FormView Class (System.Web.UI.WebControls)

.NET Framework Class Library

FormView Class

Updated: July 2008

Displays the values of a single record from a data source using user-defined templates. The FormView control allows you to edit, delete, and insert records.

Namespace: System.Web.UI.WebControls
Assembly: System.Web (in System.Web.dll)

Syntax

Visual Basic (Declaration)

<ControlValuePropertyAttribute("SelectedValue")> _
<AspNetHostingPermissionAttribute(SecurityAction.InheritanceDemand, Level := AspNetHostingPermissionLevel.Minimal)> _
<AspNetHostingPermissionAttribute(SecurityAction.LinkDemand, Level := AspNetHostingPermissionLevel.Minimal)> _
Public Class FormView _
    Inherits CompositeDataBoundControl _
    Implements IDataItemContainer, INamingContainer, IPostBackEventHandler, IPostBackContainer

Visual Basic (Usage)

Dim instance As FormView

[ControlValuePropertyAttribute("SelectedValue")]
[AspNetHostingPermissionAttribute(SecurityAction.InheritanceDemand, Level = AspNetHostingPermissionLevel.Minimal)]
[AspNetHostingPermissionAttribute(SecurityAction.LinkDemand, Level = AspNetHostingPermissionLevel.Minimal)]
public class FormView : CompositeDataBoundControl, IDataItemContainer, 
    INamingContainer, IPostBackEventHandler, IPostBackContainer

Visual C++

[ControlValuePropertyAttribute(L"SelectedValue")]
[AspNetHostingPermissionAttribute(SecurityAction::InheritanceDemand, Level = AspNetHostingPermissionLevel::Minimal)]
[AspNetHostingPermissionAttribute(SecurityAction::LinkDemand, Level = AspNetHostingPermissionLevel::Minimal)]
public ref class FormView : public CompositeDataBoundControl, 
    IDataItemContainer, INamingContainer, IPostBackEventHandler, IPostBackContainer

JScript

public class FormView extends CompositeDataBoundControl implements IDataItemContainer, INamingContainer, IPostBackEventHandler, IPostBackContainer

ASP.NET

<asp:FormView />

Remarks

The FormView control is used to display a single record from a data source. It is similar to the DetailsView control, except it displays user-defined templates instead of row fields. Creating your own templates gives you greater flexibility in controlling how the data is displayed. The FormView control supports the following features:

Binding to data source controls, such as SqlDataSource and ObjectDataSource.
Built-in inserting capabilities.
Built-in updating and deleting capabilities.
Built-in paging capabilities.
Programmatic access to the FormView object model to dynamically set properties, handle events, and so on.
Customizable appearance through user-defined templates, themes, and styles.

Templates

For the FormView control to display content, you need to create templates for the different parts of the control. Most templates are optional; however, you must create a template for the mode in which the control is configured. For example, a FormView control that supports inserting records must have an insert item template defined. The following table lists the different templates that you can create.

Template type	Description
EditItemTemplate	Defines the content for the data row when the FormView control is in edit mode. This template usually contains input controls and command buttons with which the user can edit an existing record.
EmptyDataTemplate	Defines the content for the empty data row displayed when the FormView control is bound to a data source that does not contain any records. This template usually contains content to alert the user that the data source does not contain any records.
FooterTemplate	Defines the content for the footer row. This template usually contains any additional content you would like to display in the footer row. Note: As an alternative, you can simply specify text to display in the footer row by setting the FooterText property.
HeaderTemplate	Defines the content for the header row. This template usually contains any additional content you would like to display in the header row. Note: As an alternative, you can simply specify text to display in the header row by setting the HeaderText property.
ItemTemplate	Defines the content for the data row when the FormView control is in read-only mode. This template usually contains content to display the values of an existing record.
InsertItemTemplate	Defines the content for the data row when the FormView control is in insert mode. This template usually contains input controls and command buttons with which the user can add a new record.
PagerTemplate	Defines the content for the pager row displayed when the paging feature is enabled (when the AllowPaging property is set to true). This template usually contains controls with which the user can navigate to another record. Note: The FormView control has a built-in pager row user interface (UI). You need to create a pager template only if you want to create your own custom pager row.

To display the value of a field in an item template, use a data binding expression. For more information on data binding expressions, see Data-Binding Expression Syntax.

Input controls in the edit item template and insert item template can be bound to the fields of a data source by using a two-way binding expression. This allows the FormView control to automatically extract the values of the input control for an update or insert operation. Two-way binding expressions also allow input controls in an edit item template to automatically display the original field values. For more information on two-way binding expressions, see Binding to Databases.

Binding to Data

The FormView control can be bound to a data source control (such as SqlDataSource, AccessDataSource, ObjectDataSource and so on), or to any data source that implements the System.Collections..::.IEnumerable interface (such as System.Data..::.DataView, System.Collections..::.ArrayList, and System.Collections..::.Hashtable). Use one of the following methods to bind the FormView control to the appropriate data source type:

To bind to a data source control, set the DataSourceID property of the FormView control to the ID value of the data source control. The FormView control automatically binds to the specified data source control and can take advantage of the data source control's capabilities to perform inserting, updating, deleting, and paging functionality. This is the preferred method to bind to data.
To bind to a data source that implements the System.Collections..::.IEnumerable interface, programmatically set the DataSource property of the FormView control to the data source and then call the DataBind method. When using this method, the FormView control does not provide built-in inserting, updating, deleting, and paging functionality. You need to provide this functionality by using the appropriate event.

