Is there any way to create a global function to clear TextBoxes? - vb.net

Question

I was wondering if there is any way to create a class with a global function/method/sub that upon
calling it will clear some of the textboxes of the form. How can i handle the different number of textboxes
each forms has?
The current code clears only the pre-defined 2 boxes. Thank you.
Public Class ClearElements
Public Sub CLEAR_TEXT(ByVal text1 As TextBox, ByVal text2 As TextBox)
text1.Clear()
text2.Clear()
End Sub
End Class

Answer 1

There are many ways to do it.
You can add the TextBoxes to a List, and clear each item in the list
Private ReadOnly someOfTheTextBoxes As New List(Of TextBox)
Private Sub Form1_Load(sender As Object, e As EventArgs) Handles MyBase.Load
someOfTheTextBoxes.Add(TextBox1)
someOfTheTextBoxes.Add(TextBox2)
End Sub
Private Sub Button1_Click(sender As Object, e As EventArgs) Handles Button1.Click
For Each t In someOfTheTextBoxes
t.Clear()
Next
End Sub
Or make this method
Public Sub CLEAR_TEXT(textboxes As IEnumerable(Of TextBox))
For Each t In textboxes
t.Clear()
Next
End Sub
and call it with your list of TextBoxes
Private Sub Button2_Click(sender As Object, e As EventArgs) Handles Button2.Click
CLEAR_TEXT(someOfTheTextBoxes)
End Sub
or make an array on the spot and pass it in
Private Sub Button3_Click(sender As Object, e As EventArgs) Handles Button3.Click
CLEAR_TEXT({TextBox1, TextBox2})
End Sub
If you are interested in recursion at all, here are some extensions I have which could help
Module Extensions
<Runtime.CompilerServices.Extension>
Public Function ChildControls(parent As Control) As IEnumerable(Of Control)
Return ChildControls(Of Control)(parent)
End Function
<Runtime.CompilerServices.Extension>
Public Function ChildControls(Of TControl As Control)(parent As Control) As IEnumerable(Of TControl)
Dim result As New List(Of TControl)
For Each ctrl As Control In parent.Controls
If TypeOf ctrl Is TControl Then result.Add(CType(ctrl, TControl))
result.AddRange(ctrl.ChildControls(Of TControl)())
Next
Return result
End Function
<Runtime.CompilerServices.Extension>
Public Function ForEach(Of TSource)(source As IEnumerable(Of TSource), action As Action(Of TSource)) As IEnumerable(Of TSource)
For Each item As TSource In source
action(item)
Next item
Return source
End Function
<Runtime.CompilerServices.Extension>
Public Function ForEach(Of TSource)(source As IEnumerable(Of TSource), action As Action(Of TSource, Integer)) As IEnumerable(Of TSource)
For i As Integer = 0 To source.Count() - 1
action(source.ElementAt(i), i)
Next
Return source
End Function
End Module
Clear all textboxes recursively
Me.ChildControls(Of TextBox).ForEach(Sub(t) t.Clear())
Or ForEach on your list
someOfTheTextBoxes.ForEach(Sub(t) t.Clear())

Answer 2

We have this:
You could recursively go through all the controls in the form and in case of type = Textbox clear it.
But then the plot thickens:
I've done that before. It clears all the boxes of the form. I am talking about the case where some boxes have to be untouched and some to cleared.
The solution here is two parts. First, create the recursive method as suggested like this:
Public Sub ClearText(root As Control)
For Each ctrl As Control In Root.Controls
If TypeOf ctrl Is TextBox Then ctrl.Text = String.Empty
ClearText(ctrl)
Next ctrl
End Sub
or this:
Public Sub ClearText(root As IEnumerable(Of Control))
For Each ctrl As Control In root
If TypeOf ctrl Is TextBox Then ctrl.Text = String.Empty
ClearText(ctrl.Controls)
Next ctrl
End Sub
Second, on your form, use a container like Panel, GroupBox, FlowLayoutPanel, etc for the TextBox controls you need to clear. The key is all of the TextBox controls you need to clear — and none of the ones you want to keep — should be in same common container. Once that is done, you can pass the container to one of the above methods. If this messes with your layout, you can have a small number of containers for sets of controls on different areas of the form and call the function just a few times.
Remember, Panel controls can be styled to leave no visible artifacts on the parent form at all, and used entirely for logical groupings. The second version of the method above will also allow you to create arrays or lists of the controls (or control containers) you care about.
Another way to control this is to inherit a custom control from TextBox. You don't even need to change anything. All that matters is the control is now a different type from a regular textbox, and so the recursive method can target your new control type instead of textbox.

