Setting UserControls properties in .ascx file

[DC]

Hi,

I want to keep all my layout information in the .ascx file of a
UserControl. If I require layout related data in codebehind, I would
usually use properties defined in the codebehind, e.g.

string tdStyle;

public string TdStyle
{
get { return tdStyle; }
set { tdStyle = value; }
}

and then set the property in the .ascx, like so:

<script type="text/C#" runat="server">
protected override void OnInit(EventArgs e)
{
TdStyle = "background-color:red;";
}
</script>

This also has the advantage that I could set the property TdStyle in
the .aspx file hosting the .ascx, too.

However, I dislike overriding OnInit in the .ascx (ideally I want to
keep as much code out from that file as possible) just to set some
properties. An alternative approach is using literals like

<asp:Literal ID="TdStyle" runat="server"
Visible="false">background-color:red;</asp:Literal>

but here I need to define a control for every property and the property
data is always a string. Too much overhead.

I was wandering, if someone knows a more elegant approach.

Regards
DC

 

[Mark Fitzpatrick]

Why do you need to set it in the OnInit? Your tdStyle string is
uninitialized and shoule be initialized anyways to avoid issues. Why not set
it there

string tdStyle = "background-color:red";

One of the first things they teach in programming, always initialized your
variables so you can guarantee that they are actually a value. What value
does an integer x have when it's definited as int x; It's up to the
runtime and/or system to determine it. In this case it should always be int
x = 0; or some other number to start to guarantee that the variable is
initialized.

 

[DC]

Hi Mark,

I can do this:

string tdStyle = "background-color:red";

only in codebehind, and you are right in that it actually makes sense
to provide a default value for the property.

However, I want to make sure that all my layout information can be
configured in the .ascx, so I need a way to set the property in the
..ascx file. And the only way I found so far is overriding OnInit - and
I don't really want to do that in the .ascx file.

Regards
DC