WebPartManager.CanConnectWebParts Method

Reference

Definition

Namespace:: System.Web.UI.WebControls.WebParts

Assembly:: System.Web.dll

Important

Some information relates to prerelease product that may be substantially modified before it’s released. Microsoft makes no warranties, express or implied, with respect to the information provided here.

Checks the WebPart controls that will be participating in a connection to determine whether they are capable of being connected.

Overloads

CanConnectWebParts(WebPart, ProviderConnectionPoint, WebPart, ConsumerConnectionPoint)	Checks the WebPart controls that will be participating in a connection to determine whether they are capable of being connected, when the consumer and provider controls have compatible interfaces and a WebPartTransformer object is not needed.
CanConnectWebParts(WebPart, ProviderConnectionPoint, WebPart, ConsumerConnectionPoint, WebPartTransformer)	Checks the WebPart controls that will be participating in a connection to determine whether they are capable of being connected, and uses a WebPartTransformer object to create the connection between an incompatible consumer and provider.

Remarks

The CanConnectWebParts method is used to determine whether two WebPart controls can be connected. The method is typically used as a conditional check prior to calling the ConnectWebParts method.

The CanConnectWebParts method checks a number of criteria that must be met before two controls can form a connection. The following list summarizes the primary criteria for making a connection. If all these criteria (plus some additional internal conditions) are met, the method returns true, meaning that the controls can be connected:

The provider and consumer controls cannot be null, and they must be contained in the collection of controls referenced by the WebParts property.
The provider and consumer cannot be the same control. In other words a WebPart control cannot connect to itself.
The ConnectionPoint objects (connection points) for both the provider and consumer cannot be null.
The provider and consumer cannot be closed (neither control's IsClosed property can be true).
The ControlType property of the connection point control must match the type of the control of both consumer and provider.
The connection points must both be enabled (their GetEnabled methods must both return true).
Each connection point must not be attempting to form more connections than what is specified in its own AllowsMultipleConnections property.
If a WebPartTransformer object (transformer) is required to connect incompatible controls, it cannot be null. However, if the controls are already compatible, the transformer must be null.
The transformer (if used) must be referenced in the AvailableTransformers collection.
The transformer (if used) must have interfaces that are compatible with the provider and the consumer so that it can transform data between the two controls. The secondary interfaces of the consumer and provider must also be compatible.

CanConnectWebParts(WebPart, ProviderConnectionPoint, WebPart, ConsumerConnectionPoint)

Checks the WebPart controls that will be participating in a connection to determine whether they are capable of being connected, when the consumer and provider controls have compatible interfaces and a WebPartTransformer object is not needed.

public:
 bool CanConnectWebParts(System::Web::UI::WebControls::WebParts::WebPart ^ provider, System::Web::UI::WebControls::WebParts::ProviderConnectionPoint ^ providerConnectionPoint, System::Web::UI::WebControls::WebParts::WebPart ^ consumer, System::Web::UI::WebControls::WebParts::ConsumerConnectionPoint ^ consumerConnectionPoint);

public bool CanConnectWebParts (System.Web.UI.WebControls.WebParts.WebPart provider, System.Web.UI.WebControls.WebParts.ProviderConnectionPoint providerConnectionPoint, System.Web.UI.WebControls.WebParts.WebPart consumer, System.Web.UI.WebControls.WebParts.ConsumerConnectionPoint consumerConnectionPoint);

member this.CanConnectWebParts : System.Web.UI.WebControls.WebParts.WebPart * System.Web.UI.WebControls.WebParts.ProviderConnectionPoint * System.Web.UI.WebControls.WebParts.WebPart * System.Web.UI.WebControls.WebParts.ConsumerConnectionPoint -> bool

Public Function CanConnectWebParts (provider As WebPart, providerConnectionPoint As ProviderConnectionPoint, consumer As WebPart, consumerConnectionPoint As ConsumerConnectionPoint) As Boolean

Parameters

provider: WebPart

The control that provides data to consumer when the controls are connected.

providerConnectionPoint: ProviderConnectionPoint

A ConnectionPoint that enables provider to participate in a connection.

consumer: WebPart

The control that receives data from provider when the controls are connected.

consumerConnectionPoint: ConsumerConnectionPoint

A ConnectionPoint that acts as a callback method so that consumer can participate in a connection.

Returns

Boolean

A Boolean value that indicates whether provider and consumer can be connected.

Examples

The following code example demonstrates how to use this method.

