What is smartDBforms.NET?
smartDBforms.NET is an ASP.NET framework that allows fast and easy creation of database entry forms.
Which versions of ASP.NET are supported?
smartDBforms.NET requires ASP.NET 2.0 or above. The new features of ASP.NET 2.0, such as two-way databinding and smart tags have been integrated.
Which are the main Web server controls in smartDBforms.NET?
SmartDBView is the container and in general represents one database form. The
SmartDataSource control reads and persists the data to the underlying database. It is similar to the MS SqlDataSource control.
SmartDBControl represents the user interface for one data table field. SmartDBControl is placed in the SmartDBView. It is a placeholder for the dynamically generated user interface.
What are the three steps that I need to do to have a complete database form?
You place and configure a SmartDataSource control. Then you place a SmartDBView container and select the 'Create all fields' and 'Create All Buttons' commands. You order the created SmartDBControl controls at your wish.
How can I create my own user interface templates?
Once you have installed smartDBforms.NET and have opened your website, go to 'File/New File' menu and select 'smartDBforms.NET template Web User Control'. This will create a new .ascx file. In design view at the top of it you will find the smartDBforms.Net command bar. Use its smart tag commands to create new templates. In source view you will find the method SelectTemplateID. Implement this method to map the data types to your user interface templates.
How can the user switch between read-only, insert and edit mode?
You can place New or Edit buttons in the SmartDBView container by selecting the appropriate command from its smart tag panel. The New button, when pressed, switches the container into insert mode and the Edit button switches to edit mode. The DefaultMode property determines the initial mode.
What controls can I place on the SmartDBView container?
SmartDBControl is not the only control that can be placed on the SmartDBView container. You can place and data bind whatever controls you need. The behavior is the same as when you are working with a standard template control – such as DataList for example.
OK, I placed SmartDBControl, but I need a specific user interface template to be used. I do not need automatic template selection. Is this possible?
Yes. Just select your SmartDBControl and open the smart tag panel. From the TemplateID drop down list you can select the preferred template. From now on this template will be used, whatever the field data type is.
Can I databind SmartDBView against other data sources? Can I use SqlDataSource .NET control instead of SmartDataSource?
SmartDBControl expects the data source of its SmartDBView container to be of type System.Data.DataView. So you can use SqlDataSource, but its DataSourceMode property should be set to “DataSet”. SqlDataSource will provide limited functionality, because it neither extracts primary key information, nor columns additional information.
If you databind SmartDBView programmatically using it's DataSource property and DataBind method, make sure to add a call to DataAdapter.FillSchema in order to add additional information to the DataTable.
The SmartDBControl displays the label and the user interface together, but I need the label to be displayed at another position. What do I do?
Select your SmartDBControl and open the smart tag panel. Select the “Detach Label” command. A new control representing the label for the SmartDBControl is inserted and you can place it wherever you want.
Is it possible to place a SmartDBControl in a navigation component that is a child of the SmartDBView container?
Yes, you can place your SmartDBControl instances in subcontainers as long as they are not being Naming containers. If you add controls in subcontainers that are databinding
containers then the added controls will be databound to the respective data source of the subcontainer.
How do I specify the CSS while I am creating my templates? How do I reuse my CSS in my database forms?
When you create your own template storage ascx file you can put your css style definition in one or more css files. For each css file you can place a SmartCSSLink control on the ascx file. When a SmartDBView container is rendered on a web page the used css files will automatically be referenced in this web page.
Is it possible to place more than one SmartDBView containers on one ASP.NET web page?
Yes, of course. You can place as many SmartDBView containers as you want and as many SmartDataSource controls as you need.
Which databases are supported?
The current version supports:
- MS SQL Server(MS SQL Server 2000, MS SQL Server 2005, MS SQL Server 2005 Express and later)
- MS Access( MS Access 2000, MS Access 2002, MS Access 2003 databases and later )
Is ASP.NET AJAX supported?
Yes, smartDBforms.NET works with ASP.NET AJAX. Simply place SmartDBView and SmartDataSource in the UpdatePanel ASP.NET AJAX control.
I have created my own template storage ascx file, but still the old one is used. How can I make my template storage file the active one?
Just open your template storage ascx file in design view and select the “Activate” smart tag command from the command bar. This will register your ascx file as the active template storage in Web.config.