Hi. I am trying to build a messaging system for a website for my company. The problem is that the system needs to be able to post up user messages any time, with an easy script like AddNewMessage("something happened",MessaveSeverity.Error);

The system I have works fine - as long as the page has been loaded first. However, some of our developers noticed that if you try to add a message during your own Page_load call, it does not show up. (For example, an information message explaining why some DropDownLists are empty)

Here is the code I have so far. I have worked very,very hard trying to get this to work, and I just cannot seem to find the solution.

Please, please - any help on this would be amazing. I am going on two days of googling here and I have a fair knowledge of this stuff, having made a few controls already. Even if it's just a suggestion please let me know :)

crab

Note: the only thing on the master page of note is a Panel with ID new_message_
Note: I call this from a ASPX page by saying

 m = (BMW_Master)Master;
 m.AddNewMessage("first error", MessageSeverity.Information);
 

This works fine, unless we are inside the ASPX's Page_Load call, in which case the control is added, but does not render
Note: important section is in bold

     public enum MessageSeverity
     {
         Error, Information, Success
     }
 
     public partial class BMW_Master : System.Web.UI.MasterPage
     {
         private void Page_Load(object sender, System.EventArgs e)
         {
             reCreateMessages();
 
             if (IsPostBack)
                 return;
 
             // If we are on a new page, clear any old
             // messages
             ClearAllMessages();
         }
         private void reCreateMessages()
         {
             if (ViewState["messages"> == null ||
                 ViewState["messages">.ToString() == "" ||
                 ViewState["messages">.ToString() == String.Empty)
                 return;
 
             // Create the regex
             string messages = (string)ViewState["messages">;
             Regex reg = new Regex(@"~(?<message>.+?)\*(?<severity>.+?);");
             Match m = reg.Match(messages);
 
             // extract the variables
             while (m.Success)
             {
                 string message = m.Groups["message">.ToString(),
                       severity = m.Groups["severity">.ToString();
 
                 MessageSeverity _severity = MessageSeverity.Error;
 
                 if (severity == "Information")
                     _severity = MessageSeverity.Information;
                 else if (severity == "Error")
                     _severity = MessageSeverity.Error;
                 else if (severity == "Success")
                     _severity = MessageSeverity.Success;
 
                 new_message_.Controls.Add(new BMW_Message(message, _severity));
                 
                 m = m.NextMatch();
             }
  
         }
 
         public void ClearAllMessages()
         {
             new_message_.Controls.Clear();
         }
 
         public void AddNewMessage(string _message)
         {
             AddNewMessage (_message,MessageSeverity.Error);
         }
 
         public void AddNewMessage(string _message, MessageSeverity _severity)
         {
             // Remove used special characters
             _message = _message.Replace("~", "~");
             _message = _message.Replace("*", "*");
             _message = _message.Replace(";", ";");
 
             BMW_Message m = new BMW_Message(_message, _severity);
             new_message_.Controls.Add(m);
 
             if (!IsPostBack)
                     // Do something special to cause the control to work correctly
                        
             ViewState["messages"> += "~" + _message + "*" + _severity.ToString() + ";";
         }
 
 
         public void Clear_All_Click(object sender, EventArgs e)
         {
             ViewState["messages"> = null;
             new_message_.Controls.Clear();
         }
 
         public void Clear_Me_Click(object sender, EventArgs e)
         {
             Button b = (Button)sender;
             BMW_Message message = (BMW_Message)b.Parent;
             string vs_string = message.ViewStateString;
 
             string vs = ViewState["messages">.ToString();
             vs = vs.Replace(vs_string, "");
 
             ViewState["messages"> = vs;
             if (vs == "")
                 ViewState["messages"> = null;
 
             new_message_.Controls.Remove(message);
         }
     }
 }
 
 
 public class BMW_Message : CompositeControl
 {
     private string _message;
     private CUTS.MessageSeverity _severity;
 
     public BMW_Message(string message, CUTS.MessageSeverity severity)
     {
         this._message = message;
         this._severity = severity;
     }
 
     public string ViewStateString
     {
         get
         {
             return "~" +
                    _message + "*" +
                    _severity.ToString() + ";";
         }
     }
 
     protected override void CreateChildControls()
     {
         Controls.Clear();
         CreateControlHierarchy();
         ClearChildViewState();
     }
 
     public void ForceRender()
     {
         //CreateChildControls();
         //StringBuilder result = new StringBuilder(1024);
         //.RenderControl(new HtmlTextWriter(new StringWriter(result)));
        // return result.ToString();
         this.RecreateChildControls();
     }
 
     protected virtual void CreateControlHierarchy()
     {
         string div_style = String.Empty;
         Color button_BackColors = Color.Transparent;
 
         if (_severity == CUTS.MessageSeverity.Information)
         {
             div_style = "border: solid 3px gold; background-color: yellow; padding-left: 10px;";
             button_BackColors = Color.Yellow;
         }
         else if (_severity == CUTS.MessageSeverity.Success)
         {
             div_style = "border: solid 3px dark green; background-color: green; padding-left: 10px;";
             button_BackColors = Color.Green;
         }
         else // Default to Error
         {
             div_style = "border: solid 3px dark red; background-color: red; padding-left: 10px;";
             button_BackColors = Color.Red;
         }
 
         // Panel Containing this, Then Form, Then to the BMW_Master
         CUTS.BMW_Master m = (CUTS.BMW_Master)Parent.Parent.Parent;
 
         LiteralControl div_start = new LiteralControl("<div style='" + div_style + "'>");
 
         Button Clear_Me = new Button();
         Clear_Me.Text = " X ";
         Clear_Me.BackColor = button_BackColors;
         Clear_Me.Style.Add("float", "left");
         Clear_Me.Style.Add("position", "relative");
         Clear_Me.Style.Add("left", "-19px");
         Clear_Me.Style.Add("top", "-10px");
         Clear_Me.Click += new EventHandler(m.Clear_Me_Click);
 
         Button Clear_All = new Button();
         Clear_All.Text = "Clear All";
         Clear_All.BackColor = button_BackColors;
         Clear_All.Style.Add("position", "relative");
         Clear_All.Style.Add("left", "-19px");
         Clear_All.Style.Add("top", "-10px");
         Clear_All.Click += new EventHandler(m.Clear_All_Click);
 
 
 
         Label Message = new Label();
         Message.Text = _message;
 
         LiteralControl div_end = new LiteralControl("</div>");
 
         this.Controls.Add(div_start);
         this.Controls.Add(Clear_Me);
         this.Controls.Add(Clear_All);
         this.Controls.Add(Message);
         this.Controls.Add(div_end);
     }
 }