VB.net 2008 Property Array

Question

Hi can anyone help here? I am currently learning VB.net but for a project I need to create and array and pass it using a property. The data to be passed will be a train's destination, the time its due and the expected time of the train. I was wondering if someone could simplly explain how to first produce an array and then show how to pass it to a custom control using a property any help would be great.

Thank you.

Answer 1

Those things don't look like really fitting into an array to me. Are you sure you need an array? Is your question really how you pass parameters to a function?

Answer 2

If you want to provide multiple values to a control, one clean way to do this is to have separate properties, one for each value, instead of trying to pass them all in one array. Another clean way to do this is to create a new class (type) that combines all these values into one structure, and expose a single property of that type. For example:

Public Class TrainDetails
    Private _destination As String
    Private _due As DateTime
    Private _expected as DateTime

    Public Property Destination As String
        Get
            Return _destination
        End Get
        Set
            _destination = Value
        End Set
    End Property

    Public Property Due As DateTime
        Get
            Return _due
        End Get
        Set
            _due = Value
        End Set
    End Property

    Public Property Expected As DateTime
        Get
            Return _expected
        End Get
        Set
            _expected = Value
        End Set
    End Property
End Class

(Note, I think it's necessary to implement property procedures instead of directly exposing the internal field values in order for the properties to show up in a property grid.)

So if you have this class, then you can create a property of type TrainDetails on your control that will encapsulate all these properties in one value. I think they will be editable in the property grid as a single property with an expandable "+" next to it to edit the individual values.