I am having a problem with a database program I'm writing. I am using a MDI interface to manipulate the database. I use comboboxes to select relational data for data-entry. I fill these comboboxes by databinding to tables in my database. I need to use databinding because it's very possible that items could be added to the tables and my comboboxes need to be up-to-date. The real problem comes with setting the comboboxes to index -1. I need to use this because another one of my uses for comboboxes is selecting data to filter by in a datagrid. I need the comboboxes to default to null data (no filter). I can manually set the databound combobox index to -1, but this is where there is some strange behavior. I set the index to -1, if the combobox index was 0, then I get the expected behavior of combobox showing nothing. However, if the index isn't 0, then the combobox will display the item at index 0. The index is actually -1, but the display value is still 0. I have a hack solution to this, any time I want to reset a combobox index to -1, I set the selectedindex to -1 TWICE. This functionally works quite well, but it's quite hackish. First Question: Does anyone know of a more elegant solution to this? Now here is my real problem. There is another behavior with modifying a table the combobox is bound to. If the data is changed within a table, the combobox bound to this table will reset to index 0 if it is set to index -1. This is a huge problem with my datagrid filters since they set the filter on IndexChanged event. Second Question: Is there a way to keep a combobox at index -1 the databound table is changed, but still let the index be selected by the user and programmably? EDIT: btw, I'm using VS 2003 and C# [Edited by - static_matt13 on July 25, 2005 2:54:12 PM]

Please help with this. I have thought up a potential solution. If I could inherit ComboBox class into a custom control and overload the databinding interface. If I could do that, I could add a null entry into index 0 without having to modify my DataSet data. Problem is, I have no idea how to go about this. Any help??

>>Have you tried setting ComboBox.SelectedValue to DBNull instead of setting the index to -1?

Yeah, I have tried that before. It has the exact same behavior.

>>Why don't you just insert an item at position 0 in the combobox that says "Select Below" or something with a value of null?

Because I am databinding. You can't add anything into a databound combobox.

I'm not using ASP.NET, I'm doing a WinForms application.

Whatever, I finally fixed the problem and I'm posting it here for other people. I created a custom control by inheritiing the Combobox and then overloading all the databinding attributes. I think I'm gonna post my final version of the control on codeproject.com since this seems to be a common gripe. I'll post a link when and if I upload it.