C# – How to DataBind a List<> of objects to a DropDownList and set the SelectedItem based on a property in the object

asp.netcdata-bindingdrop-down-menu

How can I DataBind a List<> of objects to a DropDownList and set the SelectedItem based on a property in the object?

For example, say I have a
List<Person>

Where Person has 3 properties…

Person .Name (string)
       .Id  (int)
       .Selected (bool)

I want the first one with Selected == true to be the SelectedItem in the list.

Best Answer

Try this:

List<Person> list = new List<Person>();
// populate the list somehow

if ( !IsPostBack )
{
    DropDownList ddl = new DropDownList();
    ddl.DataTextField = "Name";
    ddl.DataValueField = "Id";
    ddl.DataSource = list;
    ddl.DataBind();

    ddl.SelectedValue = list.Find( o => o.Selected == true ).Id.ToString();
}

If you can't guarantee that there will always be at least one selected item, then you'll want to handle that separately by checking the return value from the list.Find() call to make sure it is not null.

Also, DropDownList ddl = new DropDownList(); not needed if the webform has already declared:

<asp:DropDownList ID="ddl" runat="server" />

Related Solutions

C# – the difference between a field and a property

Properties expose fields. Fields should (almost always) be kept private to a class and accessed via get and set properties. Properties provide a level of abstraction allowing you to change the fields while not affecting the external way they are accessed by the things that use your class.

public class MyClass
{
    // this is a field.  It is private to your class and stores the actual data.
    private string _myField;

    // this is a property. When accessed it uses the underlying field,
    // but only exposes the contract, which will not be affected by the underlying field
    public string MyProperty
    {
        get
        {
            return _myField;
        }
        set
        {
            _myField = value;
        }
    }

    // This is an AutoProperty (C# 3.0 and higher) - which is a shorthand syntax
    // used to generate a private field for you
    public int AnotherProperty { get; set; } 
}

@Kent points out that Properties are not required to encapsulate fields, they could do a calculation on other fields, or serve other purposes.

@GSS points out that you can also do other logic, such as validation, when a property is accessed, another useful feature.

C# – LINQ’s Distinct() on a particular property

What if I want to obtain a distinct list based on one or more properties?

Simple! You want to group them and pick a winner out of the group.

List<Person> distinctPeople = allPeople
  .GroupBy(p => p.PersonId)
  .Select(g => g.First())
  .ToList();

If you want to define groups on multiple properties, here's how:

List<Person> distinctPeople = allPeople
  .GroupBy(p => new {p.PersonId, p.FavoriteColor} )
  .Select(g => g.First())
  .ToList();

Note: Certain query providers are unable to resolve that each group must have at least one element, and that First is the appropriate method to call in that situation. If you find yourself working with such a query provider, FirstOrDefault may help get your query through the query provider.

Note2: Consider this answer for an EF Core (prior to EF Core 6) compatible approach. https://stackoverflow.com/a/66529949/8155

Best Answer

Related Solutions

C# – the difference between a field and a property

C# – LINQ’s Distinct() on a particular property

Related Topic