Question

I am using C# and a very old version of .Net. I have hundreds of forms and a class. Each form has a ProcessDump() method. When a form is opened, its controls are passed to my class. I need to call ProcessDump method and all i have is controls of the form. How can I access to the method?

Answer 1

Have each form implement an interface called IProcessDump:

interface IProcessDump
{
    void ProcessDump();
}

Assuming WinForms, there is the FindForm method going back to .NET 1.1. Grab the form and test it for the interface:

Form formRef = myControl.FindForm();
IProcessDump procDump = formRef as IProcessDump;

if (procDump != null)
{
    procDump.ProcessDump();
}

Alternatively, controls have a Parent property. For controls placed directly on the form the parent will be the form:

foreach (Control c in myControls)
{
    if (c.Parent != null && c.Parent is Form)
    {
        // Found, go nuts.
    }
}

The null check might not be required.