Loading Items from XML

You can populate the ComboBox with Items from an XML file out of the Box.

Add a ComboBox component to the Page.

ASP.NET

<telerik:RadComboBox ID="RadComboBox1" runat="server"></telerik:RadComboBox>

Load the XML file using any of the following approaches:

• Loading from an XML file
• Loading from an XML string

Loading from an XML file

Create an XML file with the following structure:

• Root element: <Items></Items>
• Child elements: <Item />

All ComboBox Item Properties can be mapped on the respective XML nodes as attributes. In addition, you can use any Custom Attributes that are not available as properties.

~/App_Data/Continents.xml

XML

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8" ?>
<Items>
	<Item Text="Africa" Value="1" Enabled="True" />
	<Item Text="Australia" Value="2" Selected="False" />
	<Item Text="Asia" Value="3" CustomAttribute="CustomData" />
	<Item Text="Europe" Value="4" />
	<Item Text="North America" Value="5" />
	<Item Text="South America" Value="6" />
</Items>

Loading from XML File using the LoadContentFile method

C#

protected void Page_Init(object sender, EventArgs e)
{
    RadComboBox1.LoadContentFile("~/App_Data/Continents.xml");
}

VB

Protected Sub Page_Init(ByVal sender As Object, ByVal e As EventArgs)
    RadComboBox1.LoadContentFile("~/App_Data/Continents.xml")
End Sub

Loading from an XML string

Create a string with the following XML structure (or fetch it from a database, for example):

• Root element: <Items></Items>
• Child elements: <Item />

All ComboBox Item Properties can be mapped on the respective XML nodes as attributes. In addition, you can use any Custom Attributes that are not available as properties.

Loading from XML String using the LoadXml method

C#

protected void Page_Init(object sender, EventArgs e)
{
    StringBuilder sb = new StringBuilder();
    sb.Append("<?xml version=\"1.0\" encoding=\"utf-8\" ?>");
    sb.Append("<Items>");
    sb.Append("	<Item Text=\"Africa\" Value=\"1\" Enabled=\"True\" />");
    sb.Append("	<Item Text=\"Australia\" Value=\"2\" Selected=\"False\" />");
    sb.Append("	<Item Text=\"Asia\" Value=\"3\" CustomAttribute=\"CustomData\" />");
    sb.Append("	<Item Text=\"Europe\" Value=\"4\" />");
    sb.Append("	<Item Text=\"North America\" Value=\"5\" />");
    sb.Append("	<Item Text=\"South America\" Value=\"6\" />");
    sb.Append("</Items>");

    string xmlString = sb.ToString();
    RadComboBox1.LoadXml(xmlString);
}

VB.NET

Protected Sub Page_Init(ByVal sender As Object, ByVal e As EventArgs)
    Dim sb As StringBuilder = New StringBuilder()
    sb.Append("<?xml version=""1.0"" encoding=""utf-8"" ?>")
    sb.Append("<Items>")
    sb.Append(vbTab & "<Item Text=""Africa"" Value=""1"" Enabled=""True"" />")
    sb.Append(vbTab & "<Item Text=""Australia"" Value=""2"" Selected=""False"" />")
    sb.Append(vbTab & "<Item Text=""Asia"" Value=""3"" CustomAttribute=""CustomData"" />")
    sb.Append(vbTab & "<Item Text=""Europe"" Value=""4"" />")
    sb.Append(vbTab & "<Item Text=""North America"" Value=""5"" />")
    sb.Append(vbTab & "<Item Text=""South America"" Value=""6"" />")
    sb.Append("</Items>")
    Dim xmlString As String = sb.ToString()
    RadComboBox1.LoadXml(xmlString)
End Sub