---
title: Utilities.clsControlManager
summary: API reference for Utilities.clsControlManager.
status: draft
owner: SAIF Doc Gen
last_reviewed: 2026-08-17
library: SAIF.Presentation.Web.Core.Infragistics111
reference_type: package
---

# Utilities.clsControlManager

`Utilities.clsControlManager` is a stateless static service that centralizes control-manipulation logic shared across every SAIF application page: back-color normalization, protect/unprotect transitions, page/control enable-disable, drop-down list population for ASP.NET/SAIF/Infragistics list controls, and Infragistics grid client-side scripting (scroll-to-view, begin-edit, edit-focus, cell enablement). It uses reflection to read/write properties like `CssClass` and `ReadOnly` so a single implementation can operate across many unrelated control types.

## Purpose
- Recursively normalize control `CssClass` back-color tokens on every page load, distinguishing read-only from editable state and exempting the menu context box. ([BR-CORE-005](../../business-rules.md#br-core-005-colour-state-is-carried-by-css-classes-and-previous-state-classes-are-stripped-before-a-new-one-is-applied), [BR-CORE-006](../../business-rules.md#br-core-006-the-menu-context-text-box-cvtextbox-is-exempt-from-back-color-reset), [BR-CORE-007](../../business-rules.md#br-core-007-read-only-input-controls-render-with-disabledbackcolor-editable-ones-render-with-defaultbackcolor), [BR-CORE-008](../../business-rules.md#br-core-008-buttons-radio-buttons-and-check-boxes-render-with-the-normal-css-class))
- Transition a control between editable and read-only/protected states, including substituting a read-only text box for a `DropDownList`. ([BR-CORE-009](../../business-rules.md#br-core-009-protecting-a-control-makes-it-read-only-or-disabled-and-applies-the-disabled-background), [BR-CORE-010](../../business-rules.md#br-core-010-a-protected-dropdownlist-is-hidden-and-replaced-by-a-read-only-text-box-whose-id-is-the-drop-down-id-with-ddl-replaced-by-txt))
- Enable or disable an entire control subtree (`Page`, `Control`, or `SAIFMenuTop.clsMenuButton`). ([BR-CORE-034](../../business-rules.md#br-core-034-disabling-a-page-disables-every-control-it-contains))
- Populate list controls and grid drop-down editor columns from a data source, with an optional leading blank entry. ([BR-CORE-032](../../business-rules.md#br-core-032-drop-down-lists-may-be-pre-pended-with-a-blank-entry-rendered-as-a-literal-blank-an-empty-string-or-a-space-per-ddladditems))
- Emit client-side script that scrolls to, begins editing, or focuses a specific cell in `UltraWebGrid`, `WebDataGrid`, or `WebHierarchicalDataGrid`. ([BR-CORE-033](../../business-rules.md#br-core-033-grid-scrollbegin-editfocus-behavior-is-implemented-per-infragistics-grid-flavour-ultrawebgrid-webdatagrid-webhierarchicaldatagrid))

## Context
- Namespace: `SAIF.Presentation.Web.Core.Utilities`
- Assembly/package: `SAIF.Presentation.Web.Core.Infragistics111` (merged into `SAIF.Presentation.Web.Infragistics111.dll` via `SAIF.BOF.Presentation.Web.Infragistics111.nuspec`)

