Dynamically Load a user control (ascx) in a asp.net website

Question

I am trying to dynamically load a user control in an asp.web site. However due to how asp.net websites projects are setup (I think), I am not able to access reach the type d

Answer 1

It can easily be done using namespaces. Here's an example:

WebControl1.ascx:

<%@ Control Language="C#" AutoEventWireup="true" CodeFile="WebControl1.ascx.cs" Inherits="MyUserControls.WebControl1" %>

Notice that Inherits references the namespace (MyUserControls), and not just the class name (WebControl1)

WebControl1.ascx.cs:

namespace MyUserControls
{
    public partial class WebControl1 : System.Web.UI.UserControl
    {
        protected void Page_Load(object sender, EventArgs e)
        {

        }
    }
}

Notice that the class have been included in the namespace MyUserControls

Default.aspx.cs:

using MyUserControls;

public partial class _Default : System.Web.UI.Page 
{
    protected void Page_Load(object sender, EventArgs e)
    {
        var control = (WebControl1) Page.LoadControl("~/WebControl1.ascx");
    }
}

This approach potentially allow you to redistribute your user controls (or keep them in a separate project) without the hassle of referencing them in your .aspx files.