Changing the DataGridView Header Text in Visual F#

To change the header text of a grid contrl in Visual F#, the first thing that you’ll need to do is to create a grid view columns. This can be done by using the following syntax:

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1. let columnname=new DataGridViewTextBoxColumn()  

let columnname=new DataGridViewTextBoxColumn()

For instance:

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1. let chrempnocol=new DataGridViewTextBoxColumn()  

let chrempnocol=new DataGridViewTextBoxColumn()

After that, you’ll need to add that column to the data grid. This can be done by using the following syntax:

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1. dataobjvariable.Columns.Add(columnname)  

dataobjvariable.Columns.Add(columnname)

For example:

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1. datagrid.Columns.Add(chrempnocol)  

datagrid.Columns.Add(chrempnocol)

Then finally, you’ll need to bind the column name to the fieldname where you will be getting the record value followed by changing its header text using the DataPropertyName and HeaderText propeties.

For a simple example on changing the header text of a grid control, follow these steps:

Before the Database Connection and Binding process I want you to make an Ms-Access database file named “dbEmployee” containing a table named “tblEmployee”. Use the following specifications:

Field Name	Data Type	Description
chrempno	text	Handles employee id
chrfname	text	Handles employee’s name
chrlname	text	Holds employee’s last name

After designing the structure of your table, you can enter appropriate values for each field. For instance:

chrempno	chrfname	Chrlname
1	John	Doe
2	Jean	Doe

Now that we are done creating a table, we can now link to it by using OleDbDataAdapter in Visual F#:


1. Click Start>All Programs>Microsoft Visual Studio 2008>Microsoft Visual Studio 2008.

2. Click File>New>Project>Select Visual F# in the project types>Select F# application in the Visual Studio installed templates category.

3. Click the Project menu>Add reference>Click the .Net tab>Locate then double-click System.Windows.Forms. Do step 3 again and this time, select System.Drawing and System.Data from the .Net tab.

4. Enter the following code after the line “// Learn more about F# at http://fsharp.net “:

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1. // Learn more about F# at http://fsharp.net  
2. //specifies the location of the class files  
3. //that will be needed in our application  
4. open System  
5. open System.Windows.Forms  
6. open System.Data  
7. open System.Drawing  
8. //creates a connection object  
9. let olecon = new System.Data.OleDb.OleDbConnection("Provider=Microsoft.Jet.OLEDB.4.0;  
10.   Data Source=C:\Documents and Settings\Administrator\My Documents\dbEmployee.mdb")  
11. //adds an oleDbDataAdapter  
12. let dataadapter = new System.Data.OleDb.OleDbDataAdapter("Select * from tblEmployee", olecon)  
13. //generate a dataset  
14. let dataset11 = new DataSet()  
15. //fill our dataset with record values  
16. dataadapter.Fill(dataset11,"tblEmployee")|>ignore  
17. //creates a form  
18. let dataform = new Form(Text="Change DataGrid Header",ClientSize=new System.Drawing.Size(398, 232))  
19. //creates a datagrid  
20. let datagrid = new DataGridView(ColumnHeadersHeightSizeMode=DataGridViewColumnHeadersHeightSizeMode.AutoSize,Size=new System.Drawing.Size(341, 143),Location=new System.Drawing.Point(22, 38))  
21. //creates a grid control colums  
22. let chrempnocol=new DataGridViewTextBoxColumn()  
23. let chrfnamecol=new DataGridViewTextBoxColumn()  
24. let chrlnamecol=new DataGridViewTextBoxColumn()  
25. //adds the columns into our datagrid  
26. datagrid.Columns.Add(chrempnocol)|>ignore  
27. datagrid.Columns.Add(chrfnamecol)|>ignore  
28. datagrid.Columns.Add(chrlnamecol)|>ignore  
29. //opens the database connection and  
30. //set our table as the datagrid's datasource  
31. olecon.Open()  
32. datagrid.DataSource <- dataset11.Tables.["tblEmployee"]  
33. //links our fieldname to each grid  
34. //and change its header text  
35. chrempnocol.DataPropertyName<-"chrempno"  
36. chrempnocol.HeaderText<-"Employee No."  
37. chrfnamecol.DataPropertyName<-"chrfname"  
38. chrfnamecol.HeaderText<-"First Name"  
39. chrlnamecol.DataPropertyName<-"chrlname"  
40. chrlnamecol.HeaderText<-"Last Name"  
41. //add the datagrid to our form  
42. dataform.Controls.Add(datagrid)  
43. //execute our application  
44. dataform.Show()  
45. Application.Run(dataform)  

