Design Windows Forms

Since Windows Forms designer relies on and integrates with Windows-specific components, it is available only on Windows. Currently it is only working for C# projects.

If your project includes Windows Forms, you can use JetBrains Rider’s visual Windows Forms designer and also create new Windows Forms projects.

Create Windows Forms projects

You can create a new project in a new solution using File | New. or add a new project to the existing solution by right-clicking the solution or solution folder node in the Solution Explorer, and choosing Add | New Project .

Choose Desktop Application project template and then Desktop Application as the project type.

Create and edit Windows Forms

You can add Windows Forms items in any project which have a reference to System.Windows.Forms . To add a new Windows Form item, right-click the project in the Solution Explorer and choose Add . You will be then able to select one of the Windows Forms templates — Windows Form , User Control , or Component . Windows Forms items are displayed with the corresponding icons in the Solution Explorer tree:

When you double-click a Windows Form item, it opens in a new editor tab and additionally opens the Designer Toolbox window. Use the Designer and Code tabs at the bottom of the editor to switch between the visual designer and code editor views.

If you close the Designer Toolbox window, choose View | Tool Windows | Designer Toolbox from the menu to open it.

When working in the designer view, you can select the desired component in the Designer Toolbox and then without dragging it , draw a rectangle area on the canvas where the component should be added.

To edit a component added to the canvas, select it with a click, and then:

Use its adorners to move and resize it.

Use the property grid and the event list to manipulate available properties like Text , Items , and Fonts , and subscribe to available events.

Double-click the component to add a default event handler. For example, it will add the Click event handler for a button.

Use Ctrl+X , Ctrl+C , paste Ctrl+V shortcuts to cut, copy, and paste components within the canvas and also between multiple Windows Forms items.

Работа с формами

Основы форм

Внешний вид приложения является нам преимущественно через формы. Формы являются основными строительными блоками. Они предоставляют контейнер для различных элементов управления. А механизм событий позволяет элементам формы отзываться на ввод пользователя, и, таким образом, взаимодействовать с пользователем.

При открытии проекта в Visual Studio в графическом редакторе мы можем увидеть визуальную часть формы — ту часть, которую мы видим после запуска приложения и куда мы переносим элементы с панели управления. Но на самом деле форма скрывает мощный функционал, состоящий из методов, свойств, событий и прочее. Рассмотрим основные свойства форм.

Если мы запустим приложение, то нам отобразится одна пустая форма. Однако даже такой простой проект с пустой формой имеет несколько компонентов:

Несмотря на то, что мы видим только форму, но стартовой точкой входа в графическое приложение является класс Program, расположенный в файле Program.cs:

Сначала программой запускается данный класс, затем с помощью выражения Application.Run(new Form1()) он запускает форму Form1. Если вдруг мы захотим изменить стартовую форму в приложении на какую-нибудь другую, то нам надо изменить в этом выражении Form1 на соответствующий класс формы.

Сама форма сложна по содержанию. Она делится на ряд компонентов. Так, в структуре проекта есть файл Form1.Designer.cs, который выглядит примерно так:

Здесь объявляется частичный класс формы Form1, которая имеет два метода: Dispose() , который выполняет роль деструктора объекта, и InitializeComponent() , который устанавливает начальные значения свойств формы.

При добавлении элементов управления, например, кнопок, их описание также добавляется в этот файл.

Но на практике мы редко будем сталкиваться с этим классом, так как они выполняет в основном дизайнерские функции — установка свойств объектов, установка переменных.

Еще один файл — Form1.resx — хранит ресурсы формы. Как правило, ресурсы используются для создания однообразных форм сразу для нескольких языковых культур.

И более важный файл — Form1.cs, который в структуре проекта называется просто Form1, содержит код или программную логику формы:

Tutorial: Get started with Windows Forms Designer

The Windows Forms Designer provides many tools for building Windows Forms applications. This article illustrates how to build an app using the various tools provided by the designer, including the following tasks:

• Arrange controls using snaplines.
• Accomplish designer tasks using smart tags.
• Set margins and padding for controls.
• Arrange controls using a TableLayoutPanel control.
• Partition your control’s layout by using a SplitContainer control.
• Navigate your layout with the Document Outline window.
• Position controls with the size and location information display.
• Set property values using the Properties window.

When you’re finished, you’ll have a custom control that’s been assembled using many of the layout features available in the Windows Forms Designer. This control implements the user interface (UI) for a simple calculator. The following image shows the general layout of the calculator control:

Create the custom control project

The first step is to create the DemoCalculator control project.

Open Visual Studio and create a new Windows Forms Control Library project. Name the project DemoCalculatorLib.

To rename the file, in Solution Explorer, right-click UserControl1.vb or UserControl1.cs, select Rename, and change the file name to DemoCalculator.vb or DemoCalculator.cs. Select Yes when you are asked if you want to rename all references to the code element «UserControl1».

