C# - Fill a combo box with a DataTable

Question

I'm used to work with Java where large amounts of examples are available. For various reasons I had to switch to C# and trying to do the following in SharpDevelop:

// Form has a menu containing a combobox added via SharpDevelop's GUI

// --- Variables
languages = new string[2];
languages[0] = "English";
languages[1] = "German";
DataSet myDataSet = new DataSet();

// --- Preparation
DataTable lTable = new DataTable("Lang");
DataColumn lName = new DataColumn("Language", typeof(string));
lTable.Columns.Add( lName );
for( int i=0; i<languages.Length; i++ ) {
    DataRow lLang = lTable.NewRow();
    lLang["Language"] = languages[i];
    lTable.Rows.Add(lLang);
}
myDataSet.Tables.Add(lTable);

// --- Handling the combobox
mnuActionLanguage.ComboBox.DataSource = myDataSet.Tables["Lang"].DefaultView;
mnuActionLanguage.ComboBox.DisplayMember = "Language";

One would assume to see some values in the dropdown, but it's empty. Please tell me what I'm doing wrong ;(

EDIT: mnuActionLanguage.ComboBox.DataBind() is what I also found on the net, but it doesn't work in my case.

SOLUTION

mnuActionLanguage.ComboBox.BindingContext = this.BindingContext;

at the end solved the problem!

Answer 1

This line

mnuActionLanguage.ComboBox.DisplayMember = "Lang.Language";

is wrong. Change it to

mnuActionLanguage.ComboBox.DisplayMember = "Language";

and it will work (even without DataBind()).

Answer 2

A few points:

1) "DataBind()" is only for web apps (not windows apps).

2) Your code looks very 'JAVAish' (not a bad thing, just an observation).

Try this:

mnuActionLanguage.ComboBox.DataSource = languages;

If that doesn't work... then I'm assuming that your datasource is being stepped on somewhere else in the code.

Answer 3

Are you applying a RowFilter to your DefaultView later in the code? This could change the results returned.

I would also avoid using the string as the display member if you have a direct reference the the data column I would use the object properties:

mnuActionLanguage.ComboBox.DataSource = lTable.DefaultView;
mnuActionLanguage.ComboBox.DisplayMember = lName.ColumnName;

I have tried this with a blank form and standard combo, and seems to work for me.

Answer 4

You need to set the binding context of the ToolStripComboBox.ComboBox.

Here is a slightly modified version of the code that I have just recreated using Visual Studio. The menu item combo box is called toolStripComboBox1 in my case. Note the last line of code to set the binding context.

I noticed that if the combo is in the visible are of the toolstrip, the binding works without this but not when it is in a drop-down. Do you get the same problem?

If you can't get this working, drop me a line via my contact page and I will send you the project. You won't be able to load it using SharpDevelop but will with C# Express.

var languages = new string[2];
languages[0] = "English";
languages[1] = "German";

DataSet myDataSet = new DataSet();

// --- Preparation
DataTable lTable = new DataTable("Lang");
DataColumn lName = new DataColumn("Language", typeof(string));
lTable.Columns.Add(lName);

for (int i = 0; i < languages.Length; i++)
{
    DataRow lLang = lTable.NewRow();
    lLang["Language"] = languages[i];
    lTable.Rows.Add(lLang);
}
myDataSet.Tables.Add(lTable);

toolStripComboBox1.ComboBox.DataSource = myDataSet.Tables["Lang"].DefaultView;
toolStripComboBox1.ComboBox.DisplayMember = "Language";

toolStripComboBox1.ComboBox.BindingContext = this.BindingContext;

Answer 5

Thanks a lot!!! by referring ur code I got much knowledge>.........

Answer 6

Is there any way to combine two datacolumn into one display member?

Answer 7

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Answer 8

Hi, I am using combobox in my window application but i am facing one problem i.e. i am populating data into combobox from database but i want to set selectedIndex at design time or run time with coding not from database.... please help me....