For more information on data binding, see Accessing Data with ASP.NET.

Note:
This control can be used to display user input, which might include malicious client script. Check any information that is sent from a client for executable script, SQL statements, or other code before displaying it in your application. Whenever possible, it is strongly recommended that values are HTML-encoded before they are displayed in this control. ASP.NET provides an input request validation feature to block script and HTML in user input. Validation server controls are also provided to assess user input. For more information, see Introduction to the Validation Controls.

Note:

This control can be used to display user input, which might include malicious client script. Check any information that is sent from a client for executable script, SQL statements, or other code before displaying it in your application. Whenever possible, it is strongly recommended that values are HTML-encoded before they are displayed in this control. ASP.NET provides an input request validation feature to block script and HTML in user input. Validation server controls are also provided to assess user input. For more information, see Introduction to the Validation Controls.

Data Operations

The FormView control provides many built-in capabilities that allow the user to update, delete, insert, and page through items in the control. When the FormView control is bound to a data source control, the FormView control can take advantage of the data source control's capabilities and provide automatic updating, deleting, inserting, and paging functionality.

Note:
The FormView control can provide support for update, delete, insert, and paging operations with other types of data sources; however, you must provide an appropriate event handler with the implementation for these operations.

Because the FormView control uses templates, it does not provide a way to automatically generate command buttons to perform updating, deleting, or inserting operations. You must manually include these command buttons in the appropriate template. The FormView control recognizes certain buttons that have their CommandName properties set to specific values. The following table lists the command buttons that the FormView control recognizes.

Button	CommandName value	Description
Cancel	"Cancel"	Used in updating or inserting operations to cancel the operation and to discard the values entered by the user. The FormView control then returns to the mode specified by the DefaultMode property.
Delete	"Delete"	Used in deleting operations to delete the displayed record from the data source. Raises the ItemDeleting and ItemDeleted events.
Edit	"Edit"	Used in updating operations to put the FormView control in edit mode. The content specified in the EditItemTemplate property is displayed for the data row.
Insert	"Insert"	Used in inserting operations to attempt to insert a new record in the data source using the values provided by the user. Raises the ItemInserting and ItemInserted events.
New	"New"	Used in inserting operations to put the FormView control in insert mode. The content specified in the InsertItemTemplate property is displayed for the data row.
Page	"Page"	Used in paging operations to represent a button in the pager row that performs paging. To specify the paging operation, set the CommandArgument property of the button to "Next", "Prev", "First", "Last", or the index of the page to which to navigate. Raises the PageIndexChanging and PageIndexChanged events. Note: This type of button is typically used only in the pager template.
Update	"Update"	Used in updating operations to attempt to update the displayed record in the data source with the values provided by the user. Raises the ItemUpdating and ItemUpdated events.

Unlike the Delete button (which deletes the displayed record immediately), when the Edit or New button is clicked, the FormView control goes into edit or insert mode, respectively. In edit mode, the content contained in the EditItemTemplate property is displayed for the current data item. Typically, the edit item template is defined such that the Edit button is replaced with an Update and a Cancel button. Input controls that are appropriate for the field's data type (such as a TextBox or a CheckBox control) are also usually displayed with a field's value for the user to modify. Clicking the Update button updates the record in the data source, while clicking the Cancel button abandons any changes.

Likewise, the content contained in the InsertItemTemplate property is displayed for the data item when the control is in insert mode. The insert item template is typically defined such that the New button is replaced with an Insert and a Cancel button, and empty input controls are displayed for the user to enter the values for the new record. Clicking the Insert button inserts the record in the data source, while clicking the Cancel button abandons any changes.

The FormView control provides a paging feature, which allows the user to navigate to other records in the data source. When enabled, a pager row is displayed in the FormView control that contains the page navigation controls. To enable paging, set the AllowPaging property to true. You can customize the pager row by setting the properties of objects contained in the PagerStyle and the PagerSettings property. Instead of using the built-in pager row UI, you can create your own UI by using the PagerTemplate property.

Customizing the User Interface

You can customize the appearance of the FormView control by setting the style properties for the different parts of the control. The following table lists the different style properties.

Style property	Description
EditRowStyle	The style settings for the data row when the FormView control is in edit mode.
EmptyDataRowStyle	The style settings for the empty data row displayed in the FormView control when the data source does not contain any records.
FooterStyle	The style settings for the footer row of the FormView control.
HeaderStyle	The style settings for the header row of the FormView control.
InsertRowStyle	The style settings for the data row when the FormView control is in insert mode.
PagerStyle	The style settings for the pager row displayed in the FormView control when the paging feature is enabled.
RowStyle	The style settings for the data row when the FormView control is in read-only mode.

Events

The FormView control provides several events that you can program against. This allows you to run a custom routine whenever an event occurs. The following table lists the events supported by the FormView control.

