How to: Bind Data to the MaskedTextBox Control
You can bind data to a MaskedTextBox control just as you can to any other Windows Forms control. However, if the format of your data in the database does not match the format expected by your mask definition, you will need to reformat the data. The following procedure demonstrates how to do this using the Format and Parse events of the Binding class to display separate phone number and phone extension database fields as a single editable field.
The following procedure requires that you have access to a SQL Server database with the Northwind sample database installed.
To bind data to a MaskedTextBox control
Create a new Windows Forms project.
Drag two TextBox controls onto your form; name them FirstName and LastName.
Drag a MaskedTextBox control onto your form; name it PhoneMask.
Set the Mask property of PhoneMask to (000) 000-0000 x9999.
Add the following namespace imports to the form.
using System.Data.SqlClient;
Imports System.Data.SqlClient
Right-click the form and choose View Code. Place this code anywhere in your form class.
Binding currentBinding, phoneBinding; DataSet employeesTable = new DataSet(); SqlConnection sc; SqlDataAdapter dataConnect; private void Form1_Load(object sender, EventArgs e) { DoMaskBinding(); } private void DoMaskBinding() { try { sc = new SqlConnection("Data Source=CLIENTUE;Initial Catalog=NORTHWIND;Integrated Security=SSPI"); sc.Open(); } catch (Exception ex) { MessageBox.Show(ex.Message); return; } dataConnect = new SqlDataAdapter("SELECT * FROM Employees", sc); dataConnect.Fill(employeesTable, "Employees"); // Now bind MaskedTextBox to appropriate field. Note that we must create the Binding objects // before adding them to the control - otherwise, we won't get a Format event on the // initial load. try { currentBinding = new Binding("Text", employeesTable, "Employees.FirstName"); firstName.DataBindings.Add(currentBinding); currentBinding = new Binding("Text", employeesTable, "Employees.LastName"); lastName.DataBindings.Add(currentBinding); phoneBinding =new Binding("Text", employeesTable, "Employees.HomePhone"); // We must add the event handlers before we bind, or the Format event will not get called // for the first record. phoneBinding.Format += new ConvertEventHandler(phoneBinding_Format); phoneBinding.Parse += new ConvertEventHandler(phoneBinding_Parse); phoneMask.DataBindings.Add(phoneBinding); } catch (Exception ex) { MessageBox.Show(ex.Message); return; } }
Dim WithEvents CurrentBinding, PhoneBinding As Binding Dim EmployeesTable As New DataSet() Dim sc As SqlConnection Dim DataConnect As SqlDataAdapter Private Sub Form1_Load(ByVal sender As System.Object, ByVal e As System.EventArgs) Handles MyBase.Load DoMaskedBinding() End Sub Private Sub DoMaskedBinding() Try sc = New SqlConnection("Data Source=SERVERNAME;Initial Catalog=NORTHWIND;Integrated Security=SSPI") sc.Open() Catch ex As Exception MessageBox.Show(ex.Message) Exit Sub End Try DataConnect = New SqlDataAdapter("SELECT * FROM Employees", sc) DataConnect.Fill(EmployeesTable, "Employees") ' Now bind MaskedTextBox to appropriate field. Note that we must create the Binding objects ' before adding them to the control - otherwise, we won't get a Format event on the ' initial load. Try CurrentBinding = New Binding("Text", EmployeesTable, "Employees.FirstName") firstName.DataBindings.Add(CurrentBinding) CurrentBinding = New Binding("Text", EmployeesTable, "Employees.LastName") lastName.DataBindings.Add(CurrentBinding) PhoneBinding = New Binding("Text", EmployeesTable, "Employees.HomePhone") PhoneMask.DataBindings.Add(PhoneBinding) Catch ex As Exception MessageBox.Show(ex.Message) Application.Exit() End Try End Sub
Add event handlers for the Format and Parse events to combine and separate the PhoneNumber and Extension fields from the bound DataSet.
