reflecting an object values which is in the memory on the GUI?

Question

I have an object in the memory and I want to link this object with GUI component and I want this component to mirror the object status(values)....
ie I want to see the object values that is in the memory right now and I want the GUI to reflect the object status always
how can I do this?

Answer 1

This is a very common pattern in development and is called Data Binding. .NET has some great support for data binding, it is a large topic and too big for a simple answer here. But here is a link to an MSDN article that will get you started.

http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms752347.aspx

Answer 2

If you are using WinForms, the PropertyGrid component is what you want:

public Form1() {

   // The initial constructor code goes here.

   PropertyGrid propertyGrid1 = new PropertyGrid();
   propertyGrid1.CommandsVisibleIfAvailable = true;
   propertyGrid1.Location = new Point(10, 20);
   propertyGrid1.Size = new System.Drawing.Size(400, 300);
   propertyGrid1.TabIndex = 1;
   propertyGrid1.Text = "Property Grid";

   this.Controls.Add(propertyGrid1);

   propertyGrid1.SelectedObject = textBox1;
}

Here, textBox1 is being "inspected". It can be any object. It displays it like the property inspector you see in Visual Studio.