Hi all,

I'm trying to create a custom form as a new custom control.  I then have a form (Form1) that inherits this custom form.  When I try
to go to the design mode of Form1, I get the following error:
    An exception occured while trying to create an instance of EzFormControls.cEzForm.
    The exception was "Object reference not set to an instance of an object."

So I went back to my customized form's code and put a bunch of msgbox() statements to debug this.
My customized form's New() gets called:
    Public Sub New(ByRef gGlobals As EzClasses.cGlobals)
        MyBase.New()
        'This call is required by the Windows Form Designer.
        InitializeComponent()
        ...

    <System.Diagnostics.De{*filter*}StepThrough()> Private Sub InitializeComponent()
        MsgBox("cEzForm: Inside InitializeComponent()")
        Me.StatusBar1 = New System.Windows.Forms.StatusBar()
        Me.mnuEzMain = New System.Windows.Forms.MainMenu()
        .....
        Me.Controls.AddRange(New System.Windows.Forms.Control() {Me.StatusBar1})

        ' The following message box is the last thing that shows up
        MsgBox("cEzForm: Me.Menu -- Now it's going to die")
        Me.Menu = Me.mnuEzMain        =====> It dies here  <=====
        ' The following line never comes up
        MsgBox("cEzForm: Me.Name")

I'm very puzzled.  If the statement
    Me.StatusBar1 = New System.Windows.Forms.StatusBar()
gets executed, then the form control (Me) is instantiated as well as the main menu (mnuEzmain).
So if both of these are instantiated, what is the problem?

I've been working on this too hard & really want to make it work.  But don't know what to do next.

Thanks,
Omid

Perhaps you could get more detailed information if you put the offending
statement in a try...catch...end try block, and MsgBox the exception:

Try
    ...
Catch e as Exception
    MessageBox.Show(e.ToString)
End Try

Then, read the messagebox. It may not be the menu, but something else that
forbids menu creation.

--
Happy to help,
-- Tom Spink

Please respond to the newsgroup,
so all can benefit.

One Day,

form (Form1) that inherits this custom form.  When I try
EzFormControls.cEzForm.
statements to debug this.
InitializeComponent()
main menu (mnuEzmain).
don't know what to do next.

I am looking at the exception detail & still don't understand what's going on.  I understand that some object does not exist.  It
cannot be the form itself because there are numerous references to Me.  It also cannot be the main menu item because at the
beginning of the routine it's instantiated:
    Me.mnuEzMain = New System.Windows.Forms.MainMenu()

The line that's blowing up:
    Me.Menu = Me.mnuEzMain

Here's the error:
System.NullReferenceException: Object reference not set to an instance of an object.
   at EzFormControls.cEzForm.cEzForm_Resize(Object sender, EventArgs e) in C:\Omid\VB .NET\Ezware\EzFormControls\cEzForm.vb:line 203
   at System.Windows.Forms.Control.OnResize(EventArgs e)
   at System.Windows.Forms.Form.OnResize(EventArgs e)
   at System.Windows.Forms.Control.OnSizeChanged(EventArgs e)
   at System.Windows.Forms.Control.UpdateBounds(Int32 x, Int32 y, Int32 width, Int32 height, Int32 clientWidth, Int32 clientHeight)
   at System.Windows.Forms.Control.UpdateBounds(Int32 x, Int32 y, Int32 width, Int32 height)
   at System.Windows.Forms.Control.SetBoundsCore(Int32 x, Int32 y, Int32 width, Int32 height, BoundsSpecified specified)
   at System.Windows.Forms.Form.SetBoundsCore(Int32 x, Int32 y, Int32 width, Int32 height, BoundsSpecified specified)
   at System.Windows.Forms.Control.SetBounds(Int32 x, Int32 y, Int32 width, Int32 height, BoundsSpecified specified)
   at System.Windows.Forms.Control.set_Size(Size value)
   at System.Windows.Forms.Control.SetClientSizeCore(Int32 x, Int32 y)
   at System.Windows.Forms.Form.SetClientSizeCore(Int32 x, Int32 y)
   at System.Windows.Forms.Control.set_ClientSize(Size value)
   at System.Windows.Forms.Form.set_ClientSize(Size value)
   at System.Windows.Forms.Form.set_Menu(MainMenu value)
   at EzFormControls.cEzForm.InitializeComponent() in C:\Omid\VB .NET\Ezware\EzFormControls\cEzForm.vb:line 169

Hmm..... this is occurring in the OnResize event??? Try this line:

If Not Me.mnuEzMain Is Nothing Then Me.Menu = Me.mnuEzMain

--
Happy to help,
-- Tom Spink

Please respond to the newsgroup,
so all can benefit.

One Day,

on.  I understand that some object does not exist.  It
also cannot be the main menu item because at the
C:\Omid\VB .NET\Ezware\EzFormControls\cEzForm.vb:line 203
width, Int32 height, Int32 clientWidth, Int32 clientHeight)
width, Int32 height)
width, Int32 height, BoundsSpecified specified)
width, Int32 height, BoundsSpecified specified)
width, Int32 height, BoundsSpecified specified)
.NET\Ezware\EzFormControls\cEzForm.vb:line 169