Question

I am trying to convert a DataGridView cell to a control:

Control dat = new Control();
dat = Convert.ChangeType(dataGridView1[colIndex,rowIndex], typeof(Control));

I am fetching the values of colIndex and rowIndes from a index code. The problem is even though I tried many codes to convert, it does not work.

The exception I am getting is:

Can not implicitly convert an object to a control. An explicit convertion exist(are u missing a cast?)

Answer 1

To access the control that is hosted by a DataGridViewCell you use the EditingControl property of the cell when the cell is in editing mode.

This property returns a System.Windows.Forms.Control.

You can also get at the control within the DataGridViewEditingControlShowing event – the Control property of DataGridViewEditingControlShowingEventArgs is of type System.Windows.Forms.Control.

private void dataGridView1_EditingControlShowing(object sender, 
    DataGridViewEditingControlShowingEventArgs e)
{
    Control c = e.Control;
}

If you want to access the control at other times then (I believe) you are out of luck – I say that based mainly on this quote from the MSDN docs on DataGridViewEditingControlShowing:

The DataGridView control hosts one editing control at a time, and
reuses the editing control whenever the cell type does not change
between edits.