// Learn more about F# at http://fsharp.net
//specifies the location of the class files
//that will be needed in our application
open System
open System.Windows.Forms
open System.Data
open System.Drawing
//creates a connection object
let olecon = new System.Data.OleDb.OleDbConnection("Provider=Microsoft.Jet.OLEDB.4.0;
  Data Source=C:\Documents and Settings\Administrator\My Documents\dbEmployee.mdb")
//adds an oleDbDataAdapter
let dataadapter = new System.Data.OleDb.OleDbDataAdapter("Select * from tblEmployee", olecon)
//generate a dataset
let dataset11 = new DataSet()
//fill our dataset with record values
dataadapter.Fill(dataset11,"tblEmployee")|>ignore
//creates a form
let dataform = new Form(Text="Change DataGrid Header",ClientSize=new System.Drawing.Size(398, 232))
//creates a datagrid
let datagrid = new DataGridView(ColumnHeadersHeightSizeMode=DataGridViewColumnHeadersHeightSizeMode.AutoSize,Size=new System.Drawing.Size(341, 143),Location=new System.Drawing.Point(22, 38))
//creates a grid control colums
let chrempnocol=new DataGridViewTextBoxColumn()
let chrfnamecol=new DataGridViewTextBoxColumn()
let chrlnamecol=new DataGridViewTextBoxColumn()
//adds the columns into our datagrid
datagrid.Columns.Add(chrempnocol)|>ignore
datagrid.Columns.Add(chrfnamecol)|>ignore
datagrid.Columns.Add(chrlnamecol)|>ignore
//opens the database connection and
//set our table as the datagrid's datasource
olecon.Open()
datagrid.DataSource <- dataset11.Tables.["tblEmployee"]
//links our fieldname to each grid
//and change its header text
chrempnocol.DataPropertyName<-"chrempno"
chrempnocol.HeaderText<-"Employee No."
chrfnamecol.DataPropertyName<-"chrfname"
chrfnamecol.HeaderText<-"First Name"
chrlnamecol.DataPropertyName<-"chrlname"
chrlnamecol.HeaderText<-"Last Name"
//add the datagrid to our form
dataform.Controls.Add(datagrid)
//execute our application
dataform.Show()
Application.Run(dataform)

5. Click the run icon to execute your application. You should now see an output similar to the following screen shot:
For more sketchy tutorials on Visual F# visit Microsoft F# Developer Center.That's all for now:)

Binding a Record Value To a Control (OleDbDataAdapter Visual F#)

To bind a record value to a control, simply use the DataBindings method of the control which has the following syntax:

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1. controlobjvariable.DataBindings.Add(new Binding(controlproperty, datasetname, fieldname))  

controlobjvariable.DataBindings.Add(new Binding(controlproperty, datasetname, fieldname))

For instance:

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1. fnamelabel.DataBindings.Add(new Binding("Text", dataset11, "Table1.fname", true))  

fnamelabel.DataBindings.Add(new Binding("Text", dataset11, "Table1.fname", true))

For a simple data binding example, follow these steps:

Before the Database Connection and Binding process I want you to make an Ms-Access database file named “dbEmployee” containing a table named “tblEmployee”. Use the following specifications:

Field Name	Data Type	Description
chrempno	text	Handles employee id
chrfname	text	Handles employee’s name
chrlname	text	Holds employee’s last name

After designing the structure of your table, you can enter appropriate values for each field. For instance:

chrempno	chrfname	Chrlname
2010A	John	Doe
2010B	Jean	Doe

Now that we are done creating a table, we can now link to it by using OleDbDataAdapter in Visual F#:


1. Click Start>All Programs>Microsoft Visual Studio 2008>Microsoft Visual Studio 2008.

2. Click File>New>Project>Select Visual F# in the project types>Select F# application in the Visual Studio installed templates category.

3. Click the Project menu>Add reference>Click the .Net tab>Locate then double-click System.Windows.Forms. Do step 3 again and this time, select System.Drawing and System.Data from the .Net tab.

