Introduction
I wanted to write code for looking up records in DataGridView for which I decided to use a simple auto-completing TextBox for easy search and dynamically refilled AutoCompleteStringCollection. This task can be accomplished through ComboBox, for which I had to make a roundtrip to the database server for the data that I have already gotten in the girdview. So I decided to use grid data for filling AutoCompleteStringCollection.
Any feedback is welcome as your feedback will improve quality.
Background
I need to write codes to search records in DataGridView control. So I gave different fields on which search can be made, and I also want to avoid roundtrip to database server for filling ComboBox.
Using the Codes
I add a panel control for serving as find form (which remain hidden until find buttons are clicked), and places two command buttons cmdFind and cmdCancelFind along with a ComboBox cmbFindFields which is filled with field names and a TextBox named txtCustomerFind.
Added following codes in the Validated Event of cmbFindFields.
private void cmbFindFields_Validated(object sender, EventArgs e)
{
AutoCompleteStringCollection acCustomer = new
AutoCompleteStringCollection();
foreach (DataGridViewRow row in dbDetail.Rows)
{
if (cmbFindFields.SelectedItem.ToString() == "Customer ID")
{
txtCustomerFind.MaxLength = 5;
acCustomer.Add(row.Cells[0].Value.ToString());
}
else if (cmbFindFields.SelectedItem.ToString() == "Customer
Name")
{
acCustomer.Add(row.Cells[1].Value.ToString());
txtCustomerFind.MaxLength = 40;
}
else
{
acCustomer.Add(row.Cells[2].Value.ToString());
txtCustomerFind.MaxLength = 40;
}
} txtCustomerFind.Clear();
txtCustomerFind.AutoCompleteMode = AutoCompleteMode.Suggest;
txtCustomerFind.AutoCompleteSource = AutoCompleteSource.CustomSource;
txtCustomerFind.AutoCompleteCustomSource = acCustomer;
}
Whenever user selects a field AutoCompleteSource of txtCustomerFind is changed respectively.