How would I go about finding out how a Windows Forms Control was made? I want to create a Control from scratch. Preferably a ListBox or even better, a ListView Control, but I have no idea where to start.
Some suggestions I've come across in the past have been:
- Use a
PanelControland dynamically addLabelcontrols to it with appropriate styling, and; - Extend or Subclass the
ListView/ListBoxControls, and setOwnerDrawtotrue, and do your custom drawing in theOnPaintevent.
But I want more control than that. I don't just want a ListView Control, I don't want to use a third-party control either (no matter how good [Object ListView] is1. I want my own ListView Control. I don't care how hard it is, but is this possible in Windows Forms? Where should I start?
Would I need to use GDI/GDI+ to draw everything? Would I start with an empty Panel Control and then manually draw each List Item using the System.Drawing namespace?
How would I go about finding out how a Windows Forms Control was made?
Simple, Every control is a Window created using CreateWindowEx method (done internally by the Winforms).
In winforms point of view: Control is the base class for all Windows. There are some controls which has been written in unmanaged code like ListView, ListBox etc. For them you can't see the paint code in .net. It is implemented in OS itself(not sure which dll they live). Winforms just provides a wrapper over those unmanaged controls.
But, there are purely managed controls written in c#. Example: DataGridView. You can go through the code. Here master is OnPaint protected method. That is the place where you need to write all your custom painting logic with the Graphics instance provided.
Key is you'll create a "Datastructure" which holds all the necessary items to draw your control. Lets say ItemRectangle, Text, Color, Font, etc.. Then you use them all together to paint your custom control in OnPaint method.
Would I need to use GDI/GDI+ to draw everything?
You'll use System.Drawing and System.Drawing.Drawing2D namespaces to draw your control. If something that .net doesn't provide you'll p/invoke Gdi/Gdi+
Advice for choosing base class: If your control needs to be scrollable(ListView kind of controls likely need it). So you can choose ScrollableControl or Panel as base class which supports scrolling. Otherwise you can inherit from Control class.
Developing Custom Windows Forms Controls with the .NET Framework
All the best :)
You can inherit Usercontrol and start writing from scratch or if you want specific functionalities like listview you can inherit the relevant control.
Just googling "custom listview control" or "custom control (yourtype) will give 1000's of results".
Hope this helps
eg code for Vista Style button:
public class VistaButton : System.Windows.Forms.UserControl
{
#region - Designer -
private System.ComponentModel.Container components = null;
/// <summary>
/// Initialize the component with it's
/// default settings.
/// </summary>
public VistaButton()
{
InitializeComponent();
this.SetStyle(ControlStyles.AllPaintingInWmPaint, true);
this.SetStyle(ControlStyles.DoubleBuffer, true);
this.SetStyle(ControlStyles.ResizeRedraw, true);
this.SetStyle(ControlStyles.Selectable, true);
this.SetStyle(ControlStyles.SupportsTransparentBackColor, true);
this.SetStyle(ControlStyles.UserPaint, true);
this.BackColor = Color.Transparent;
mFadeIn.Interval = 30;
mFadeOut.Interval = 30;
}
/// <summary>
/// Release resources used by the control.
/// </summary>
protected override void Dispose( bool disposing )
{
if( disposing )
{
if(components != null)
{
components.Dispose();
}
}
base.Dispose( disposing );
}
#region - Component Designer generated code -
private void InitializeComponent()
{
//
// VistaButton
//
this.Name = "VistaButton";
this.Size = new System.Drawing.Size(100, 32);
this.Paint += new System.Windows.Forms.PaintEventHandler(this.VistaButton_Paint);
this.KeyUp += new System.Windows.Forms.KeyEventHandler(this.VistaButton_KeyUp);
this.KeyDown += new System.Windows.Forms.KeyEventHandler(this.VistaButton_KeyDown);
this.MouseEnter += new System.EventHandler(this.VistaButton_MouseEnter);
this.MouseLeave += new System.EventHandler(this.VistaButton_MouseLeave);
this.MouseUp +=new MouseEventHandler(VistaButton_MouseUp);
this.MouseDown += new System.Windows.Forms.MouseEventHandler(this.VistaButton_MouseDown);
this.GotFocus +=new EventHandler(VistaButton_MouseEnter);
this.LostFocus +=new EventHandler(VistaButton_MouseLeave);
this.mFadeIn.Tick += new EventHandler(mFadeIn_Tick);
this.mFadeOut.Tick += new EventHandler(mFadeOut_Tick);
this.Resize +=new EventHandler(VistaButton_Resize);
}
#endregion
#endregion
#region - Enums -
/// <summary>
/// A private enumeration that determines
/// the mouse state in relation to the
/// current instance of the control.