4. Enter the following code after the line “// Learn more about F# at http://fsharp.net “:

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1. // Learn more about F# at http://fsharp.net  
2. //specifies the memory location of the class files  
3. //that will be needed in our application  
4. open System  
5. open System.Windows.Forms  
6. open System.Data  
7. open System.Drawing  
8. //creates a font  
9. let ffont=new Font("Verdana", 9.75F,FontStyle.Regular, GraphicsUnit.Point)    
10. //creates a connection object  
11. let oleconn = new System.Data.OleDb.OleDbConnection("Provider=Microsoft.Jet.OLEDB.4.0;  
12.   Data Source=C:\Documents and Settings\station 2\My Documents\dbEmployee.mdb")  
13.  //creates an OleDbDataAdapter  
14. let dataadpter = new System.Data.OleDb.OleDbDataAdapter("Select * from tblEmployee", oleconn)  
15. //generates a dataset  
16. let dataset11 = new DataSet()  
17. //fills the dataset with recod values  
18. dataadpter.Fill(dataset11,"tblEmployee")|>ignore  
19. //creates a form  
20. let dataform = new Form(Text="Use OleDbDataAdapter",AutoScaleDimensions=new System.Drawing.SizeF(60.0F, 13.0F),ClientSize=new System.Drawing.Size(300, 200),StartPosition=FormStartPosition.CenterScreen)  
21. //creates our controls  
22. let exitbutton=new Button(Text="Exit", Location=new System.Drawing.Point(190, 170))    
23. let label1=new Label(Text="Employee number:",Location=new System.Drawing.Point(0, 10),AutoSize=true)  
24. let label2=new Label(Text="Firstname:",Location=new System.Drawing.Point(0, 50),AutoSize=true)  
25. let label3=new Label(Text="Lastname:",Location=new System.Drawing.Point(0,100),AutoSize=true)  
26. let emplabel=new Label(Location=new System.Drawing.Point(140,10),BorderStyle=BorderStyle.FixedSingle)  
27. let fnamelabel=new Label(Location=new System.Drawing.Point(100,50),BorderStyle=BorderStyle.FixedSingle)  
28. let lnamelabel=new Label(Location=new System.Drawing.Point(100,100),BorderStyle=BorderStyle.FixedSingle)  
29. //assings the font to our form  
30. dataform.Font<-ffont  
31. //adds the controls to our form  
32. dataform.Controls.Add(exitbutton)  
33. dataform.Controls.Add(label1)  
34. dataform.Controls.Add(label2)  
35. dataform.Controls.Add(label3)  
36. dataform.Controls.Add(emplabel)  
37. dataform.Controls.Add(fnamelabel)  
38. dataform.Controls.Add(lnamelabel)  
39. //binds the fieldnames to our label  
40. emplabel.DataBindings.Add(new Binding("Text",dataset11,"tblEmployee.chrempno"))  
41. fnamelabel.DataBindings.Add(new Binding("Text",dataset11,"tblEmployee.chrfname"))  
42. lnamelabel.DataBindings.Add(new Binding("Text",dataset11,"tblEmployee.chrlname"))  
43. //when the exit button is clicked  
44. exitbutton.Click.Add(fun exit->  
45. //close the form and dataconnection  
46.                     dataform.Close()  
47.                     oleconn.Close())  
48.   
49. //executes our application  
50. dataform.Show()  
51. Application.Run(dataform)  

// Learn more about F# at http://fsharp.net
//specifies the memory location of the class files
//that will be needed in our application
open System
open System.Windows.Forms
open System.Data
open System.Drawing
//creates a font
let ffont=new Font("Verdana", 9.75F,FontStyle.Regular, GraphicsUnit.Point)  
//creates a connection object
let oleconn = new System.Data.OleDb.OleDbConnection("Provider=Microsoft.Jet.OLEDB.4.0;
  Data Source=C:\Documents and Settings\station 2\My Documents\dbEmployee.mdb")
 //creates an OleDbDataAdapter
let dataadpter = new System.Data.OleDb.OleDbDataAdapter("Select * from tblEmployee", oleconn)
//generates a dataset
let dataset11 = new DataSet()
//fills the dataset with recod values
dataadpter.Fill(dataset11,"tblEmployee")|>ignore
//creates a form
let dataform = new Form(Text="Use OleDbDataAdapter",AutoScaleDimensions=new System.Drawing.SizeF(60.0F, 13.0F),ClientSize=new System.Drawing.Size(300, 200),StartPosition=FormStartPosition.CenterScreen)
//creates our controls
let exitbutton=new Button(Text="Exit", Location=new System.Drawing.Point(190, 170))  
let label1=new Label(Text="Employee number:",Location=new System.Drawing.Point(0, 10),AutoSize=true)
let label2=new Label(Text="Firstname:",Location=new System.Drawing.Point(0, 50),AutoSize=true)
let label3=new Label(Text="Lastname:",Location=new System.Drawing.Point(0,100),AutoSize=true)
let emplabel=new Label(Location=new System.Drawing.Point(140,10),BorderStyle=BorderStyle.FixedSingle)
let fnamelabel=new Label(Location=new System.Drawing.Point(100,50),BorderStyle=BorderStyle.FixedSingle)
let lnamelabel=new Label(Location=new System.Drawing.Point(100,100),BorderStyle=BorderStyle.FixedSingle)
//assings the font to our form
dataform.Font<-ffont
//adds the controls to our form
dataform.Controls.Add(exitbutton)
dataform.Controls.Add(label1)
dataform.Controls.Add(label2)
dataform.Controls.Add(label3)
dataform.Controls.Add(emplabel)
dataform.Controls.Add(fnamelabel)
dataform.Controls.Add(lnamelabel)
//binds the fieldnames to our label
emplabel.DataBindings.Add(new Binding("Text",dataset11,"tblEmployee.chrempno"))
fnamelabel.DataBindings.Add(new Binding("Text",dataset11,"tblEmployee.chrfname"))
lnamelabel.DataBindings.Add(new Binding("Text",dataset11,"tblEmployee.chrlname"))
//when the exit button is clicked
exitbutton.Click.Add(fun exit->
//close the form and dataconnection
                    dataform.Close()
                    oleconn.Close())

//executes our application
dataform.Show()
Application.Run(dataform)

5. Click the run icon to execute your application. You should now see an output similar to the following screen shot: