Question

so this code here dynamically adds buttons to my wpf windows application. I cant think of the way in which I can call buttons which actually runat server because they are randomly added.

namespace DynamicButtons
{
    public partial class Window1
    {
        public Window1()
        {
            this.InitializeComponent();

            populateButtons();
        }

        public void populateButtons()
        {
            int xPos;
            int yPos;

            Random ranNum = new Random();

            for (int i = 0; i < 4; i++)
            {
                Button foo = new Button();
                Style buttonStyle = Window.Resources["CurvedButton"] as Style;

                int sizeValue = ranNum.Next(100);

                foo.Width = sizeValue;
                foo.Height = sizeValue;

                xPos = ranNum.Next(200);
                yPos = ranNum.Next(300);

                foo.HorizontalAlignment = HorizontalAlignment.Left;
                foo.VerticalAlignment = VerticalAlignment.Top;
                foo.Margin = new Thickness(xPos, yPos, 0, 0);

                foo.Style = buttonStyle;
                foo.Name = "button" + i;

                foo.Click += new RoutedEventHandler(buttonClick);

                LayoutRoot.Children.Add(foo);
           }
        }

        private void buttonClick(object sender, EventArgs e)
        {
            Button clicked = (Button) sender;
            // something like certainWindowsButton((i)<-this has to be based on above code) = clicked.Name(); 
            MessageBox.Show("Button's name is: " + clicked.Name);
        }
    }
}

Every time the application runs the buttons are randomly assigned, what I want is a way in which I can interact with them from the code behind.

So

foo.Name = "button" + i; 

means when or whichever button is clicked a number is assigned to it but how can I interact with that button in the code?

    private void buttonClick(object sender, EventArgs e)
    {
        Button clicked = (Button) sender;
        // something like certainWindowsButton((i)<-this has to be based on above code) = clicked.Name(); 
        MessageBox.Show("Button's name is: " + clicked.Name);
    }
}

I hope that makes sense.

To give you a sense of whats happening at design level:

Each of these grey squares are buttons each button is randomly assigned its designated name and number and each time the application runs these buttons will be reassigned a different number.

I need a way inwhich when a number is assigned to it I can then fire an event for that button clicked.

So randomly a button has been assigned number 1, take this number 1 and then assign it to

private void buttonClick(object sender, EventArgs e) 

if
{
    button1_Click = clicked.Name(strip away "button" and make sure the (variableNumber leftover matches button(1)_Click);
}
else 
    button2

etc etc

Which then fires my button event:

        private void button1_Click(object sender, RoutedEventArgs e)
        {
            MessageBox.Show("yay each randomly assigned button now correlates with a real button event");
        }
    }
}

Answer 1

Is this more what you’re looking for? This takes each buttonNClick handler and creates a button for it. This way you don’t even need the “i”.

partial class Window1 {
    void button3Click(object sender, RoutedEventArgs e) {
        //Whatever you want here
    }
    void button2Click(object sender, RoutedEventArgs e) {
        //Whatever you want here
    }
    void button1Click(object sender, RoutedEventArgs e) {
        //Whatever you want here
    }

    public Window1() {
        this.InitializeComponent();
        populateButtons();
    }

    public void populateButtons() {
        int xPos;
        int yPos;

        Random ranNum = new Random();
        foreach (var routedEventHandler in new RoutedEventHandler[] { button1Click, button2Click, button3Click }) {
            Button foo = new Button();

            int sizeValue = ranNum.Next(100);

            foo.Width = sizeValue;
            foo.Height = sizeValue;

            xPos = ranNum.Next(200);
            yPos = ranNum.Next(300);

            foo.HorizontalAlignment = HorizontalAlignment.Left;
            foo.VerticalAlignment = VerticalAlignment.Top;
            foo.Margin = new Thickness(xPos, yPos, 0, 0);

            foo.Click += routedEventHandler;

            LayoutRoot.Children.Add(foo);
        }
    }
}