I made a program that reads a .json object and creates labels and some controls in three TableLayoutPanels. The first two tables are in a TabPanel’s page 1, and the last is in page 2.

The problem is: IF at the start of the program I automatically add controls to the tables OR if I am looking at page 2, and add the controls manually, the last table doesnt display the added controls.
I can Console Log and it does have all the controls, it just doesnt display them.

The table only works IF I’m on page 1 and add the controls manually. In all three cases, the code is the same for adding the controls. It just behaves differently if I am looking at page 2 or not, or if it runs at start up. Doesn’t make sense to me.

Gif 1 how it should work: in this case, I am on page 1 and I manually load the json file to add the controls

Gif 2 I open the program and it automatically loads the json and add the controls. The controls on the page 2’s LayoutTable aren’t showing.

Gif 3 I am ‘looking’ at page 2’s table and I load the json file. The controls also aren’t shown.

I’ve already tried calling tablelayoutpanel.Refresh() or .Invalidade(), doesnt work. Tried setting doublebuffered true and false, doesnt work.

ps: “manually adding the controls” means I click on a button to load the json and the controls are added.

Code that adds the controls to the panels:

LabelData labelData;

List<LabelFieldData> publicZPLFields = new List<LabelFieldData>();
List<Control> publicControls = new List<Control>();

List<LabelFieldData> privateZPLFields = new List<LabelFieldData>();
List<Control> privateControls = new List<Control>();
List<Control> privateDataControls = new List<Control>();

List<LabelFieldData> dataMatrixFields = new List<LabelFieldData>();
List<Control> dataMatrixControls = new List<Control>();

public void LoadLabelData(LabelData data)
{
    #region clear lists and dispose controls
    for (int i = 0; i < publicControls.Count; i++)
    {
        publicTablePanel.Controls.Remove(publicControls[i]);
        publicControls[i].Dispose();
    }
    publicControls.Clear();

    for (int i = 0; i < privateControls.Count; i++)
    {
        privateTablePanel.Controls.Remove(privateControls[i]);
        privateControls[i].Dispose();
    }
    privateControls.Clear();

    for (int i = 0; i < privateDataControls.Count; i++)
    {
        privateDataTablePanel.Controls.Remove(privateDataControls[i]);
        privateDataControls[i].Dispose();
    }
    privateDataControls.Clear();

    dataMatrixControls.Clear();
    #endregion

    labelData = data;

    publicZPLFields = data.LabelDataList.Where(d => !d.IsPrivate &&  d.ListMe).ToList();
    privateZPLFields = data.LabelDataList.Where(d => d.IsPrivate && d.ListMe).ToList();
    dataMatrixFields = data.LabelDataList.Where(d => d.Visibility == FieldVisibility.DM || d.Visibility == FieldVisibility.BOTH).ToList();

    AnchorStyles a = AnchorStyles.Left | AnchorStyles.Right | AnchorStyles.Top | AnchorStyles.Bottom;
    Padding m = new Padding(1);
    
    //adding the controls to the first table layout panel in the first page
    int row = 1;
    foreach (var d in publicZPLFields)
    {
        Label label = new Label();
        label.Text = d.Name;
        label.TextAlign = ContentAlignment.MiddleLeft;
        publicTablePanel.Controls.Add(label, 0, row);
        
        publicControls.Add(label);

        switch (d.FieldType)
        {
            case FieldType.Text:
                TextBox tb = new TextBox();
                tb.Name = d.Name;
                tb.Margin = m;
                tb.Anchor = a;
                tb.Text = d.defaultText;
                tb.KeyPress += textBox_KeyPressed;
                tb.TextChanged += updateZpl_TextChanged;
                publicTablePanel.Controls.Add(tb, 1, row);
                publicControls.Add(tb);

                if(d.Visibility == FieldVisibility.DM || d.Visibility == FieldVisibility.BOTH)
                    dataMatrixControls.Add(tb);
                break;
            case FieldType.Date:
                DateTimePicker dtp = new DateTimePicker();
                dtp.Name = d.Name;
                dtp.Margin = m;
                dtp.Anchor = a;
                dtp.Value = d.DateType == FieldDateType.TODAY ? DateTime.Today : d.defaultTime;
                if(d.DateType == FieldDateType.TODAY)
                    dtp.Enabled = false;
                publicTablePanel.Controls.Add(dtp, 1, row);
                publicControls.Add(dtp);

