dotConnect for Oracle Documentation
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    Using DataSet Manager
    In This Topic
    This topic is applicable only for full .NET Framework.

    The DataSet Manager window displays the data sources in your project represented by OracleDataSet and OracleDataTable classes. You can use DataSet Manager to create a user interface with data-bound controls by dragging items from the window onto forms in the project. Every item has a drop-down list where you can select the type of control to create when dragging it onto a form. You can customize the control list with additional controls, including controls that you have created.

    With DataSet Manager you can:

    This feature is available in Professional and Developer Editions only.

    DataSet Manager

    Opening the DataSet Manager Window

    To display the DataSet Manager window,>In the Tools menu, point to Oracle, and then click DataSet Manager. This menu item is only available when a project is open in Visual Studio.

    Populating the DataSet Manager Window

    You populate the DataSet Manager window by adding OracleDataSet and OracleDataTable components to your project. One of the easy ways to do it is using the DataSet Wizard.

    Note that a data source is available in DataSet Manager only if its form is opened. When you close a form, the OracleDataSet and OracleDataTable components located on it disappear from the DataSet Manager window.

    Note that DataSet Manager contains only DataSet instances added to Windows Forms. If you create a DataSet and do not add this DataSet to designer, it won't be available in the DataSet Manager.

    Creating Data-bound Controls

    You can drag an item from DataSet Manager onto a form to create a new data-bound control, or you can drag an item from DataSet Manager onto an existing control to set up the data binding between the control and the item dragged onto it. Each node in the DataSet Manager window allows you to choose the type of control that will be created when you drag it onto a form. You must choose between a Grid layout, where all columns or properties are displayed in a DataGridView, or a Details layout, where all columns or properties are displayed in individual controls. You can choose the control to be created prior to dragging by selecting an item in DataSet Manager and choosing the control from the item's drop-down control list.

    Data-bound Controls That Display Related Records

    DataSet Manager displays related tables in a hierarchical tree view. For example, in a dataset with Dept and Emp tables (where a department can have many employees), the Emp table appears as the last column in the Dept table as an expandable node. To display data from this related table and set up the data binding to display the employees for a selected department, you would drag items from this related tree view (as opposed to items from the individual top-level nodes for Dept and Emp).

    Commands Available in DataSet Manager

    The following commands are available through the DataSet Manager toolbar or popup menu:

    Cross-form References

    When you drag an item from the DataSet Manager window onto a form that does not have an instance of the DataSet, DataSet Manager creates an additional DataLink component. For more information about cross-form referencing please refer to topic InterForm Technology.

    See Also

    Using DataSet Wizard  | InterForm Technology  | DataLink Component Architecture  | Developing Database Applications with dotConnect for Oracle