Event	Description
ItemCommand	Occurs when a button within a FormView control is clicked. This event is often used to perform a task when a button is clicked in the control.
ItemCreated	Occurs after all FormViewRow objects are created in the FormView control. This event is often used to modify the values of a record before it is displayed.
ItemDeleted	Occurs when a Delete button (a button with its CommandName property set to "Delete") is clicked, but after the FormView control deletes the record from the data source. This event is often used to check the results of the delete operation.
ItemDeleting	Occurs when a Delete button is clicked, but before the FormView control deletes the record from the data source. This event is often used to cancel the delete operation.
ItemInserted	Occurs when an Insert button (a button with its CommandName property set to "Insert") is clicked, but after the FormView control inserts the record. This event is often used to check the results of the insert operation.
ItemInserting	Occurs when an Insert button is clicked, but before the FormView control inserts the record. This event is often used to cancel the insert operation.
ItemUpdated	Occurs when an Update button (a button with its CommandName property set to "Update") is clicked, but after the FormView control updates the row. This event is often used to check the results of the update operation.
ItemUpdating	Occurs when an Update button is clicked, but before the FormView control updates the record. This event is often used to cancel the update operation.
ModeChanged	Occurs after the FormView control changes modes (to edit, insert, or read-only mode). This event is often used to perform a task when the FormView control changes modes.
ModeChanging	Occurs before the FormView control changes modes (to edit, insert, or read-only mode). This event is often used to cancel a mode change.
PageIndexChanged	Occurs when one of the pager buttons is clicked, but after the FormView control handles the paging operation. This event is commonly used when you need to perform a task after the user navigates to a different record in the control.
PageIndexChanging	Occurs when one of the pager buttons is clicked, but before the FormView control handles the paging operation. This event is often used to cancel the paging operation.

Accessibility

The markup rendered by default for this control might not conform to accessibility standards such as the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 1.0 (WCAG) priority 1 guidelines. For details about accessibility support for this control, see ASP.NET Controls and Accessibility.

Topic	Location
How to: Bind to Data in a Templated Control	Building ASP .NET Web Applications
How to: Bind to Data in a Templated Control	Building ASP .NET Web Applications
How to: Bind to Data in a Templated Control	Building ASP .NET Web Applications in Visual Studio
How to: Bind to Data in a Templated Control	Building ASP .NET Web Applications in Visual Studio
How to: Bind to Data in a Templated Control in Visual Studio	Building ASP .NET Web Applications in Visual Studio
How to: Bind to Data in a Templated Control in Visual Studio	Building ASP .NET Web Applications in Visual Studio
How to: Bind to Data in a Templated Control in Visual Studio	Building ASP .NET Web Applications in Visual Studio
How to: Create ASP.NET Web Control Templates Declaratively	Building ASP .NET Web Applications
How to: Create ASP.NET Web Control Templates Declaratively	Building ASP .NET Web Applications
How to: Create ASP.NET Web Control Templates Declaratively	Building ASP .NET Web Applications in Visual Studio
How to: Create ASP.NET Web Control Templates Declaratively	Building ASP .NET Web Applications in Visual Studio
How to: Create ASP.NET Web Server Control Templates	Building ASP .NET Web Applications
How To: Create ASP.NET Web Server Control Templates Dynamically	Building ASP .NET Web Applications
How To: Create ASP.NET Web Server Control Templates Dynamically	Building ASP .NET Web Applications
How To: Create ASP.NET Web Server Control Templates Dynamically	Building ASP .NET Web Applications in Visual Studio
How To: Create ASP.NET Web Server Control Templates Dynamically	Building ASP .NET Web Applications in Visual Studio
How to: Respond to Button Events in Data-Bound Controls	Building ASP .NET Web Applications
How to: Respond to Button Events in Data-Bound Controls	Building ASP .NET Web Applications
How to: Respond to Button Events in Data-Bound Controls	Building ASP .NET Web Applications in Visual Studio
How to: Respond to Button Events in Data-Bound Controls	Building ASP .NET Web Applications in Visual Studio
Walkthrough: Displaying Formatted Data in Web Pages with the FormView Web Server Control	Building ASP .NET Web Applications in Visual Studio
Walkthrough: Displaying Formatted Data in Web Pages with the FormView Web Server Control	Building ASP .NET Web Applications in Visual Studio
Walkthrough: Displaying Formatted Data in Web Pages with the FormView Web Server Control	Building ASP .NET Web Applications in Visual Studio

Examples

The following example demonstrates how to use a FormView control to display the values from a SqlDataSource control.

Visual Basic

<%@ Page language="VB" %>

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN"
    "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd">
<html  >
  <head runat="server">
    <title>FormView Example</title>
</head>
<body>
    <form id="form1" runat="server">

      <h3>FormView Example</h3>

      <asp:formview id="EmployeeFormView"
        datasourceid="EmployeeSource"
        allowpaging="true"
        datakeynames="EmployeeID" 
        runat="server">

        <itemtemplate>

          <table>
            <tr>
              <td>
                <asp:image id="EmployeeImage"
                  imageurl='<%# Eval("PhotoPath") %>'
                  alternatetext='<%# Eval("LastName") %>' 
                  runat="server"/>
              </td>
              <td>
                <h3><%# Eval("FirstName") %>&nbsp;<%# Eval("LastName") %></h3>      
                <%# Eval("Title") %>        
              </td>
            </tr>
          </table>

        </itemtemplate>

        <pagersettings position="Bottom"
          mode="NextPrevious"/> 

      </asp:formview>

      <!-- This example uses Microsoft SQL Server and connects  -->
      <!-- to the Northwind sample database. Use an ASP.NET     -->
      <!-- expression to retrieve the connection string value   -->
      <!-- from the Web.config file.                            -->
      <asp:sqldatasource id="EmployeeSource"
        selectcommand="Select [EmployeeID], [LastName], [FirstName], [Title], [PhotoPath] From [Employees]"
        connectionstring="<%$ ConnectionStrings:NorthWindConnectionString%>" 
        runat="server"/>