The code example has four parts:

A user control that enables you to change display modes on a Web Parts page.
A Web page that contains two custom WebPart controls that can be connected, an <asp:webpartmanager> element, and some event-handling code that creates a connection using the CanConnectWebParts method.
A source code file that contains two custom WebPart controls, and a custom interface.
An explanation of how the example works in a browser.

The first part of the code example is the user control for changing display modes. You can obtain the source code for the user control from the Example section of the WebPartManager class overview. For more information about display modes and how the user control works, see Walkthrough: Changing Display Modes on a Web Parts Page.

The declarative markup for the Web page contains Register directives for both the user control and the custom controls. There is an <asp:webpartmanager> element, an <asp:webpartzone> element to contain the custom controls, and an <asp:connectionszone> element. Notice that in the Page_Load method, the code checks whether the connection can be made and, if so, defines a provider, a consumer, and their respective connection points, and then adds a new connection to the set of static connections referenced by the StaticConnections property.

<%@ Page Language="C#" %>
<%@ register TagPrefix="uc1" 
  TagName="DisplayModeMenuCS" 
  Src="DisplayModeMenuCS.ascx" %>
<%@ register tagprefix="aspSample" 
  Namespace="Samples.AspNet.CS.Controls" 
  Assembly="ConnectionSampleCS"%>

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN"
    "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd">
<script runat="server">

  protected void Page_Load(object sender, EventArgs e)
  {
    
    // Define provider, consumer, and connection points.
    WebPart provider = mgr.WebParts["zip1"];
    ProviderConnectionPoint provConnPoint =
      mgr.GetProviderConnectionPoints(provider)["ZipCodeProvider"];
    WebPart consumer = mgr.WebParts["weather1"];
    ConsumerConnectionPoint consConnPoint =
      mgr.GetConsumerConnectionPoints(consumer)["ZipCodeConsumer"];
    
    // Check whether the connection already exists.
    if (mgr.CanConnectWebParts(provider, provConnPoint,
      consumer, consConnPoint))
    {
      // Create a new static connection.
      WebPartConnection conn = new WebPartConnection();
      conn.ID = "staticConn1";
      conn.ConsumerID = "weather1";
      conn.ConsumerConnectionPointID = "ZipCodeConsumer";
      conn.ProviderID = "zip1";
      conn.ProviderConnectionPointID = "ZipCodeProvider";
      mgr.StaticConnections.Add(conn);
    }
 }

</script>

<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" >
<head id="Head1" runat="server">
    <title>ASP.NET Example</title>
</head>
<body>
    <form id="form1" runat="server">
      <!-- Reference the WebPartManager control. -->
      <asp:WebPartManager ID="mgr" runat="server" />   
    <div>
      <uc1:DisplayModeMenuCS ID="displaymode1" 
        runat="server" />
      <!-- Reference consumer and provider controls 
           in a zone. -->
      <asp:WebPartZone ID="WebPartZone1" runat="server">
        <ZoneTemplate>
          <aspSample:ZipCodeWebPart ID="zip1" 
            runat="server" 
            Title="Zip Code Control"/>
          <aspSample:WeatherWebPart ID="weather1" 
            runat="server" 
            Title="Weather Control" />
        </ZoneTemplate>
      </asp:WebPartZone>
      <hr />
      <!-- Add a ConnectionsZone so users can connect 
           controls. -->
      <asp:ConnectionsZone ID="ConnectionsZone1" 
        runat="server" />
    </div>
    </form>
</body>
</html>

<%@ Page Language="vb" %>
<%@ register TagPrefix="uc1" 
  TagName="DisplayModeMenuVB" 
  Src="DisplayModeMenuVB.ascx" %>
<%@ register tagprefix="aspSample" 
  Namespace="Samples.AspNet.VB.Controls" 
  Assembly="ConnectionSampleVB"%>

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN"
    "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd">
<script runat="server">

  Protected Sub Page_Load(ByVal sender As Object, _
    ByVal e As System.EventArgs)
    
    ' Define provider, consumer, and connection points.
    Dim provider As WebPart = mgr.WebParts("zip1")
    Dim provConnPoint As ProviderConnectionPoint = _
      mgr.GetProviderConnectionPoints(provider)("ZipCodeProvider")
    Dim consumer As WebPart = mgr.WebParts("weather1")
    Dim consConnPoint As ConsumerConnectionPoint = _
      mgr.GetConsumerConnectionPoints(consumer)("ZipCodeConsumer")
    
