Share variable across site ASP.NET

Question

I have a class isSearching with a single boolean property in a 'functions' file in my webapp. On my search page, I have a variable oSearchHandler declared as a Public Shared variable. How can I access the contents of oSearchHandler on other pages in my webapp?

Code with Session....

'search.aspx
Public Function oSearchString(ByVal oTextBoxName As String) As String
    For Each oKey As String In Request.Form.AllKeys
        If oKey.Contains(oTextBoxName) Then
            Session.Add("searching", True)
            Session.Add("search-term", Request.Form(oKey))
            Return Request.Form(oKey)
        End If
    Next
    Return ""
End Function

'theMaster.master
<%
If Session("searching") Then
%><ul style="float: right;">
    <li>
        <div class="gsSearch">
            <asp:TextBox ID="searchbox" runat="server"></asp:TextBox>
        </div>
    </li>
    <li>
        <div class="gsSearch">
            <asp:Button ID="searchbutton" runat="server" Text="search" UseSubmitBehavior="true" PostBackUrl="search.aspx" CssClass="searchBtn" />
        </div>
    </li>
</ul>
<%
End If
%>

I think that the session will work just fine.

Answer 1

If you're talking about accessing these variables between page interactions, you need to bear in mind that the state is discarded between pages.

Instead, you need to store this data in Session State.

If it's not across page interactions, but simply accessing the data from other parts of the code, the key is that the ASP.NET page becomes a class and your public shared variable, a static property of that class.

So, you'd access it from elsewhere using PageName.oSearchHandler

[EDIT] Can you give us some more information about what oSearchHandler is and how you're intending using it? We can probably offer a more considered recommendation, then.

Answer 2

If you want it accessible from multiple pages you should pull it off that individual page class and put it in a more globally accessable place such as the Application collection. Given the naming of the variable, is 0SearchHandler a delegate? I'm not as familiar with VB.NET as much or the terminology.

Update: Steve Morgan mentioned using the Session collection, when "static" or "shared" was mentioned, i was thinking more globally. Depending on how your using the variable you can use the "Application" if it will be shared between users and sessions, or the "session" if it will be used by one user in one session. In VB.NET they are both easy to use:

Session("yourKey") = YourObjectYouWantToSave
Application("yourKey") = YourObjectYouWantToSave

Very simple stuff.

'search.aspx
Public Function oSearchString(ByVal oTextBoxName As String) As String
    For Each oKey As String In Request.Form.AllKeys
        If oKey.Contains(oTextBoxName) Then
            Session("searching") = True
            Session("search-term") =  Request.Form(oKey)
            Return Request.Form(oKey)
        End If
    Next
    Return ""
End Function
' theMaster.master.vb
In PageLoad Method:
...
Dim bSearching as Boolean
bSearching = IIf(Session("searching") is Nothing, False, Session("searching") )

ulSearch.visible = bSearching
...

'theMaster.master
<ul style="float: right;" runat="server" id="ulSearch">
    <li>
        <div class="gsSearch">
            <asp:TextBox ID="searchbox" runat="server"></asp:TextBox>
        </div>
    </li>
    <li>
        <div class="gsSearch">
            <asp:Button ID="searchbutton" runat="server" Text="search" UseSubmitBehavior="true" PostBackUrl="search.aspx" CssClass="searchBtn" />
        </div>
    </li>
</ul>

Ok, that is some extra code but I think you would have less problems with it. Plus my VB is a bit rusty. Actually, If the master page is the page you will be using it on, I would put the variable as a public property on that masterpage. You can access the pages master page with this.Master (at least in C#, I think it's Me.Master in VB.NET).

Answer 3

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