Property Page (EntityDataSource Control)

The ASP.NET EntityDataSource control Property Page is displayed in the Visual Studio IDE when the design-time control is selected on the Web page design surface. The Property Page provides the ability to set values, even if the values don't appear to be correct according to a specific view of metadata.

Note

Unlike the data displayed in the Configure Data Source wizard, on the Property Page, selecting a property that is related to other properties does not automatically update the related properties to reflect valid values. In the Configure Data Source wizard, if you select an EntityContainer in the DefaultContainerName drop-down list, the list of entity sets available in the EntitySetName drop-down list is automatically populated with the valid entity sets for that container and any previous value for EntitySetName is cleared. The wizard provides a restrictive view of the configuration

Although the property values for dependent properties are not automatically aligned by the Property Page, the possible values in the drop-down list for a specified property may be based on other values. For example, if the current ContainerName is recognized, expanding the drop-down list for EntitySetName displays a list of valid entity sets for that ContainerName.

The following illustration shows the Property Page with property assignments.

The following list describes the behavior for properties of the EntityDataSource control.

• All of the properties in the behavior group are Boolean and allow only true or false in a drop-down list.

• ConnectionString is a simple string. The validity of the string is determined at runtime.

• DefaultContainerName is a drop-down list of the same set of entity containers as described for the wizard earlier in this topic. The user can also enter a container name that is not in the list. Invalid names are detected at runtime.

• EntitySetName is a drop-down list of the entity sets for the selected container name. This property may be empty if the container name is not found in discoverable metadata. The user can enter an EntitySetName that is not in the list. Invalid names are detected at runtime.

• GroupBy is a simple string that has no parameters.

• OrderBy, Where, Select, and CommandText are made up of two parts:

  • A string containing the text of the expression.

  • The parameters used in these expressions. The Property Page shows only the string. The parameters are not visible unless you click the builder ellipses again or view the markup directly. For more information about the builder dialog boxes for these properties, see OrderBy, Select, Where, and CommandText dialog boxes in Expression Editor (Entity Data Source Control).

• EntityTypeFilter is a drop-down list of the same set of types displayed in the Configure Data Source wizard if the EntitySetName property is not empty and is recognized in metadata. The user can enter a value that is not in the list. Invalid names are detected at runtime.

• ID is the identifier of the control in the page mark-up.

Event Page

The Event page shows the public events of the EntityDataSource control. Visual Studio provides a drop-down list that shows all of the methods that fit the proper signature for the handler for this event. The user can double-click on the property value to add a new method or jump to an existing method if it is already in code.

The following illustration shows the EntityDataSource control event page.

See Also

Concepts

Toolbox Item (EntityDataSource Control)

Design-Time Control (EntityDataSource Control)

Configure Data Source Wizard (EntityDataSource Control)

Change History

Date	History	Reason
July 2008	Added topic.	SP1 feature change.