    ' Check whether the connection already exists.
    If mgr.CanConnectWebParts(provider, provConnPoint, _
      consumer, consConnPoint) Then
      ' Create a new static connection.
      Dim conn As New WebPartConnection()
      conn.ID = "staticConn1"
      conn.ConsumerID = "weather1"
      conn.ConsumerConnectionPointID = "ZipCodeConsumer"
      conn.ProviderID = "zip1"
      conn.ProviderConnectionPointID = "ZipCodeProvider"
      mgr.StaticConnections.Add(conn)
    End If
    
  End Sub
  
</script>

<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" >
<head id="Head1" runat="server">
    <title>ASP.NET Example</title>
</head>
<body>
    <form id="form1" runat="server">
      <!-- Reference the WebPartManager control. -->
      <asp:WebPartManager ID="mgr" runat="server" />   
    <div>
      <uc1:DisplayModeMenuVB ID="displaymode1" 
        runat="server" />
      <!-- Reference consumer and provider controls 
           in a zone. -->
      <asp:WebPartZone ID="WebPartZone1" runat="server">
        <ZoneTemplate>
          <aspSample:ZipCodeWebPart ID="zip1" 
            runat="server" 
            Title="Zip Code Control"/>
          <aspSample:WeatherWebPart ID="weather1" 
            runat="server" 
            Title="Weather Control" />
        </ZoneTemplate>
      </asp:WebPartZone>
      <hr />
      <!-- Add a ConnectionsZone so users can connect 
           controls. -->
      <asp:ConnectionsZone ID="ConnectionsZone1" 
        runat="server" />
    </div>
    </form>
</body>
</html>

The third part of the example is the source code for the controls. It contains an interface and two custom WebPart controls, one acting as a provider, and the other as a consumer. Because they have compatible connection points (both of them recognize the IZipCode interface), a transformer is not needed to make the connection. For the code example to run, you must compile this source code. You can compile it explicitly and put the resulting assembly in your Web site's Bin folder or the global assembly cache. Alternatively, you can put the source code in your site's App_Code folder, where it will be dynamically compiled at run time. For a walkthrough that demonstrates how to compile, see Walkthrough: Developing and Using a Custom Web Server Control.

namespace Samples.AspNet.CS.Controls
{
  using System;
  using System.Web;
  using System.Web.Security;
  using System.Security.Permissions;
  using System.Web.UI;
  using System.Web.UI.WebControls;
  using System.Web.UI.WebControls.WebParts;

  [AspNetHostingPermission(SecurityAction.Demand,
    Level = AspNetHostingPermissionLevel.Minimal)]
  [AspNetHostingPermission(SecurityAction.InheritanceDemand,
    Level = AspNetHostingPermissionLevel.Minimal)]
  public interface IZipCode
  {
    string ZipCode { get; set;}
  }

  [AspNetHostingPermission(SecurityAction.Demand,
    Level = AspNetHostingPermissionLevel.Minimal)]
  [AspNetHostingPermission(SecurityAction.InheritanceDemand,
    Level = AspNetHostingPermissionLevel.Minimal)]
  public class ZipCodeWebPart : WebPart, IZipCode
  {
    string zipCodeText = String.Empty;
    TextBox input;
    Button send;

    public ZipCodeWebPart()
    {
    }

    // Make the implemented property personalizable to save 
    // the Zip Code between browser sessions.
    [Personalizable()]
    public virtual string ZipCode
    {
      get { return zipCodeText; }
      set { zipCodeText = value; }
    }

    // This is the callback method that returns the provider.
    [ConnectionProvider("Zip Code", "ZipCodeProvider")]
    public IZipCode ProvideIZipCode()
    {
      return this;
    }

    protected override void CreateChildControls()
    {
      Controls.Clear();
      input = new TextBox();
      this.Controls.Add(input);
      send = new Button();
      send.Text = "Enter 5-digit Zip Code";
      send.Click += new EventHandler(this.submit_Click);
      this.Controls.Add(send);
    }

    private void submit_Click(object sender, EventArgs e)
    {
      if (!string.IsNullOrEmpty(input.Text))
      {
        zipCodeText = Page.Server.HtmlEncode(input.Text);
        input.Text = String.Empty;
      }
    }
  }

  [AspNetHostingPermission(SecurityAction.Demand,
    Level = AspNetHostingPermissionLevel.Minimal)]
  [AspNetHostingPermission(SecurityAction.InheritanceDemand,
    Level = AspNetHostingPermissionLevel.Minimal)]
  public class WeatherWebPart : WebPart
  {
    private IZipCode _provider;
    string _zipSearch;
    Label DisplayContent;

