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Controls / Data Form / Data Editing / Manual CRUD Operations
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Manual CRUD Operations

This help article explains how to manually edit, insert or delete records using the RadDataForm API.

The general logic behind manual CRUD operations is the same as for the other data bound controls in the suite (RadGrid, RadListView and so on). It allows developers to manually handle the operations, thus providing extra flexibility.

For extracting the values needed for performing the respective CRUD operation can use the ExtractValues method or reference the editors using FindControl and obtain their data.

When using custom template classes, define a method in the class that will return the data.

In this article:

Updating Records

In order to update an existing records you can follow the below listed steps.

  1. Subscribe to the ItemUpdating event.

  2. Reference the RadDataFormEditableItem that holds the data.

  3. Extract the values entered by the user.

  4. Execute the update.

C#
protected void RadDataForm1_ItemUpdating(object sender, RadDataFormCommandEventArgs e)
{
    RadDataFormEditableItem editedItem = e.DataFormItem as RadDataFormEditableItem;
    Hashtable newValues = new Hashtable();
    editedItem.ExtractValues(newValues);
    Customer editedCustomer = dataSource.Find(x => x.ID == int.Parse(editedItem.GetDataKeyValue("ID").ToString()));
    editedCustomer.CompanyName = newValues["CompanyName"].ToString();
    editedCustomer.ContactName = newValues["ContactName"].ToString();
    editedCustomer.ContactTitle = newValues["ContactTitle"].ToString();
}

Inserting Records

The logic here is similar to the above with one difference, here the DataFormItem available in the arguments is actually a RadDataFormInsertItem. Considering theaforementioned you can insert an item following these steps.

  1. Subscribe to the ItemInserting event.

  2. Obtain a reference to the RadDataFormInserItem that raised the event.

  3. Extract the values from the insert item.

  4. Perform the insert.

C#
protected void RadDataForm1_ItemInserting(object sender, RadDataFormCommandEventArgs e)
{
    RadDataFormInsertItem insertedItem = e.DataFormItem as RadDataFormInsertItem
    Hashtable newValues = new Hashtable();
    insertedItem.ExtractValues(newValues);

    dataSource.Add(new Customer()
    {
        ID=dataSource[dataSource.Count-1].ID+1,
        CompanyName=newValues["CompanyName"].ToString(),
        ContactName=newValues["ContactName"].ToString(),
        ContactTitle = newValues["ContactTitle"].ToString()
    });
}

Deleting Records

When deleting a record the logic that we follow is described in the following steps.

  1. Subscribe to the ItemDeleting event.

  2. Using the id of the record (should be set as a DataKeyName) to obtain a reference to the record.

  3. Delete the record.

C#
protected void RadDataForm1_ItemDeleting(object sender, RadDataFormCommandEventArgs e)
{
    RadDataFormDataItem deletItem = e.DataFormItem as RadDataFormDataItem;
    dataSource.Remove(dataSource.Find(x => x.ID == int.Parse(deletItem.GetDataKeyValue("ID").ToString())));
}

Example With Markup Declaration

The below provided code snippets illustrate a sample implementation of a scenario where a RadDataForm with manual operations is used.