Answer 3

I'm using For in some cases.
First is to know for what do you need Textboxes or any component.
Second is to know if Textboxes (or any other component) will be inside Form (root) or inside others components like panels, groupoxes, tabPages… and if them will be inside of others.
Example1: Form – GroupBox(x) – TabControl(y) – TabPage(z) – TextBox(n)
Example2: Form --- TextBox(x)
Example3: Form – GroupBoox(x) – Panel(y) – TextBox(n)
Etcetera.
You may to create some anidated subs/functions to complete something more elaborated. There are two important things:
Path of the component (see previous examples)
Number of the component. If you follow Example3, maybe could be this:
Form1 – GroupBox2 – Panel1 – TextBox3
Important: These are names of the components, and you need must be enumerated all of them.
The easy way to do what you are asking is:
Public Sub CountTextBoxesAndClear(ByVal FormName As String, Optional ByVal myObject As Object = Nothing)
Dim ArrayTextBoxName() As String
Dim myTextBox As New TextBox
Dim nTBOX As Integer
'Path of component
If myObject = Nothing Then myObject = My.Application.OpenForms.Item(FormName)
'Bucle
For i As Integer = 0 To myObject.Controls.Count - 1
If myObject.Controls(i).GetType Is GetType(TextBox) Then
'Counting
nTBOX += 1
'Redim array
ReDim Preserve ArrayTextBoxName(nTBOX)
'Get Component
ArrayTextBoxName(nTBOX) = "TextBox" & nTBOX
'Get Path
myTextBox = myObject.Controls.Item(ArrayTextBoxName(nTBOX))
'myTextBox = myObject.Controls.Item("TextBox" & nTBOX) '<< the same of above line
Try
'Clear TextBoxes
myTextBox.Clear()
Catch ex As NullReferenceException
'A TextBox is Null, no error message
End Try
End If
Next
End Sub
FormName is the name of Form, with quotes, for example “Form1”.
myObject is the object that contains textboxes, if Textboxes are inside of a Panel named Panel1, you must write Panel1 (without quotes).
Try/Catch: Maybe you need to have Textbox1, TextBox2, Textbox4, Textbox5, AnotherTextBox1, AnotherTextBox2.
And you call your sub:
CountTextBoxesAndClear("Form1")
If TextBoxes are into a Panel named Panel1:
CountTextBoxesAndClear("Form1", Panel1)
You must to have the total of textboxes but only clear (or do any action) only for TextBoxes named TextBox[x].
Try/Catch manage the error because TextBox3 does not exist. However, the correct way is Textbox1, TextBox2, Textbox3, Textbox4, AnotherTextBox1, AnotherTextBox2 and put limits in your sub/function.
For example:
Public Sub CountTextBoxesAndClear(ByVal FormName As String, Optional ByVal myObject As Object = Nothing, Optional byval start as integer = 0, Optional byval finish as integer = 0)
[…tracatra…]
For i As Integer = start To finish
[…tratra…]
Next
End Sub
And this is how to call:
CountTextBoxesAndClear("Form1", Nothing, 1, 4)
And now, you can investigate a little bit about how create subs/functions to know correct paths of components, and get contents and properties of TextBoxes, Labels, Comboboxes, checkboxes…
Additional info:
If you are working in VisualStudio, you know that if you change a name of component, all of code is changed automatically. This is a big problem if you are using start/finish vars as numbers because, you must to change manually all start/finish values in functions when you need to add/remove or move positions, for example:
CountTextBoxesAndClear("Form1", Nothing, 8, 12)
Now you need to add a new TextBox just in the eight position and move one. Your sub looks like this:
CountTextBoxesAndClear("Form1", Nothing, 9, 13)
You can create a simply function that convert the name of the component to integer (this function is only for two digits (0 to 99):
Public Function ObjToInt(ByVal IntObject As Object) As Integer
If IntObject IsNot Nothing Then
Dim ref As Integer = Val(IntObject.Name.Substring(IntObject.Name.Length - 2))
If ref = 0 Then
ref = Val(IntObject.Name.Substring(IntObject.Name.Length - 1))
End If
Return ref
Else
Return 0
End If
End Function
And your sub may be written like this:
CountTextBoxesAndClear("Form1", Nothing, ObjToInt(TextBox9), ObjToInt(TextBox13))

Answer 4

Thanks for your awesome solutions.
I finally figured it out using ParamArray
Public Sub CLEAR_TEXTBOXES(ParamArray arr_textboxes() As TextBox)
For Each textbox As TextBox In arr_textboxes
textbox.Clear()
Next
End Sub
Then i call class using whatever textbox i want,
CLS_CLEAR_TEXTBOX.CLEAR_TEXTBOXES(TextBox1, TextBox2, Textbox7)

Answer 5

It's more shorter method.
Use ParamArray and Linq.
Public Sub CLEAR_TEXT(ParamArray text As TextBox())
text.ToList().ForEach(Sub(s) s.Clear())
End Sub