    // This method is identified by the ConnectionConsumer 
    // attribute, and is the mechanism for connecting with 
    // the provider. 
    [ConnectionConsumer("Zip Code", "ZipCodeConsumer")]
    public void GetIZipCode(IZipCode Provider)
    {
      _provider = Provider;
    }
    
    protected override void OnPreRender(EventArgs e)
    {
      EnsureChildControls();

      if (this._provider != null)
      {
        _zipSearch = _provider.ZipCode.Trim();
        DisplayContent.Text = "My Zip Code is:  " + _zipSearch;
      }
    }

    protected override void CreateChildControls()
    {
      Controls.Clear();
      DisplayContent = new Label();
      this.Controls.Add(DisplayContent);
    }
  }
}

Imports System.Web
Imports System.Web.Security
Imports System.Security.Permissions
Imports System.Web.UI
Imports System.Web.UI.WebControls
Imports System.Web.UI.WebControls.WebParts

Namespace Samples.AspNet.VB.Controls

  <AspNetHostingPermission(SecurityAction.Demand, _
    Level:=AspNetHostingPermissionLevel.Minimal)> _
  <AspNetHostingPermission(SecurityAction.InheritanceDemand, _
    Level:=AspNetHostingPermissionLevel.Minimal)> _
  Public Interface IZipCode

    Property ZipCode() As String

  End Interface

  <AspNetHostingPermission(SecurityAction.Demand, _
    Level:=AspNetHostingPermissionLevel.Minimal)> _
  <AspNetHostingPermission(SecurityAction.InheritanceDemand, _
    Level:=AspNetHostingPermissionLevel.Minimal)> _
  Public Class ZipCodeWebPart
    Inherits WebPart
    Implements IZipCode
    Private zipCodeText As String = String.Empty
    Private input As TextBox
    Private send As Button

    Public Sub New()
    End Sub

    ' Make the implemented property personalizable to save 
    ' the Zip Code between browser sessions.
    <Personalizable()> _
    Public Property ZipCode() As String _
      Implements IZipCode.ZipCode

      Get
        Return zipCodeText
      End Get
      Set(ByVal value As String)
        zipCodeText = value
      End Set
    End Property

    ' This is the callback method that returns the provider.
    <ConnectionProvider("Zip Code", "ZipCodeProvider")> _
    Public Function ProvideIZipCode() As IZipCode
      Return Me
    End Function


    Protected Overrides Sub CreateChildControls()
      Controls.Clear()
      input = New TextBox()
      Me.Controls.Add(input)
      send = New Button()
      send.Text = "Enter 5-digit Zip Code"
      AddHandler send.Click, AddressOf Me.submit_Click
      Me.Controls.Add(send)

    End Sub


    Private Sub submit_Click(ByVal sender As Object, _
      ByVal e As EventArgs)

      If input.Text <> String.Empty Then
        zipCodeText = Page.Server.HtmlEncode(input.Text)
        input.Text = String.Empty
      End If

    End Sub

  End Class

  <AspNetHostingPermission(SecurityAction.Demand, _
    Level:=AspNetHostingPermissionLevel.Minimal)> _
  <AspNetHostingPermission(SecurityAction.InheritanceDemand, _
    Level:=AspNetHostingPermissionLevel.Minimal)> _
  Public Class WeatherWebPart
    Inherits WebPart
    Private _provider As IZipCode
    Private _zipSearch As String
    Private DisplayContent As Label

    ' This method is identified by the ConnectionConsumer 
    ' attribute, and is the mechanism for connecting with 
    ' the provider. 
    <ConnectionConsumer("Zip Code", "ZipCodeConsumer")> _
    Public Sub GetIZipCode(ByVal Provider As IZipCode)
      _provider = Provider
    End Sub


    Protected Overrides Sub OnPreRender(ByVal e As EventArgs)
      EnsureChildControls()

      If Not (Me._provider Is Nothing) Then
        _zipSearch = _provider.ZipCode.Trim()
                DisplayContent.Text = "My Zip Code is:  " + _zipSearch
      End If

    End Sub

    Protected Overrides Sub CreateChildControls()
      Controls.Clear()
      DisplayContent = New Label()
      Me.Controls.Add(DisplayContent)

    End Sub

  End Class

End Namespace

After you have loaded the Web page in a browser, click the Display Mode drop-down list control and select Connect to switch the page to connect mode. Connect mode uses the <asp:connectionszone> element to enable you to create connections between controls. In connect mode, click the downward arrow in the title bar of the ZIP Code control to activate its verbs menu, and then click Connect. After the connection user interface (UI) appears, notice that a connection has already been created by the code contained in the Page_Load method.

