datagridview rows are zero after leaving form

Question

For context, I have an app that does draft picks for our baseball fantasy league. It records the picks as people make them. I want to add a form with a blank grid that fills in with the picks as they are made and output to my TV. In my main form I have this simple code:

Private Sub SetUpPickBoard()

    Dim frmPickBoard As New frmResults
    frmPickBoard.Show()

End Sub

Then, in my form load for frmResults, I manually build a datagridview like such:

Private Sub frmResults_Load(sender As Object, e As EventArgs) Handles Me.Load

    Dim rsPlayers As DataTable
    Dim strSQL = "SELECT ID,DrafterName FROM tblDrafters ORDER BY DraftOrder"
    rsPlayers = frmMain.DataAccess.GetDataTable(strSQL)
    intDrafterCount = rsPlayers.Rows.Count
    For intDrafters = 0 To intDrafterCount - 1
        dgvPickBoard.Columns.Add("Drafter" & intDrafters.ToString, rsPlayers.Rows(intDrafters).Item("DrafterName"))
    Next
    For intCtr = 0 To 22
        Dim dgrNewRow As New DataGridViewRow
        dgrNewRow.HeaderCell.Value = (intCtr + 1).ToString
        dgvPickBoard.Rows.Add(dgrNewRow)
    Next
    Me.WindowState = FormWindowState.Maximized
    MsgBox(dgvPickBoard.Rows.Count & "-" & dgvPickBoard.Columns.Count)
End Sub

The msgbox at the end displays (correctly) 23-10

Then it returns to the main form. Then, in the code for making a pick, I simply tried to change the text of one of the cells in that form with the picked name.

rsResults.datagridview1.rows(rownumber).cells(columnnumber).value=strPickedName

I get index out range error. The rowcount is now 0, as is the columns. Even if I call a function in the frmResults form and pass in the row,column and text values, the datagridview still has zero rows/columns. I don't want to have to rebuild a whole grid from the DB every time I make a pick if possible.

So why is my datagridview 'empty'? It is still displayed in the form. Did I lose the reference to the rows when it left the load function?

Answer 1

I had issues with another form I was trying to manipulate, and I finally stumbled on the issue. The answer is detailed here. Basically, referencing a form by the form name essentially gives you a 'copy' of sorts of your actual form. I changed the reference of the form from frmResults to the object I created when I instanced the form of frmPickBoard (I had to move the definition to a global level, of course). I was then able to access and manipulate all controls in the form I created.