/// </summary>
enum State {None, Hover, Pressed};
/// <summary>
/// A public enumeration that determines whether
/// the button background is painted when the
/// mouse is not inside the ClientArea.
/// </summary>
public enum Style
{
/// <summary>
/// Draw the button as normal
/// </summary>
Default,
/// <summary>
/// Only draw the background on mouse over.
/// </summary>
Flat
};
#endregion
#region - Properties -
#region - Private Variables -
private bool calledbykey = false;
private State mButtonState = State.None;
private Timer mFadeIn = new Timer();
private Timer mFadeOut = new Timer();
private int mGlowAlpha = 0;
#endregion
#region - Text -
private string mText;
/// <summary>
/// The text that is displayed on the button.
/// </summary>
[Category("Text"),
Description("The text that is displayed on the button.")]
public string ButtonText
{
get { return mText; }
set { mText = value; this.Invalidate(); }
}
private Color mForeColor = Color.White;
/// <summary>
/// The color with which the text is drawn.
/// </summary>
[Category("Text"),
Browsable(true),
DefaultValue(typeof(Color),"White"),
Description("The color with which the text is drawn.")]
public override Color ForeColor
{
get { return mForeColor; }
set { mForeColor = value; this.Invalidate(); }
}
private ContentAlignment mTextAlign = ContentAlignment.MiddleCenter;
/// <summary>
/// The alignment of the button text
/// that is displayed on the control.
/// </summary>
[Category("Text"),
DefaultValue(typeof(ContentAlignment),"MiddleCenter"),
Description("The alignment of the button text " +
"that is displayed on the control.")]
public ContentAlignment TextAlign
{
get { return mTextAlign; }
set { mTextAlign = value; this.Invalidate(); }
}
#endregion
#region - Image -
private Image mImage;
/// <summary>
/// The image displayed on the button that
/// is used to help the user identify
/// it's function if the text is ambiguous.
/// </summary>
[Category("Image"),
DefaultValue(null),
Description("The image displayed on the button that " +
"is used to help the user identify" +
"it's function if the text is ambiguous.")]
public Image Image
{
get { return mImage; }
set { mImage = value; this.Invalidate(); }
}
private ContentAlignment mImageAlign = ContentAlignment.MiddleLeft;
/// <summary>
/// The alignment of the image
/// in relation to the button.
/// </summary>
[Category("Image"),
DefaultValue(typeof(ContentAlignment),"MiddleLeft"),
Description("The alignment of the image " +
"in relation to the button.")]
public ContentAlignment ImageAlign
{
get { return mImageAlign; }
set { mImageAlign = value; this.Invalidate(); }
}
private Size mImageSize = new Size(24,24);
/// <summary>
/// The size of the image to be displayed on the
/// button. This property defaults to 24x24.
/// </summary>
[Category("Image"),
DefaultValue(typeof(Size),"24, 24"),
Description("The size of the image to be displayed on the" +
"button. This property defaults to 24x24.")]
public Size ImageSize
{
get { return mImageSize; }
set { mImageSize = value; this.Invalidate(); }
}
#endregion
#region - Appearance -
private Style mButtonStyle = Style.Default;
/// <summary>
/// Sets whether the button background is drawn
/// while the mouse is outside of the client area.
