Alternate loading algorithm to load personalized base classess

[jmjimenez]

I don't know if it is a good idea. Let me explain my problem:
I would like to personalize the validators classes a bit. My main problem is that I have to modify TBaseValidator. As this is the base class for all Validators webcontrols, it will forced me modify all of them.
Instead of doing this, I would like the following:

• Create my own TBaseValidator copy and modify it
• When Validators webcontrol look for TBaseValidator --> I would like them to find my copy (instead of the "official" one in System.Web.UI.Webcontrols
  To achieve this, I think the appropriate point would be to modify PradoBase::using method. There should be a way to inform this method that when asked to load System.Web.UI.Webcontrols.TBaseValidator --> to load my copy at Application.Common.TBaseValidator

[ctrlaltca]

Can you be more precise on what you're trying to achieve? in the past we added some facilities like that on other classes, from simple method overloading to full-blown adapter classes.

[jmjimenez]

• First, I would like my Validators to be labels. I can see that TBaseValidator extends from TLabel. But the problem is that you cannot set ForControl because it's forbidden. So, it always renders as a span.
• Second, I can see in the TBaseValidator's contructor that it sets the ForeColor to red. I would like to set the color using css, but the 'red' color rendered in the style attribute has higher priority (this is the reason I would like to remove this 'red' color from TBaseValidator)

These are minor modifications and I can sort them out. But I wonder if there is a more elegant solution...
Thanks for your time and your effort

[javalizard]

By calling this:
$this->setViewState('ForControl',$value,'');
it is possible to short circuit the View State for the effects of setForControl without calling setForControl.

Furthermore, this is a use case for behaviors.

TBaseValidator.php changes:

protected function getTagName()
{
    if(($tag = $this->dyGetTagName()) !== null) return $tag;
    return ($this->getForControl()==='')?'span':'label';
    //or
    //return $this->dyDefaultTagName(($this->getForControl()==='')?'span':'label');
}
public function setForControl($value)
{
    if(($result = $this->dySetForControl($value)) !== $value)
    {
        if($result === true)
            parent::setForControl($value);
        return $result;
    }
    throw new TNotSupportedException('basevalidator_forcontrol_unsupported',get_class($this));
}

and then your new class:

class MyBaseValidatorBehavior extends TClassBehavior {
    public function dySetForControl($hostobject, $value, $callchain)
    {
        return $callchain-> dySetForControl (true);
    }
    public function dyGetTagName($hostobject, $value, $callchain)
    {
        return $callchain-> dyGetTagName('label');
    }
}

and somewhere in the code -before dealing with the templates- this would be called:

TBaseValidator:: attachClassBehavior('MyBaseValidator', 'MyBaseValidatorBehavior');

Then all your TBaseValidators would contain the necessary behavior as they are instanced.

[javalizard]

Another way:

class MyBaseValidatorBehavior extends TClassBehavior {
    public function attach($owner)
    {
       $owner->setViewState('ForControl', 1);
    }
}

along with
TBaseValidator:: attachClassBehavior('MyBaseValidator', 'MyBaseValidatorBehavior');

[javalizard]

Another change to TBaseValidator:

    public function __construct()
    {
        parent::__construct();
        $this->setForeColor($this->dyDefaultForeColor('red'));
    }

This would allow behaviors to modify the default ForeColor. The Class behaviors are added in the __construct method; then the dyDefaultForeColor overrides the input:

class MyBaseValidatorBehavior extends TClassBehavior {
    public function dyDefaultForeColor($hostobject, $value, $callchain)
    {
        return $callchain-> dyDefaultForeColor ('myColor'); // and/or ''
    }
}

There may be more necessary to get the Validators on CSS rather than a ForeColor. More looking into the issue would be needed.