3.4. Simulating Multipage Forms
Problem
You want to create a form that appears, from
the
user’s prospective, to consist of multiple pages,
while keeping all of your code in one .aspx
file
and the code-behind that accompanies it.
Solution
Create one ASP.NET page. Use panels to separate the HTML for each of
the “virtual” pages you wish to
display, and simulate a multipage form by enabling one panel at a
time. The output of a typical three-page form is shown in Figures
Figure 3-1 through Figure 3-3.
Example 3-13 through Example 3-15 show the .aspx
and
code-behind files for an application that implements this solution.
![Multipage form output (page 1)](/api/v2/epubs/0596003781/files/tagoreillycom20070222oreillyimages100285.png)
Figure 3-1. Multipage form output (page 1)
![Multipage form output (page 2)](/api/v2/epubs/0596003781/files/tagoreillycom20070222oreillyimages100287.png)
Figure 3-2. Multipage form output (page 2)
![Multipage form output (page 3)](/api/v2/epubs/0596003781/files/tagoreillycom20070222oreillyimages100289.png)
Figure 3-3. Multipage form output (page 3)
Discussion
In classic ASP, a series of questions or prompts, such as those on a
survey or wizard, are typically implemented using multiple ASP pages
with each submitting to the next in turn. ASP.NET allows you to
submit a form to itself, which means that you have to rethink how to
implement a survey, wizard, or traditionally multipart form. The
solution we advocate involves defining multiple panels on a single
form with the ASP:Panel
control, and showing ...
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