Reflection/Metadata on an assembly to get Windows form controls

[Ron]

I am building a utility that needs to extract all Windows forms control
names from a compiled assembly for documentation purposes.

I am currently using reflection, but not all of the controls are coming
back. What should I be doing differently?

Thanks,
Ron

private void Reflect(string AssemblyPath)
{
Assembly assem = Assembly.LoadFr om(AssemblyPath );

Type[] types = assem.GetTypes( );

foreach (Type t in types)
{
try
{
richTextBox1.Te xt += ("\r\n" + t.FullName + "\r\n");
MemberInfo[] mbrInfoArray = t.GetMembers();
foreach (MemberInfo mbrInfo in mbrInfoArray)
{
richTextBox1.Te xt += string.Format(" {0} is a
{1}\r\n", mbrInfo, mbrInfo.MemberT ype);
Application.DoE vents();
}

}
}
catch (System.NullRef erenceException )
{
Console.WriteLi ne("Error msg");
}
}

}

}

[Peter Duniho]

Re: Reflection/Metadata on an assembly to get Windows form controls

On Tue, 10 Jun 2008 11:17:10 -0700, Ron <rs_herhuth@yah oo.comwrote:

>
I am building a utility that needs to extract all Windows forms control
names from a compiled assembly for documentation purposes.
>
I am currently using reflection, but not all of the controls are coming
back. What should I be doing differently?

It's hard to say without knowing more specifics about the assemblies
you're inspecting and how you intend to use the information.

However, not only can controls be instantiated and added to a form
dynamically, even from within the VS Designer, you can opt to have a
control in the form but not declare a class member to reference it.

If you want to more reliably detect _every_ control that the assembly
might create, you'll have to look not just as class fields, but also the
code in class. And even that won't be 100% reliable.

Pete

[Ron]

Re: Reflection/Metadata on an assembly to get Windows form controls

Peter,

Thanks for the reply.

The assembly I want to run against is one of our Windows Forms projects.

It has roughly 80+ forms.

I am looking to extract each of the Windows controls on each of the forms
through reflection, which I will be using for security level permissions.

Ron


"Peter Duniho" <NpOeStPeAdM@nn owslpianmk.comw rote in message
news:op.ucjptt2 p8jd0ej@petes-computer.local. ..

On Tue, 10 Jun 2008 11:17:10 -0700, Ron <rs_herhuth@yah oo.comwrote:
>

>>
>I am building a utility that needs to extract all Windows forms control
>names from a compiled assembly for documentation purposes.
>>
>I am currently using reflection, but not all of the controls are coming
>back. What should I be doing differently?

>
It's hard to say without knowing more specifics about the assemblies
you're inspecting and how you intend to use the information.
>
However, not only can controls be instantiated and added to a form
dynamically, even from within the VS Designer, you can opt to have a
control in the form but not declare a class member to reference it.
>
If you want to more reliably detect _every_ control that the assembly
might create, you'll have to look not just as class fields, but also the
code in class. And even that won't be 100% reliable.
>
Pete

[Peter Duniho]

Re: Reflection/Metadata on an assembly to get Windows form controls

On Tue, 10 Jun 2008 11:45:42 -0700, Ron <rs_herhuth@yah oo.comwrote:

Thanks for the reply.
>
The assembly I want to run against is one of our Windows Forms projects.
>
It has roughly 80+ forms.
>
I am looking to extract each of the Windows controls on each of the
forms through reflection, which I will be using for security level
permissions.

None of that information changes what I wrote, nor does it elaborate on
the specific reasons the code you posted isn't reporting the controls you
seem to believe it should be reporting, or that you want it to report.

Was there something else that your most recent post was intended to add?
Is there something about my reply that wasn't clear?

Pete

[Ron]

Re: Reflection/Metadata on an assembly to get Windows form controls

Peter,
Fair enough.

Its not returning any controls...only properties and methods and forms. I
dont see a single control in my output.

Ron


"Peter Duniho" <NpOeStPeAdM@nn owslpianmk.comw rote in message
news:op.ucj4rrx n8jd0ej@petes-computer.local. ..

On Tue, 10 Jun 2008 11:45:42 -0700, Ron <rs_herhuth@yah oo.comwrote:
>

>Thanks for the reply.
>>
>The assembly I want to run against is one of our Windows Forms projects.
>>
>It has roughly 80+ forms.
>>
>I am looking to extract each of the Windows controls on each of the
>forms through reflection, which I will be using for security level
>permissions.

>
None of that information changes what I wrote, nor does it elaborate on
the specific reasons the code you posted isn't reporting the controls you
seem to believe it should be reporting, or that you want it to report.
>
Was there something else that your most recent post was intended to add?
Is there something about my reply that wasn't clear?
>
Pete

[parez]

Re: Reflection/Metadata on an assembly to get Windows form controls

On Jun 11, 8:56 am, "Ron" <rs_herh...@yah oo.comwrote:

Peter,
Fair enough.
>
Its not returning any controls...only properties and methods and forms. I
dont see a single control in my output.
>
Ron
>
"Peter Duniho" <NpOeStPe...@nn owslpianmk.comw rote in message
>
news:op.ucj4rrx n8jd0ej@petes-computer.local. ..
>

On Tue, 10 Jun 2008 11:45:42 -0700, Ron <rs_herh...@yah oo.comwrote:

>

Thanks for the reply.

>

The assembly I want to run against is one of our Windows Forms projects.

>

It has roughly 80+ forms.

>

I am looking to extract each of the Windows controls on each of the
forms through reflection, which I will be using for security level
permissions.

>

None of that information changes what I wrote, nor does it elaborate on
the specific reasons the code you posted isn't reporting the controls you
seem to believe it should be reporting, or that you want it to report.

>

Was there something else that your most recent post was intended to add?
Is there something about my reply that wasn't clear?

>

Pete

Try using the following method for each of the form. that mite give
you what you are looking for

GetAllControls< Control>(form);

protected List<TGetAllCon trols<T>(Contro l control) where T:Control
{

List<Tcontrols = new List<T>();

foreach (Control child in control.Control s)
{
//if (child is T)
T specificControl = child as T;

if (specificContro l != null)
controls.Add(sp ecificControl);

if (child.HasChild ren)
controls.AddRan ge(GetAllContro ls<T>(child));
}
return controls;
}

[Peter Duniho]

Re: Reflection/Metadata on an assembly to get Windows form controls

On Wed, 11 Jun 2008 05:56:15 -0700, Ron <rs_herhuth@yah oo.comwrote:

Peter,
Fair enough.
>
Its not returning any controls...only properties and methods and forms.
I dont see a single control in my output.

Well, control fields are usually "private" so you need to specifically ask
for those when you reflect (with an overload that takes the options that
specify public, private, etc.)

So unless you have some public fields referencing controls, you wouldn't
see any with the code you posted.

But again, this won't necessarily tell you all of the controls that are
actually _used_. It will only tell you the fields in each class that
could store a control reference. You may have controls not stored in
fields, and you may even have fields that wind up unused.

If you're only using the VS Designer in the simplest default way, these
issues probably won't matter. But you should still be aware of them.

Also, you should fix your code so that you aren't calling
Application.DoE vents(). That's just awful.

Pete