A controller may need to create an indefinite number of copies of a single object class. The
FileFind method might instantiate a special File object for every file it finds, for instance.
You don't know, however, exactly how many Files might get created. You have already seen
a concept in VB that enables you to implement something like this: the collection.
To implement your own custom collection in a project, you need to add two classes:
These classes are in addition to at least one other class that probably already exists in your
project: the parent class, which is considered to "own" the dependent collection
class.
By convention, a to dependent class Name is a singular noun and a dependent collection class
Name is the plural form of the same noun. You might name a dependent collection class Files
and a dependent class File, for example.
Setting Up the Dependent Class
To start a dependent class in your server project, just insert a class module into the project and
make sure that the new module is named appropriately. As mentioned earlier, the name of the dependent
class should be a singular noun.
You can then give the dependent class any features you need individual elements of the collection
to have, such as custom properties, methods, or events.
Setting Up the Dependent Collection Class
Once again, insert a class module into the project and make sure that it is named appropriately:
Typically, the name will be the plural form of the dependent class name.
Now, in the General Declarations section of the newly inserted module, declare a Private Collection
variable, for example:
Private colFiles As New Collection
The Collection type has special methods and properties discussed in the next section that enable you
to implement a collection of objects.
You declare the Collection in the General Declarations section so that the collection gets initialized
as soon as an object is instantiated from this class. You declare it as Private so that controller
code can't directly manipulate the Collection object. Instead, the controller code will have
to go through wrapper methods (Public procedures) that you create in this class.
Implementing Built-In Collection Features
in the Dependent Collection Class
