Reference to a window control from context menu item click event handler

Question

Can anyone tell me how I can get a reference to the host control of a context menu from within the click event handler for a ToolStripMenuItem.

I am trying to create a generic context menu for a label control that allows the user to copy the label text to the clipboard. My current code is specific to the label:

private void copyTextToClipboardToolStripMenuItem_Click(object sender, EventArgs e)

{

try

{

SetClipboardText(myLabel.Text);

}

catch (Exception ex)

{

}

The sender is a ToolStripMenuItem so I can get a reference to it by casting the sender. How can I get a reference to the control, that is the label, which the menu was dropped down from?

private void copyTextToClipboardToolStripMenuItem_Click(object sender, EventArgs e)

{

try

{

ToolStripMenuItem menuItem = (ToolStripMenuItem)sender;

Label myLabel = // WHAT GOES HERE ?

SetClipboardText(myLabel.Text);

}

catch (Exception ex)

{

}

Thanks for any help you can give.

Andy Webster · Answer

I am not sure if this can be improved but it achieves my goal. private void copyTextToClipboardToolStripMenuItem_Click(object sender, EventArgs e) { try { #region Try ToolStripMenuItem menuItem = (ToolStripMenuItem)sender; ToolStrip menu = menuItem.GetCurrentParent(); ContextMenuStrip menuStrip = (ContextMenuStrip)menu; Label lbl = (Label)(menuStrip.SourceControl); SetClipboardText(lbl.Text); #endregion Try } catch (Exception) { } }

theLizard · Answer

Gee Sam, he is not doing anything that is inconsistent and even if he where, he has a reason for doing things the way he wants to. " the easiest way would be to add a ContextMenu to the label(s) when the form is created " He already does that Sam. If the code he has used as his solution works then that is fine, if it can be done better then he will find a way that is EVOLUTION.

Sam Hobbs · Answer

There might be a solution that is more consistent with the design of Windows and .Net but I don't understand what you are trying to do. I assume that what you are trhing to do is very reasonable so please don't think I am criticizing anything but the following are things that seem inconsistent. You say you "want to make the context menu I am using to be generic to all label controls" but you also say "I am trying to get a reference to the label control from the ToolStripMenuItem click event"; that seems inconsistent to me. If I understand what you are trying to do, then the easiest way would be to add a ContextMenu to the label(s) when the form is created. I understand that you don't want to "iterate through all the controls on the form" but I am suggesting going the otehr direction; just process the labels in the ToolStripMenuItem or whatever.

theLizard · Answer

Your solution is a better way good work.

theLizard · Answer

Ok I have a better understanding, since you can only click on one label a time and the label's click event is fired before the context menu click, the reference control is already known so all you need to do is set which is the currentLabel in the click event then access the current label properties It works for me in test, I hope this helps.

Andy Webster · Answer

Thank you for the response but I do not want to create a generic mouse click event in this way, I want to use the context menu the way it was designed. Each control that you drop on a windows form has a contextMenuStrip property. I want to make the context menu I am using to be generic to all label controls. I could iterate through all the controls on the form and check if the context menu is the parent of my ToolStripMenuItem but I am trying to get a reference to the label control from the ToolStripMenuItem click event. I could create a seperate context menu for each control and then create a generic click event handler but i want to use a single context menu and detrmine the control from the ToolStripMenuItem click event, which I believe is the correct way to do it.

theLizard · Answer

Who owns the menu? What are you trying to do? Is it possible you may be going about it the wrong way? These are my thoughts, you want to drop a context menu from a control, any control and show a value related to that control, is this about right? If so then you do not need to know who sender is in respect to the way you are going about it now but you do need to know who wants / needs to show the menu. In the MouseClick event (the same MouseClick event can be assigned to multiple objects) private void GENERIC_MouseClick(object sender, MouseEventArgs e) { switch(sender.getType().Name) { case "Label": //cast to the sender control type mnuLabel = (Label)sender; mnuLabelText = mnuLabel.Text; } } private void copyTextToClipboardToolStripMenuItem_Click(object sender, EventArgs e) { try { ToolStripMenuItem menuItem = (ToolStripMenuItem)sender; SetClipboardText(mnuLabelText); } catch (Exception ex) { } } This is assuming I understand your Q correctly..

Sam Hobbs · Answer

theLizard, I want Andy to respond. I hope Andy understands what I meant better than you do.

Reference to a window control from context menu item click event handler

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Answers (8)