Build Your Own ASP.NET 2.0 Web Site Using C# & VB, Second Edition

Binding the DetailsView to a SqlDataSource

Here, our aim is to replicate the functionality the DetailsView gave us in

Chapter 11, and to add functionality that will allow users to add and delete

employees’ records.

Let’s start by adding another SqlDataSource control, either next to or below the

existing one, in AddressBook.aspx. Give the new SqlDataSource the name em-

ployeeDataSource. Click its smart tag, and select Configure Data Source. The

Configure Data Source wizard will appear again.

In the first screen, choose the Dorknozzle connection string. Click Next, and you’ll

be taken to the second screen, where there’s a bit more work to do. Start by

specifying the Employees table and checking all of its columns, as shown in Fig-

ure 12.9.

Figure 12.9. Choosing fields

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Binding the DetailsView to a SqlDataSource

Figure 12.10. Creating a new condition

Next, click the WHERE… button. In the dialog that opens, select the EmployeeID

column, specify the = operator, and select Control in the Source field. For the

Control ID select grid, and leave the default value empty, as Figure 12.10 shows.

Finally, click Add, and the expression will be added to the WHERE clause list. The

SQL expression that’s generated will filter the results on the basis of the value

selected in the GridView control. Click OK to close the dialog, then click the Ad-

vanced… button. Check the Generate INSERT, UPDATE, and DELETE statements

checkbox, as shown in Figure 12.11.

Click OK to exit the Advanced SQL Generation Options dialog, then click Next.

In the next screen, feel free to click on Test Query to ensure everything’s working

as expected. If you click Test Query, you’ll be asked for the Employee ID’s type

and value. Enter 1 for the value, leave the type as Int32, then click OK. The row

should display as shown in Figure 12.12.

Click Finish.

Congratulations! Your new SqlDataSource is ready to fill your DetailsView.

Next, we need to tie this SqlDataSource to the DetailsView and specify how

we want the DetailsView to behave. Open AddressBooks.aspx, locate the

DetailsView control and set the properties as outlined in Table 12.2.

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Chapter 12: Advanced Data Access

Figure 12.11. Generating INSERT, UPDATE, and DELETE statements

Figure 12.12. Testing the query generated for our data source

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Binding the DetailsView to a SqlDataSource

Table 12.2. Properties to set for the DetailsView control

ValueProperty

TrueAutoGenerateDeleteButton

TrueAutoGenerateEditButton

TrueAutoGenerateInsertButton

FalseAllowPaging

employeeDataSourceDataSourceID

EmployeeIDDataKeyNames

Recreating the Columns

If you’re using Design View, make sure you choose Yes when you’re asked

about recreating the DetailsView rows and data keys. If you’re not using

Design View, set the columns as shown here:

File: AddressBook.aspx (excerpt)

<Fields>

<asp:BoundField DataField="EmployeeID"

HeaderText="EmployeeID" InsertVisible="False"

ReadOnly="True" SortExpression="EmployeeID" />

<asp:BoundField DataField="DepartmentID"

HeaderText="DepartmentID"

SortExpression="DepartmentID" />

<asp:BoundField DataField="Name" HeaderText="Name"

SortExpression="Name" />

<asp:BoundField DataField="Username"

HeaderText="Username"

SortExpression="Username" />

<asp:BoundField DataField="Password"

HeaderText="Password"

SortExpression="Password" />

⋮

<asp:BoundField DataField="MobilePhone"

HeaderText="MobilePhone"

SortExpression="MobilePhone" />

</Fields>

You’re ready! Execute the project, and enjoy the new functionality that you

implemented without writing a single line of code! Take it for a quick spin to

ensure that the features for editing and deleting users are perfectly functional!

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Chapter 12: Advanced Data Access

Right now, when we add a new employee, the form looks like the one shown in

Figure 12.13.

Figure 12.13. Adding a new employee

Adding Users the Easy Way

If you want to be able to add new employees through this form, the easiest

way to do so is to leave in all the required columns; otherwise, you’ll get an

error when you try to add a new employee without specifying values for the

NOT NULL columns. If you don’t need inserting features, and you want to

keep the list of details short, you can simply remove the unwanted columns

from the list.

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Binding the DetailsView to a SqlDataSource