Hi all,

Can someone give me a C# example of how i'd use a single code behind file for both a master page and a content page please? And on top of that, how would I create a set of shared functions that can then be used in codebehind of both the master and content pages?

 A very very very big-to-huge thanks in advance!

(word of warning: i'm a complete and utter .Net beginner)

Hi it is not possible to have a single code-behind file for master page as well as content page.  This is OOP.  All the common functionalities are done in master page and then content pages are derived from this page.  Example: Vehicle class is the master and Car is derived from the Vehicle as it provides more functionality particular to the car.

You can create shared\protected functions in the master page so that it can be accessed from the content pages.  Check the Master Page, master type property in the SDK.

Thanks for the reply codeasp. I'm really sorry, but i've no idea where i'm supposed to be looking in the SDK. If you could tell me where to find the article(s) i'd appreciate it, or even better, where I could find some C# examples on the web.

Thanks again for your help so far.

If you have some shared functions you want each to use, you could create a new class, call it BaseFunctions. Create a new interface, IBaseFunctions that exposes those function signatures, then... in your Page and MasterPage, include references to those interfaces. For instance:

// Base class functions
public class BaseFunctions
{
     public string getUserName()
     {
          return Request.Cookies["Username"].Value;
     }
}

// Interface
public interface IBaseFunctions
{
     string getUserName();
}

// Webpage
public partial class _Default : Page, IBaseFunctions
{
     Response.Write("My username is: " + getUserName());
}

// Masterpage
public partial class _Default : MasterPage, IBaseFunctions
{
     Response.Write("My username is: " + getUserName());
}

Thanks Mike - that's brilliant! Am I right in saying that the BaseFunctions and IBaseFunctions interface go inside the Master page's code behind? Or do they go in a new file (if so, how is the new file 'linked-in' to the master and content pages)?

A very big thanks for that so far!

Ok.. this is a little mixed. In the end you will still need to use two classes. PageBase and MasterBase. Each can implement it's own interface, or the same one. IBaseFunctions can still be used. When you reference an interface like that in the declaration, that means you will have to have functions in the class to support all methods that are defined in the interface. In other words, in our interface, we have one method... string getUserName. You will need that function to exist in bot PageBase and MasterBase, if you want to use the interface in them.

To keep everything encapsulated in one base class, such as BaseFunctions, you can use this model:

// Interface
public interface IBaseFunctions
{
     string getUserName();
}

public class BaseFunctions : IBaseFunctions
{
      public getUsername(){
        return "blah";
      }
}

then, in your page base class, and masterpage base class, you do

// Base class functions
public class PageBase : Page, IBaseFunctions
{
     BaseFunctions bs = new BaseFunctions();

     string IBaseFunctions.getUserName()
     {
	return this.getUserName();
     }

     public virtual getUserName()
     {
	return bs.getUserName();	
     }
}

// Base class functions
public class MasterBase : MasterPage, IBaseFunctions
{
     BaseFunctions bs = new BaseFunctions();

     string IBaseFunctions.getUserName()
     {
	return this.getUserName();
     }

     public virtual getUserName()
     {
	return bs.getUserName();	
     }
}

To add on to what I said above; With that code in place, you can declare your pages like:

public partial class _default : PageBase

 and your master pages like:

public partial class _default : MasterBase

 
Doing so will give you access to all of you BaseFunctions methods.
 

Whoa - thanks for taking the time to do all that Mike.

 1 last question: Where do I put my shard base class and interface? I'm guessing that the rest goes in the master page's code behind and the content page's codebehind as appropriate. Does the shared stuff go in with the master page-specific code?

 Thanks again (again!).

Hi - still having trouble with this unfortunately.

I've added the various bits of code into .cs files, stuck them in the App_Code directory, and uploaded it. The problem is that the moment I change the line:

to:

Doesn't look like youe created this:

public class MasterBase : MasterPage, IBaseFunctions
{
     BaseFunctions bs = new BaseFunctions();

     string IBaseFunctions.getUserName()
     {
	return this.getUserName();
     }

     public virtual getUserName()
     {
	return bs.getUserName();	
     }
}

Right. Actually, the problem was all my fault - I was using the App_Data folder rather than App_Code! Doh!

New problem though. I get an error in BaseFunctions.cs:

"CS1520: Class, struct, or interface method must have a return type"

It points to this line (line 3) in the file:

public class BaseFunctions : IBaseFunctions
Line 2:  {
Line 3:  public getUsername(){
Line 4:  return "blah";
Line 5:  }

Any ideas? Thanks again again again (!)

woops.. should be:

public string getUsername(){

Thanks Mike - new error now:

"CS1520: Class, struct, or interface method must have a return type"

Line 8:  }
Line 9: 
Line 10: public virtual getUserName()
Line 11: {
Line 12: return bs.getUserName();

That occurs in MasterBase.cs

Really, a big thanks for all this help. I can understand what all this is doing, but i'm not even close to being able to understand what's not working (yet!).

Taking a guess, should the red line be "public virtual string getUserName()"? When I make that change, I get this new error in BaseFunctions.cs:

"CS0535: 'BaseFunctions' does not implement interface member 'IBaseFunctions.getUserName()'"

Line 1:  public class BaseFunctions : IBaseFunctions
Line 2:  {
Line 3:  public string getUsername(){

Right - got it working - thanks Mike! There was a getUsername and a getUserName. Looks like .net thinks they're different because of the difference in case (is that right/true?).