Remarks

This method is used to connect provider and consumer when both controls have compatible connection point types, so that a WebPartTransformer object is not needed. You might want to use this method to verify that two controls can be connected before calling ConnectWebParts to create a programmatic connection.

This overload uses the same implementation as the CanConnectWebParts(WebPart, ProviderConnectionPoint, WebPart, ConsumerConnectionPoint, WebPartTransformer) method overload, with the only exception being that this overload does not require a transformer.

Applies to

CanConnectWebParts(WebPart, ProviderConnectionPoint, WebPart, ConsumerConnectionPoint, WebPartTransformer)

Checks the WebPart controls that will be participating in a connection to determine whether they are capable of being connected, and uses a WebPartTransformer object to create the connection between an incompatible consumer and provider.

public:
 virtual bool CanConnectWebParts(System::Web::UI::WebControls::WebParts::WebPart ^ provider, System::Web::UI::WebControls::WebParts::ProviderConnectionPoint ^ providerConnectionPoint, System::Web::UI::WebControls::WebParts::WebPart ^ consumer, System::Web::UI::WebControls::WebParts::ConsumerConnectionPoint ^ consumerConnectionPoint, System::Web::UI::WebControls::WebParts::WebPartTransformer ^ transformer);

public virtual bool CanConnectWebParts (System.Web.UI.WebControls.WebParts.WebPart provider, System.Web.UI.WebControls.WebParts.ProviderConnectionPoint providerConnectionPoint, System.Web.UI.WebControls.WebParts.WebPart consumer, System.Web.UI.WebControls.WebParts.ConsumerConnectionPoint consumerConnectionPoint, System.Web.UI.WebControls.WebParts.WebPartTransformer transformer);

abstract member CanConnectWebParts : System.Web.UI.WebControls.WebParts.WebPart * System.Web.UI.WebControls.WebParts.ProviderConnectionPoint * System.Web.UI.WebControls.WebParts.WebPart * System.Web.UI.WebControls.WebParts.ConsumerConnectionPoint * System.Web.UI.WebControls.WebParts.WebPartTransformer -> bool
override this.CanConnectWebParts : System.Web.UI.WebControls.WebParts.WebPart * System.Web.UI.WebControls.WebParts.ProviderConnectionPoint * System.Web.UI.WebControls.WebParts.WebPart * System.Web.UI.WebControls.WebParts.ConsumerConnectionPoint * System.Web.UI.WebControls.WebParts.WebPartTransformer -> bool

Public Overridable Function CanConnectWebParts (provider As WebPart, providerConnectionPoint As ProviderConnectionPoint, consumer As WebPart, consumerConnectionPoint As ConsumerConnectionPoint, transformer As WebPartTransformer) As Boolean

Parameters

provider: WebPart

The control that provides data to consumer when the controls are connected.

providerConnectionPoint: ProviderConnectionPoint

A ConnectionPoint that acts as a callback method so that provider can participate in a connection.

consumer: WebPart

The control that receives data from provider when the controls are connected.

consumerConnectionPoint: ConsumerConnectionPoint

A ConnectionPoint that acts as a callback method so that consumer can participate in a connection.

transformer: WebPartTransformer

A WebPartTransformer that enables an incompatible provider and consumer to connect.

Returns

Boolean

A Boolean value that indicates whether provider and consumer can form a connection.

Remarks

This method is used to connect provider and consumer when both controls have incompatible connection point types, so that a WebPartTransformer object is required. You might want to use this method to verify that two controls can be connected before calling ConnectWebParts to create a programmatic connection.

This overload uses the same implementation as the CanConnectWebParts(WebPart, ProviderConnectionPoint, WebPart, ConsumerConnectionPoint) method overload, with the only exception being that this overload requires a transformer.

Applies to

Share via

WebPartManager.CanConnectWebParts Method

Definition

Overloads

Remarks

CanConnectWebParts(WebPart, ProviderConnectionPoint, WebPart, ConsumerConnectionPoint)

Parameters

Returns

Examples

Remarks

See also

Applies to

CanConnectWebParts(WebPart, ProviderConnectionPoint, WebPart, ConsumerConnectionPoint, WebPartTransformer)

Parameters

Returns

Remarks

Applies to

Additional resources