How to programmatically add controls to a form in VB.NET

Question

I am working on an inventory in Visual Basic 2010 Express Edition. I don't know the number of fields that will be necessary for the inventory. My hope was that I could add textboxes/checkboxes/buttons using for loops in the program. Is there a way to add controls to a form without using the toolbox?

Can I add controls by instantiating them in the program?

Answer 1

Yes.

Private Sub MyForm_Load(ByVal sender As System.Object, ByVal e As System.EventArgs) Handles MyBase.Load
    Dim MyTextbox as New Textbox
    With MyTextbox
       .Size = New Size(100,20)
       .Location = New Point(20,20)
    End With
    AddHandler MyTextbox.TextChanged, AddressOf MyTextbox_Changed
    Me.Controls.Add(MyTextbox)

'Without a help environment for an intelli sense substitution
'the address name and the methods name
'cannot be wrote in exchange for each other.
'Until an equality operation is prior for an exchange i have to work
'on an as is base substituted.

End Sub

Friend Sub MyTextbox_Changed(sender as Object, e as EventArgs)
   'Write code here.
End Sub

Answer 2

Dim numberOfButtons As Integer
Dim buttons() as Button

Private Sub MyForm_Load(ByVal sender As System.Object, ByVal e As System.EventArgs) Handles MyBase.Load
    Redim buttons(numberOfbuttons)
    for counter as integer = 0 to numberOfbuttons
        With buttons(counter)
           .Size = (10, 10)
           .Visible = False
           .Location = (55, 33 + counter*13)
           .Text = "Button "+(counter+1).ToString ' or some name from an array you pass from main
           'any other property
        End With
        '
    next
End Sub

If you want to check which of the textboxes have information, or which radio button was clicked, you can iterate through a loop in an OK button.

If you want to be able to click individual array items and have them respond to events, add in the Form_load loop the following:

AddHandler buttons(counter).Clicked AddressOf All_Buttons_Clicked 

then create

Private Sub All_Buttons_Clicked(ByVal sender As System.Object, ByVal e As System.EventArgs)
     'some code here, can check to see which checkbox was changed, which button was clicked, by number or text
End Sub

when you call: objectYouCall.numberOfButtons = initial_value_from_main_program

response_yes_or_no_or_other = objectYouCall.ShowDialog()

For radio buttons, textboxes, same story, different ending.