The Windows Forms Designer shows the designer surface for the DemoCalculator control. In this view, you can graphically design the appearance of the control by selecting controls and components from Toolbox and placing them on the designer surface. For more information about custom controls, see Varieties of custom controls.

Design the control layout

The DemoCalculator control contains several Windows Forms controls. In this procedure, you’ll arrange the controls using the Windows Forms Designer.

In the Windows Forms Designer, change the DemoCalculator control to a larger size by selecting the sizing handle in the lower-right corner and dragging it down and to the right. In the lower-right corner of Visual Studio, find the size and location information for controls. Set the size of the control to width 500 and height 400 by watching the size information as you resize the control.

In Toolbox, select the Containers node to open it. Select the SplitContainer control and drag it onto the designer surface.

The SplitContainer is placed on the DemoCalculator control’s designer surface.

The SplitContainer control sizes itself to the fit the size of the DemoCalculator control. Look at the Properties window to see the property settings for the SplitContainer control. Find the Dock property. Its value is DockStyle.Fill, which means the SplitContainer control will always size itself to the boundaries of the DemoCalculator control. Resize the DemoCalculator control to verify this behavior.

In the Properties window, change the value of the Dock property to None .

The SplitContainer control shrinks to its default size and no longer follows the size of the DemoCalculator control.

Select the smart tag glyph () on the upper-right corner of the SplitContainer control. Select Dock in Parent Container to set the Dock property to Fill .

The SplitContainer control docks to the DemoCalculator control’s boundaries.

Several controls offer smart tags to facilitate design. For more information, see Walkthrough: Perform common tasks using Smart Tags on Windows Forms controls.

Select the vertical border between the panels and drag it to the right, so that most of the space is taken by the left panel.

The SplitContainer divides the DemoCalculator control into two panels with a movable border separating them. The panel on the left will hold the calculator buttons and display, and the panel on the right will show a record of the arithmetic operations performed by the user.

In the Properties window, change the value of the BorderStyle property to Fixed3D .

In Toolbox, select the Common Controls node to open it. Select the ListView control and drag it into the right panel of the SplitContainer control.

Select the ListView control’s smart tag glyph. In the smart tag panel, change the View setting to Details .

In the smart tag panel, select Edit Columns.

The ColumnHeader Collection Editor dialog box opens.

In the ColumnHeader Collection Editor dialog box, select Add to add a column to the ListView control. Change the value of the column’s Text property to History. Select OK to create the column.

In the smart tag panel, select Dock in Parent Container, and then select the smart tag glyph to close the smart tag panel.

From the Containers node Toolbox, drag a TableLayoutPanel control into the left panel of the SplitContainer control.

The TableLayoutPanel control appears on the designer surface with its smart tag panel open. The TableLayoutPanel control arranges its child controls in a grid. The TableLayoutPanel control will hold the DemoCalculator control’s display and buttons. For more information, see Walkthrough: Arrange controls using a TableLayoutPanel.

Select Edit Rows and Columns on the smart tag panel.

The Column and Row Styles dialog box opens.

Select the Add button until five columns are displayed. Select all five columns, and then select Percent in the Size Type box. Set the Percent value to 20. This sets each column to the same width.

Under Show, select Rows.

Select Add until five rows are displayed. Select all five rows, and the select Percent in the Size Type box. Set the Percent value to 20. This sets each row to the same height.

Select OK to accept your changes, and then select the smart tag glyph to close the smart tag panel.

In the Properties window, change the value of the Dock property to Fill .

Populate the control

Now that the layout of the control is set up, you can populate the DemoCalculator control with buttons and a display.

In Toolbox, select the TextBox control icon.

A TextBox control is placed in the first cell of the TableLayoutPanel control.

In the Properties window, change the value of the TextBox control’s ColumnSpan property to 5.

The TextBox control moves to a position that is centered in its row.

Change the value of the TextBox control’s Anchor property to Left , Right .

The TextBox control expands horizontally to span all five columns.

Change the value of the TextBox control’s TextAlign property to Right .

In the Properties window, expand the Font property node. Set Size to 14, and set Bold to true for the TextBox control.

Select the TableLayoutPanel control.

In Toolbox, select the Button icon.

A Button control is placed in the next open cell of the TableLayoutPanel control.

In Toolbox, select the Button icon four more times to populate the second row of the TableLayoutPanel control.

Select all five Button controls by selecting them while holding down the Shift key. Press Ctrl+C to copy the Button controls to the clipboard.

Press Ctrl+V three times to paste copies of the Button controls into the remaining rows of the TableLayoutPanel control.

Select all 20 Button controls by selecting them while holding down the Shift key.

In the Properties window, change the value of the Dock property to Fill .

All the Button controls dock to fill their containing cells.

In the Properties window, expand the Margin property node. Set the value of All to 5.

All the Button controls are sized smaller to create a larger margin between them.