    </form>
  </body>
</html>

<%@ Page language="C#" %>

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN"
    "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd">
<html  >
  <head runat="server">
    <title>FormView Example</title>
</head>
<body>
    <form id="form1" runat="server">

      <h3>FormView Example</h3>

      <asp:formview id="EmployeeFormView"
        datasourceid="EmployeeSource"
        allowpaging="true"
        datakeynames="EmployeeID" 
        runat="server">

        <itemtemplate>

          <table>
            <tr>
              <td>
                <asp:image id="EmployeeImage"
                  imageurl='<%# Eval("PhotoPath") %>'
                  alternatetext='<%# Eval("LastName") %>' 
                  runat="server"/>
              </td>
              <td>
                <h3><%# Eval("FirstName") %>&nbsp;<%# Eval("LastName") %></h3>      
                <%# Eval("Title") %>        
              </td>
            </tr>
          </table>

        </itemtemplate>

        <pagersettings position="Bottom"
          mode="NextPrevious"/> 

      </asp:formview>

      <!-- This example uses Microsoft SQL Server and connects  -->
      <!-- to the Northwind sample database. Use an ASP.NET     -->
      <!-- expression to retrieve the connection string value   -->
      <!-- from the Web.config file.                            -->
      <asp:sqldatasource id="EmployeeSource"
        selectcommand="Select [EmployeeID], [LastName], [FirstName], [Title], [PhotoPath] From [Employees]"
        connectionstring="<%$ ConnectionStrings:NorthWindConnectionString%>" 
        runat="server"/>

    </form>
  </body>
</html>

The following example demonstrates how to use a FormView control to edit existing records.

Security Note:
The control in this example has a text box that accepts user input, which is a potential security threat. By default, ASP.NET Web pages validate that user input does not include script or HTML elements. For more information, see Script Exploits Overview.

Visual Basic

<%@ Page language="VB" %>

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN"
    "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd">
<script runat="server">

  Sub EmployeeFormView_ItemUpdating(ByVal sender As Object, ByVal e As FormViewUpdateEventArgs) Handles EmployeeFormView.ItemUpdating

    ' Validate the field values entered by the user. This
    ' example determines whether the user left any fields
    ' empty. Use the NewValues property to access the new 
    ' values entered by the user.
        Dim emptyFieldList As ArrayList = ValidateFields(e.NewValues)

    If emptyFieldList.Count > 0 Then

      ' The user left some fields empty. Display an error message.

      ' Use the Keys property to retrieve the key field value.
      Dim keyValue As String = e.Keys("EmployeeID").ToString()

      MessageLabel.Text = "You must enter a value for each field of record " & _
        keyValue & ".<br/>The following fields are missing:<br/><br/>"

      ' Display the missing fields.
      Dim value As String
      For Each value In emptyFieldList

        ' Use the OldValues property to access the original value
        ' of a field.
        MessageLabel.Text &= value & " - Original Value = " & _
          e.OldValues(value).ToString() & "<br />"

      Next

      ' Cancel the update operation.
      e.Cancel = True

    Else

      ' The field values passed validation. Clear the
      ' error message label.
      MessageLabel.Text = ""

    End If

  End Sub

  Function ValidateFields(ByVal list As IOrderedDictionary) As ArrayList

    ' Create an ArrayList object to store the
    ' names of any empty fields.
    Dim emptyFieldList As New ArrayList()

    ' Iterate though the field values entered by
    ' the user and check for an empty field. Empty
    ' fields contain a null value.
    Dim entry As DictionaryEntry

    For Each entry In list

      If entry.Value Is String.Empty Then

        ' Add the field name to the ArrayList object.
        emptyFieldList.Add(entry.Key.ToString())

      End If

    Next

    Return emptyFieldList

  End Function

  Sub EmployeeFormView_ModeChanging(ByVal sender As Object, ByVal e As FormViewModeEventArgs) Handles EmployeeFormView.ModeChanging

    If e.CancelingEdit Then

      ' The user canceled the update operation.
      ' Clear the error message label.
      MessageLabel.Text = ""

    End If

  End Sub

</script>

<html  >
  <head runat="server">
    <title>FormView Example</title>
</head>
<body>
    <form id="form1" runat="server">

      <h3>FormView Example</h3>

      <asp:formview id="EmployeeFormView"
        datasourceid="EmployeeSource"
        allowpaging="true"
        datakeynames="EmployeeID"
        headertext="Employee Record"
        emptydatatext="No employees found."
        runat="server">

        <headerstyle backcolor="CornFlowerBlue"
          forecolor="White"
          font-size="14"
          horizontalalign="Center"  
          wrap="false"/>
        <rowstyle backcolor="LightBlue"
          wrap="false"/>
        <pagerstyle backcolor="CornFlowerBlue"/>

        <itemtemplate>
          <table>
            <tr>
              <td rowspan="6">
                <asp:image id="EmployeeImage"
                  imageurl='<%# Eval("PhotoPath") %>'
                  alternatetext='<%# Eval("LastName") %>' 
                  runat="server"/>
              </td>
              <td colspan="2">
                  &nbsp; 
              </td>
            </tr>
            <tr>
              <td>
                <b>Name:</b>
              </td>
              <td>
                <%# Eval("FirstName") %> <%# Eval("LastName") %>
              </td>
            </tr>
            <tr>
              <td>
                <b>Title:</b>
              </td>
              <td>
                <%# Eval("Title") %>
              </td>
            </tr>
            <tr>
              <td>
                <b>Hire Date:</b>                 
              </td>
              <td>
                <%# Eval("HireDate","{0:d}") %>
              </td>
            </tr>
            <tr style="height:150; vertical-align:top">
              <td>
                <b>Address:</b>
              </td>
              <td>
                <%# Eval("Address") %><br/>
                <%# Eval("City") %> <%# Eval("Region") %>
                <%# Eval("PostalCode") %><br/>
                <%# Eval("Country") %>   
              </td>
            </tr>
            <tr>
              <td colspan="2">
                <asp:linkbutton id="Edit"
                  text="Edit"
                  commandname="Edit"
                  runat="server"/> 
              </td>
            </tr>
          </table>       
        </itemtemplate>
        <edititemtemplate>
          <table>
            <tr>
              <td rowspan="6">
                <asp:image id="EmployeeEditImage"
                  imageurl='<%# Eval("PhotoPath") %>'
                  alternatetext='<%# Eval("LastName") %>' 
                  runat="server"/>
              </td>
              <td colspan="2">
                  &nbsp; 
              </td>
            </tr>
            <tr>
              <td>
                <b>Name:</b>
              </td>
              <td>
                <asp:textbox id="FirstNameUpdateTextBox"
                  text='<%# Bind("FirstName") %>'
                  runat="server"/>
                <asp:textbox id="LastNameUpdateTextBox"
                  text='<%# Bind("LastName") %>'
                  runat="server"/>
              </td>
            </tr>
            <tr>
              <td>
                <b>Title:</b>
              </td>
              <td>
                <asp:textbox id="TitleUpdateTextBox"
                  text='<%# Bind("Title") %>'
                  runat="server"/> 
              </td>
            </tr>
            <tr>
              <td>
                <b>Hire Date:</b>                 
              </td>
              <td>
                <asp:textbox id="HireDateUpdateTextBox"
                  text='<%# Bind("HireDate", "{0:d}") %>'
                  runat="server"/>
              </td>
            </tr>
            <tr style="height:150; vertical-align:top">
              <td>
                <b>Address:</b>
              </td>
              <td>
                <asp:textbox id="AddressUpdateTextBox"
                  text='<%# Bind("Address") %>'
                  runat="server"/>
                <br/>
                <asp:textbox id="CityUpdateTextBox"
                  text='<%# Bind("City") %>'
                  runat="server"/> 
                <asp:textbox id="RegionUpdateTextBox"
                  text='<%# Bind("Region") %>'
                  width="40"
                  runat="server"/>
                <asp:textbox id="PostalCodeUpdateTextBox"
                  text='<%# Bind("PostalCode") %>'
                  width="60"
                  runat="server"/>
                <br/>
                <asp:textbox id="CountryUpdateTextBox"
                  text='<%# Bind("Country") %>'
                  runat="server"/> 
              </td>
            </tr>
            <tr>
              <td colspan="2">
                <asp:linkbutton id="UpdateButton"
                  text="Update"
                  commandname="Update"
                  runat="server"/>
                <asp:linkbutton id="CancelButton"
                  text="Cancel"
                  commandname="Cancel"
                  runat="server"/> 
              </td>
            </tr>
          </table>       
        </edititemtemplate>

        <pagersettings position="Bottom"
          mode="Numeric"/> 

      </asp:formview>

      <br/><br/>

      <asp:label id="MessageLabel"
          forecolor="Red"
          runat="server"/>

      <!-- This example uses Microsoft SQL Server and connects  -->
      <!-- to the Northwind sample database. Use an ASP.NET     -->
      <!-- expression to retrieve the connection string value   -->
      <!-- from the Web.config file.                            -->
      <asp:sqldatasource id="EmployeeSource"
        selectcommand="Select [EmployeeID], [LastName], [FirstName], [Title], [Address], [City], [Region], [PostalCode], [Country], [HireDate], [PhotoPath] From [Employees]"
        updatecommand="Update [Employees] Set [LastName]=@LastName, [FirstName]=@FirstName, [Title]=@Title, [Address]=@Address, [City]=@City, [Region]=@Region, [PostalCode]=@PostalCode, [Country]=@Country Where [EmployeeID]=@EmployeeID"
        connectionstring="<%$ ConnectionStrings:NorthWindConnectionString%>" 
        runat="server"/>

    </form>
  </body>
</html>

<%@ Page language="C#" %>

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN"
    "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd">
<script runat="server">

  void EmployeeFormView_ItemUpdating(Object sender, FormViewUpdateEventArgs e)
  {

    // Validate the field values entered by the user. This
    // example determines whether the user left any fields
    // empty. Use the NewValues property to access the new 
    // values entered by the user.
    ArrayList emptyFieldList = ValidateFields(e.NewValues);

    if (emptyFieldList.Count > 0)
    {

      // The user left some fields empty. Display an error message.

      // Use the Keys property to retrieve the key field value.
      String keyValue = e.Keys["EmployeeID"].ToString();

      MessageLabel.Text = "You must enter a value for each field of record " +
        keyValue + ".<br/>The following fields are missing:<br/><br/>";

      // Display the missing fields.
      foreach (String value in emptyFieldList)
      {
        // Use the OldValues property to access the original value
        // of a field.
        MessageLabel.Text += value + " - Original Value = " + 
          e.OldValues[value].ToString() + "<br />";
      }

      // Cancel the update operation.
      e.Cancel = true;

    }
    else
    {
      // The field values passed validation. Clear the
      // error message label.
      MessageLabel.Text = "";
    }

  }

  ArrayList ValidateFields(IOrderedDictionary list)
  {

    // Create an ArrayList object to store the
    // names of any empty fields.
    ArrayList emptyFieldList = new ArrayList();

    // Iterate though the field values entered by
    // the user and check for an empty field. Empty
    // fields contain a null value.
    foreach (DictionaryEntry entry in list)
    {
      if (entry.Value == String.Empty)
      {
        // Add the field name to the ArrayList object.
        emptyFieldList.Add(entry.Key.ToString());
      }
    }

    return emptyFieldList;
  }

  void EmployeeFormView_ModeChanging(Object sender, FormViewModeEventArgs e)
  {
    if (e.CancelingEdit)
    {
      // The user canceled the update operation.
      // Clear the error message label.
      MessageLabel.Text = "";
    }
  }

</script>

<html  >
  <head runat="server">
    <title>FormView Example</title>
</head>
<body>
    <form id="form1" runat="server">

      <h3>FormView Example</h3>

      <asp:formview id="EmployeeFormView"
        datasourceid="EmployeeSource"
        allowpaging="true"
        datakeynames="EmployeeID"
        headertext="Employee Record"
        emptydatatext="No employees found."
        onitemupdating="EmployeeFormView_ItemUpdating"
        onmodechanging="EmployeeFormView_ModeChanging"  
        runat="server">

        <headerstyle backcolor="CornFlowerBlue"
          forecolor="White"
          font-size="14"
          horizontalalign="Center"  
          wrap="false"/>
        <rowstyle backcolor="LightBlue"
          wrap="false"/>
        <pagerstyle backcolor="CornFlowerBlue"/>

        <itemtemplate>
          <table>
            <tr>
              <td rowspan="6">
                <asp:image id="EmployeeImage"
                  imageurl='<%# Eval("PhotoPath") %>'
                  alternatetext='<%# Eval("LastName") %>' 
                  runat="server"/>
              </td>
              <td colspan="2">
                  &nbsp; 
              </td>
            </tr>
            <tr>
              <td>
                <b>Name:</b>
              </td>
              <td>
                <%# Eval("FirstName") %> <%# Eval("LastName") %>
              </td>
            </tr>
            <tr>
              <td>
                <b>Title:</b>
              </td>
              <td>
                <%# Eval("Title") %>
              </td>
            </tr>
            <tr>
              <td>
                <b>Hire Date:</b>                 
              </td>
              <td>
                <%# Eval("HireDate","{0:d}") %>
              </td>
            </tr>
            <tr style="height:150; vertical-align:top">
              <td>
                <b>Address:</b>
              </td>
              <td>
                <%# Eval("Address") %><br/>
                <%# Eval("City") %> <%# Eval("Region") %>
                <%# Eval("PostalCode") %><br/>
                <%# Eval("Country") %>   
              </td>
            </tr>
            <tr>
              <td colspan="2">
                <asp:linkbutton id="Edit"
                  text="Edit"
                  commandname="Edit"
                  runat="server"/> 
              </td>
            </tr>
          </table>       
        </itemtemplate>
        <edititemtemplate>
          <table>
            <tr>
              <td rowspan="6">
                <asp:image id="EmployeeEditImage"
                  imageurl='<%# Eval("PhotoPath") %>'
                  alternatetext='<%# Eval("LastName") %>' 
                  runat="server"/>
              </td>
              <td colspan="2">
                  &nbsp; 
              </td>
            </tr>
            <tr>
              <td>
                <b>Name:</b>
              </td>
              <td>
                <asp:textbox id="FirstNameUpdateTextBox"
                  text='<%# Bind("FirstName") %>'
                  runat="server"/>
                <asp:textbox id="LastNameUpdateTextBox"
                  text='<%# Bind("LastName") %>'
                  runat="server"/>
              </td>
            </tr>
            <tr>
              <td>
                <b>Title:</b>
              </td>
              <td>
                <asp:textbox id="TitleUpdateTextBox"
                  text='<%# Bind("Title") %>'
                  runat="server"/> 
              </td>
            </tr>
            <tr>
              <td>
                <b>Hire Date:</b>                 
              </td>
              <td>
                <asp:textbox id="HireDateUpdateTextBox"
                  text='<%# Bind("HireDate", "{0:d}") %>'
                  runat="server"/>
              </td>
            </tr>
            <tr style="height:150; vertical-align:top">
              <td>
                <b>Address:</b>
              </td>
              <td>
                <asp:textbox id="AddressUpdateTextBox"
                  text='<%# Bind("Address") %>'
                  runat="server"/>
                <br/>
                <asp:textbox id="CityUpdateTextBox"
                  text='<%# Bind("City") %>'
                  runat="server"/> 
                <asp:textbox id="RegionUpdateTextBox"
                  text='<%# Bind("Region") %>'
                  width="40"
                  runat="server"/>
                <asp:textbox id="PostalCodeUpdateTextBox"
                  text='<%# Bind("PostalCode") %>'
                  width="60"
                  runat="server"/>
                <br/>
                <asp:textbox id="CountryUpdateTextBox"
                  text='<%# Bind("Country") %>'
                  runat="server"/> 
              </td>
            </tr>
            <tr>
              <td colspan="2">
                <asp:linkbutton id="UpdateButton"
                  text="Update"
                  commandname="Update"
                  runat="server"/>
                <asp:linkbutton id="CancelButton"
                  text="Cancel"
                  commandname="Cancel"
                  runat="server"/> 
              </td>
            </tr>
          </table>       
        </edititemtemplate>

