BindingSource Component

Encapsulates a data source for binding to controls.

The BindingSource component serves two purposes. First, it provides a layer of indirection when binding the controls on a form to data. This is accomplished by binding the BindingSource component to your data source, and then binding the controls on your form to the BindingSource component. All further interaction with the data, including navigating, sorting, filtering, and updating, is accomplished with calls to the BindingSource component.

Second, the BindingSource component can act as a strongly typed data source. Adding a type to the BindingSource component with the Add method creates a list of that type.

In This Section

BindingSource Component Overview
Introduces the general concepts of the BindingSource component, which allows you to bind a data source to a control.

How to: Bind Windows Forms Controls to DBNull Database Values
Shows how to handle a DBNull value from the data source using the BindingSource component.

How to: Sort and Filter ADO.NET Data with the Windows Forms BindingSource Component
Demonstrates using the BindingSource component to apply sorts and filters to displayed data.

How to: Bind to a Web Service Using the Windows Forms BindingSource
Shows how to use the BindingSource component to bind to a Web service.

How to: Handle Errors and Exceptions that Occur with Databinding
Demonstrates using the BindingSource component to gracefully handle errors that occur in a data binding operation.

How to: Bind a Windows Forms Control to a Type
Demonstrates using a BindingSource component to bind to a type.

How to: Bind a Windows Forms Control to a Factory Object
Demonstrates using a BindingSource component to bind to a factory object or method.

How to: Customize Item Addition with the Windows Forms BindingSource
Demonstrates using a BindingSource component to create new items and add them to a data source.

How to: Raise Change Notifications Using the BindingSource ResetItem Method
Demonstrates using a BindingSource component to raise change-notification events for data sources that do not support change notification.

How to: Raise Change Notifications Using a BindingSource and the INotifyPropertyChanged Interface
Demonstrates how to use a type that inherits from the INotifyPropertyChanged with a BindingSource control.

How to: Reflect Data Source Updates in a Windows Forms Control with the BindingSource
Demonstrates how to respond to changes in the data source using the BindingSource component.

How to: Share Bound Data Across Forms Using the BindingSource Component
Shows how to use the BindingSource to bind multiple forms to the same data source.

Reference

BindingSource
Provides reference documentation for the BindingSource component.

BindingNavigator
Provides reference documentation for the BindingNavigator control.

Related Sections

Windows Forms Data Binding
Contains links to topics describing the Windows Forms data binding architecture.

Also see Bind controls to data in Visual Studio.