Question

I have 9 strings in Format1 class, that I want convert into different types as seen in Format2 class, However 3 strings will still remain as string types. I decided to start playing with them until I got a code I was happy with.

As you see in my Form1.cs code all I want to do really upon the button click event is to call the getConvert() method and let it handle everything. Apperantly I am missing out on something. I have to use my ugly 6 lines to call everything up.

You see my non working attemps in my comments in the code. What did I do wrong this time ??

You can also grab my source here:
https://mega.co.nz/#!64QzERRR!Qit9SDZQ7kW7rNCAUUHHDRZUUvZY9z0ukgfuqVt00mE

public class Format1
    {
        public string Name { get; set; }
        public string Year { get; set; }
        public string Director { get; set; }
        public string AverageRating { get; set; }
        public string LeadingActor1 { get; set; }
        public string LeadingActor2 { get; set; }
        public string LeadingActor3 { get; set; }
        public string Language { get; set; }
        public string ImdbLink { get; set; }


    }



public class Format2 : Format1
    {
        public int Year { get; set; }
        public int AverageRating {get; set;}
        public string LeadingActors { get; set; }
        public bool IsInEnglish { get; set; }
        public bool HasImdbLink { get; set; }


        public Format2 getConvert()
        {

            Format2 converted = new Format2();




        //converted.Name = textBox1.Text;
        //textBox18.Text = converted.Name;

            converted.Name = this.Name;
            converted.Director = this.Director;
            converted.ImdbLink = this.ImdbLink;

            return converted;
        }
    }





namespace as3_DVDproject
{
    public partial class Form1 : Form
    {

        public Form1()
        {
            InitializeComponent();
        }

        Format2 converted = new Format2();

        private void label1_Click(object sender, EventArgs e)
        {

        }

        private void label8_Click(object sender, EventArgs e)
        {

        }

        private void label9_Click(object sender, EventArgs e)
        {

        }

        private void okButton_Click(object sender, EventArgs e)
        {
            //converted.getConvert();

            converted.Name = textBox1.Text;
            textBox18.Text = converted.Name;

            converted.Director = textBox3.Text;
            textBox16.Text = converted.Director;

            converted.ImdbLink = textBox9.Text;
            textBox10.Text = converted.ImdbLink;

        }
    }
}

Answer 1

The more object oriented pattern would be to either add a constructor to Format2 that takes a Format1, or give Format2 a static method that takes a Format1 and returns a Format2. The actual mapping code doesn’t really look all that verbose to me though, you could drop it in either one of those places.

private void okButton_Click(object sender, EventArgs e)
{
    Format1 one = new Format1(textBox1.Text, converted.Name, textBox3.Text, converted.Director);
    Format2 two = new Format2(one);
}

You want the objects to know how to construct themselves rather than building them in the form.