverter(GetType(Control)).ConvertFromString(rdrFormBuild("controltype").ToString), Control)

but that returns Nothing. I know that for a color "red" you can use the FromName method to return a valid color object so there must be something like this for other objects??? Any ideas?

I'll also post on ASP.NET

Thanks,
David X

[Cander]

you may want to double check that

rdrFormBuild("controltype") isnt returning a blank string

[PopsMcF]

I did do...

?CType(TypeDescriptor.GetConverter(GetType(Control)).ConvertFromString(rdrFormBuild("controltype").ToString), Control)

in the immediate box and it does indeed return Nothing vs "".

Regardless of what it returns it does not return a control type. Any idea how I can get there?

[Cander]

the question was what does rdrFormBuild("controltype").ToString

return. it may be returning a blank string and therefore may be why it doesnt work

[PopsMcF]

Sorry. Now I understand what you wrote. I guess the conversion attempt fails thus it returns Nothing.

Thanks.