Markup definition

ASPNET
<telerik:RadDataForm RenderMode="Lightweight" ID="RadDataForm1" OnNeedDataSource="RadDataForm1_NeedDataSource" OnItemUpdating="RadDataForm1_ItemUpdating" 
    OnItemInserting="RadDataForm1_ItemInserting" OnItemDeleting="RadDataForm1_ItemDeleting"
     DataKeyNames="ID" runat="server">
    <ItemTemplate>
        ContactTitle:   '<%# Eval("ContactTitle") %>'
		<br />
        CompanyName: <%# Eval("CompanyName") %>
		<br />
        ContactName: <%# Eval("ContactName") %>
        <telerik:RadButton RenderMode="Lightweight" ID="InitInsertButton" runat="server" ButtonType="SkinnedButton" CausesValidation="False" CommandName="InitInsert" Text="Insert" ToolTip="Insert" />
        <br />
        <telerik:RadButton RenderMode="Lightweight" ID="EditButton" runat="server" ButtonType="SkinnedButton" CausesValidation="False" CommandName="Edit" Text="Edit" ToolTip="Edit" />
        <br />
        <telerik:RadButton RenderMode="Lightweight" ID="DeleteButton" runat="server" ButtonType="SkinnedButton" CausesValidation="False" CommandName="Delete" Text="Delete" ToolTip="Delete" />
    </ItemTemplate>
    <EditItemTemplate>
        Edit product with ID: '<%# Eval("ID") %>'
        <br />
        ContactTitle:
<asp:TextBox ID="ContactTitleTextBox" Text='<%# Bind("ContactTitle") %>' runat="server" />
        <br />
        CompanyName:
<asp:TextBox ID="CompanyNameTextBox" Text='<%# Bind("CompanyName") %>' runat="server" />
        <br />
        ContactName:
<asp:TextBox ID="ContactNameTextBox" Text='<%# Bind("ContactName") %>' runat="server" />
        <telerik:RadButton RenderMode="Lightweight" ID="UpdateButton" runat="server" ButtonType="SkinnedButton" CommandName="Update" Text="Update" ToolTip="Update" />
        <telerik:RadButton RenderMode="Lightweight" ID="CancelButton" runat="server" ButtonType="SkinnedButton" CausesValidation="False" CommandName="Cancel" Text="Cancel" ToolTip="Cancel" />
    </EditItemTemplate>
    <InsertItemTemplate>
        Add New Record :
		<br />
		ContactTitle:
<asp:TextBox ID="ContactTitleTextBox" Text='<%# Bind("ContactTitle") %>' runat="server" />
        <br />
        CompanyName:
<asp:TextBox ID="CompanyNameTextBox" Text='<%# Bind("CompanyName") %>' runat="server" />
        <br />
        ContactName:
<asp:TextBox ID="ContactNameTextBox" Text='<%# Bind("ContactName") %>' runat="server" />
        <telerik:RadButton RenderMode="Lightweight" ID="PerformInsertButton" runat="server" ButtonType="SkinnedButton" CommandName="PerformInsert" Text="Insert" ToolTip="Insert" />
        <telerik:RadButton RenderMode="Lightweight" ID="CancelButton" runat="server" ButtonType="SkinnedButton" CausesValidation="False" CommandName="Cancel" Text="Cancel" ToolTip="Cancel" />
    </InsertItemTemplate>
</telerik:RadDataForm>

Server code - data binding and CRUD operations

C#
private static readonly Random random = new Random();
static string[] contactNames = new string[] { "Antonio Moreno", "Elizabeth Lincoln", "Hanna Moos", "Jaime Yorres", "Georg Pipps",
    "Pascale Cartrain", "Paul Henriot", "Matti Karttunen", "Patricio Simpson","Howard Snyder"};
static string[] companyNames = new string[] { "Blauer See Delikatessen", "Folies gourmandes", "Hungry Coyote Import Store", "Let's Stop N Shop",
        "B's Beverages", "QUICK-Stop", "Split Rail Beer & Ale", "Wartian Herkku","Sant� Gourmet","Romero y tomillo" };
static string[] contactTitles = new string[] { "Marketing Assistant", "Sales Associate", "Sales Agent", "Sales Representative",
        "Owner", "Sales Manager", "Accounting Manager","Marketing Manager","Sales Consultant","Accountant"};

public List<Customer> dataSource
{
    get
    {
        object obj = Session["DataSource"];
        if (obj == null)
        {
            List<Customer> customers = new List<Customer>();
            int customerIndex = random.Next() % 10;
            for (int i = 0; i < 30; i++)
            {
                Customer customer = new Customer();
                customer.ID = i + 1;
                customer.ContactTitle = contactTitles[customerIndex];
                customer.CompanyName = companyNames[customerIndex];
                customer.ContactName = contactNames[customerIndex];
                customers.Add(customer);
            }
            Session["DataSource"] = customers;
        }
        return (List<Customer>)Session["DataSource"];
    }
    set
    {
        Session["DataSource"] = value;
    }
}

[Serializable]
public class Customer
{
    public int ID { get; set; }
    public string CompanyName { get; set; }
    public string ContactName { get; set; }
    public string ContactTitle { get; set; }
}

protected void RadDataForm1_ItemUpdating(object sender, RadDataFormCommandEventArgs e)
{
    RadDataFormEditableItem editedItem = e.DataFormItem as RadDataFormEditableItem;
    Hashtable newValues = new Hashtable();
    editedItem.ExtractValues(newValues);
    Customer editedCustomer = dataSource.Find(x => x.ID == int.Parse(editedItem.GetDataKeyValue("ID").ToString()));
    editedCustomer.CompanyName = newValues["CompanyName"].ToString();
    editedCustomer.ContactName = newValues["ContactName"].ToString();
    editedCustomer.ContactTitle = newValues["ContactTitle"].ToString();
}

protected void RadDataForm1_ItemInserting(object sender, RadDataFormCommandEventArgs e)
{
    RadDataFormInsertItem insertedItem = e.DataFormItem as RadDataFormInsertItem
    Hashtable newValues = new Hashtable();
    insertedItem.ExtractValues(newValues);