                if (d.Visibility == FieldVisibility.DM || d.Visibility == FieldVisibility.BOTH)
                    dataMatrixControls.Add(dtp);
                break;
            case FieldType.Serial:
                NumericUpDown nud = new NumericUpDown();
                nud.Name = d.Name;
                nud.Margin = m;
                nud.Anchor = a;
                nud.Maximum = (int)Math.Pow(10, d.serialMax) - 1;
                nud.Value = d.serialStart;
                publicTablePanel.Controls.Add(nud, 1, row);
                publicControls.Add(nud);

                if (d.Visibility == FieldVisibility.DM || d.Visibility == FieldVisibility.BOTH)
                    dataMatrixControls.Add(nud);
                break;
        }

        row++;
    }
    //adding controls to both "private" table layout panel, the one in the first page and the the one in the second page
    row = 1;
    foreach(var d in privateZPLFields)
    {
        Label label = new Label();
        label.Text = d.Name;
        label.TextAlign = ContentAlignment.MiddleLeft;
        privateTablePanel.Controls.Add(label, 0, row);
        privateControls.Add(label);

        label = label.Clone();
        privateDataTablePanel.Controls.Add(label, 0, row);
        privateDataControls.Add(label);

        switch (d.FieldType)
        {
            case FieldType.Text:
                TextBox tb = new TextBox();
                tb.Name = d.Name;
                tb.Margin = m;
                tb.Anchor = a;
                tb.Text = d.defaultText;
                tb.Enabled = false;
                privateTablePanel.Controls.Add(tb, 1, row);
                privateControls.Add(tb);

                tb = tb.Clone();
                tb.Enabled = true;
                tb.KeyPress += textBox_KeyPressed;
                tb.TextChanged += updateZpl_TextChanged;
                privateDataTablePanel.Controls.Add(tb, 1, row);
                privateDataControls.Add(tb);

                if (d.Visibility == FieldVisibility.DM || d.Visibility == FieldVisibility.BOTH)
                    dataMatrixControls.Add(tb);
                break;
            case FieldType.Date:
                DateTimePicker dtp = new DateTimePicker();
                dtp.Name = d.Name;
                dtp.Margin = m;
                dtp.Anchor = a;
                dtp.Value = d.DateType == FieldDateType.TODAY ? DateTime.Today : d.defaultTime;
                dtp.Enabled = false;
                privateTablePanel.Controls.Add(dtp, 1, row);
                privateControls.Add(dtp);

                dtp = dtp.Clone();
                dtp.Enabled = d.DateType == FieldDateType.CUSTOM;
                privateDataTablePanel.Controls.Add(dtp, 1, row);
                privateDataControls.Add(dtp);

                if (d.Visibility == FieldVisibility.DM || d.Visibility == FieldVisibility.BOTH)
                    dataMatrixControls.Add(dtp);
                break;
            case FieldType.Serial:
                NumericUpDown nud = new NumericUpDown();
                nud.Name = d.Name;
                nud.Margin = m;
                nud.Anchor = a;
                nud.Maximum = (int)Math.Pow(10, d.serialMax) - 1;
                nud.Value = d.serialStart;
                nud.Enabled = false;
                privateTablePanel.Controls.Add(nud, 1, row);
                privateControls.Add(nud);

                nud = nud.Clone();
                nud.Enabled = true;
                privateDataTablePanel.Controls.Add(nud, 1, row);
                privateDataControls.Add(nud);

                if (d.Visibility == FieldVisibility.DM || d.Visibility == FieldVisibility.BOTH)
                    dataMatrixControls.Add(nud);
                break;
        }
        row++;
    }

    UpdateFinalZPL(labelData.sampleCode);

    #region setup table layout panels
    publicTablePanel.AutoScroll = true;
    privateTablePanel.AutoScroll = true;
    privateDataTablePanel.AutoScroll = true;
    #endregion
}