private void phoneBinding_Format(Object sender, ConvertEventArgs e) { String ext; DataRowView currentRow = (DataRowView)BindingContext[employeesTable, "Employees"].Current; if (currentRow["Extension"] == null) { ext = ""; } else { ext = currentRow["Extension"].ToString(); } e.Value = e.Value.ToString().Trim() + " x" + ext; } private void phoneBinding_Parse(Object sender, ConvertEventArgs e) { String phoneNumberAndExt = e.Value.ToString(); int extIndex = phoneNumberAndExt.IndexOf("x"); String ext = phoneNumberAndExt.Substring(extIndex).Trim(); String phoneNumber = phoneNumberAndExt.Substring(0, extIndex).Trim(); //Get the current binding object, and set the new extension manually. DataRowView currentRow = (DataRowView)BindingContext[employeesTable, "Employees"].Current; // Remove the "x" from the extension. currentRow["Extension"] = ext.Substring(1); //Return the phone number. e.Value = phoneNumber; }
Private Sub PhoneBinding_Format(ByVal sender As Object, ByVal e As ConvertEventArgs) Handles PhoneBinding.Format Dim Ext As String Dim CurrentRow As DataRowView = CType(Me.BindingContext(EmployeesTable, "Employees").Current, DataRowView) If (CurrentRow("Extension") Is Nothing) Then Ext = "" Else Ext = CurrentRow("Extension").ToString() End If e.Value = e.Value.ToString().Trim() & " x" & Ext End Sub Private Sub PhoneBinding_Parse(ByVal sender As Object, ByVal e As ConvertEventArgs) Handles PhoneBinding.Parse Dim PhoneNumberAndExt As String = e.Value.ToString() Dim ExtIndex As Integer = PhoneNumberAndExt.IndexOf("x") Dim Ext As String = PhoneNumberAndExt.Substring(ExtIndex).Trim() Dim PhoneNumber As String = PhoneNumberAndExt.Substring(0, ExtIndex).Trim() ' Get the current binding object, and set the new extension manually. Dim CurrentRow As DataRowView = CType(Me.BindingContext(EmployeesTable, "Employees").Current, DataRowView) ' Remove the "x" from the extension. CurrentRow("Extension") = CObj(Ext.Substring(1)) ' Return the phone number. e.Value = PhoneNumber End Sub
Add two Button controls to the form. Name them previousButton and nextButton. Double-click each button to add a Click event handler, and fill in the event handlers as shown in the following code example.
private void previousButton_Click(object sender, EventArgs e) { BindingContext[employeesTable, "Employees"].Position = BindingContext[employeesTable, "Employees"].Position - 1; } private void nextButton_Click(object sender, EventArgs e) { BindingContext[employeesTable, "Employees"].Position = BindingContext[employeesTable, "Employees"].Position + 1; }
Private Sub PreviousButton_Click(ByVal sender As System.Object, ByVal e As System.EventArgs) Handles PreviousButton.Click Me.BindingContext(EmployeesTable, "Employees").Position = Me.BindingContext(EmployeesTable, "Employees").Position - 1 End Sub Private Sub NextButton_Click(ByVal sender As System.Object, ByVal e As System.EventArgs) Handles NextButton.Click Me.BindingContext(EmployeesTable, "Employees").Position = Me.BindingContext(EmployeesTable, "Employees").Position + 1 End Sub
Run the sample. Edit the data, and use the Previous and Next buttons to see that the data is properly persisted to the DataSet.
Example
The following code example is the full code listing that results from completing the previous procedure.
Imports System.Data.SqlClient
Public Class Form1
Dim WithEvents CurrentBinding, PhoneBinding As Binding
Dim EmployeesTable As New DataSet()
Dim sc As SqlConnection
Dim DataConnect As SqlDataAdapter
Private Sub Form1_Load(ByVal sender As System.Object, ByVal e As System.EventArgs) Handles MyBase.Load
DoMaskedBinding()
End Sub
Private Sub DoMaskedBinding()
Try
sc = New SqlConnection("Data Source=localhost;Initial Catalog=NORTHWIND;Integrated Security=SSPI")
sc.Open()
Catch ex As Exception
MessageBox.Show(ex.Message)
Application.Exit()
End Try
DataConnect = New SqlDataAdapter("SELECT * FROM Employees", sc)
DataConnect.Fill(EmployeesTable, "Employees")
' Now bind MaskedTextBox to appropriate field. Note that we must create the Binding objects
' before adding them to the control - otherwise, we won't get a Format event on the
' initial load.
Try
CurrentBinding = New Binding("Text", EmployeesTable, "Employees.FirstName")
firstName.DataBindings.Add(CurrentBinding)
CurrentBinding = New Binding("Text", EmployeesTable, "Employees.LastName")
lastName.DataBindings.Add(CurrentBinding)
PhoneBinding = New Binding("Text", EmployeesTable, "Employees.HomePhone")
PhoneMask.DataBindings.Add(PhoneBinding)
Catch ex As Exception
MessageBox.Show(ex.Message)
Application.Exit()
End Try
End Sub
Private Sub PhoneBinding_Format(ByVal sender As Object, ByVal e As ConvertEventArgs) Handles PhoneBinding.Format
Dim Ext As String
Dim CurrentRow As DataRowView = CType(Me.BindingContext(EmployeesTable, "Employees").Current, DataRowView)
If (CurrentRow("Extension") Is Nothing) Then
Ext = ""
Else
Ext = CurrentRow("Extension").ToString()
End If
e.Value = e.Value.ToString().Trim() & " x" & Ext
End Sub
Private Sub PhoneBinding_Parse(ByVal sender As Object, ByVal e As ConvertEventArgs) Handles PhoneBinding.Parse
Dim PhoneNumberAndExt As String = e.Value.ToString()
Dim ExtIndex As Integer = PhoneNumberAndExt.IndexOf("x")
Dim Ext As String = PhoneNumberAndExt.Substring(ExtIndex).Trim()
Dim PhoneNumber As String = PhoneNumberAndExt.Substring(0, ExtIndex).Trim()
' Get the current binding object, and set the new extension manually.