    dataSource.Add(new Customer()
    {
        ID=dataSource[dataSource.Count-1].ID+1,
        CompanyName=newValues["CompanyName"].ToString(),
        ContactName=newValues["ContactName"].ToString(),
        ContactTitle = newValues["ContactTitle"].ToString()
    });
}

protected void RadDataForm1_ItemDeleting(object sender, RadDataFormCommandEventArgs e)
{
    RadDataFormDataItem deletItem = e.DataFormItem as RadDataFormDataItem;
    dataSource.Remove(dataSource.Find(x => x.ID == int.Parse(deletItem.GetDataKeyValue("ID").ToString())));
}

protected void RadDataForm1_NeedDataSource(object sender, RadDataFormNeedDataSourceEventArgs e)
{
    RadDataForm1.DataSource = dataSource;
}

Example With Template Classes

When using custom template classes, you need to create a method in the class that will return the data from the user input so you can identify the item and perform the necessary data source opeations. The built-in ExtractValues method cannot know the details of the class, so you need to implement it.

Sample markup definition

ASP.NET
<form id="form1" runat="server">
	<asp:ScriptManager ID="Scriptmanager1" runat="server" />
	<asp:PlaceHolder ID="Placeholder1" runat="server" />
	<asp:Label ID="lblLastAction" Text="" runat="server" />
</form>

Sample server code that sets and uses the classes

C#
protected void Page_Init(object sender, EventArgs e)
{
	RadDataForm rdf = new RadDataForm();
	rdf.ID = "theDataForm";
	rdf.NeedDataSource += rdf_NeedDataSource;
	rdf.ItemInserting += rdf_ItemInserting;
	rdf.ItemUpdating += rdf_ItemUpdating;
	rdf.ItemDeleting += rdf_ItemDeleting;

	//This example distinguishes the templates by passing a string argument for the sake of brevity
	rdf.InsertItemTemplate = new MyTemplate("insertMode");
	rdf.ItemTemplate = new MyTemplate("editMode");
	rdf.EditItemTemplate = new MyTemplate("updateMode");

	Placeholder1.Controls.Add(rdf);
}

void rdf_ItemDeleting(object sender, RadDataFormCommandEventArgs e)
{
	Hashtable item = new Hashtable();
	//check current mode so you know which template to access. This depends on which templates the Delete button is available on
	if (e.DataFormItem.IsInEditMode)
	{
		((sender as RadDataForm).EditItemTemplate as MyTemplate).GetTemplateData(out item);//method implemented in the template
	}
	else
	{
		((sender as RadDataForm).ItemTemplate as MyTemplate).GetTemplateData(out item);//method implemented in the template
	}
	//use the data you now have to perform the data source operation

	//show output
	ShowLastAction(item, "deleted");
}

void rdf_ItemUpdating(object sender, RadDataFormCommandEventArgs e)
{
	Hashtable item = new Hashtable();
	((sender as RadDataForm).EditItemTemplate as MyTemplate).GetTemplateData(out item);//method implemented in the template
	//use the data you now have to perform the data source operation

	//show output
	ShowLastAction(item, "updated");
}

void rdf_ItemInserting(object sender, RadDataFormCommandEventArgs e)
{
	Hashtable item = new Hashtable();
	((sender as RadDataForm).InsertItemTemplate as MyTemplate).GetTemplateData(out item);//method implemented in the template
	//use the data you now have to perform the data source operation

	//show output
	ShowLastAction(item, "created");
}

protected void ShowLastAction(Hashtable item, string operation)
{
	lblLastAction.Text = string.Format("item with data was {0}:<br />company name: {1}<br />contact name: {2}",
		operation,
		item["CompanyName"],
		item["ContactName"]);
}

void rdf_NeedDataSource(object sender, RadDataFormNeedDataSourceEventArgs e)
{
	String ConnString = ConfigurationManager.ConnectionStrings["NorthwindConnectionString"].ConnectionString;
	SqlConnection conn = new SqlConnection(ConnString);
	SqlDataAdapter adapter = new SqlDataAdapter();
	adapter.SelectCommand = new SqlCommand("SELECT CustomerID, CompanyName, ContactName, ContactTitle, Address FROM Customers", conn);

	DataTable myDataTable = new DataTable();

	conn.Open();
	try
	{
		adapter.Fill(myDataTable);
	}
	finally
	{
		conn.Close();
	}