/// </summary>
[Category("Appearance"),
DefaultValue(typeof(Style),"Default"),
Description("Sets whether the button background is drawn " +
"while the mouse is outside of the client area.")]
public Style ButtonStyle
{
get { return mButtonStyle; }
set { mButtonStyle = value; this.Invalidate(); }
}
private int mCornerRadius = 8;
/// <summary>
/// The radius for the button corners. The
/// greater this value is, the more 'smooth'
/// the corners are. This property should
/// not be greater than half of the
/// controls height.
/// </summary>
[Category("Appearance"),
DefaultValue(8),
Description("The radius for the button corners. The " +
"greater this value is, the more 'smooth' " +
"the corners are. This property should " +
"not be greater than half of the " +
"controls height.")]
public int CornerRadius
{
get { return mCornerRadius; }
set { mCornerRadius = value; this.Invalidate(); }
}
private Color mHighlightColor = Color.White;
/// <summary>
/// The colour of the highlight on the top of the button.
/// </summary>
[Category("Appearance"),
DefaultValue(typeof(Color), "White"),
Description("The colour of the highlight on the top of the button.")]
public Color HighlightColor
{
get { return mHighlightColor; }
set { mHighlightColor = value; this.Invalidate(); }
}
private Color mButtonColor = Color.Black;
/// <summary>
/// The bottom color of the button that
/// will be drawn over the base color.
/// </summary>
[Category("Appearance"),
DefaultValue(typeof(Color), "Black"),
Description("The bottom color of the button that " +
"will be drawn over the base color.")]
public Color ButtonColor
{
get { return mButtonColor; }
set { mButtonColor = value; this.Invalidate(); }
}
private Color mGlowColor = Color.FromArgb(141,189,255);
/// <summary>
/// The colour that the button glows when
/// the mouse is inside the client area.
/// </summary>
[Category("Appearance"),
DefaultValue(typeof(Color), "141,189,255"),
Description("The colour that the button glows when " +
"the mouse is inside the client area.")]
public Color GlowColor
{
get { return mGlowColor; }
set { mGlowColor = value; this.Invalidate(); }
}
private Image mBackImage;
/// <summary>
/// The background image for the button,
/// this image is drawn over the base
/// color of the button.
/// </summary>
[Category("Appearance"),
DefaultValue(null),
Description("The background image for the button, " +
"this image is drawn over the base " +
"color of the button.")]
public Image BackImage
{
get { return mBackImage; }
set { mBackImage = value; this.Invalidate(); }
}
private Color mBaseColor = Color.Black;
/// <summary>
/// The backing color that the rest of
/// the button is drawn. For a glassier
/// effect set this property to Transparent.
/// </summary>
[Category("Appearance"),
DefaultValue(typeof(Color), "Black"),
Description("The backing color that the rest of" +
"the button is drawn. For a glassier " +
"effect set this property to Transparent.")]
public Color BaseColor
{
get { return mBaseColor; }
set { mBaseColor = value; this.Invalidate(); }
}
#endregion
#region - Behaviour -
private DialogResult mDialogResult = DialogResult.OK;
/// <summary>
/// Specify the dialog result property.
/// </summary>
[Category("Behaviour"),
DefaultValue(typeof(DialogResult)),
Description("The Dialog-Box result produced in a modal form" +
"by clicking the button.")]
public virtual DialogResult DialogResult
{
get { return mDialogResult; }
set { mDialogResult = value; this.Invalidate(); }
}
#endregion
#endregion
#region - Functions -
private GraphicsPath RoundRect(RectangleF r, float r1, float r2, float r3, float r4)
{
float x = r.X, y = r.Y, w = r.Width, h = r.Height;
GraphicsPath rr = new GraphicsPath();
rr.AddBezier(x, y + r1, x, y, x + r1, y, x + r1, y);
rr.AddLine(x + r1, y, x + w - r2, y);
rr.AddBezier(x + w - r2, y, x + w, y, x + w, y + r2, x + w, y + r2);
rr.AddLine(x + w, y + r2, x + w, y + h - r3);
rr.AddBezier(x + w, y + h - r3, x + w, y + h, x + w - r3, y + h, x + w - r3, y + h);
rr.AddLine(x + w - r3, y + h, x + r4, y + h);
rr.AddBezier(x + r4, y + h, x, y + h, x, y + h - r4, x, y + h - r4);
rr.AddLine(x, y + h - r4, x, y + r1);
return rr;
}
private StringFormat StringFormatAlignment(ContentAlignment textalign)
{
StringFormat sf = new StringFormat();
switch (textalign)
{
case ContentAlignment.TopLeft:
case ContentAlignment.TopCenter:
case ContentAlignment.TopRight:
sf.LineAlignment = StringAlignment.Near;
break;
case ContentAlignment.MiddleLeft:
case ContentAlignment.MiddleCenter:
case ContentAlignment.MiddleRight:
sf.LineAlignment = StringAlignment.Center;
break;
case ContentAlignment.BottomLeft:
case ContentAlignment.BottomCenter:
case ContentAlignment.BottomRight:
sf.LineAlignment = StringAlignment.Far;
break;
}
switch (textalign)
{
case ContentAlignment.TopLeft:
case ContentAlignment.MiddleLeft:
case ContentAlignment.BottomLeft:
sf.Alignment = StringAlignment.Near;
break;
case ContentAlignment.TopCenter:
case ContentAlignment.MiddleCenter:
case ContentAlignment.BottomCenter:
sf.Alignment = StringAlignment.Center;
break;
case ContentAlignment.TopRight:
case ContentAlignment.MiddleRight:
case ContentAlignment.BottomRight:
sf.Alignment = StringAlignment.Far;
break;
}
return sf;
}
#endregion
#region - Drawing -
/// <summary>
/// Draws the outer border for the control
/// using the ButtonColor property.
/// </summary>
/// <param name="g">The graphics object used in the paint event.</param>
private void DrawOuterStroke(Graphics g)
{
Color buttonColor = this.ButtonColor;
if (!this.Enabled)
buttonColor = System.Drawing.SystemColors.ControlDark;
if (this.ButtonStyle == Style.Flat && this.mButtonState == State.None){return;}
Rectangle r = this.ClientRectangle;
r.Width -= 1; r.Height -= 1;
using (GraphicsPath rr = RoundRect(r, CornerRadius, CornerRadius, CornerRadius, CornerRadius))
{
using (Pen p = new Pen(buttonColor))
{
g.DrawPath(p, rr);
}
}
}
/// <summary>
/// Draws the inner border for the control
/// using the HighlightColor property.
/// </summary>
/// <param name="g">The graphics object used in the paint event.</param>
private void DrawInnerStroke(Graphics g)
{
if (this.ButtonStyle == Style.Flat && this.mButtonState == State.None){return;}
Rectangle r = this.ClientRectangle;
r.X++; r.Y++;
r.Width -= 3; r.Height -= 3;
using (GraphicsPath rr = RoundRect(r, CornerRadius, CornerRadius, CornerRadius, CornerRadius))
{
using (Pen p = new Pen(this.HighlightColor))
{
g.DrawPath(p, rr);
}
}
}
/// <summary>
/// Draws the background for the control
/// using the background image and the
/// BaseColor.
/// </summary>
/// <param name="g">The graphics object used in the paint event.</param>
private void DrawBackground(Graphics g)
{
Color baseColor = this.BaseColor;
Color buttonColor = this.ButtonColor;
if (!this.Enabled)
{
baseColor = SystemColors.Control;
buttonColor = System.Drawing.SystemColors.Control;
}
if (this.ButtonStyle == Style.Flat && this.mButtonState == State.None){return;}
int alpha = (mButtonState == State.Pressed) ? 204 : 127;
Rectangle r = this.ClientRectangle;
r.Width--; r.Height--;
using (GraphicsPath rr = RoundRect(r, CornerRadius, CornerRadius, CornerRadius, CornerRadius))
{
using (SolidBrush sb = new SolidBrush(baseColor))
{
g.FillPath(sb, rr);
}
SetClip(g);
if (this.BackImage != null){g.DrawImage(this.BackImage, this.ClientRectangle);}
g.ResetClip();
using (SolidBrush sb = new SolidBrush(Color.FromArgb(alpha, buttonColor)))
{
g.FillPath(sb, rr);
}
}
}
/// <summary>
/// Draws the Highlight over the top of the
/// control using the HightlightColor.