Dim CurrentRow As DataRowView = CType(Me.BindingContext(EmployeesTable, "Employees").Current, DataRowView)
' Remove the "x" from the extension.
CurrentRow("Extension") = CObj(Ext.Substring(1))
' Return the phone number.
e.Value = PhoneNumber
End Sub
Private Sub NextButton_Click(ByVal sender As System.Object, ByVal e As System.EventArgs) Handles NextButton.Click
Me.BindingContext(EmployeesTable, "Employees").Position = Me.BindingContext(EmployeesTable, "Employees").Position + 1
End Sub
Private Sub PreviousButton_Click(ByVal sender As System.Object, ByVal e As System.EventArgs) Handles PreviousButton.Click
Me.BindingContext(EmployeesTable, "Employees").Position = Me.BindingContext(EmployeesTable, "Employees").Position - 1
End Sub
End Class
#region Using directives
using System;
using System.Collections.Generic;
using System.ComponentModel;
using System.Data;
using System.Drawing;
using System.Windows.Forms;
using System.Data.SqlClient;
#endregion
namespace MaskedTextBoxDataCSharp
{
partial class Form1 : Form
{
Binding currentBinding, phoneBinding;
DataSet employeesTable = new DataSet();
SqlConnection sc;
SqlDataAdapter dataConnect;
public Form1()
{
InitializeComponent();
}
private void Form1_Load(object sender, EventArgs e)
{
DoMaskBinding();
}
private void DoMaskBinding()
{
try
{
sc = new SqlConnection("Data Source=localhost;Initial Catalog=NORTHWIND;Integrated Security=SSPI");
sc.Open();
}
catch (Exception ex)
{
MessageBox.Show(ex.Message);
return;
}
dataConnect = new SqlDataAdapter("SELECT * FROM Employees", sc);
dataConnect.Fill(employeesTable, "Employees");
// Now bind MaskedTextBox to appropriate field. Note that we must create the Binding objects
// before adding them to the control - otherwise, we won't get a Format event on the
// initial load.
try
{
currentBinding = new Binding("Text", employeesTable, "Employees.FirstName");
firstName.DataBindings.Add(currentBinding);
currentBinding = new Binding("Text", employeesTable, "Employees.LastName");
lastName.DataBindings.Add(currentBinding);
phoneBinding =new Binding("Text", employeesTable, "Employees.HomePhone");
// We must add the event handlers before we bind, or the Format event will not get called
// for the first record.
phoneBinding.Format += new ConvertEventHandler(phoneBinding_Format);
phoneBinding.Parse += new ConvertEventHandler(phoneBinding_Parse);
phoneMask.DataBindings.Add(phoneBinding);
}
catch (Exception ex)
{
MessageBox.Show(ex.Message);
return;
}
}
private void phoneBinding_Format(Object sender, ConvertEventArgs e)
{
String ext;
DataRowView currentRow = (DataRowView)BindingContext[employeesTable, "Employees"].Current;
if (currentRow["Extension"] == null)
{
ext = "";
} else
{
ext = currentRow["Extension"].ToString();
}
e.Value = e.Value.ToString().Trim() + " x" + ext;
}
private void phoneBinding_Parse(Object sender, ConvertEventArgs e)
{
String phoneNumberAndExt = e.Value.ToString();
int extIndex = phoneNumberAndExt.IndexOf("x");
String ext = phoneNumberAndExt.Substring(extIndex).Trim();
String phoneNumber = phoneNumberAndExt.Substring(0, extIndex).Trim();
//Get the current binding object, and set the new extension manually.
DataRowView currentRow = (DataRowView)BindingContext[employeesTable, "Employees"].Current;
// Remove the "x" from the extension.
currentRow["Extension"] = ext.Substring(1);
//Return the phone number.
e.Value = phoneNumber;
}
private void previousButton_Click(object sender, EventArgs e)
{
BindingContext[employeesTable, "Employees"].Position = BindingContext[employeesTable, "Employees"].Position - 1;
}
private void nextButton_Click(object sender, EventArgs e)
{
BindingContext[employeesTable, "Employees"].Position = BindingContext[employeesTable, "Employees"].Position + 1;
}
}
}
Compiling the Code
Create a Visual C# or Visual Basic project.
Add the TextBox and MaskedTextBox controls to the form, as described in the previous procedure.
Open the source code file for the project's default form.
Replace the source code in this file with the code listed in the previous "Code" section.
Compile the application.