	(sender as RadDataForm).DataSource = myDataTable;
}

Sample template class definition that contains the GetTemplateData method

C#
public class MyTemplate : ITemplate
{
	protected Label lblCompanyName;
	protected Label lblContactName;
	protected TextBox tBoxCompanyName;
	protected TextBox tBoxContactName;
	protected Button btnEdit;
	protected Button btnDelete;
	protected Button btnInitInsert;
	protected Button btnUpdate;
	protected Button btnCancel;
	protected Button btnPerformInsert;
	protected string mode;

	public MyTemplate(string currMode)
	{
		mode = currMode;
	}

	public void InstantiateIn(System.Web.UI.Control container)
	{
		//create some controls to show data
		tBoxCompanyName = new TextBox();
		tBoxCompanyName.ID = "tbCompanyName";
		tBoxCompanyName.DataBinding += tBoxCompanyName_DataBinding;
		if (mode == "editMode")
		{
			tBoxCompanyName.Enabled = false;
		}

		lblCompanyName = new Label();
		lblCompanyName.ID = "lblCompany";
		lblCompanyName.Text = "Company Name: ";
		lblCompanyName.AssociatedControlID = tBoxCompanyName.ID;

		container.Controls.Add(lblCompanyName);
		container.Controls.Add(tBoxCompanyName);

		tBoxContactName = new TextBox();
		tBoxContactName.ID = "tbContactName";
		tBoxContactName.DataBinding += tBoxContactName_DataBinding;
		if (mode == "editMode")
		{
			tBoxContactName.Enabled = false;
		}
		
		lblContactName = new Label();
		lblContactName.ID = "lblContact";
		lblContactName.Text = "Contact Name: ";
		lblContactName.AssociatedControlID = tBoxContactName.ID;

		container.Controls.Add(lblContactName);
		container.Controls.Add(tBoxContactName);

		//create command buttons, keep track of the mode.
		//this controls the template you need to call when obtaining data
		if (mode != "insertMode")
		{
			if (mode != "updateMode")
			{
				btnEdit = new Button();
				btnEdit.ID = "btnEdit";
				btnEdit.Text = "Edit item";
				btnEdit.CommandName = "Edit";
				container.Controls.Add(btnEdit);
			}
			
			btnDelete = new Button();
			btnDelete.ID = "btnDelete";
			btnDelete.Text = "Delete item";
			btnDelete.CommandName = "Delete";
			container.Controls.Add(btnDelete);

			btnInitInsert = new Button();
			btnInitInsert.ID = "btnInitInsert";
			btnInitInsert.Text = "Go to insert mode";
			btnInitInsert.CommandName = "InitInsert";
			container.Controls.Add(btnInitInsert);

			if (mode != "editMode")
			{
				btnUpdate = new Button();
				btnUpdate.ID = "btnUpdate";
				btnUpdate.Text = "Update item";
				btnUpdate.CommandName = "Update";
				container.Controls.Add(btnUpdate);
			}
		}
		else
		{
			btnPerformInsert = new Button();
			btnPerformInsert.ID = "btnPerformInsert";
			btnPerformInsert.Text = "Insert item";
			btnPerformInsert.CommandName = "PerformInsert";
			container.Controls.Add(btnPerformInsert);
		}

		if (mode != "editMode") 
		{
			btnCancel = new Button();
			btnCancel.ID = "btnCancel";
			btnCancel.Text = "Cancel operation";
			btnCancel.CommandName = "Cancel";
			container.Controls.Add(btnCancel);
		}
	}

	public void tBoxCompanyName_DataBinding(object sender, EventArgs e)
	{
		getFieldFromData("CompanyName", sender as TextBox);
	}

	public void tBoxContactName_DataBinding(object sender, EventArgs e)
	{
		getFieldFromData("ContactName", sender as TextBox);
	}

	public void getFieldFromData(string fieldName, TextBox tb)
	{
		RadDataFormDataItem item = tb.NamingContainer as RadDataFormDataItem;

		//avoid attempting to get data when inserting an item, as there is no data item associated with it
		if (item is RadDataFormInsertItem)
		{
			return;
		}
		//access the data item from the data source and put it in the textbox
		tb.Text = (item.DataItem as DataRowView).Row[fieldName].ToString();
	}

	public void GetTemplateData(out Hashtable newValues)
	{
		//build a hash table with the information from the template
		//so you can identify the item
		//consider adding an ID
		Hashtable tbl = new Hashtable();
		newValues = tbl;
		newValues.Add("CompanyName", tBoxCompanyName.Text);
		newValues.Add("ContactName", tBoxContactName.Text);
	}
}
In this article
Updating RecordsInserting RecordsDeleting RecordsExample With Markup DeclarationExample With Template Classes
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