        <pagersettings position="Bottom"
          mode="Numeric"/> 

      </asp:formview>

      <br/><br/>

      <asp:label id="MessageLabel"
          forecolor="Red"
          runat="server"/>

      <!-- This example uses Microsoft SQL Server and connects  -->
      <!-- to the Northwind sample database. Use an ASP.NET     -->
      <!-- expression to retrieve the connection string value   -->
      <!-- from the Web.config file.                            -->
      <asp:sqldatasource id="EmployeeSource"
        selectcommand="Select [EmployeeID], [LastName], [FirstName], [Title], [Address], [City], [Region], [PostalCode], [Country], [HireDate], [PhotoPath] From [Employees]"
        updatecommand="Update [Employees] Set [LastName]=@LastName, [FirstName]=@FirstName, [Title]=@Title, [Address]=@Address, [City]=@City, [Region]=@Region, [PostalCode]=@PostalCode, [Country]=@Country Where [EmployeeID]=@EmployeeID"
        connectionstring="<%$ ConnectionStrings:NorthWindConnectionString%>" 
        runat="server"/>

    </form>
  </body>
</html>

The following example demonstrates how to use a FormView control to insert new records.

Security Note:
The control in this example has a text box that accepts user input, which is a potential security threat. By default, ASP.NET Web pages validate that user input does not include script or HTML elements. For more information, see Script Exploits Overview.

Visual Basic

<%@ Page language="VB" %>

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN"
    "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd">
<html  >
  <head runat="server">
    <title>FormView InsertItemTemplate Example</title>
</head>
<body>
    <form id="form1" runat="server">

      <h3>FormView InsertItemTemplate Example</h3>

      <asp:formview id="EmployeeFormView"
        datasourceid="EmployeeSource"
        allowpaging="true"
        datakeynames="EmployeeID"
        emptydatatext="No employees found."  
        runat="server">

        <rowstyle backcolor="LightGreen"
          wrap="false"/>
        <insertrowstyle backcolor="LightBlue"
          wrap="false"/>

        <itemtemplate>
          <table>
            <tr>
              <td rowspan="5">
                <asp:image id="CompanyLogoImage"
                  imageurl="~/Images/Logo.jpg"
                  alternatetext="Company logo"
                  runat="server"/>
              </td>
              <td colspan="2">
                  &nbsp; 
              </td>
            </tr>
            <tr>
              <td>
                <b>Name:</b>
              </td>
              <td>
                <%# Eval("FirstName") %> <%# Eval("LastName") %>
              </td>
            </tr>
            <tr>
              <td>
                <b>Title:</b>
              </td>
              <td>
                <%# Eval("Title") %>
              </td>
            </tr>
            <tr>
              <td colspan="2">
                <asp:linkbutton id="NewButton"
                  text="New"
                  commandname="New"
                  runat="server"/> 
              </td>
            </tr>
          </table>       
        </itemtemplate>
        <insertitemtemplate>
          <table>
            <tr>
              <td rowspan="4">
                <asp:image id="CompanyLogoEditImage"
                  imageurl="~/Images/Logo.jpg"
                  alternatetext="Company logo"
                  runat="server"/>
              </td>
              <td colspan="2">
                  &nbsp; 
              </td>
            </tr>
            <tr>
              <td>
                <b><asp:Label runat="server" 
                  AssociatedControlID="FirstNameInsertTextBox" 
                  Text="Name" />:</b>
              </td>
              <td>
                <asp:textbox id="FirstNameInsertTextBox"
                  text='<%# Bind("FirstName") %>'
                  runat="server"/>
                <asp:textbox id="LastNameInsertTextBox"
                  text='<%# Bind("LastName") %>'
                  runat="server"/>
              </td>
            </tr>
            <tr>
              <td>
                <b><asp:Label runat="server" 
                  AssociatedControlID="TitleInsertTextBox" 
                  Text="Title" />:</b>
              </td>
              <td>
                <asp:textbox id="TitleInsertTextBox"
                  text='<%# Bind("Title") %>'
                  runat="server"/> 
              </td>
            </tr>
            <tr>
              <td colspan="2">
                <asp:linkbutton id="InsertButton"
                  text="Insert"
                  commandname="Insert"
                  runat="server" />
                <asp:linkbutton id="CancelButton"
                  text="Cancel"
                  commandname="Cancel"
                  runat="server" /> 
              </td>
            </tr>
          </table>       
        </insertitemtemplate> 

