How send parameters to a Dockable Window in ArcObjects?

Question

I need send a IFeature element to a dockable window.

I tried creating a public static variable, in eManager Class, that is inicialized with a feature that catch a function:

public static IFeature pFeature;
    internal void ShowEntityDetails(IFeature feature)
    {
        pFeature = feature;
        IDockableWindow dockWindow = GetDockWindow(ThisAddIn.IDs.GMREAddin_Modules_Model_View_vEntityDetails);
        dockWindow.Show(true);
    }

And I get it in dockable window construct of this way:

public vEntityDetails()
    {
        InitializeComponent();
        IFeature pFeature = eManager.pFeature;
        if (pFeature == null) return;

        string streetName = pFeature.Value[pFeature.Fields.FindField("ALIAS")].ToString();
        MessageBox.Show(streetName);
    }

It only works the first time.

There any more professional way to do that?

Answer 1

There are several ways to skin this cat. I typically use an Addin Extension to manage most communications between components of the addin, including Dockable Windows.

In the Extension, for instance I have a global variable _DockWin and an Edit Event listener (where Events is the Editor cast as IEditEvents_Event):

private IDockableWindow _DockWin;

void Events_OnSelectionChanged()
{
    // See if dock win exists
    if (_DockWin == null) { _DockWin = GetDockWin(); }
    if (_DockWin == null) { return; }

    if (_Editor.SelectionCount > 0)
    {
        // pass the edit selection to a  method in the dockable window
        MyDockWinName.AddSelection(_Editor.EditSelection);
    }
}

In the above method I first attempt to get a reference to the Dock Win before continuing, using this method:

private IDockableWindow GetDockWin()
{
    // Only get/create the dockable window if they ask for it
    if (_DockWin == null)
    {
        UID dockWinId = new UID();
        dockWinId.Value = ThisAddIn.IDs.MyDockWinName;
        _DockWin = ArcMap.DockableWindowManager.GetDockableWindow(dockWinId);
    }
    return _DockWin;
}

The AddSelection method in the dockable window looks like this, but can do anything you wish to pass the information to a control. In my case, I pass selected features to a TreeView control (similar to the Editor Attribute Window). You first declare a global control variable (_tv), and in the constructor method assign a value (in my case the name of the control is tv).

public static TreeView _tv;

public MyDockWinName(object hook)
{
    InitializeComponent();
    this.Hook = hook;

    _tv = this.tv;
}

internal static void AddSelection(IEnumFeature editSelection)
{
    IEnumFeature enumFeat = editSelection;
    enumFeat.Reset();
    IFeature feature;

    int idx = -1;
    IFeatureClass fc = null;
    while ((feature = enumFeat.Next()) != null)
    {
        if (((IFeatureClass)feature.Class) != fc)
        {
            idx += 1;
            fc = (IFeatureClass)feature.Class;
            TreeNode tn = new TreeNode();
            tn.Text = fc.AliasName;
            tn.Tag = fc;
            _tv.Nodes.Add(tn);
        }
        TreeNode child = new TreeNode();
        child.Text = feature.OID.ToString();
        child.Tag = feature;
        _tv.Nodes[idx].Nodes.Add(child);
    }

    _tv.ExpandAll();

    if (_tv.Nodes.Count > 0)
    {
        _tv.SelectedNode = _tv.Nodes[0].Nodes[0];
    }
}