Generating controls and handlers for them

[jwcoleman87]

I have this form which is designed to be a home page of sorts for other forms and modules. The trick is that the user logging in to this home page will have access to modules based off of what they are given as defined in the database. So, depending on what kind of access they have they need buttons to be able to open the different modules (other forms n such). I have devised a way to do this by using a flow layout panel and a bunch of dummy buttons (24 to be exact). All of these buttons are invisible until set visible when the text for the button is changed to the name of a corresponding module. Every single button connects to a single event handler that compares the button text to the name of a module, and executes it. It's like this:



And the code looks like this:

Public Class LandingZone
    Dim User As String
    Dim Workstation As String
    Dim Position As String

    'Need to grab a list of all modules, need to match modules with name
    Private Sub LandingZone_Load(sender As Object, e As EventArgs) Handles MyBase.Load
        Using db As New ProductionDataModelDataContext
            Dim loginform As New Login()
            If loginform.ShowDialog(Me) = Windows.Forms.DialogResult.OK Then
                Me.User = loginform.txtUserName.Text
                Me.lblName.Text = Me.User
                Dim job = From uj In db.TTUserJobs _
                           Join u In db.TTUsers On uj.UserID Equals u.TTUserID _
                           Join j In db.TTJobs On uj.JobID Equals j.JobID _
                           Where u.TTUserID = Me.User AndAlso j.JobID = uj.JobID _
                           Select j.JobTitle
                Me.Position = job.First
                Me.lblPosition.Text = Me.Position
                ShowAvailableModules()
                lblWorkstation.Text = Environment.MachineName
                Me.Show()
                Me.Enabled = True
            End If
        End Using
    End Sub

    Private Sub MatchButtonWithModule(buttonText As String)
        'IF the BUTTON TEXT is blahblahblah THEN
        If buttonText = "Repair" Then
            Dim TechProductionTracker As New TechInterface(Me.User, Me.Position)
            TechProductionTracker.Show()
            Me.Visible = False
        ElseIf buttonText = "Lead Production Tracker" Then
            LeadInterface.Show()
            Me.Visible = False
        Else
            MsgBox("Module not yet supported.")
        End If
        'DO SOME STUFF
        'ELSE IF the button name is derpderpderp THEN
        'DO SOME OTHER STUFF
        'DO THIS CRAP OVER AND OVER FOR EACH MODULE
    End Sub
    Private Sub ShowAvailableModules()
        Using db As New ProductionDataModelDataContext
            'for this magic to happen, accessiblemodules must be created within this function
            Dim AccessibleModules = From m In db.TTModules _
                                    Join jm In db.TTJobModules On m.ModuleID Equals jm.ModuleID _
                                    Join j In db.TTJobs On jm.JobTitle Equals j.JobTitle _
                                    Join uj In db.TTUserJobs On j.JobID Equals uj.JobID _
                                    Join u In db.TTUsers On uj.UserID Equals u.TTUserID _
                                    Where u.TTUserID = Me.User _
                                    Select m.ModuleName
            Dim index As Integer = 0
            Do While index < AccessibleModules.ToList().Count
                FlowLayoutPanel1.Controls.Item(index).Text = AccessibleModules(index)
                FlowLayoutPanel1.Controls.Item(index).Visible = True
                index += 1
            Loop
            'FOR AS MANY MODULES AVAILABLE LOOP THROUGH buttons in FLOWLAYOUTPANEL
            'SET BUTTON TEXT to INDEX OF MODULE NAME
            'SET BUTTON TO VISIBLE
        End Using

    End Sub

    Private Sub ButtonMagic(sender As Object, e As EventArgs) Handles Button1.Click, Button2.Click, Button3.Click, Button4.Click, _
                                                                      Button5.Click, Button6.Click, Button7.Click, Button8.Click, _
                                                                      Button9.Click, Button10.Click, Button11.Click, Button12.Click, _
                                                                      Button13.Click, Button14.Click, Button15.Click, Button16.Click, _
                                                                      Button17.Click, Button18.Click, Button19.Click, Button20.Click, _
                                                                      Button21.Click, Button22.Click, Button23.Click, Button24.Click

        MatchButtonWithModule(sender.text)
    End Sub
End Class

I guess my question to the general discussion of vbdotnetforums is simple, are there more efficient ways of accomplishing this task?

 

[Herman]

You don't really need to add the buttons beforehand, you can just add them to the flowlayoutpanel as you go. Other than that it seems fine.

 

[jwcoleman87]

Thanks for that tip, I thought that was possible, but I've never really added a control to a form through code yet, nor have I set up an event handler through code more than like once. Are there any resources you can point me to in order to brush up on creating controls and adding them as children of other controls and setting handlers for them.

 

[Herman]

How to programmatically add controls to a form in VB.NET - Stack Overflow