Where in the page lifecycle can I safely load/remove dynamic controls? - asp.net

Question

I'm working with dynamic fields in ASP.NET due to a very specifc and rigid end-user requirement that would take 2 hours just to explain. Suffice it to say, I can't make the requirement go away.
Anyway, I have a working solution in place; no problems with controls loading, rendering or maintaining their ViewState. This is what my OnLoad looks like:
public void override OnLoad(EventArgs e){
//don't need to check IsPostback, we have to load the controls on every POST
FormDefinition initialFormDefinition = ServiceLayer.GetFormDefinition(id);
BuildControls(initialFormDefinition);
}
In order to implement some biz logic around which dynamic fields are required, disabled or optional, I need to get the posted values (i.e. the ViewState) of my dynamic controls before I can actually add them to the page control hierarchy.
It's sort of a chicken/egg problem I suppose. ASP.NET won't automagically associate ViewState with the proper dynamic control until I've added them all to the page. On the other hand, I can't add these controls to the page until my service layer has applied biz rules that hinge on their current values. I tried to get around this rather unpleasant problem by writing this bit of pseudo-code :
public void override OnLoad(EventArgs e){
FormDefinition initialFormDefinition = ServiceLayer.GetFormDefinition(id);
BuildControls(initialFormDefinition);
if (IsPostBack){
PushControlValuesIntoForm(initialFormDefinition);
var updatedFormDefinition = ServiceLayer.ApplyBizRules(initialFormDefinition);
ReBuildControls(updatedFormDefinition); //remove controls and re-add them
}
}
Unfortunately, when you clear a control and re-add it, the ViewState is lost, even if the control type and ControlID are exactly the same, so this solution is a bust. Any reasonable ideas on how to accomplish what I'm after are welcome!

Answer 1

One way could be to load your controls and then decide if you need form definition to be be updated and if yes then re-initiate page life cycle again. See the below sample code:
public void override OnLoad(EventArgs e){
var updatedFormDef = Context.Items["UpdatedDef"] as FormDefinition;
if (null != updatedFormDef)
{
// Updated form def, rebuild controls
BuildControls(updatedFormDef);
}
else
{
// load initial form def
var initialFormDefinition = ServiceLayer.GetFormDefinition(id);
BuildControls(initialFormDefinition);
// check whether we need to update form def
if (IsPostBack){
PushControlValuesIntoForm(initialFormDefinition);
var updatedFormDefinition = ServiceLayer.ApplyBizRules(initialFormDefinition);
if (null != updatedFormDefinition)
{
// we have to update UI, transfer to self
Context.Items["UpdatedDef"] = updatedFormDefinition;
try
{
Server.Transfer(this.Request.RawUrl, true);
}
catch(ThreadAbortException)
{
// Do nothing
}
}
}
}