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Which way to build control? Messages   Related Types This message was discovered on ASPFriends.com 'aspngarchitecture' list. Adam Monsky -- Moved from [aspngcontrolscs] to [aspngarchitecture] by Tony Stark <Click here to reveal e-mail address> -- I'm sure that I want to create a server control, however, I'm not sure if = I need a composite control or to inherit and extend and existing control. = I want to create an enhanced textbox control that always creates a custom = validator control along with it. The validator would provide various = validation functionality that our business requires, and would be = standardized for all instances of the custom textbox control. We'd like = to simply code the validator once, then have it look at the text's = properties that it's associated with so it knows which validation logic to = use. This would allow us to drop many custom textbox controls on a web = form, and set the various custom textbox properties to drive the validator.= Ideally, we don't even want to worry about dropping a validator and = hooking it up. We'd like the custom control to handle this automatically. If I create a composite control, then basically I'd be wrapping a custom = server control around a custom textbox and a custom validator. In this = scenario, most of the properties of the composite control would really = need to be mapped to the textbox control, such as height, width, color, = font, text, alignment, etc. Of course, these properties are already = available on the custom textbox control, but I'd have to map them from the = composite control to the custom textbox control using property get/set = statements, right? Is there anyway to make the custom textbox control's = (which is a child control of the composite control) properties map to the = composite control's properties without coding them all individually? = Also, wouldn't I be responsible for creating the design time support in = the composite control, so that the property sheet (and it's various type = converters?) is available to the developer within the VS.NET IDE? Again, = if most of the custom textbox properties could be used, that would be = ideal.=20 The other approach I see would be to create a custom textbox control that = inherits from the standard textbox control. I could extend the control = without too much difficulty to support additional properties for our = business use. However, how to I cause a custom validator to get created = for every instance of the custom textbox control? Would I simply create = the custom validator and add it to the page's controls in the OnInit = method of the custom textbox control? If so, how would this handle = postbacks? Actually, does the validator need to handle postbacks? All of = the logic in the custom validator class would effectively be static and = the same for any instance of the validator/textbox combination. Does anyone have any insight as to which way would be better and avoid the = most pitfalls? I've read articles and reviewed source that shows about = how to create a custom validator, and ones that show a custom server = control. However, I've not seen discussions or examples of how to = integrate the a custom validator and a textbox into a custom server = control. Any pointers/links/samples that could point me in the right = direction would be appreciated. Reply to this message...        Andy Smith my first instinct is "Composite Control"... but I think you'd get away with less coding if you subclass TextBox and = see if you can add the validator to the Controls collection of the = TextBox. not sure you'll get flexibility you want from this method tho. also, you might want to go to GotDotNet.com and find a little tool = written by MS in the "User Samples" area which helps you create = subclasses and containing classes. something like "Derive Class Tool". __ Andy Smith Keyboard Jockey #3a7-2.78.1 [Original message clipped] Reply to this message...     System.Web.UI.MobileControls.TextBox System.Web.UI.WebControls.TextBox System.Windows.Forms.TextBox Ad MBR BootFX Best-of-breed application framework for .NET projects, developed by Matthew Baxter-Reynolds and MBR IT

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