Final problem: how do I actually use the function. Right now, i've just got my master page using ": MasterBase" and it loads fine. When I insert "string myvar = getUserName();" it all breaks. I've also tried "getUserName myvar = new getUserName();" with no luck. To be honest, the eventual intention is to replace the 'return "blah";' fucntion with one that accepts a string and formats it for 'true' html (e.g. replace "&" with "&"), so "string myvar = getUserName();" isn;t really what I want to do with the final thing - I want to do this: "string myvar = myNewFunction("this is my string to be formatted");". If I do that right now with getUserName, I just get a "can't fint getUserName()" message...

 Any (final) ideas?

Thanks!

When you try:
string myvar = getUserName();

What is the error you get? See if you get intellisense when typing out:
string myvar = base.

The 'base' keyword in this case, points at the MasterBase class.

If you would, paste the full source of your masterpage cs file. Not the MasterBase....
 

Right: the error when using "string myvar = getUserName();" is "CS0120: An object reference is required for the nonstatic field, method, or property 'MasterBase.getUserName()'"

And here's the code snippet it gives:

Line 12: public partial class Master : MasterBase
Line 13: {
Line 14: string myvar = getUserName();
Line 15: OleDbConnection DBConnection1;
Line 16: OleDbCommand DBCommand1;

Right, and here's my entire Master page code behind:

Erm... i'll try the code again...

using System;
using System.Data;
using System.Configuration;
using System.Web;
using System.Web.Security;
using System.Web.UI;
using System.Web.UI.WebControls;
using System.Web.UI.WebControls.WebParts;
using System.Web.UI.HtmlControls;
using System.Data.OleDb;

public partial class Master : MasterBase
{
	//string myvar = getUserName();
	OleDbConnection DBConnection1;
	OleDbCommand DBCommand1;
	OleDbDataReader DBDataReader1;
	
	protected void Page_Load(object sender, EventArgs e)
	{
		try
		{
			DBConnection1 = new OleDbConnection(System.Configuration.ConfigurationManager.AppSettings["ConnectionString"]);
			DBConnection1.Open();
		} catch (Exception err) {
			Response.Write("Error: " + err.ToString() + "<br />");
		}
		
		string BackgroundImage = "";
		string BackgroundTagText = "";
		string BackgroundTagUrl = "";
		string ColourMain = "#990000";
		string ColourSecondary = "#FF0000";
		DBCommand1 = new OleDbCommand("SELECT TOP 1 * FROM SiteTheme ORDER BY RND((1000*ID))", DBConnection1);
		DBDataReader1 = DBCommand1.ExecuteReader();
		if (DBDataReader1.Read())
		{
			BackgroundImage = DBDataReader1["BackgroundImage"].ToString();
			BackgroundTagText = FormatString(DBDataReader1["BackgroundTagText"].ToString());
			BackgroundTagUrl = FormatStringUrlIn(DBDataReader1["BackgroundTagUrl"].ToString());
			ColourMain = DBDataReader1["ColourMain"].ToString();
			ColourSecondary = DBDataReader1["ColourSecondary"].ToString();
		}
		DBCommand1.Dispose();
		DBDataReader1.Close();
		Style1.Text = ColourMain;
		Style2.Text = ColourSecondary;
		Style3.Text = BackgroundImage;
		Style4.Text = ColourMain;
		Style5.Text = ColourMain;
		Style6.Text = ColourMain;
		Style7.Text = ColourMain;
		Style8.Text = ColourSecondary;
		ContentBackTagA.InnerText = BackgroundTagText;
		ContentBackTagA.HRef = BackgroundTagUrl;
	}
	
	public string FormatString(object TheString)
	{
		string TheStringOutput = (string)TheString;
		TheStringOutput = TheStringOutput.Trim();
		TheStringOutput = TheStringOutput.Replace("&","&");
		TheStringOutput = TheStringOutput.Replace("&","&");
		TheStringOutput = TheStringOutput.Replace("  "," ");
		return TheStringOutput;
	}
	
	public string FormatStringUrlIn(object TheString)
	{
		string TheStringOutput = (string)TheString;
		TheStringOutput = TheStringOutput.Replace("&","-amp-");
		TheStringOutput = TheStringOutput.Replace("-amp-amp;","-amp-");
		TheStringOutput = TheStringOutput.Replace("/","-fdsl-");
		TheStringOutput = TheStringOutput.Replace("\\","-bksl-");
		TheStringOutput = TheStringOutput.Replace("\"","-dbqu-");
		TheStringOutput = TheStringOutput.Replace("'","-siqu-");
		return TheStringOutput;
	}
	
	public string FormatStringUrlOut(object TheString)
	{
		string TheStringOutput = (string)TheString;
		TheStringOutput = TheStringOutput.Replace("-amp-","&");
		TheStringOutput = TheStringOutput.Replace("-fdsl-","/");
		TheStringOutput = TheStringOutput.Replace("-bksl-","\\");
		TheStringOutput = TheStringOutput.Replace("-dbqu-","\"");
		TheStringOutput = TheStringOutput.Replace("-siqu-","'");
		return TheStringOutput;
	}
	
	protected void Page_Unload()
	{
		if (DBConnection1.State.ToString() == "Open")
		DBConnection1.Close();
	}
}