[RESOLVED] Passing variables - Best Practice

[stricknyn]

This is actually a multi question. It goes for both VB.NET (winforms) and ASP.NET (webforms). I've seen many posts of how to pass variables between forms. This may be more of an opinion question, but I'm just curious... which is the best practice for passing variables between .net winforms and which is the best practice for passing variables between .net webforms?

Thanks,

Strick

[warrenayen]

I tend to pass variables inside of a class I create to hold all of that data. So in essence I have fields in a class that stores that data.

[gigemboy]

For WinForms, I usually use public properties to read/write the information you want to get/set...

[stricknyn]

Thanks Gigemboy

Would you happen to have a sample usage of public property?

Thanks,

Strick

[gigemboy]

Well the idea is you only expose the variables or objects you need, keeping everything else internal. Suppose You want to pass an integer to another form, so in the other form you have a Private variable to hold the integer, and expose this private variable through a public property to set/get the value as you need it... something like below...

'class level, to hold the integer
    Private _SomeNumber As Integer = 0
    
    'property to get/set the value in the form
    Public Property SomeNumber() As Integer
        Get
            Return _SomeNumber
        End Get
        Set(ByVal value As Integer)
            _SomeNumber = value
        End Set
    End Property

When you have a reference to the form, you should see a MyNumber property in the IDE, which exposes the private variable holding the actual value. To get/set the value in the form, you just refer to that property via the reference to the form that contains it...

'Assuming a reference called "MyForm", which has the above mentioned property
 
MyForm.SomeNumber = 100 'sets the value to 100
 
Dim SomeNumber As Integer = MyForm.SomeNumber 'gets the value, assigns it to an integer in the current form

You also have the ReadOnly (to just get), and WriteOnly (to just set) kewords (as well as others) that you can add to the property depending on your needs...

[stricknyn]

Thanks for your quick response! I'm gonna try this out. Now should I put this property in a class by itself or can I put it in one of my existing classes?

Strick

[gigemboy]

The property will be available for whatever class you want it in...

[stricknyn]

Thanks for your help, Gig. I put the property in the second form's class. Form 1 loads everything it needs and "sets" the values that form 2 needs. It then opens form 2. Form 2 now has the variables from form 1.

This worked great. Marked resolved.

Strick