This is my first C# application, entirely self-taught without any prior software programming background. I did some research on Undo/Redo but could not find anything helpful (or easy to understand). Therefore, I'm hoping someone can help me in designing undo/redo function for my program (winforms application). The application consist of a main form where subsequent child forms will be called to record user specified values during certain events (button clicks etc). After every event is handled, a bitmap will be drawn in buffer and then loaded to a picturebox within the main form during the OnPaint event of the main form. Each input in separated into custom class objects and added into separate List and BindingList. Objects contained within List are used for graphics (to indicate coordinates etc) while objects in BindingList are used to display some important values on DataGridView. Just to give a brief description, the codes look something like this:
public partial class MainForm : form
{
public class DataClass_1
{
public double a { get; set; }
public double b { get; set; }
public SubDataClass_1 { get; set; }
}
public class SubDataClass_1
{
public double x { get; set; }
public double y { get; set; }
public string SomeString { get; set; }
public CustomEnum Enum_SubDataClass_1 { get; set; }
}
public class DisplayDataClass
{
public string SomeString { get; set; }
public double e { get; set; }
public double f { get; set; }
}
public enum CustomEnum { Enum1, Enum2, Enum3 };
// Lists that contain objects which hold the necessary values to be drawn and displayed
public List<DataClass_1> List_1 = new List<DataClass_1>();
public List<DataClass_2> List_2 = new List<DataClass_2>(); // Object has similar data types as DataClass_1
public BindingList<DisplayDataClass> DisplayList = new BindingList<DisplayDataClass>();
Bitmap buffer;
public MainForm()
{
InitializeComponent();
dgv.DataSource = DisplayList;
}
private void DrawObject_1()
{
// some drawing codes here
}
private void DrawObject_2()
{
// some drawing codes here
}
protected override void OnPaint(PaintEventArgs e)
{
DrawObject_1();
DrawObject_2();
pictureBox1.Image = buffer;
}
// Event to get input
private void action_button_click(object sender, EventArgs e)
{
ChildForm form = new ChildForm(this);
form.ShowDialog();
Invalidate();
}
}
The child forms' codes look something like this:
public partial class ChildForm : form
{
public ChildForm(MainForm MainForm)
{
InitializeComponent();
// Do something
}
private void ok_button_click(object sender, EventArgs e)
{
DataClass_1 Data_1 = new DataClass_1();
DisplayDataClass DisplayData = new DisplayDataClass();
// Parsing, calculations, set values to Data_1 and DisplayData
MainForm.List_1.Add(Data_1);
MainForm.DisplayList.Add(DisplayData);
this.DialogResult = System.Windows.Forms.DialogResult.OK;
this.Close();
}
}
Since all necessary data are stored in the lists and will only be changed after certain events are triggered (mostly button clicks), therefore I tried to use these lists to determine the state of the application during run time. My approach in implementing the undo/redo function is by adding the following codes:
public partial class MainForm : form
{
public class State()
{
public List<DataClass_1> List_1 { get; set; }
public List<DataClass_2> List_2 { get; set; }
public BindingList<DisplayDataClass> DisplayList { get; set; }
// and so on
public State()
{
List_1 = new List<DataClass_1>();
List_2 = new List<DataClass_2>();
DisplayList = new BindingList<DisplayDataClass>();
}
}
State currentState = new State();
Stack<State> undoStack = new Stack<State>();
Stack<State> redoStack = new Stack<State>();
private void MainForm_Shown(object sender, EventArgs e)
{
// Saves original state as first item in undoStack
undoStack.Push(currentState);
}
protected override void OnPaint(PaintEventArgs e)
{
// Update lists from currentState before drawing
List_1 = new List<DataClass_1>(currentState.List_1);
List_2 = new List<DataClass_2>(currentState.List_2);
DisplayList = new BindingList<DisplayDataClass>(currentState.DisplayList);
}
// When undo button is clicked
private void undo_button_Click(object sender, EventArgs e)
{
if (undoStack.Count > 0)
{
redoStack.Push(currentState);
undoStack.Pop();
currentState = undoStack.Last();
Invalidate();
}
}
// When redo button is clicked
private void redo_button_Click(object sender, EventArgs e)
{
// Have not thought about this yet, trying to get undo done first
}
// Events that trigger changes to values held by data objects
private void action_button_Click(object sender, EventArgs e)
{
// Replace the following code with previously stated version
if (form.ShowDialog() == System.Windows.Forms.DialogResult.OK)
{
ChildForm form = new ChildForm(this)
UpdateState();
undoStack.Push(currentState);
Invalidate();
}
}
// To update currentState to current values
private void UpdateState()
{
currentState.List_1 = new List<DataClass_1>(List_1);
currentState.List_2 = new List<DataClass_2>(List_2);
currentState.DisplayList = new BindingList<DisplayDataClass>(DisplayList);
// and so on
}
}
Result: The application does not perform the undo function correctly. The program shows the correct output under normal conditions but when the undo event is triggered, regardless of how many objects have been drawn, the application reverts back to initial state (the state where there is no recorded data). I've used System.Diagnostics.Debug.WriteLine() during events where the stack is changed to check the number of counts within undoStack and it seems to give the correct counts. I'm guessing that the lists need to be copied/cloned in a different manner? Or am I doing something wrong here? Can anyone please guide me? Performance, readability, resource management, future maintenance and etc need not be considered.
