HUsing ADO.NET 2.0 with Microsoft Access Databases - Cengage ...

8 Appendix H Using ADO.NET 2.0 with Microsoft Access Databases
Bound controls are also referred
to as data-aware controls.
BINDING THE OBJECTS IN A DATASET
For the user to view the contents of a dataset while an application is running, you
need to connect one or more objects in the dataset to one or more controls in the
interface. Connecting an object to a control is called binding, and the connected
controls are called bound controls. Figure H.9 lists various ways of binding
the objects in a dataset. Notice that you can bind an object either to a control
that the computer creates for you, or to an existing control in the interface.
HOW TO…
Bind the Objects in a Dataset
To have the computer create a control and then bind an object to it:
1. In the Data Sources window, click the object you want to bind.
2. If necessary, use the object’s list arrow to change the control type.
3. Drag the object to an empty area on the form, then release the mouse
button. The computer creates the appropriate control and binds the
object to it.
To bind an object to an existing control:
1. In the Data Sources window, click the object you want to bind.
2. Drag the object to the control on the form, then release the
mouse button.
OR
1. Click the control on the form.
2. Use the Properties window to set the appropriate property or properties.
(Refer to the Binding to an Existing Control section in this appendix.)
FIGURE H.9
How to bind the objects in a dataset
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Having the Computer Create a Bound Control
As indicated in Figure H.9, one way to bind an object from a dataset is to drag
the object to an empty area on the form. When you do this, the computer creates
the necessary control and automatically binds the object to it. The icon
that appears before the object’s name in the Data Sources window indicates the
type of control the computer will create. For example, the icon shown in
Figure H.10 indicates that the computer will create a DataGridView control
when you drag the tblEmploy table object to the form. A DataGridView
control displays the table data in a row and columnar format, similar to a
spreadsheet. Each row in the control represents a record, and each column represents
a field. The icon, on the other hand, indicates that the computer
will create a text box when you drag a field object to the form.