Accessing form widgets when instantiating a class

[phudgens]

I have recently converted VB code to C#, and everything is working well. The program incorporates a GUI (Form1), in Visual Studio Express 2013, and the primary part of the program is launched when button1 is pushed. I am now wanting to convert the code to be more object oriented and have created a public class (partial code below) that is supposed to perform the initial file reading prior to further computations. The idea is that an instance of that class would be created when button1 is pushed. Within that class code, however, Visual Studio does not recognize the widgets on Form1. I need to be able to access information in various textboxes when button1 is pushed. Do I have to collect that information prior to instantiating the EventsData class, or can that data somehow become available from within the class?

Paul Hudgens
Denver

[FONT=Consolas][SIZE=2][FONT=Consolas][SIZE=2]        
[/SIZE][/FONT][FONT=Consolas][SIZE=2][COLOR=#0000ff][FONT=Consolas][SIZE=2][COLOR=#0000ff][FONT=Consolas][SIZE=2][COLOR=#0000ff]namespace LGRBuilder_CS
[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT][/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT][/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT][FONT=Consolas][SIZE=2][FONT=Consolas][SIZE=2]{
[/SIZE][/FONT][/SIZE][/FONT][FONT=Consolas][SIZE=2][COLOR=#0000ff][FONT=Consolas][SIZE=2][COLOR=#0000ff][FONT=Consolas][SIZE=2][COLOR=#0000ff]    public[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT][/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT][/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT][FONT=Consolas][SIZE=2][COLOR=#0000ff][FONT=Consolas][SIZE=2][COLOR=#0000ff][FONT=Consolas][SIZE=2][COLOR=#0000ff]partial[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT][/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT][/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT][FONT=Consolas][SIZE=2][COLOR=#0000ff][FONT=Consolas][SIZE=2][COLOR=#0000ff][FONT=Consolas][SIZE=2][COLOR=#0000ff]class[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT][/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT][/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT][FONT=Consolas][SIZE=2][COLOR=#2b91af][FONT=Consolas][SIZE=2][COLOR=#2b91af][FONT=Consolas][SIZE=2][COLOR=#2b91af]Form1[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT][/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT][/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT][FONT=Consolas][SIZE=2][FONT=Consolas][SIZE=2] : [/SIZE][/FONT][/SIZE][/FONT][FONT=Consolas][SIZE=2][COLOR=#2b91af][FONT=Consolas][SIZE=2][COLOR=#2b91af][FONT=Consolas][SIZE=2][COLOR=#2b91af]Form[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT][/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT][/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Consolas][SIZE=2][FONT=Consolas][SIZE=2]    {       
[/SIZE][/FONT][/SIZE][/FONT][FONT=Consolas][SIZE=2][COLOR=#0000ff][FONT=Consolas][SIZE=2][COLOR=#0000ff][FONT=Consolas][SIZE=2][COLOR=#0000ff]        public[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT][/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT][/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT][FONT=Consolas][SIZE=2][FONT=Consolas][SIZE=2] Form1()[/SIZE][/FONT][/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Consolas][SIZE=2][FONT=Consolas][SIZE=2]        {
             InitializeComponent();
        }
[/SIZE][/FONT][/SIZE][/FONT][FONT=Consolas][SIZE=2][COLOR=#0000ff][FONT=Consolas][SIZE=2][COLOR=#0000ff][FONT=Consolas][SIZE=2][COLOR=#0000ff]        private[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT][/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT][/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT][FONT=Consolas][SIZE=2][COLOR=#0000ff][FONT=Consolas][SIZE=2][COLOR=#0000ff][FONT=Consolas][SIZE=2][COLOR=#0000ff]void[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT][/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT][/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT][FONT=Consolas][SIZE=2][FONT=Consolas][SIZE=2] Form1_Load([/SIZE][/FONT][/SIZE][/FONT][FONT=Consolas][SIZE=2][COLOR=#0000ff][FONT=Consolas][SIZE=2][COLOR=#0000ff][FONT=Consolas][SIZE=2][COLOR=#0000ff]object[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT][/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT][/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT][FONT=Consolas][SIZE=2][FONT=Consolas][SIZE=2] sender, [/SIZE][/FONT][/SIZE][/FONT][FONT=Consolas][SIZE=2][COLOR=#2b91af][FONT=Consolas][SIZE=2][COLOR=#2b91af][FONT=Consolas][SIZE=2][COLOR=#2b91af]EventArgs[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT][/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT][/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT][FONT=Consolas][SIZE=2][FONT=Consolas][SIZE=2] e)[/SIZE][/FONT][/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Consolas][SIZE=2][FONT=Consolas][SIZE=2]        {
        }
[/SIZE][/FONT]...
[/SIZE][/FONT] 
[/SIZE][/FONT][FONT=Consolas][SIZE=2][COLOR=#0000ff][FONT=Consolas][SIZE=2][COLOR=#0000ff][FONT=Consolas][SIZE=2][COLOR=#0000ff]        public[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT][/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT][/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT][FONT=Consolas][SIZE=2][COLOR=#0000ff][FONT=Consolas][SIZE=2][COLOR=#0000ff][FONT=Consolas][SIZE=2][COLOR=#0000ff]class[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT][/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT][/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT][FONT=Consolas][SIZE=2][COLOR=#2b91af][FONT=Consolas][SIZE=2][COLOR=#2b91af][FONT=Consolas][SIZE=2][COLOR=#2b91af]EventsData[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT][/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT][/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT][FONT=Consolas][SIZE=2][FONT=Consolas][SIZE=2] : [/SIZE][/FONT][/SIZE][/FONT][FONT=Consolas][SIZE=2][COLOR=#2b91af][FONT=Consolas][SIZE=2][COLOR=#2b91af][FONT=Consolas][SIZE=2][COLOR=#2b91af]Form1[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT][/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT][/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Consolas][SIZE=2][FONT=Consolas][SIZE=2]        {
[/SIZE][/FONT][/SIZE][/FONT][FONT=Consolas][SIZE=2][COLOR=#0000ff][FONT=Consolas][SIZE=2][COLOR=#0000ff][FONT=Consolas][SIZE=2][COLOR=#0000ff]            string[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT][/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT][/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT][FONT=Consolas][SIZE=2][FONT=Consolas][SIZE=2] EventsFile = textbox?
             ...[/SIZE][/FONT][/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Consolas][SIZE=2][FONT=Consolas][SIZE=2]        }
     }
}
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[jmcilhinney]

That ain't right. That EventsData class should not be inheriting Form1. That would mean that every EventsData object would also be a Form1 object, but why would an existing Form1 object create another object that was also a Form1 object? If the purpose of that EventsData class is to read data from a file then that's what it should do and that's all it should do. It doesn't need any form functionality to do that.

Furthermore, the EventsData class shouldn't even know that Form1 exists, never mind the TextBoxes and other controls on Form1. Your Form1 instance creates an EventsData object and it does its job. If it needs any data to do that job then your Form1 instance passes that data in, either as an argument to the constructor or other method or by setting a property. When the job is done, the EventsData object exposes the result, either via a property or as the return value of a method. Either way, the Form1 instance retrieves the data and the EventsData object is none the wiser. It just does it's job with no knowledge or care for who told it to do the job and who is going to use the result. That's known as loose coupling, where EventsData has no actual dependency on Form1 and can therefore do its job even if Form1 doesn't exist. Everything EventsData needs and nothing it doesn't is encapsulated within the class, which is one of the tenets of OOP.

 

[phudgens]

Thanks very much for the help. I apparently have a lot yet to learn about C#.

Paul Hudgens