      </asp:formview>

      <!-- This example uses Microsoft SQL Server and connects  -->
      <!-- to the Northwind sample database. Use an ASP.NET     -->
      <!-- expression to retrieve the connection string value   -->
      <!-- from the Web.config file.                            -->
      <asp:sqldatasource id="EmployeeSource"
        selectcommand="Select [EmployeeID], [LastName], [FirstName], [Title], [PhotoPath] From [Employees]"
        insertcommand="Insert Into [Employees] ([LastName], [FirstName], [Title]) VALUES (@LastName, @FirstName, @Title)"
        connectionstring="<%$ ConnectionStrings:NorthWindConnectionString%>" 
        runat="server"/>

    </form>
  </body>
</html>

<%@ Page language="C#" %>

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN"
    "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd">
<html  >
  <head runat="server">
    <title>FormView InsertItemTemplate Example</title>
</head>
<body>
    <form id="form1" runat="server">

      <h3>FormView InsertItemTemplate Example</h3>

      <asp:formview id="EmployeeFormView"
        datasourceid="EmployeeSource"
        allowpaging="true"
        datakeynames="EmployeeID"
        emptydatatext="No employees found."  
        runat="server">

        <rowstyle backcolor="LightGreen"
          wrap="false"/>
        <insertrowstyle backcolor="LightBlue"
          wrap="false"/>

        <itemtemplate>
          <table>
            <tr>
              <td rowspan="5">
                <asp:image id="CompanyLogoImage"
                  imageurl="~/Images/Logo.jpg"
                  alternatetext="Company logo"
                  runat="server"/>
              </td>
              <td colspan="2">
                  &nbsp; 
              </td>
            </tr>
            <tr>
              <td>
                <b>Name:</b>
              </td>
              <td>
                <%# Eval("FirstName") %> <%# Eval("LastName") %>
              </td>
            </tr>
            <tr>
              <td>
                <b>Title:</b>
              </td>
              <td>
                <%# Eval("Title") %>
              </td>
            </tr>
            <tr>
              <td colspan="2">
                <asp:linkbutton id="NewButton"
                  text="New"
                  commandname="New"
                  runat="server"/> 
              </td>
            </tr>
          </table>       
        </itemtemplate>
        <insertitemtemplate>
          <table>
            <tr>
              <td rowspan="4">
                <asp:image id="CompanyLogoEditImage"
                  imageurl="~/Images/Logo.jpg"
                  alternatetext="Company logo"
                  runat="server"/>
              </td>
              <td colspan="2">
                  &nbsp; 
              </td>
            </tr>
            <tr>
              <td>
                <b><asp:Label runat="server" 
                  AssociatedControlID="FirstNameInsertTextBox" 
                  Text="Name" />:</b>
              </td>
              <td>
                <asp:textbox id="FirstNameInsertTextBox"
                  text='<%# Bind("FirstName") %>'
                  runat="server"/>
                <asp:textbox id="LastNameInsertTextBox"
                  text='<%# Bind("LastName") %>'
                  runat="server"/>
              </td>
            </tr>
            <tr>
              <td>
                <b><asp:Label runat="server" 
                  AssociatedControlID="TitleInsertTextBox" 
                  Text="Title" />:</b>
              </td>
              <td>
                <asp:textbox id="TitleInsertTextBox"
                  text='<%# Bind("Title") %>'
                  runat="server"/> 
              </td>
            </tr>
            <tr>
              <td colspan="2">
                <asp:linkbutton id="InsertButton"
                  text="Insert"
                  commandname="Insert"
                  runat="server" />
                <asp:linkbutton id="CancelButton"
                  text="Cancel"
                  commandname="Cancel"
                  runat="server" /> 
              </td>
            </tr>
          </table>       
        </insertitemtemplate> 

      </asp:formview>

      <!-- This example uses Microsoft SQL Server and connects  -->
      <!-- to the Northwind sample database. Use an ASP.NET     -->
      <!-- expression to retrieve the connection string value   -->
      <!-- from the Web.config file.                            -->
      <asp:sqldatasource id="EmployeeSource"
        selectcommand="Select [EmployeeID], [LastName], [FirstName], [Title], [PhotoPath] From [Employees]"
        insertcommand="Insert Into [Employees] ([LastName], [FirstName], [Title]) VALUES (@LastName, @FirstName, @Title)"
        connectionstring="<%$ ConnectionStrings:NorthWindConnectionString%>" 
        runat="server"/>

    </form>
  </body>
</html>

.NET Framework Security

AspNetHostingPermission
For operating in a hosted environment. Demand value: LinkDemand; Permission value: Minimal.
AspNetHostingPermission
For operating in a hosted environment. Demand value: InheritanceDemand; Permission value: Minimal.

Inheritance Hierarchy

System..::.Object
  System.Web.UI..::.Control
    System.Web.UI.WebControls..::.WebControl
      System.Web.UI.WebControls..::.BaseDataBoundControl
        System.Web.UI.WebControls..::.DataBoundControl
          System.Web.UI.WebControls..::.CompositeDataBoundControl
            System.Web.UI.WebControls..::.FormView

Thread Safety

Any public static (Shared in Visual Basic) members of this type are thread safe. Any instance members are not guaranteed to be thread safe.

Platforms

Windows 7, Windows Vista, Windows XP SP2, Windows XP Media Center Edition, Windows XP Professional x64 Edition, Windows XP Starter Edition, Windows Server 2008 R2, Windows Server 2008, Windows Server 2003, Windows Server 2000 SP4, Windows Millennium Edition, Windows 98

The .NET Framework and .NET Compact Framework do not support all versions of every platform. For a list of the supported versions, see .NET Framework System Requirements.

Version Information