/// </summary>
/// <param name="g">The graphics object used in the paint event.</param>
private void DrawHighlight(Graphics g)
{
if (this.ButtonStyle == Style.Flat && this.mButtonState == State.None){return;}
int alpha = (mButtonState == State.Pressed) ? 60 : 150;
Rectangle rect = new Rectangle(0, 0, this.Width, this.Height / 2);
using (GraphicsPath r = RoundRect(rect, CornerRadius, CornerRadius, 0, 0))
{
using (LinearGradientBrush lg = new LinearGradientBrush(r.GetBounds(),
Color.FromArgb(alpha, this.HighlightColor),
Color.FromArgb(alpha / 3, this.HighlightColor),
LinearGradientMode.Vertical))
{
g.FillPath(lg, r);
}
}
}
/// <summary>
/// Draws the glow for the button when the
/// mouse is inside the client area using
/// the GlowColor property.
/// </summary>
/// <param name="g">The graphics object used in the paint event.</param>
private void DrawGlow(Graphics g)
{
if (this.mButtonState == State.Pressed){return;}
SetClip(g);
using (GraphicsPath glow = new GraphicsPath())
{
glow.AddEllipse(-5,this.Height / 2 - 10, this.Width + 11, this.Height + 11);
using (PathGradientBrush gl = new PathGradientBrush(glow))
{
gl.CenterColor = Color.FromArgb(mGlowAlpha, this.GlowColor);
gl.SurroundColors = new Color[] {Color.FromArgb(0, this.GlowColor)};
g.FillPath(gl, glow);
}
}
g.ResetClip();
}
/// <summary>
/// Draws the text for the button.
/// </summary>
/// <param name="g">The graphics object used in the paint event.</param>
private void DrawText(Graphics g)
{
Color foreColor = this.ForeColor;
if (!this.Enabled)
foreColor = System.Drawing.SystemColors.ControlDark;
StringFormat sf = StringFormatAlignment(this.TextAlign);
Rectangle r = new Rectangle(8,8,this.Width - 17,this.Height - 17);
g.DrawString(this.ButtonText, this.Font, new SolidBrush(foreColor), r, sf);
}
/// <summary>
/// Draws the image for the button
/// </summary>
/// <param name="g">The graphics object used in the paint event.</param>
private void DrawImage(Graphics g)
{
if (this.Image == null) {return;}
Rectangle r = new Rectangle(8,8,this.ImageSize.Width,this.ImageSize.Height);
switch (this.ImageAlign)
{
case ContentAlignment.TopCenter:
r = new Rectangle(this.Width / 2 - this.ImageSize.Width / 2,8,this.ImageSize.Width,this.ImageSize.Height);
break;
case ContentAlignment.TopRight:
r = new Rectangle(this.Width - 8 - this.ImageSize.Width,8,this.ImageSize.Width,this.ImageSize.Height);
break;
case ContentAlignment.MiddleLeft:
r = new Rectangle(8,this.Height / 2 - this.ImageSize.Height / 2,this.ImageSize.Width,this.ImageSize.Height);
break;
case ContentAlignment.MiddleCenter:
r = new Rectangle(this.Width / 2 - this.ImageSize.Width / 2,this.Height / 2 - this.ImageSize.Height / 2,this.ImageSize.Width,this.ImageSize.Height);
break;
case ContentAlignment.MiddleRight:
r = new Rectangle(this.Width - 8 - this.ImageSize.Width,this.Height / 2 - this.ImageSize.Height / 2,this.ImageSize.Width,this.ImageSize.Height);
break;
case ContentAlignment.BottomLeft:
r = new Rectangle(8,this.Height - 8 - this.ImageSize.Height,this.ImageSize.Width,this.ImageSize.Height);
break;
case ContentAlignment.BottomCenter:
r = new Rectangle(this.Width / 2 - this.ImageSize.Width / 2,this.Height - 8 - this.ImageSize.Height,this.ImageSize.Width,this.ImageSize.Height);
break;
case ContentAlignment.BottomRight:
r = new Rectangle(this.Width - 8 - this.ImageSize.Width,this.Height - 8 - this.ImageSize.Height,this.ImageSize.Width,this.ImageSize.Height);
break;
}
g.DrawImage(this.Image,r);
}
private void SetClip(Graphics g)
{
Rectangle r = this.ClientRectangle;
r.X++; r.Y++; r.Width-=3; r.Height-=3;
using (GraphicsPath rr = RoundRect(r, CornerRadius, CornerRadius, CornerRadius, CornerRadius))
{
g.SetClip(rr);
}
}
#endregion
#region - Private Subs -
private void VistaButton_Paint(object sender, PaintEventArgs e)
{
e.Graphics.SmoothingMode = SmoothingMode.AntiAlias;
e.Graphics.InterpolationMode = InterpolationMode.HighQualityBicubic;
DrawBackground(e.Graphics);
DrawHighlight(e.Graphics);
DrawImage(e.Graphics);
DrawText(e.Graphics);
DrawGlow(e.Graphics);
DrawOuterStroke(e.Graphics);
DrawInnerStroke(e.Graphics);
}
private void VistaButton_Resize(object sender, EventArgs e)
{
Rectangle r = this.ClientRectangle;
r.X -= 1; r.Y -= 1;
r.Width += 2; r.Height += 2;
using (GraphicsPath rr = RoundRect(r, CornerRadius, CornerRadius, CornerRadius, CornerRadius))
{
this.Region = new Region(rr);
}
}
#region - Mouse and Keyboard Events -
private void VistaButton_MouseEnter(object sender, EventArgs e)
{
mButtonState = State.Hover;
mFadeOut.Stop();
mFadeIn.Start();
}
private void VistaButton_MouseLeave(object sender, EventArgs e)
{
mButtonState = State.None;
if (this.mButtonStyle == Style.Flat) { mGlowAlpha = 0; }
mFadeIn.Stop();
mFadeOut.Start();
}
private void VistaButton_MouseDown(object sender, MouseEventArgs e)
{
if (e.Button == MouseButtons.Left)
{
mButtonState = State.Pressed;
if (this.mButtonStyle != Style.Flat) { mGlowAlpha = 255; }
mFadeIn.Stop();
mFadeOut.Stop();
this.Invalidate();
}
}
private void mFadeIn_Tick(object sender, EventArgs e)
{
if (this.ButtonStyle == Style.Flat) {mGlowAlpha = 0;}
if (mGlowAlpha + 30 >= 255)
{
mGlowAlpha = 255;
mFadeIn.Stop();
}
else
{
mGlowAlpha += 30;
}
this.Invalidate();
}
private void mFadeOut_Tick(object sender, EventArgs e)
{
if (this.ButtonStyle == Style.Flat) {mGlowAlpha = 0;}
if (mGlowAlpha - 30 <= 0)
{
mGlowAlpha = 0;
mFadeOut.Stop();
}
else
{
mGlowAlpha -= 30;
}
this.Invalidate();
}
private void VistaButton_KeyDown(object sender, KeyEventArgs e)
{
if (e.KeyCode == Keys.Space)
{
MouseEventArgs m = new MouseEventArgs(MouseButtons.Left,0,0,0,0);
VistaButton_MouseDown(sender, m);
}
}
private void VistaButton_KeyUp(object sender, KeyEventArgs e)
{
if (e.KeyCode == Keys.Space)
{
MouseEventArgs m = new MouseEventArgs(MouseButtons.Left,0,0,0,0);
calledbykey = true;
VistaButton_MouseUp(sender, m);
}
}
private void VistaButton_MouseUp(object sender, MouseEventArgs e)
{
if (e.Button == MouseButtons.Left)
{
mButtonState = State.Hover;
mFadeIn.Stop();
mFadeOut.Stop();
this.Invalidate();
if (calledbykey == true) {this.OnClick(EventArgs.Empty); calledbykey = false;}
}
}
#endregion
#endregion
}
来源：https://stackoverflow.com/questions/25362220/writing-drawing-my-own-listbox-listview-control-from-scratch