Select button10 and button20, and then press Delete to remove them from the layout.

Select button5 and button15, and then change the value of their RowSpan property to 2. These will be the Clear and = buttons for the DemoCalculator control.

Use the Document Outline window

When your control or form is populated with several controls, you may find it easier to navigate your layout with the Document Outline window.

On the menu bar, choose View > Other Windows > Document Outline.

The Document Outline window shows a tree view of the DemoCalculator control and its constituent controls. Container controls like the SplitContainer show their child controls as subnodes in the tree. You can also rename controls in place using the Document Outline window.

In the Document Outline window, right-click button1, and then select Rename. Change its name to sevenButton.

Using the Document Outline window, rename the Button controls from the designer-generated name to the production name according to the following list:

button1 to sevenButton

button2 to eightButton

button3 to nineButton

button4 to divisionButton

button5 to clearButton

button6 to fourButton

button7 to fiveButton

button8 to sixButton

button9 to multiplicationButton

button11 to oneButton

button12 to twoButton

button13 to threeButton

button14 to subtractionButton

button15 to equalsButton

button16 to zeroButton

button17 to changeSignButton

button18 to decimalButton

button19 to additionButton

Using the Document Outline and Properties windows, change the Text property value for each Button control name according to the following list:

Change the sevenButton control text property to 7

Change the eightButton control text property to 8

Change the nineButton control text property to 9

Change the divisionButton control text property to / (forward slash)

Change the clearButton control text property to Clear

Change the fourButton control text property to 4

Change the fiveButton control text property to 5

Change the sixButton control text property to 6

Change the multiplicationButton control text property to * (asterisk)

Change the oneButton control text property to 1

Change the twoButton control text property to 2

Change the threeButton control text property to 3

Change the subtractionButton control text property to — (hyphen)

Change the equalsButton control text property to = (equals sign)

Change the zeroButton control text property to 0

Change the changeSignButton control text property to +/-

Change the decimalButton control text property to . (period)

Change the additionButton control text property to + (plus sign)

On the designer surface, select all the Button controls by selecting them while holding down the Shift key.

In the Properties window, expand the Font property node. Set Size to 14, and set Bold to true for all the Button controls.

This completes the design of the DemoCalculator control. All that remains is to provide the calculator logic.

Implement event handlers

The buttons on the DemoCalculator control have event handlers that can be used to implement much of the calculator logic. The Windows Forms Designer enables you to implement the stubs of all the event handlers for all the buttons with one selection.

On the designer surface, select all the Button controls by selecting them while holding down the Shift key.

Select one of the Button controls.

The Code Editor opens to the event handlers generated by the designer.

Test the control

Because the DemoCalculator control inherits from the UserControl class, you can test its behavior with the UserControl Test Container. For more information, see How to: Test the run-time behavior of a UserControl.

Press F5 to build and run the DemoCalculator control in the UserControl Test Container.

Select the border between the SplitContainer panels and drag it left and right. The TableLayoutPanel and all its child controls resize themselves to fit in the available space.

When you are finished testing the control, select Close.

Use the control on a form

The DemoCalculator control can be used in other composite controls or on a form. The following procedure describes how to use it.

Create the project

The first step is to create the application project. You’ll use this project to build the application that shows your custom control.

Create a new Windows Forms Application project and name it DemoCalculatorTest.

In Solution Explorer, right-click the DemoCalculatorTest project, and then select Add Reference to open the Add Reference dialog box.

Go to the Projects tab, and then select the DemoCalculatorLib project to add the reference to the test project.

In Solution Explorer, right-click DemoCalculatorTest, and then select Set as StartUp Project.

In the Windows Forms Designer, increase the size of the form to about 700 x 500.

Use the control in the form’s layout

To use the DemoCalculator control in an application, you need to place it on a form.

In Toolbox, expand the DemoCalculatorLib Components node.

Drag the DemoCalculator control from Toolbox onto your form. Move the control to the upper-left corner of the form. When the control is close to the form’s borders, snaplines will appear. Snaplines indicate the distance of the form’s Padding property and the control’s Margin property. Position the control at the location indicated by the snaplines.

Drag a Button control from Toolbox and drop it onto the form.

Move the Button control around the DemoCalculator control and observe where the snaplines appear. You can align your controls precisely and easily using this feature. Delete the Button control when you’re finished.

Right-click the DemoCalculator control, and then select Properties.

Change the value of the Dock property to Fill .

Select the form, and then expand the Padding property node. Change the value of All to 20.

The size of the DemoCalculator control is reduced to accommodate the new Padding value of the form.

Resize the form by dragging the various sizing handles to different positions. Observe how the DemoCalculator control is resized to fit.

Next steps

This article has demonstrated how to construct the user interface for a simple calculator. To continue, you can extend its functionality by implementing the calculator logic, then publish the app using ClickOnce. Or, continue on to a different tutorial where you create a picture viewer using Windows Forms.