## Public members
| Member | Signature | Purpose |
| --- | --- | --- |
| `ResetBackColor(control)` | `Public Shared Sub ResetBackColor(control As Control)` | Recurses into every child control, strips prior `errorbackcolor`/`errorbordercolor`/`disabledbackcolor`/`defaultbackcolor` tokens from `CssClass`, and re-applies the correct token per control type and `ReadOnly` state; skips the `CVTextBox` menu context box. |
| `ProtectItem(control)` | `Public Shared Sub ProtectItem(control As Control)` | Transitions the control to a read-only/protected visual and functional state, using a type-specific rule set (text/edit types get `ReadOnly=True` plus the disabled CSS class; combo/list types get `Enabled=False`; plain `DropDownList` is replaced on-screen by a derived read-only text box). |
| `UnProtectItem(control)` | `Public Shared Sub UnProtectItem(control As Control)` | Reverses `ProtectItem`'s transformation for the same control-type families, restoring editability. |
| `ItemError(control)` | `Public Shared Sub ItemError(control As Control)` | Marks the control with the error CSS class so validation failures are visually highlighted. |
| `EnablePageControl(page, enable)` | `Public Shared Sub EnablePageControl(page As Page, enable As Boolean)` | Walks the entire page's control collection and applies the enable flag to every child control. |
| `EnablePageControl(control, enable)` | `Public Shared Sub EnablePageControl(control As Control, enable As Boolean)` | Applies the enable flag to the given control, recursing into its children where present. |
| `EnablePageControl(menuButton, enable)` | `Public Shared Sub EnablePageControl(menuButton As SAIFMenuTop.clsMenuButton, enable As Boolean)` | Applies the enable flag to a top-menu button so a specific menu action can be suppressed. |
| `LoadDDL(...)` (ten overloads) | `Public Shared Sub LoadDDL(list As Object, dataSource As Object, valueField As String, textField As String, Optional addItems As DDLAddItems = DDLAddItems.None)` | Clears the target list control, binds the supplied data source with the given value/text field mapping, and optionally pre-pends a blank entry per `DDLAddItems`. |
| `AddDropDownProvider(grid, columnKey, dataSource, valueField, textField)` | `Public Shared Sub AddDropDownProvider(grid As WebDataGrid, columnKey As String, dataSource As Object, valueField As String, textField As String)` | Registers a `DropDownProvider` against the named `WebDataGrid` column so in-grid editing offers the supplied list instead of free text. |
| `DDLAddItems` | `Public Enum DDLAddItems` (`BlankLiteral`, `EmptyString`, `Space`) | Selects the representation of the optional leading blank entry inserted by `LoadDDL`. |
| `GridScrollToView(page, gridID, row)` | `Public Shared Sub GridScrollToView(page As Page, gridID As String, row As Object)` | Registers client script that scrolls the specified `UltraWebGrid` row into view. |
| `GridBeginEdit(page, gridID, row, columnKey)` | `Public Shared Sub GridBeginEdit(page As Page, gridID As String, row As Object, columnKey As String)` | Registers client script that begins in-place editing on the specified `UltraWebGrid` cell. |
| `WdgBeginEdit(page, gridID, record, columnKey)` | `Public Shared Sub WdgBeginEdit(page As Page, gridID As String, record As Object, columnKey As String)` | Registers the `WebDataGrid`-flavour equivalent of `GridBeginEdit`. |
| `WhdgBeginEdit(page, gridID, record, columnKey)` | `Public Shared Sub WhdgBeginEdit(page As Page, gridID As String, record As Object, columnKey As String)` | Registers the `WebHierarchicalDataGrid`-flavour equivalent of `GridBeginEdit`. |
| `GridEditFocus(page, gridID, row, columnKey)` | `Public Shared Sub GridEditFocus(page As Page, gridID As String, row As Object, columnKey As String)` | Registers client script that focuses (without necessarily beginning edit on) the specified grid cell. |
| `MasterGridEditFocus(page, gridID, row, columnKey)` | `Public Shared Sub MasterGridEditFocus(page As Page, gridID As String, row As Object, columnKey As String)` | Registers the master-grid variant of `GridEditFocus` for hierarchical/master-detail grids. |
| `ClearMasterGridEditFocus(page, gridID)` | `Public Shared Sub ClearMasterGridEditFocus(page As Page, gridID As String)` | Removes a previously registered master-grid focus request when it is no longer needed. |
| `EnableGridCell(cell, enable)` | `Public Shared Sub EnableGridCell(cell As UltraGridCell, enable As Boolean)` | Toggles an `UltraGridCell` between editable and read-only, independent of the scroll/focus scripts. |

## Behavioral notes
- `ResetBackColor`, `ProtectItem`, and `UnProtectItem` all rely on reflection to read/write properties (`CssClass`, `ReadOnly`, `Enabled`) that are not guaranteed to exist on every control type; controls without the relevant property are simply skipped for that step.
- The `DropDownList` protection path (`ProtectItem`) derives its companion text box ID by upper-casing the control ID and replacing `DDL` with `txt`; failures locating that companion control are absorbed by a `Try` block rather than surfaced to the caller.

## Constraints and usage notes
- None of the ten `LoadDDL` overloads validate that the supplied value/text field names exist on the data source; a mismatch surfaces as a runtime binding exception.**
- Grid scroll/begin-edit/focus helpers assume the grid ID and row/record reference are valid at script-registration time; no validation is performed before script assembly.**

> **Note:** Statements marked with * were inferred from code structure, naming conventions, or contextual evidence where direct confirmation was not available in source artifacts. Statements marked with ** could not be confirmed; treat as unknown until verified.

## Sources
- `SAIF.Presentation.Web.Core.Infragistics111/clsControlManager.vb`